Chapter 5 How Rude
After hanging up, Elvia opened the window and watched the clear sky outside. “Mom, who is this terrible enemy of yours?” When Elvia left the Gilmore family, she was merely nine. Her memories of the family were about how Diana bullied her mom and her mom could only swallow her pride and endure in silence. At that time, Elvia didn’t understand why her mom didn’t fight back as she was a wise and capable woman. When they left the Gilmore family and hunted for various forces, she found out that besides that, her mom also knew martial arts and would hurt and heal people with her special tools. She finally understood her mom’s choice. She was laying low in the Gilmore family to hide away from her killers. One day, she received a call and looked anxious. But Elvia was too young to know what was going on and they were on the run constantly. She assumed it was just another group of killers coming. But her mom killed herself that night. She took a poison that she invented. Before she died, she asked Elvia to go to Beryl Temple and find Tyson Heath, saying that she must learn martial arts from him and couldn’t leave the place for ten years. Her mom also told Elvia that she should cremate her and set up an unlettered gravestone only. Ten years later, she needed to reunite with Leonel and fulfill her marriage contract with Henry. Elvia did everything as her mom said, except marry Henry. For ten years, she had lived in the grief of losing her mom and swore to avenge her. Marriage would only slow her down. However… Henry was part of the scheme. The engagement was off. She needed to find another way to investigate what part Henry and his family played in her mom’s death. A string of loud knocks broke her out of her stupor. As soon as she opened the door, Diana and her family rushed into the room. She had brought her other two sons and their families. Kirsten was with them too. The tiny living room barely had room to stand as more than a dozen people swarmed in. They were fuming and glared at Elvia as if they wanted to eat her alive. “Elvia, how dare you? How could you cancel the engagement? Brat, why didn’t you listen to my order?” Diana shot daggers at Elvia with her muddy eyes. She didn’t expect that Elvia would cancel the engagement without her knowledge. She would still be in the dark if Wilbert didn’t call. Luckily, Wilbert valued this marriage contract and didn’t blame her. He said that although Henry was a cripple, he would leave half of his fortune to Henry after he died. Once Kirsten married Henry, she was set for life and could help the Gilmore family’s business. Because Elvia had just returned and the Gilmore family hadn’t announced to the public about her identity, Wilbert didn’t know that she was the one marrying Henry, not Kristen. But Diana didn’t care. Wilbert wanted her eldest granddaughter. That would be Elvia and the Gilmore family could have all the things Wilbert promises as long as she married Henry. Yet, Elvia had defied her and canceled the engagement. Keeping her eyes low, Elvia still emitted an intimidating aura. She stared at Diana silently. “I asked Elvia to do it.” Leonel stood in front of Elvia and said solemnly, “If you need to blame someone, blame me.” Diana slapped him and scowled, “You betrayed our family. Do you know what this engagement means to our family?” Although she didn’t want Kirsten to marry Henry, she didn’t call off the engagement. Because Diana wanted to stall until she found a way to gain the Bradshaw family’s financial aid and keep Kristen in the family to marry another rich guy at the same time. But Elvia ruined her plan. They couldn’t get anything once they offended the Bradshaw family. “What does it mean?” Leonel scoffed, “It means you could keep your pride. You don’t like Elvia, so you’re fine with sacrificing her happiness.” “Leonel!” Wayne Gilmore, Leonel’s oldest brother, frowned. “How could you accuse Mom? She did everything for the family. The Bradshaw family promises that they will treat Elvia well.” “That’s right. Although Henry is a cripple, he’s a rich cripple. Look at Elvia. She grew up in the village and didn’t even go to college. I doubt she even graduated from high school. And she’s 19 now. If she can’t keep on studying, she needs to start working…” Arnold Gilmore, Leonel’s second brother, added, “With her educational background, she could only be a waitress. And her future husband will be someone similar. What’s wrong with marrying Henry? At least, she’ll be set for life.” “Enough,” Leonel growled. “Elvia is my daughter. I have a say in her marriage. No matter how good Henry is, she won’t marry him.” “You!” Wayne flushed in anger. “How unreasonable.” Diana glared at Leonel and said angrily, “You’re not the head of the family. Since she’s a member of the Gilmore family, she should help us. The Gilmore family has no freeloader.” Elvia snorted dismissively. Diana snapped her head in her direction, her gaze full of venom. “What are you laughing at?” Elvia looked up and stared at Diana. “I’m amused by your senile. Since I was born, you haven’t spent any money on me. The Gilmore family didn’t raise me. Why would I help you?” Despite her young age, she remembered that Diana didn’t even buy her candies. “You.” Diana choked at her words, her eyes full of resentment. She cursed Elvia’s sharp tongue inwardly. “Elvia,” Wayne shouted. “Watch your tone. You’re talking to your grandma. Didn’t your mom teach you any manners?” Elvia smiled and put her hands in her pockets causally. “I’m sorry. My mom is dead. Maybe you can go to the underworld and ask her the question.” Wayne’s face turned purple in anger. “How rude.” Elvia’s brash attitude had pissed the rest of the family off. But they kept silent in front of Diana. Still, they glared at Elvia. Elvia lifted her chin and ignored their dark gazes. Diana stared at Elvia for a while and took several deep breaths to suppress her anger. She softened her tone. “Your mom made the marriage contract. She must do it with your best interests at heart. Wilbert said that he still wanted you and Henry to get married.” Elvia looked at her with a half-smile, not answering. Diana frowned and said coldly, “Elvia, I have to remind you that you’re living in my house. If you don’t marry Henry, I’ll take the house back and fire your dad from the family company. As long as I’m alive, he won’t find a job in Banyan City. And he won’t be able to support the family.” Before Elvia could say anything, Leonel stepped forward and said seriously, “You can take the house back. I’m a grown man and I’ll try my hardest to support my family. I won’t sacrifice Elvia’s happiness.” Diana wanted to slap him again. Yet, she suppressed the urge and looked at Leonel, gritting her teeth. “Fine. What a good man. I’d like to see how long you will last.” She ordered coldly, “You have one hour. Get out of my house.”
