Chapter 297 Family Rules
Harriet hadn't expected to see Xanthe again so soon.
She ran into Xanthe on the first floor of the main house when she was on her way to treat Mason.
"Well, if it isn't Harriet." Xanthe was wearing a Chanel-style suit, a classic piece from a luxury brand, looking completely different from her appearance as a restaurant owner's wife.
Xanthe crossed her arms, looking at Harriet with disdain. "I heard you're acting all high and mighty now, refusing to be recognized by the Romanov family. You really are the child raised by those two old folks who should've died long ago—always putting on airs and pretending to be noble."
Harriet frowned. "What did you say?"
"I said they taught you to put on airs and pretend to be noble."
Harriet smiled. "What's this? Now that you're divorced, you've stopped pretending completely? Have you forgotten how you begged Grandma on your knees for down payment money when you insisted on buying a house in Emberfall?"
Xanthe's face darkened, and she spoke righteously, "Her son was buying a house—it's only natural for a mother-in-law to pay the down payment! Go ask around, whose house these days isn't bought by the man's family!"
"Didn't Grandma buy you a house?" Harriet said coldly. "She used everything she had to buy you a school district house in Luminara City so Elowen could go to school. But you weren't satisfied—you insisted she buy you one in Emberfall too."
"Buying in Emberfall would've been one thing, but you refused to sell the Luminara City house. Do you know that the down payment money Grandma scraped together for you was all borrowed!"
"If she dared to borrow it, naturally she could pay it back. What are you complaining about?" Xanthe sneered. "Didn't she still have money to buy a school district house for you to go to school?"
Harriet's expression grew colder. "If you hadn't blocked the transfer of my custody to Uncle Jasper, Grandma wouldn't have secretly bought another house just to let me go to school, bearing such financial pressure."
If she had known, she would rather not have gone to school in Luminara City than let Cleo bear such economic pressure!
If it weren't for overwork, Cleo wouldn't have fallen ill.
This was a pain that would forever remain in her heart.
"My house—why should you have inheritance rights to it?" Xanthe glared at her. "Facts prove I was right not to agree, because you're a heartless woman! She felt sorry for you? Well, I made sure she didn't have it easy! She deserved to work herself to death!"
Harriet's eyes turned ice-cold. "Someone come!"
The bodyguard behind her stepped forward two paces, walking up to Xanthe.
Before Xanthe could react, two slaps landed on her face.
The man's strength was considerable, and Xanthe gasped in pain!
"Harriet, are you crazy! How dare you have someone hit me!"
"Dirty mouth needs to be cleaned, " Harriet said coldly. "Continue, hit her until her mouth is clean!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Xanthe said stiffly. "I'm your elder!"
"When Grandma was alive, she hoped to see Uncle Jasper's marriage harmonious, so I always respected you. But now you're divorced—you're no longer my aunt." Harriet looked at her coldly. "When a stranger disrespects my family, of course I'll teach them a lesson!"
With that, the bodyguard continued slapping.
Xanthe fell to the ground, but the bodyguard never stopped.
Wails echoed through the huge luxurious villa.
"Mom!" Elowen heard the noise and came down from upstairs.
Seeing Xanthe being beaten, Elowen rushed forward and pushed the bodyguard away. "Get lost! How dare you hit my mom! Believe it or not, I'll kill you!"
Harriet laughed lightly. "You've gotten bold. Pregnant with a child, and now you dare to kill my people."
"Harriet, it's you again!" Elowen helped Xanthe up, furious. "I haven't come looking for you, yet you're rushing to provoke me?"
"Your mom came out biting people randomly, so naturally I need to properly deal with such a vicious dog."
"Who are you calling a vicious dog!"
Xanthe was in so much pain she nearly died, and instantly hated Harriet to death!
Covering her swollen face, she cursed, "Just because Tristan likes sleeping with you, you're acting like a fox borrowing the tiger's power, daring to lay hands on me!"
"I'm the grandmother of the Romanov family's great-grandson. Even if you're the Romanov family's daughter, you're married out. What right do you have to compare with the child in Elowen's belly!"
Just as Harriet was about to speak, she heard a dignified, cold voice nearby. "What did you say? Say it again."
Several people turned to see Mason in a wheelchair, being pushed out of the elevator by Ollie.
"Mr. Romanov, you've come at just the right time." Xanthe immediately went forward with her pig-head swollen face to complain. "Harriet has such nerve, daring to act wild in the Romanov family! Look what she had someone do to my face!"
Mason looked at her coldly. "She's my own granddaughter. If she hits you, she hits you. Does she need to pick a special day?"
"Mr. Romanov, my daughter is your grandson's wife,'' Xanthe said.
"When did I get an extra grandson's wife? How come I don't know about it?"
"My Elowen is pregnant with your first great-grandson and came to the Romanov Manor specifically to rest during pregnancy. I'm the child's grandmother—the Romanov family should treat me as an honored guest!"
Mason looked at Elowen. "Looks like I've been bedridden too long, and any trash can enter the Romanov Manor and act arrogant."
Elowen's face paled. "Grandpa, how can you say that about me!"
"Who's your grandpa?" Mason said coldly. "Also, who gave you permission to enter this house?"
