Dirty Touch
On the other hand, Onyx was furious when he witnessed what was going on. What’re you doing, my
daughter?! You’re embarrassing the White Family. Do you know that?!
“Should we step in and say something, dear?” Lyra expressed her concern for Adelpha’s reputation.
“What are we supposed to say to her? She is going to take care of her own mess. I’m not going to
waste my time and energy cleaning her mess for her.” Onyx glared at Elise and hid in the corner, tired
of observing his daughter’s action any further.
Elise was helpless at that moment, but deep down, she knew Anastasia was a lady who was obsessed
with relationships. “Grandpa.” Elise reluctantly asked Benjamin for help. “Do something.”
“I could help you, but what if you turn your back on me like you did the last time after that?” Benjamin
purposely gave Elise a hard time.
“I guarantee I won’t.” Although Elise could deny all accusations that Edmond threw at her, she believed
the strained relationship between ‘Anastasia’ and Benjamin was no secret among their social circles.
After all, the only way to keep herself out of trouble is to be backed by Benjamin.
“Hmph!” Benjamin grunted coldly and said, “I don’t give two cents about your guarantee!” Despite his
rejection, he acted against his harsh attitude and took a step forward, behaving like an intimidating
boxer who was stepping into the ring. “Ladies and gentlemen, today is my 70th birthday, but this man
seems to be ruining the occasion with an unidentified voice recording that he was using to frame my
granddaughter for having fallen in love with him. I may not know a lot of people, but I’m sure everyone
here is somewhat influential and well-known. Therefore, I’m sure any one of your sons would probably
make a better match with my granddaughter than this young man would. For that, I’d say this young
man is making a fool out of my granddaughter and the Joslin Family, as well as everyone else here.
Don’t you find this funny, ladies and gentlemen?” Benjamin managed to depict Edmond as a clown with
his subtle and eloquent use of words.
“Oh, come on. Does this guy know who Anastasia is? He needs to see the truth by looking at himself in
the mirror.”
“That’s outrageous. I’m pretty sure this guy must have gone mental!”
“If even a lousy guy like him can marry into a rich family, I suppose we’re going to have to keep a close
eye on our daughters in the future so that those bootlickers don’t get too close with us.”
“Don’t let someone like him continue to ruin your occasion, Mr. Joslin. Show him the way out of this
place. We’re better off without him here.”
Since it was Benjamin’s birthday celebration, it was not surprising that no one sided with Edmond as
they all thought the man was messing around.
“I’m not lying, and neither am I framing her. This is indeed the voice note that Anastasia sent me by
herself.” Edmond raised his phone high up in the air and showed his chatroom on WhatsApp to prove
his innocence.
“Alright. Alright.” Benjamin responded again and acted as if he was coaxing a kid. “Whatever you say.
Somebody. Please take this man to the mental asylum and pay the bill for three months upfront. I’m
going to pretend as if I’m making a donation for charity.”
“Who dares to lay a finger on me?!” Edmond arrogantly glared at the guards, stunning all of them who
were about to manhandle him.
“Don’t worry about it, Sir. The patient’s welfare is the Joslin Family’s priority, so they will not hesitate to
help whenever necessary.” Benjamin made his point ambiguously just as the guards immediately
understood what he was implying. They then restrained Edmond’s limbs and carried him out of the
place without fearing any consequences since Benjamin would have their back should anything wrong
happen.
Not long after they left, the banquet was back to its normal peaceful state. In the meantime, Danny
shook his head and said, “Damn! That man’s narcissism really goes to great lengths. If I were in Miss
Joslin’s place, I would never even bother to look at him.”
“It’s White,” Alexander insisted. “She is grateful to have Mr. Joslin by her side to get out of trouble. After
all, girls don’t usually find themselves in a good position to settle this.”
“Why do I have a feeling that Mr. Joslin is trying to gain her favor?” Danny expressed his bewilderment
in a straightforward manner.
However, Alexander showed no interest in responding to his question. “You may leave now.”
“Leave? Why? The feast hasn’t even started.” Danny was starting to feel hungry.
“I want information about Edmond.” The sudden appearance of the man had raised Alexander’s
suspicion.
“Why?”
