On the other side, Lionel accompanied his parents to see off the Patel family. His face immediately darkened.
However, he did not explode on the street. Instead, he kept a tight expression and drove his parents to the apartment he had bought.
The elderly couple sensed his displeasure and the low pressure around him. Feeling guilty, they remained very quiet.
Soon, the three of them returned to the apartment.
Once inside, Lionel could no longer hold back. He asked in a deep voice, "Mom, Dad, what did you mean tonight? Why did Mr. and Mrs. Patel show up? Did you plan to force me into marriage? To humiliate Julia?"
"What forced marriage, what humiliation, what nonsense are you talking about!"
The elderly couple exchanged a guilty glance, deciding not to admit anything.
Seeing this, Lionel's face grew even darker. "Mom, Dad, don't treat everyone like fools. Anyone with eyes could see what was going on tonight."
Hearing this, the elderly couple looked embarrassed.
Finally, Tristan became angry out of shame and glared at Lionel. "Is this our fault? If you had told us everything about Julia's godmother being Mrs. Mercer, would we have done this?"
"Exactly, you're an adult now. How can you be so careless? I wonder how you conduct your research."
Cristal also began to criticize Lionel alongside her husband.
Lionel felt speechless and helpless. "Mom, Dad, it's not about what I tell you; it's about your attitude. You promised me you would come to discuss the marriage properly."
"We did discuss your marriage properly."
But not with Julia, rather with the Patel family.
The Grants didn't say this out loud.
Tristan continued, "Besides, nothing has happened yet. Your marriage with Julia is still on track."
"On track?"
Lionel almost laughed out of anger.
If it were on track, he wouldn't be so worried.
Julia is someone who cannot tolerate any grievances. She didn't make a scene tonight because of her upbringing, which doesn't allow her to shout at elders.
Although Lionel didn't say these words out loud, the Grants sensed something was wrong.
Cristal anxiously asked, "Son, what do you mean? Is there a problem with Julia? But she was fine at the restaurant."
"She was fine because she has good manners and wouldn't show disrespect to elders."
Lionel said mockingly.
Hearing this, the Grants became anxious. "Son, go and appease Julia tomorrow. Women calm down when you coax them."
At this point, they didn't want their son to break up with Julia at all.
Not just because of Julia's connection with the Mercer family, but also because of her dowry.
Lionel knew exactly what his parents were thinking.
He would naturally go and appease her, but he would not allow his parents to scheme against his future wife.
"If you want the wedding to proceed normally, we need to sign a contract."
Lionel stated his demand.
The elderly couple was stunned. "What contract?"
"First, after the wedding, you cannot interfere in my and Julia's life. Second, you cannot find excuses to ask Julia for money..."
Lionel listed several terms.
These terms completely blocked the elderly couple's plans.
Because of this, their faces turned very ugly.
Especially Cristal, who angrily said, "Are you going to get married or serve a queen? You disallow us to do anything! Have you forgotten we're your parents?"
"If you don't agree, I won't get married."
Lionel looked at them coldly, not caring about their dissatisfaction.
The elderly couple was speechless for a moment and didn't know what to say.
They could see that Lionel wasn't joking.
Eight years ago, they had seen this expression on Lionel's face as well.
Back then, they wanted Lionel to study finance according to their wishes. But for some reason-perhaps rebellion-he insisted on studying biology. He even worked part-time while studying instead of compromising with them.
In the end, because Lionel became a renowned researcher both domestically and internationally, they had no choice but to accept it.
"If you don't get married, what about the child in Julia's womb? Would her godmother agree?"
Despite their words, the elderly couple eventually compromised. "Fine, fine, we won't interfere in your matters anymore. But if the company needs development in the future, you have to let Julia help us connect with the Mercer family or her godmother's company."
"Julia and I won't get involved in these matters. If you want cooperation, go through the proper channels."
Lionel refused without hesitation.
He knew very well that if he opened this door now, countless more would follow in the future.