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29.31% The Billionaire's Pampered Wife / Chapter 17: Miserable Families

Bab 17: Miserable Families

Irene rubbed her cold hands repeatedly. Occasionally she would bite her thumb or open her phone to search for information about the Delacroix family. Unfortunately, some family members were very secretive, so she didn't get much information from the media.

"You need to relax so they don't underestimate you," Sebastian reminded her.

"Easy for you to say." Irene looked away from the car, not wanting to see a member of the Delacroix family next to her. "No matter how perfect I act, as long as they don't like me, they will find a way to attack my flaw."

Sebastian let out a forlorn sigh. "Maybe you're right. But will you give up when they attack your weak side?"

Irene curved up the corner of her mouth. She turned her head to Sebastian and then spoke confidently. "If they attack my weak side, I will fight back."

That was what Irene had always done to her own family to survive. Whenever her family talked about her flaws to lower her self-esteem, Irene would also look for their flaws until they shut their mouths tightly.

"But to do that, I need a traitor in your family," her emerald eyes became sharper as she looked at Sebastian. "Would you like to be that traitor and defend your fiancé, Sebastian?"

Sebastian smiled broadly. "You always interest me, my dear. If I betray them, will I see an interesting show from you?"

"Oh, just wait and see," Irene said confidently.

Irene listened to every word that came out of Sebastian's mouth, noting it carefully in her mind, even intending to bury the information in her subconscious so that she would never forget it.

Every family, without exception, always had some shame they wanted to hide from others. Moreover, wealthy families like the Delacroix knew that the media were in their hands, so they often acted as if nothing could bring them down.

"You don't have to be too nervous though, because they're just my nuclear family, not my extended family," Sebastian said nonchalantly. "They don't have too much courage to bother me."

"Why is that?"

Actually, Irene had wondered why Sebastian was able to surpass his father in controlling most of Croix Company. He also never made it into the family photos spread in the media, so no one knew he was Philip Delacroix's first son.

Irene was able to find out about that because of Sebastian's relationship with Heather. If Sebastian's sister had not come to his house, Irene would never have known about his parents.

"I have someone powerful behind my back," Sebastian explained.

There was no trace of fear on his face as if the family he was about to meet were just a bunch of worthless pebbles. From his behavior, Irene could deduce that Philip must hate him instead of being proud of his accomplishments.

To Irene, it was so ironic.

Irene had always dedicated her entire life to working hard to have accomplishments that would make her father proud. However, Sebastian had so many accomplishments that he couldn't even count them on his fingers, but he still couldn't make his parents love him.

"What are you thinking about right now?" asked Sebastian.

"Nothing." Irene mumbled, "I think our families are miserable."

• •

Unlike Sebastian's house, which was in the suburbs or even in the middle of the forest, Philip Delacroix's mansion was in the capital.

It was not far from the presidential palace, as if the Delacroix family wanted to blatantly tell Rithora Country that their family also owned the country's economy.

"I see why you have a narcissistic attitude." Irene tidied her hair as their car entered the manor gate.

Sebastian corrected her, "I'm not narcissistic, but full of confidence."

Irene narrowed her eyes, not knowing the difference between the two. Moments later, her attention was completely diverted when she saw the magnificent building before her.

She thought Sebastian's house was already luxurious and grand, but her thoughts were immediately shattered when Philip Delacroix's mansion looked more like a palace than a house.

The ratio between the size of the courtyard and the main building was almost equal, making Irene think that she would have to work until her bones broke to afford a house like that.

The butler stood in front of the house and bowed as soon as Sebastian and Irene got out of the car. "Welcome home, Young Master."

He glanced at Irene before speaking politely. "Nice to meet you, Miss Russell. I have heard a lot about you."

Irene laughed awkwardly and mumbled. "I'm sure it's not a good thing."

Her name had been in the media a few days ago as someone who was jealous of her own sister's accomplishments. That kind of exposure would make people have a bad opinion of her.

