"Of course," Amy retorted. Laura was fuming mad. She failed to notice the underlying meaning behind Amy's words. And in a voice full of derision, she continued to lash out, "I have known many girls like her. Girls who are ambitious enough to dream of marrying into rich families. Ha! But I'm not stupid. And I will never allow her to be a member of our family."
Then she hastily turned towards Arthur. She tried to squeeze her way past him and said, "Uncle Arthur, move aside, please. I'll teach that bitch a lesson."
"Don't you dare?" Arthur, who was enraged by the sudden outburst of Laura, stood firmly to block Laura's way. His face was emitting a strong sense of total displeasure and he said in a cold tone, "I won't let go of you if you dare lay a finger on her."
"Uncle Arthur?" Taken aback, Laura stared incredulously at Arthur. She could faintly discern that something was off and asked, "What do you mean?"
Holding Laura's bewildered expression, Arthur sneered. And he reminded her, "I've warned you yesterday to mind your son. But obviously, you paid no attention at all. You just let it slide and went too far."
Arthur, who was still looking at her with open disdain, contemptuously continued, "Don't worry. It doesn't matter if you hate, loathe or detest my Sheryl. She feels quite the same way towards your son too. We don't know where Anthony is, but if you'd find him one day, please tell him I want to talk with him!"
"Your Sheryl?" she asked unwittingly. Laura seemed to have caught up something from Arthur's words. Still dumbfounded, she asked Arthur in complete astonishment, "What do you mean? You and Sheryl... What's your relationship?"
"She is my granddaughter," he curtly replied. His voice sounded warm but with an imposing tone. Arthur, who still couldn't contain the revulsion of disgust, continued to glower at her. And he muttered, "The bitch you referred to is my granddaughter!"
"How... how can it be possible?" Laura stammered in shock. Her mind was in total mess. "Her last name is Xia, but yours is Zhao. So how can it be possible?" she asked pressing for an answer.
"It's none of your business. Suffice to say that it's something you need not know," he said cutting her words off. Arthur gave her an icy-cold stare and menacingly mouthed, "Don't be afraid that Sheryl will marry your son. He is not rich enough to suit her. If you dare speak ill of Sheryl again, I will teach you a lesson. And you'll live to regret it."
When everything had dawned on her, Laura was rooted to the spot. She was stunned. She stood transfixed for a brief moment and was unable to move. Her face showed conflicting emotions. Never did she expect that Sheryl was Arthur's granddaughter.
Deep regrets clouded her mind. If she had known from the start, she wouldn't be that harsh towards Sheryl. And now, Arthur was extremely displeased with her. She felt so mortified.
"I didn't mean that, Uncle Arthur," she said weakly as she finally gathered her wits to speak up. Laura gave a bitter smile and started explaining to Arthur, "I didn't know she is your granddaughter."
Much to her chagrin, Laura apologized and concluded, "If I knew she is your granddaughter, I wouldn't say such harsh words."
She then turned her gaze towards Sheryl and cautiously said, "Child, we are family. Why didn't you tell me your real identity?"
Sheryl opted to ignore her question. After all, she didn't feel like saying even a single word to her at all.
Seeing Sheryl's indifferent attitude, uncaring towards her, Laura felt more embarrassed.
Then she moved her gaze back to Arthur and said, "I'm sorry Uncle Arthur. It is all my fault. If I only knew she is your granddaughter, I would be polite right there and then and be friendly with her."
She reasoned out to Arthur as she tentatively cast a glimpse at Sheryl. In a slightly pleading tone, she said, "Let me invite you for lunch. It's my treat. I want to make up for the grave mistake I committed. Sheryl, you can come too."
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