"Why are you calling me by this time, you godforsaken old cargo?" Mr. Sterling sneered, with disdain over the phone and loudspeaker.
Everyone could hear him loud and clear.
Pa Aaron's heart sank as he heard Mr. Thomas Sterling's voice thundering through the phone. The powerful businessman was clearly furious. What could have gone wrong?
Pa Aaron felt very embarrassed but knew he had to respond with humility to salvage the situation. "I... I'm deeply sorry, Mr. Sterling. It's just that everyone here was getting impatient, and I thought… I thought that…"
Mr. Sterling interrupted him, not willing to hear what he wanted to say. "You thought? You thought?! Do you know what you and your beggar family have caused my family?"
The family members seated in a corner couldn't understand what was happening and why Mr. Thomas Sterling was so furious with their father, Pa Aaron.
"I deeply regret any inconvenience this call must have caused, you, Mr. Sterling."
"And you still dare call to invite me for your petty celebration."
Pa Aaron noticed how Mr Thomas was angry and tried so hard to disconnect the call from the loudspeaker so everyone would not hear the conversation, but at this point, the old man's hands were shaking so badly that he couldn't disconnect it.
The guests witnessing what was happening were baffled and there was already an uprising among the crowd.
Mr Sterling continued. "You all will pay for the trouble you've caused my son, you and your filthy family," he sneered, showing no mercy.
Pa Aaron was clearly not understanding the situation and what he meant by 'you all will pay for the trouble you've caused my son.' The man was at a complete loss, but he didn't want to annoy Mr Thomas any further so he went on to say…
"I assure you, there must have been a misunderstanding, and I take full responsibility."
"You thought you could bring down my family name for your gain, Aaron? You're a leech, clinging to any opportunity to feed off others."
"My family meant no harm, and we never intended to disrespect you or your son in any way."
"You and your pathetic children and grandchildren are nothing but parasites, hoping to suck the life out of anyone successful."
"I beg you to find it in your heart to forgive our ignorance and actions if we called at the wrong time."
"Don't act as if you don't know what I'm talking about. How dare you get my son arrested and detained? You've caused a big embarrassment to my family name. And this isn't something I take lightly, Aaron."
"Jaxon arrested? Why?" Everyone queried that the situation was becoming serious, and they wondered where Alisha might be.
Mr. Sterling continued speaking with anger, causing everyone to fall silent. "Listen carefully, all of you. From this very moment, I am canceling any and all business agreements and promises made to this family. You've shown me nothing but incompetence and recklessness. My son was arrested because of your actions, and that is unacceptable. I will not be dealing with such a disgraceful family."
The whole family members exchanged shocked glances, unable to believe what they were hearing. The hope of financial gain they had been celebrating just moments ago had vanished, replaced by public disgrace and embarrassment.
Pa Aaron could barely hold back tears as he pleaded, "Mr. Sterling, I never intended for any of this. Please forgive us, whatever the case is, we will look for a way to handle the situation."
The elderly man was openly crying in front of everyone, and it was hard not to feel sorry for him.
"Forgiveness is not an option, Aaron. Prepare to face the consequences of your actions."
With that, he hung up, leaving Pa Aaron in shame and humiliation in front of the now-murmuring crowd.
The murmurs in the crowd grew louder. The guests were greatly disappointed and felt that Pa Aaron had lied to them earlier.
"I thought we were going to meet the Sterlings. What is happening?"
"I can't believe we fell for this! What a disgrace!"
"Shameful! We trusted him, and he made a mockery of us."
"This family is nothing but a bunch of liars and clout chasers."
"There is no way the Carls could associate with the Sterlings. Pa Aaron fooled us all."
Pa Aaron kept crying like a baby in front of the guest, embarrassing himself further.
His wife, children, grandchildren, and in-laws were all shocked and concerned as they saw him crying in such a public manner.
The visitors grew increasingly enraged because Mr. Sterling had decided not to come to the celebration. And from the look of things, he is angry with the Carls and is threatening to deal with them.
Frustrated by this and the uncertainty surrounding the situation, some of them couldn't contain their anger any longer.
They vented their frustration by damaging the expensive furniture, chairs, ornate windows, and other lavish decorations worth millions of dollars, turning the event into a chaotic scene.
"Everyone, calm down, calm down. There must have been a misunderstanding somewhere," Richard desperately tried to control the situation.
But the damage was already done. The crowd was dispersing, disappointed and disheartened. They had no interest in associating with the Carl family anymore, especially after being made a mockery of.
"Didn't you hear him say they will all pay for what they did..." someone mumbled in the dwindling crowd.
One by one, people started leaving, not wanting to be seen with the Carls. The family's reputation was definitely going down the drain in social status, and they decided to distance themselves from the Carl name.
It was a bitter end to what was supposed to be a joyous celebration in the Carl family.
The reason Alisha's phone wasn't answering became clear to them. They started to suspect that she might have been arrested along with Jaxon, but no one knew the details or who was behind it.
Nobody could have ever imagined that the person responsible was none other than their used-to-be live-in son-in-law, James Wane, whom everyone considered worthless.
They didn't realize that James was back for revenge, and he had a clever plan. He aimed to create chaos between the two families, making the Sterlings take harsh actions against the Carls, which would damage the Carls' once-good reputation. Until both families become the lowest class of family in the society.
This plan was already in motion, and its effects were beginning to show.
As the crowd dispersed, the Carl family members huddled together, trying to make sense of the events that had just happened and the ruins that the visitors had caused them.
"What just happened?" Lisa whispered to her husband, Mark.
Mark shook his head, clearly confused. "I have no idea. Why would Mr. Sterling be so furious with Pa Aaron?"
Sophie, their daughter, said, "And what's this about Jaxon being arrested? This is all so sudden."
Henry, Alisha's brother, joined the conversation. "Could it be some misunderstanding? Maybe we should try calling Alisha again and find out what's going on."
Kate, Alisha's mother, worriedly added, "I hope Alisha is okay. We need to get in touch with her."
Meanwhile, Richard, Alisha's father, pondered, "This is really strange. I never expected Mr. Sterling to react this way. What did Pa Aaron do to provoke him?"
Just then, James walked in through the gate into the main compound and continued to where everyone was standing and some seated trying to make sense of what just happened.
As he entered into the Carl family's yard, everyone there was stunned. They looked at him with surprise and confusion because they didn't expect to see him.
They were worried and unsure about his sudden appearance. They thought he might be here to make a mockery of them.
Whispering to each other, wondering if he had some hidden agenda. They couldn't understand why he would show up at this moment.
"Why is this deadbeat loser here?"
"Did someone invite this rat?"
"He is digging his own grave."
Despite all the shocked looks and whispered conversations, James remained calm and didn't seem bothered by the attention. His presence made everyone even more uneasy.
Some said things like, "He's really bold to come here alone," and "I wonder what he's up to."