As she thought of various bad scenarios, she suddenly felt a hand wrapped around her waist, making her realize she had not come to that place alone.

"They don't have the right to reject you as my future wife. You can mark my words," Sebastian assured her.

Although Irene did not understand why his family could not reject his choice, she decided to trust his words.

After all, what did Irene have to fear when she was under the protection of a man who could control a dozen companies in his hands?

Family hierarchy was important, but money could speak louder.

"Sebastian! You come!"

Irene saw Heather run out and jumped at Sebastian. Her face was covered in big smiles and blushes, a sign that she was delighted to see her brother.

Irene felt goosebumps as she remembered the rumors about their relationship, but she dismissed those thoughts as soon as she saw Sebastian pushing her sister.

"Watch your attitude, Heather. I don't want people misunderstanding me again," Sebastian said coldly.

Heather wrapped her hand around Sebastian's arm and pulled him away from Irene. "Why are you so afraid of the rumors?"

"I'm not afraid, but I'm trying to protect our reputation." Sebastian let go of Heather's hand and took Irene's again. "Let's go inside, Mom and Dad must be waiting for us."

Heather clicked her tongue when she saw Sebastian standing next to Irene instead of her, but a smile returned to her face as she said, "We also have a special guest tonight."

Sebastian raised his eyebrows. "Who?"

Heather emphasized every word that came out of her mouth. "Your future wife."


next chapter

Bab 18: Family Dinner

Irene knew that facing the rich family was an unpleasant experience. But she never thought that night she would feel as if they were deliberately pouring hot water over her head.

Directly across from her chair, Irene faced the woman Philip had chosen to marry Sebastian. Her curly blonde hair was left down, framing her adorable face that looked as innocent as a lamb. 

Her name was Andrea Harvey, the daughter of a gold mining businessman who had worked with the Croix Company in making gold jewelry. 

From a business standpoint, Irene could guess that Sebastian would benefit more if he got married to Andrea than marrying her.

"What does it mean, Dad?" Sebastian's voice was as sharp as a blade. The look in his eyes showed no compassion for his father. "I told you I wanted you to meet my future wife at this dinner."

Philip, who was seated at the head of the table, did not seem to be fazed by his eldest son's sharp gaze. He replied calmly, "Yes, I acknowledge that."

Sebastian hid his anger behind a smile. "But why did you invite Miss Harvey to our family dinner?"

Andrea turned her head in the direction of Sebastian and Philip. Her face turned sad as she said, "Uncle, should I just leave?"

Philip's tone softened as he spoke to Andrea. "No, Andrea. You stay here."

Philip then turned to Sebastian. "Yes, I let you bring that woman of yours, but I never said I would accept her as one of us." Philip laughed before saying, "That woman is nothing but a mockery to her family, Sebastian."

Before Sebastian smashed the table, Irene held his arms. She put down her cutlery because she had no appetite for the food.

Without trembling, Irene faced Philip's mockery. "You have such a creative choice of words, Mr. Delacroix. But may I know, Why do you think that of me?"

Philip looked at Irene dismissively, as if she were a worthless piece of garbage. "Do you think I don't know you? You are 'the stone of Russell'. You have a mind and a nature as hard as a rock, but you have no achievements at all, just like a stone that has no price.

Gloria Delacroix, Sebastian's mother, chuckled and poured oil into the flame. "Oh, dear. She probably had a hard time to live after her mother died."

The corner of Irene's mouth turned up, but her voice was as cold as a snowflake. "Please don't bring my mother into our conversation."

The food on the table grew cold, and no one touched it because they were too busy insulting each other. They didn't look like a family, but strangers who couldn't understand each other.

Whenever they spoke, Philip and Gloria didn't want to look Sebastian in the eye, maybe they didn't like him or maybe they wanted to pretend he didn't exist.

The family situation confused Irene. Other families would flatter and lovingly welcome their son who brought honor to their family, but why didn't Sebastian get that?

