Chapter 54

Chapter 54

When just my identity as Virio's fiancée was announced, it stirred up a storm of public opinion throughout the entire family.

After Luca and Charles heard the news, they came to keep me company and asked what I was thinking.

"What else can I think? Right now, I just want to take good care of Virio."

Even if I had to bear hundreds of times more public pressure, I was willing to do it.

They exchanged glances and sighed.

Luca said to me, "I knew bringing you back would put you under so much pressure, which is why I originally thought about talking to Virio and not having you come back. Who knew he would stay unconscious for so long."

I smiled bitterly and said to him, "I know you're all looking out for me, but in this situation, I'd rather be by his side."

Luca added, "You two have a pretty good relationship. I know I really don't have any right to say anything about this."

I interrupted him. "The pressure I'm facing now isn't coming from you guys. You don't need to feel guilty about this. I'm just thinking about how I can win everyone over."

Actually, I could understand the Soren family's dissatisfaction with my identity, or all the trouble they were stirring up.

Because not only was I a Lacey, which meant I should be their sworn enemy.

I was also a woman who no longer had power or status—my father was gone, and now the current head of the Lacey family was desperately trying to put me to death.

In the eyes of those Soren family members, Virio could clearly have better options. Having me act in his place was simply an insult to them.

Though I didn't see it that way.

When I was by Killian's side, I was constantly working hard to learn how to manage a family and a business.

I studied hard, and even when Killian sent me to do anything, I would accept it, because I was trying to grow.

The Soren family's situation is obviously different from ours.

I could only work hard to find my own way forward.

Especially since Virio was still seriously injured and unconscious, and I was replacing him.

He held too much power, and those elders were already very unhappy with him before.

To them, Virio was too young to manage a family.

But he was also too powerful.

So even though he was constantly opposed by the elders, Virio still held great power in the Soren family to this day.

The loudest voice of opposition came from Massimo Soren.

Massimo was also one of the family elders, and he was Virio's uncle.

No wonder he told me before that he felt he also had an uncle like Killian in his family, and in this regard, we were in the same boat.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but curl my lips into a cold smile.

Massimo was sitting across from me. Seeing the smile on my face, he suddenly attacked. "Elvira, why are you smiling like that at the family meeting right now?"

I was just thinking about other things and showed a smile, but Massimo was sharp enough to notice my mood and question me in front of everyone.

I looked at him seriously and said, "This family meeting just reminded me of some things from my own family."

Massimo seemed to hear the sarcasm in my words, and then he flew into a rage. "To you, is a family meeting a place for jokes? We invited you here just to ask, what qualifications do you have to exercise the power Virio holds in his place?"

After Massimo asked this question, others chimed in one after another.

"Exactly, our family still has so many people, why would we let you do it?"

"Even if you are Virio's fiancée, you don't have that right. Besides, we haven't even acknowledged whether you're his fiancée or not."

"Even if she is Virio's fiancée, we should be the ones exercising this power. Besides, his uncle is still here! Massimo can handle everything."

"Since you're here, we also want to ask what's really going on with Virio? Did you use some kind of method to imprison him, trying to disrupt our entire family?"

Listening to them get more and more ridiculous, the smile on my lips became more obvious.

Wasn't this situation pretty much the same as my family?

After all, I also had an annoying uncle.

At family meetings, they questioned me the same way.

And both times were related to Virio. Thinking about this, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Seeing the expression on my face, they became even more dissatisfied. Massimo almost slammed the table and stood up, but just then, I pulled out a document. "Virio is currently handling other more dangerous and important matters, so it's not convenient for him to appear with me, but he gave me this."

When I produced this document, the smile on my face faded.

Thinking of Virio's current condition, I couldn't smile.

But before he fell unconscious, he signed an authorization document for me, saying to let me manage the entire family's affairs.

This document also came with evidence of things Massimo had done that were harmful to the family.

Of course, it was all the things Massimo had done to Virio to seize power, which were now about to be made public.

But when I pulled out this document, I hesitated for a few seconds.

At the family meeting, in front of so many people, should I really make Virio and Massimo's affairs public?

What if Virio woke up and regretted this decision?

But I suddenly remembered what Virio had said to me before. "Elvira, whether you believe it or not, I can understand you in these matters, so I know the pain in your heart. If you dare to face all this, then so do I."

So what he meant then was that he would also openly confront his own uncle?

I steadied myself and didn't think about this for now. First, I announced the authorization document Virio had signed for me.

After this document was announced, seeing Virio's special signature and seal, all those elders fell silent.

Luca was sitting next to me. They knew Luca's identity, and at this moment, Luca spoke up to help me.

He said that when they were carrying out their mission, he was right by Virio's side.

It was Virio who personally told him that if he needed to handle other matters during this time, he would let me take over.

Those elders said nothing. I knew what they were thinking—probably that if it were Luca and Charles acting in his place, they might not be able to target them, since they all knew their status.

But if it were me, I would be just a fiancée.

They might be able to make their move through me.

So those elders temporarily kept quiet.

Only Massimo's eyes remained on me. As if thinking of something, he sneered, stood up, and openly said, "Just one document, and you all believe her like this. I feel ashamed that our family has people like you!"