"I'm pregnant with your great-grandson, so of course I should return to the Romanov Manor to rest. Atticus said this is the Romanov family's rule."
"Family rule?" Mason's sharp eyes narrowed slightly. "Since we're talking about family rules, it's been a long time since the Romanov family gathered together. Ollie, have everyone come."
"Yes."
When Harriet came downstairs after treating Mason, the living room was already full of people.
The Romanov family members were basically all present.
And even the servants weren't excluded—it was a public conversation.
Mason sat in the main seat, looking at Harriet with a loving expression. "Harriet, come sit by me."
"No need." Harriet sat down in the most remote seat, looking toward Elowen.
Elowen met her gaze, smugly touching her flat belly, shooting Harriet a challenging look.
Harriet ignored her.
Sitting next to Elowen was a man in a haute couture suit, looking under forty, with some resemblance to Caspian.
Without asking, Harriet knew he was Mason's eldest grandson, Caspian's cousin, and Elowen's lover Atticus Romanov.
"This must be Harriet?" Atticus looked at Harriet. "Truly worthy of being part of the Romanov family—such outstanding looks."
Harriet met Atticus's gaze.
His eyes were deep and cold, with a sharpness that could see through people's hearts.
Harriet nodded politely. "Thank you for the compliment."
Atticus withdrew his gaze, looking back at Mason. "Grandpa, everyone's here. Can we talk business now?"
Mason put away his smile. "You speak."
"The Romanov family rule is that any female family member who's pregnant can move back to the Romanov Manor. Now that Elowen is pregnant, we should naturally return to the Romanov Manor to rest during pregnancy."
Perhaps worried Harriet wasn't clear, Ollie, standing behind Mason, spoke respectfully. "Miss, the Romanov family's heir has always been determined by ability. To protect the heir's rights, after the heir is determined, competitors of the same generation must move out of the Romanov Manor."
"But to cultivate the next generation of outstanding heirs, if the wife of a competitor who moved out of the Romanov Manor becomes pregnant, she can move back to the Romanov Manor. If she gives birth to a son, she continues living in the Romanov Manor to raise the child."
"If she gives birth to a daughter, she must move out of the Romanov Manor again."
Harriet fell silent.
This sexist rule—people who didn't know better would think they were living in a dynasty.
Caspian looked at Harriet's speechless expression and smiled. "Grandpa, I think it's time to change this Romanov family rule."
"What era are we in, still only allowing men to be heirs? Actually, girls are no worse than boys. Look at Harriet—how outstanding she is."
"Indeed." Mason looked at Harriet with a smile. "Our Harriet is truly excellent. Not only has she achieved success in her own passionate career, but she's also managed MediQuest Group impressively. Truly rare."
Caspian spoke up. "Grandpa, if Harriet is willing, I can completely give her my position as heir."
Everyone was stunned.
The heir position that others fought tooth and nail for, he was directly giving to Harriet?
Just as Harriet was about to speak, she heard Mason say with a smile, "Of course that's fine! That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Everyone: "What?"
Pretty absurd.
Harriet was speechless. "Mr. Romanov is joking."
"I'm not joking." Caspian looked at her seriously. "Whatever you like, I can give you."
Harriet: "I'm not interested."
Elowen was so angry her face turned white.
Why could Harriet get with her eyes closed what she had worked so hard to obtain!
Where was she inferior to Harriet? Why did the whole world revolve around Harriet!
While she could only struggle to please a married man just to live a comfortable, wealthy life!
She wasn't willing to accept this!
A flash of coldness passed through Atticus's eyes, and he spoke. "Grandpa, the Romanov family rules can't just change when it comes to me, right? That wouldn't be fair."
"I didn't say I'd change them." Mason said seriously. "The Romanov family rules are indeed like this, but there's never been a precedent for bringing back a mistress's pregnancy. How do you expect the Wipere family and Sabrina to feel?"
Sabrina Wipere was Atticus's wife. The two had been married for about ten years.
Atticus smiled. "Sabrina and I had a business marriage. All these years, she couldn't have children—that's not my fault. Now Elowen is finally pregnant, I finally have an heir, but Grandpa won't give my child a chance. Isn't that unfair?"
"Precisely because it's a marriage alliance, I have no way to explain this to the Wipere family." Mason's face darkened slightly. "You've already moved out of the Romanov Manor. Technically I can't control your private life, but you should at least show some restraint."
"But now look at you—you got someone pregnant and brought her into the house, using family rules as an excuse. If the Wipere family gets serious about this, the Romanov family will be in the wrong."
Atticus smiled. "Whether we're in the wrong doesn't matter, but the Romanov family can't be without heirs."
As his words fell, the huge luxurious living room fell into silence.
Harriet could easily guess the reason.
The Romanov family was large and wealthy, but Caspian's generation had never had any descendants.
Mason was old. Having held a high position all his life, his two wishes in old age were: first, to find his lost granddaughter, and second, for the Romanov family to have descendants to pass down through generations.
To say he wasn't anxious would be a lie.
At this moment, Caspian suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the air. "Who told you the Romanov family has no heirs?"
Coralie, who had been standing in the corner with no presence at all, froze, looking at Caspian in disbelief.
He knew about her pregnancy!