Meanwhile in Harborview Heights.
Hugo was about to contact the Farrell family to cancel the engagement when he was interrupted by the ring of the doorbell.
Hugo and Jennie got up to open the door.
Tina also rose and went out; a guest had arrived, and it was only polite to greet them.
Yet when they saw Amber at the door, Hugo and Jennie were both momentarily stunned, and even Tina's eyes lifted slightly in surprise.
They had just seen each other, and now Amber was at their doorstep so soon?
"Dad, Mom, I've brought some clothes for Tina," Amber said sweetly, dressed in a light-colored dress with her hair tied at the sides, giving off a sense of gentle grace.
Jennie glanced at the bags in Amber's hands, her expression changing.
These were clothes the old lady had bought for Amber, many of them were worn only once and then discarded.
This Amber was...
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness," Jennie said as she took the bags from her hands and casually placed them on a cabinet.
"What brings you here all of a sudden?" Hugo's face darkened as he saw the bags in Amber's hands.
Amber's eyes shifted, and looking up at Hugo, her eyes brimmed with tears, a look of grievance on her face, "I know, Dad, you've just found Tina and want to spend more time with her and don't want to see me, but... it was Grandma who sent me to teach Tina some manners."
Hugo's brows knitted tightly in impatience as he looked at Amber.
Not this act again!
Every time she visited them involved tears as though she had been wronged.
Hadn't she looked down on them after receiving Elizabeth's favor?
What was such acting even for?
Hugo's anger was irrational, "What manners? Tina's manners are fine; she doesn't need anyone to teach her! She's not marrying the emperor to be a consort, what need is there for so many rules?"
"Pfft!" Tina couldn't help but laugh at Hugo's words, finding humor where she hadn't expected it.
Amber's fair face blushed, and she looked down, biting her lip, "Dad, that's not what I meant, I just..."
"Enough," Hugo cut her off, his voice tinged with irritation. "Go tell your grandmother that I will cancel the engagement with the Farrell family. Since she looks down on Tina, she shouldn't worry about her manners."
"What? Cancel the engagement!" Amber could barely maintain her act, her hands clutching the fabric of her dress as her eyes filled with malice.
Hypocrites! Ridiculous!
Indeed, she was their real daughter, so everything was different for her.
When the Farrell family had wanted Amber to marry Jared Farrell, she had subtly hinted she wasn't willing, but what had Hugo said then?
He said he didn't rule the house and left it to her grandmother to decide whether to cancel the engagement.
But now?
As soon as Tina returned, Hugo couldn't wait to end the engagement. Why wasn't he saying now that he didn't call the shots in this house?
"Yes, Tina is only nineteen, and I've just found her again; I can't possibly let her get married," Hugo said sternly. "Tell your grandmother to stop all her scheming against Tina."
He wasn't oblivious to his mother's thoughts.
He might have acquiesced to her in everything in the past, but on the matter of Tina, there was no room for discussion.
Anyone who dared to target Tina would face his wrath.
"But..." Amber bit her lip, her reluctance apparent, "Tina agreed to marry Mr. Farrell. If she doesn't, the Farrell family will blame us. Offending the Farrell family would mean no peace for us."
Amber looked towards Tina and said softly, "Tina, you wouldn't want anything bad to happen to the Reed family, right? This is what Grandpa worked his whole life to build. If it were because of you..."
She left her sentence hanging, intentionally.
At her words, Tina's eyes lifted slightly, her lips curving into a sardonic smile, "Yes, I don't want to marry him. But how about you marry him?"
Amber stiffened, her face nearly unable to hide her agitation.
Who would marry that disabled Jared?
She was pretty well-known in Ensford, with significant achievements in various fields, now the top student at Ensford High School, with a bright future ahead. How could she ruin it by marrying a disabled man?
What did Tina mean by this?
Was she trying to disgust her on purpose?
"Tina, that's not a funny joke," Amber forced out a smile that was as unattractive as it was strained.
Tina blinked, tilting her head as she looked at her, "I'm not joking!"
Amber, "!!"
She almost couldn't restrain herself from slapping Tina!
Being given an inch and climbing a mile?
"You are the real Miss Reed!" Amber's voice rose sharply, her eyes darkening with venom.
"Oh." Tina's expression was indifferent, "So, are you trying to teach the real Miss Reed what to do now?"
"You are...!" Amber's hands clenched at her sides. After a moment, she took a deep breath and said with a light laugh, "You misunderstand, Tina. How could I dare teach you anything? Grandma said that your engagement to the Farrell family is not to be taken lightly, especially since after the engagement, the Farrell family will be investing a sum of money into our company, so the engagement absolutely cannot be canceled."
Before Tina could respond, Amber stood up, "Dad, I have to go to the company soon, so I won't stay long. Grandma told me she does not agree with the cancellation. If you insist, she will take back this house."
Of course, Elizabeth had not said such a thing; Amber was acting on her own accord.
But she could change Elizabeth's attitude before Hugo found Elizabeth.
Hugo's expression changed, and he was about to say something when Amber had already left.