“Nothing.” Alexander impatiently asked, “Are you going to do it or not?”
“Of course I am. I’m just trying to find out more about my mission.” Danny placed his fingertip on his
earpiece with a smiling face. “It’s not every day that I’m given a job by my beloved brother, so I’m going
to make sure I nail it, man.”
“There is only one thing that you have to learn about.”
“What is it?”
“Actions speak louder than words.”
…
Meanwhile, Onyx finally decided to show himself not long after the tension ended. Thus, he
approached Benjamin with Lyra to give him his blessings. In the meantime, Lyra, who noticed the
darkened look on her husband’s face, nudged him with her elbow and said, “Come on. You need to
crack a smile. Do it for Adelpha, for the sake of our daughter’s marriage. We don’t know how much
more it’s going to take for us to rise through the ranks after we leave the Joslin Family. So, hang in
there, dear.”
Even so, Onyx only appeared to lighten up a little as he still didn’t crack a smile. When he approached
Elise and Benjamin, they somehow didn’t seem to be happy with each other’s presence. “Mr. Joslin,
may you live a long life full of prosperity and happiness.” Lyra had her ancient painting in her hands,
ready to present it to the old man. She then flattered Benjamin and said, “Onyx and I got this for you as
a present. It was drawn by the artist, Leonardo da Vinci himself. So, let’s take a look at it and see if you
like it.”
Nevertheless, Benjamin rolled his eyes upward in disgust. “Any piece of art is a piece of trash to me as
long as you touch it with your hands.” Upon hearing the old man’s words, Lyra froze with the drawing
still in her hand, not knowing whether she should keep it or insist on giving it to Benjamin.
Onyx, who was suppressing his anger all the while, eventually let his rage get the better of him. He
then stood in front of Lyra and acted like a shield, reprimanding Benjamin for his unpleasant attitude. “I
don’t care if you look down on me, but why do you have to be so mean to my wife? She got this
present for you. Do you really think it’s fun to insult other people and destroy their dignity just because
you’re rich?!”
“Insult?” Benjamin chuckled coldly. “Where was your dignity when you married my daughter?”
Onyx felt as if someone had just hit him in the soft spot. With his mouth left wide agape for a few
moments, he said, “Fine, you and I have nothing else to talk to each other about. Let’s go home,
Anastasia!”
As the man turned around, he immediately stopped in his tracks upon hearing Elise’s words. “I’m not
going to come with you. It’s Grandpa’s birthday after all, and I’m staying here to look after him.”
“So, this is how it’s going to be now. You don’t take your dad seriously anymore because you think your
grandpa’s got your back, huh? If that’s the case, don’t ever come home again!” Onyx was furious.
“That’s my house, and I can go back whenever I want.” Elise continued to help Benjamin fix his clothes,
appearing unconcerned about Onyx’s threat.
Unable to cover the excitement within him. Benjamin raised the pitch of his voice and replied, “That’s
right. That house was a gift from me to my daughter. Now that she is no longer around, her daughter
shall inherit the property. Therefore, she has full ownership of the house. Anastasia will always be my
granddaughter even if the White Family and the Joslin Family are no longer on good terms.”
Speechless, Onyx glared at the duo and stomped off in frustration. When Lyra saw that, she quickly put
what she was holding down and caught up to him.
…
In the meantime, Danny approached the exit just as he ran into Brendan. “What brings you here?”
Danny asked.
“I’m the designer appointed by Benedict, Mr. Joslin’s eldest son, so it’s a natural thing for me to be
here. The question is you. Why are you here instead of spending your time hanging around with that
lady?” Brendan pulled Danny’s leg.
Alexander, who could hear the conversation between his brothers, was about to remind Danny not to
give him away, only to realize it was too late. “I’m a true man who is destined for great things. So, when
it comes to times that I’m needed to complete a job Alexander assigned me with, I have to be serious
by putting everything else aside.”
Nevertheless, Brendan’s face darkened the moment he heard Danny’s words. Without a word of
explanation, he circled around Danny and made his way to the manor.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Danny had no idea why Brendan was so temperamental. “Who got
under his skin this time?”
While this question was directed to Alexander, he didn’t want to entertain Danny. Instead, he hung up
the call right away.
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