Chapter 31: Basic Respect
Maddison was crying hysterically. "Mother, you have to stand up for me. I might not be Luz' mother-in-law now, but I'm still her elder, she should have some respect for me. She slapped me in public. How will I live with this? I've embarrassed the Maynard family."
She said that she had embarrassed the Maynard Family, but she put all the blame on Luz.
That damn girl, how dare she slap her? And this embarrassment was even posted online. How will she face anyone in the future?
The old Mrs Maynard had been hearing her cry for the entire morning and was not in a good mood. "Luz is not an unreasonable person, you must have done something to aggravate her."
She had watched Luz grow up, and she was her preferred granddaughter-in-law. She wouldn't just slap Maddison without reason in the restaurant.
"Mother, don't you believe me? What can I do to her? I just happened to meet her at lunch, so I took the initiative to say hello to her. She never like me when she was still married to Henry because I was his stepmother, and she's been much ruder to me since the divorce. I just told her that she should respect me as an elder and she slapped me. Mother, was I wrong?"
Of course, Maddison wouldn't tell her exactly what had happened yesterday. If Henry heard that she commented on his libido, who knew what he would do.
Henry sat on the sofa with narrowed eyes. Early in the morning, when he was about to go to the company, he was called back to the mansion by his grandmother. Only then had he known that that woman had taken the day off for this.
She really was something else.
"Luz isn't like that. There must be some misunderstanding."
No matter how Maddison cried and distorted the facts, the old Mrs Maynard was more willing to believe in her intuition. However, she was also confused. What had Maddison said to the girl to make her behave like this? Now that it's been posted online, she must be flustered.
"Henry, you have to investigate this matter carefully. Even though you and Luz are divorced now, you should still look after her. I don't want her to suffer."
The old Mrs Maynard glanced at her grandson, who had not spoken since he came back. Luz must not be having a good time at the moment. She had lived long enough to know the fickleness of human nature. There must be a lot of gossip and rumours circulating around about her in the company. If Henry helped her out now, maybe they might get back together.
"Grandma, I know what to do."
Henry responded faintly and picked up his coat. "If there's nothing else you need from me, I need to get to work."
"Okay, go ahead."
The old Mrs Maynard waved to him with a smile and watched him leave. Then she looked at Maddison next to her and said, "Stop crying. You have been in the Maynard Family for nearly 30 years. I know how you are."
Luz was not the kind to slap someone unprovoked. Maddison had a sharp tongue. She had always been unkind to the servants at home, so it was no surprise that she would be the same to Luz. "Mom, why don't you believe me? Why can't you stand on my side?"
"I'm old, not blind."
With a snort, the old Mrs Maynard returned to her room.
Maddison wiped her tears and cursed her in her heart, but there was nothing she could do. Now all the assets of the Maynard Family were in the hands of old Mrs Maynard. If she didn't please her, what would she and her son do if she gave all these assets to Henry?
Henry drove out of the old house and went straight to MR. All gossip stopped from the moment he stepped into the company, replaced with curious eyes that glanced expectantly at the office upstairs. Luz had just arrived at the company and was still a little uneasy, but her work made her forget about the news. When she was immersed in her hard work, the door of her office was pushed open. She raised her head unhappily. No matter what, this was still her private office. It was common courtesy to knock before entering. But when she saw who entered, her heart rate picked up.
Her mind went to that fiery night for a second, but she reined in her thoughts quickly and stood up.
"Mr Maynard, what can I do for you?" she asked politely.
"What do you think? Secretary Boone slapped someone in the face because of a disagreement. You have more guts than you had seven years ago."
A mocking smile appeared on Henry's face. He could remember that she used to hide somewhere secluded and cry seven years ago. Now, she could slap someone in public. Was it because she had someone behind her now? Was it Declan Carver?
"Mr Maynard, this is a personal matter. I don't think it's appropriate to talk about this during working hours."
Luz subconsciously stood up straight, so that she would not show fear in front of him.
"Personal matter? You seem to have forgotten that Maddison is from the Maynard Family. Since she is from the Maynard Family, it has something to do with me."
Henry smiled coldly. His sharp eyes bored into Luz painfully. She had nothing to do with the word "Maynard Family" since seven years ago.
"Mr Maynard, if you're looking for reparations, you can sue me."
Maddison was the one who insulted her first. Her slap did not cause much damage to Maddison either, so even if they sued her, she wouldn't lose too badly. "Sue you? Luz Boone, you think too highly of yourself."
No entity had been able to stay in North City after being sued by Heroways.
"Then if you're asking for compensation for Maddison Nash, then I can accompany her to the hospital and pay for any recurring fees. Is that okay with you?" She was a little reluctant to part with the money, but it would be worth it for the slap.
Henry sneered as if he had just heard a joke. "The Maynard family has been getting better since you left. We don't need your money."
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Luz's face was a little pale. The night before she left the Maynard Family was the most painful night in her life. Every time she thought of it, her heart still ached.
Even if seven years had passed.
"Then what do you want?"
She forced herself to raise her head even though she was hurting badly. She met the eyes that she had never been able to forget. Henry and Maddison had never had a good relationship. He would only be happy if she embarrassed Maddison. What he was doing now was just an excuse to torment her.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