Why, after all the hard work and honor he had brought to the Delacroix family, did he not receive any affection from his parents?

They were too cold toward him as if they had never considered Sebastian as their son.

"Dad, I respect you as an elder, but you have no right to rule my life." Sebastian raised his head, looking so confident and unafraid of the man before him. "Besides, don't ever insult Irene, because you are also a failure in this family, Dad."

CRASH!

Sebastian remained silent as Philip threw the glass right next to him. The shards scattered across the floor, sending a maid rushing to clean it up before anyone got hurt.

"Watch your mouth, Sebastian!" Philip rose from his chair and pointed his finger at him. "You can become the CEO of the Croix Company because I resigned from the company!"

Sebastian laughed to mock him. "No, you're wrong, Dad. You didn't resign from the company, but it was the company that forced you to leave."

Irene watched the father and son fight in silence. It seemed that there was someone powerful in the family, and he was the one who forced Philip not to interfere in the family business.

Could it be Benedict Delacroix?

According to the family tree, he was Sebastian's grandfather. He hadn't appeared in the media for three years, so Irene assumed he was dead. However, since Sebastian could act as he pleased in Philip's presence, it seemed that he still had Benedict behind his back.

"The dinner is over! It's up to you who you want to marry, but don't expect me to set foot in your wedding." Philip left the table with an angry expression on his face. He didn't even want to see Irene's face before he left.

Gloria clenched her fists and pounded the table. She looked at Irene with anger and contempt. "If you hadn't come to this house, maybe this dinner wouldn't be such a mess! I know a woman like you. You're just a gold digger who wants to marry for money!"

She continued, "Sebastian will regret marrying a woman like you one day."

Irene tried to keep a smile on her face, even though she felt like throwing a chair at her future mother-in-law. "Of course, a gold digger should be able to recognize another gold digger."

"You!" Gloria let out a harsh sigh because she didn't think Irene would dare fight her. "Andrea, Heather, let's eat at a restaurant instead. The food here makes me sick."

Heather looked at her brother as if she wanted him to say sorry, but Sebastian only responded with a shake of his head, a sign that he didn't want to comply with their parents' request.

Before Andrea left with Heather and Gloria, she approached Sebastian and handed him a black velvet box. "I am so sorry if my presence disturbed you, Mr. Delacroix. However, please at least accept my sincere gift."

Sebastian smiled. "You don't have to apologize, Miss Harvey. This diner is ruined because this family is not good at communicating. I'm sorry you had to witness something unpleasant tonight."

Andrea gasped, not expecting Sebastian to speak to her so politely. "I gladly accept your apology."

"Andrea! Let's go!" Heather called from a distance.

Andrea smiled at Sebastian before rushing toward Heather. In no time the dining room fell into silence, even the housekeepers decided to leave rather than witness the family feud.

Irene leaned her back against a chair and chuckled. "Wow, that was the shortest dinner I've ever had, and I'm still starving."

Sebastian held the gift box Andrea had given him and pushed it toward Irene. "I expected this meeting to be bad, but it turned out worse than I thought."

"What are you going to do with this gift?" asked Irene.

"That's up to you."

Irene: "She looks like a decent girl. I think I'll keep it for a while."

Sebastian got up and picked up his coat. "Be careful, sometimes there's a wolf in sheep's clothing." He gave Irene his hand, "Come on, we're going to take dinner outside."

Irene put the gift box in her coat pocket, then reached for Sebastian's hand. Although the family's meeting had been chaotic, she could at least get to know their characteristics to prepare herself after becoming part of the Delacroix family.

"Is your whole family like this?"

"Not all of them. Those who do not have great achievements prefer to respect me or keep quiet to avoid trouble."

As they left Philip's house, Irene lit a cigarette. "Family is a bunch of bastards after all."

Sebastian looked at her cigarette and asked, "Can you give me one?"

Irene smiled. "Of course."


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