"Grandpa!"
Josephine Grant looked aggrieved, her eyes brimming with tears. She was putting on a pitiful act.
'Apologize to that down-and-out Shirley Thorne?'
'You've got to be kidding me.'
Leo Graham held her and said to Shirley Thorne, "Miss Thorne, my Josephine has a bit of a temper, but she really means no harm. I'll apologize to you on her behalf."
Shirley Thorne sneered inwardly. 'This Leo Graham sure knows how to play the good guy.' Just as she was about to retort, she heard Ethan Grant's cold voice.
"With what right do you apologize?"
Ethan Grant's icy gaze was fixed on Leo Graham as he asked again, "What standing do you have?"
It was a pointed question. What standing could a man who married into the family possibly have?
Leo Graham's face flushed red, and he felt as if the very air around him had grown thin.
"I..." Leo Graham stammered, unable to form a complete sentence.
Josephine Grant said angrily, "Why are you bullying my Leo? Dad and I were just angry that Ethan was trying to fool Grandpa with a worthless painting. Now it looks like it was all just a misunderstanding."
Warren Grant chimed in, "Ethan, you should have told us about this kind of thing sooner. We didn't know Miss Thorne before, so how could we have known she was such a good painter? It's all a misunderstanding."
After speaking, he glared at Susan Langley. "Hey, hurry up and apologize to Miss Thorne. Ethan already posted the painting online, and you still don't believe it. What kind of mother are you!"
His expression changed as quickly as flipping a page, and he conveniently forgot that he was the one who had started the mockery.
Josephine Grant shrank into a corner, showing no intention of speaking up.
Shirley Thorne was rendered speechless. They were truly masters at passing the buck.
Ethan Grant let out a cold laugh and said, "All of you, together."
'Trying to pull a fast one on me? Not in this lifetime!'
The trio's faces stiffened, their expressions filled with uncontrollable anger.
'Why should we?'
'We didn't know Shirley Thorne could paint that well!'
'And that bastard Ethan! He's the one who submitted the painting to the national auction. He must have seen Susan Langley's comment!'
'He saw it and didn't warn us. He definitely did it on purpose!'
At this thought, the three of them looked at Ethan Grant and Shirley Thorne with eyes full of resentment.
Shirley Thorne was exasperated. 'It wasn't me who demanded the apology, so what's the point of glaring at me?'
Ethan Grant showed no reaction to their resentful glares and simply asked, "Isn't the banquet about to start?"
The implication was clear: if you're going to apologize, do it quickly. Everyone is waiting to eat!
Upon hearing this, tears streamed from Susan Langley's eyes. With so many of the younger generation present today, if she really apologized, wouldn't she lose face all the way to Vesperia?
Josephine Grant wore a stubborn, aggrieved expression.
Warren Grant looked embarrassed, gritting his teeth in secret.
The Old Master grew angry seeing the trio's foolish display. Just as he was about to scold them, a gentle voice suddenly spoke up.
"Grandpa, today is my sister-in-law's first visit. As Ethan's family, shouldn't we show some generosity?"
Shirley Thorne looked over and saw a young man in a white shirt stepping forward from the crowd. He had a gentle and refined air, as pleasant as a spring breeze, and he brought to mind the warm sun on a winter's day.
This person was...
Shirley Thorne recalled the crash course Ethan Grant had given her last night and pulled a name from her memory: Julian Grant.
Ethan Grant's half-brother. He was said to be a cheerful person with a great personality—so great that most people couldn't believe he and Josephine Grant had the same mother.
This man was remarkably low-key. Unlike Josephine Grant, who had sat near the Old Master early on, practically begging for everyone's attention.
But as for this one, if he hadn't spoken up, no one would have likely noticed him at all.
"Julian is right," the Old Master said upon hearing this. His aged eyes brightened considerably. He turned to the trio. "Susan, Warren, Josephine, you should all make a gesture."
The Old Master had lived a long life and knew his family's personalities all too well. An apology was probably out of the question, but letting them off the hook entirely would seem too casual.
So, making them "show some generosity" was a way to give them an out.
However, the trio completely failed to understand the Old Master's good intentions. They only felt that the Old Master was targeting them, that Ethan Grant had wronged them, and that the entire world was against them.