Free Web NovelChapter 219: A Cadelaria defender.
Hours had passed in Elias’s office, the sun was about to set. Its faint glow was slanting across the polished desk, around which the couple sat with their children, listening to Elias recount the hunt for the smugglers.
His voice was not like Grace Twindell’s excited one when he narrated his pirating adventures. Elias spoke calmly, every word brushed with aristocratic cadence. But so often, deliberately, he added a joke that made the Sienna and the cubs giggle.
So far, they had eaten lunch, dessert, second lunch and Sienna was polishing off the last of second dessert, which happened to be pork ribs! As Eli had pointed out, it was not actually dessert.
"Papa, since you recovered the stolen goods and broke the whole ring, why is the king making us negotiate and pay for the return of the treasures which belong to our tribe?" ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
Sienna snorted, "it is called taking advantage of kindness. Your father is too kind."
Eli and Elias exchanged glances, both knowing he not as kind as she said. If a survey was taken, Elias was sure three cities would be filled with people that did not agree with her.
Wiping her hands with a wet wipe, Sienna continued. "They are lucky I am not the one that was sent to retrieve those stolen artifacts. I would have pulled off an inside job. Steal what belongs to the royal family and say...the tiger tribe, but leave what belongs to my tribe so that I can throw suspicion off myself. Finally..."
"Ali, don’t listen to your mother." Elias interrupted her.
"Why?" Ali asked.
Just as Elias was gearing up to educate her on morals, the door slammed open. A man stormed in, his two tails bristling like a beast ready to strike. His eyes locked on Sienna, with a glare so hot it could melt a steel statue.
"You!" he barked. "Are you satisfied now? Are you contented now that you have driven your mother-in-law away?"
Sienna froze. She instinctively pushed her chair towards Elias to get away from the strong smell of stale beer wafting off the man. Elias’s brows knotted together, his calm demeanor cracking. The children stared, wide-eyed.
The intruder’s voice thundered again, "You even turned her own husband against her." He pointed to Elias, "You are her son and you selfishly chose this outsider over your own mother! It doesn’t matter that she is your wife, your mother should be the most important woman in your life. Wives come and go, mothers remain forever."
Sienna raised her hand. "Excuse me, who are you?"
The intruder seethed, loudly. "Who am I? Who am I? Elias, tell her who I am." He sputtered.
"Do I know you?" Elias replied.
Ali chuckled. "Papa, mama, this is grandpa Mark, grandma’s brother. He is your uncle papa, have you forgotten?" freёwebnovel.com
Elias replied coldly, "I don’t have uncles who sleep in bars and barge into my office with bloodshot eyes to yell at my wife."
Ali tugged Sienna’s sleeve, whispering, "Mama, if he bullies you, I will get the pan."
Mark, the intruder, laughed. He pointed to Ali, "See Elias, even the cub knows to defend her mother over me. As a grown up, don’t you understand this?"
Elias rose, his cold aura filling the office. "Mind your tone. This is my office. I am not going to defend my actions, I made my choice and I am okay with it."
But Mark was relentless. "There is no choice between your mother and any woman in the world. Your mother has made sacrifices to you. How can you abandon her for a chubby seductress? What next will you turn on the rest of your family for her?"
Sienna set down her glass of water. "Excuse me? Chubby seductress? Boy, you and and Cadelaria are cut from the same cloth. It is no surprise that you are defending her."
Eli, ever logical, adjusted himself in the large chair, "Grand uncle, your argument is flawed. Papa did abandon grandma. She left by her own choice, because she missed city life. The seaside is not for everyone. She has been bitten by ten crabs and birds are always popping on her porch. Cause and effect must be distinguished."
Mark sneered, showing sharp teeth, "You are just a child, what do you know?"
"Children," the boy replied calmly, "are often more rational than adults clouded by emotions. For example, this is my papa’s place of business. Important meetings are held here. Important documents are kept here. You entered without knocking which statistically increases risks, information leakage and conflict by 70%. You are drunk, if papa’s guards reacted to your state, it increases the likelihood of you being injured by 90%."
Sienna clapped her hands. "Bravo son! Give him the statistics."
Ali, not wanting to be left out loudly pitched in. "Mama, I can fetch the pan."
Mark started to heave. "See this Elias! See what she is teaching your children? One talks back to his elders and one wants to beat them. Yet, she praises them. If your mother were here, she would teach them better."
Elias’s voice cut through the air like a blade. "Enough. My decisions are mine alone. My mother’s decisions are also hers. She is moving away to ease the tension in the family. I highly doubt that she sent you here to fight her battles. Should I give her a call so that she can explain?"
Mark took a step back, and gulped. "She..she didn’t send me. But I am her brother, and it is my duty to protect her. Do you know that Marius threatened her with divorce, and he was serious about it! Do you want to build your own marriage on the ashes of your mother’s broken marriage? What kind of son are you?"
Sienna leaned back, smirking. "Divorce! Good for Marius, he deserves a woman that appreciates him. That relationship is not balanced at all. All the good things he has, he gives to her. All the good things she has, she sends to your Twindell family.
So we have come down to the real reason behind this anger. It is not that you are here to defend your your sister’s imaginary grievances or condemn Elias for being a bad son. It is that you are scared Cadelaria will be give the boot, and this will affect your family. Tell me I am wrong."
