First Love After Marriage by Flora Nancy

Chapter 28 

Chapter 28 

James stood there, expressionless. His eyes, deep and unfathomable, held no hint of emotion as they met Andrew’s gaze. 

Jamies stood before Andrew, towering over the latter by a full head’s length. A cold aura exuded from James, with a blend of regal majesty that inspired timidity and an icy aloofness that instinctively made people flinch. 

In an instant, Andrew’s mind went blank, and he couldn’t say anything. 

By his side, Juana cast a withering glare at her helpless brother. 

“James, take a seat. Let me do the talking. 

“You and my niece already have a marriage license, right? To my knowledge, no wedding has been held, nor even the most perfunctory of formalities. 

“You know, my niece’s parents passed away when she was a kid. She was raised under my mother’s care, amid aunts and uncles like me. As per our tradition, betrothal precedes matrimony, and after the ceremony, people can hold a wedding and get a marriage license. 

“But you two got married without adherence to these customs. We won’t allow Nadia to marry you just like this. 

“Nadia is the cherished gem of the Lewis family, and we’re not gonna let her marry you.” 

Although James seemed not to be someone that they could mess up with, Juana still risked it to speak out for the sake of 

money. 

Nadia, upon hearing Juana’s words, struggled to contain her impulse to slap Juana. 

The cherished gem of the Lewis family? How could she be so shameless to say that? 

The decision to send Nadia and her sister away before was exactly Juana’s idea. 

Now, Juana even claimed that Nadia was raised by her and her uncles. Didn’t she feel ashamed when she said that? 

Her mother’s pension, a sum of 40 thousand dollars, was co–opted by Ed and was unreturned to this day. 

And her father’s pension of 20 thousand dollars was divided between Juana and Andrew. As a result, she couldn’t afford to go. 

to school, and she had to rely on Iris, who went to dig herbs in the mountains to eke out a living. 

During her college years, it was her sister who bolstered her with tuition payments, coupled with her own toil through part–time work and scholarships. 

There was nothing to do with Juana, Ed, and Andrew. 

Her entire being quivered with anger, and her fists clenched as she was about to say something. Yet, at that very moment, Nadia caught sight of James shaking his head gently to her.. 

“Well, what do you want then?” He harbored a curiosity to unravel these individuals‘ true intentions. 

Iris, positioned to the side, gazed at them angrily. She hadn’t fathomed that her trio of unappreciative sons could utter such mean words. 

Others might not know what they were thinking, but Iris knew clearly what they wanted to do. 

“Enough! The three of you, get out of here!” Iris said icily and pointed towards the entrance of the ward. 

Ed, who stood behind, erupted with resentment, “Mother, we do this all for your well–being. So, it’s best you refrain from meddling.” 

Ed then continued, “We raised Nadia up and bought her food and clothes. We won’t allow her to marry this man without anything given. 

“I don’t want so much. Just a mere 40–thousand–dollar engagement gift is enough.” 

Juana interjected, “I bought you a trove of garments, and I want just 30 thousand dollars.” 

Andrew chimed in. “Recall that I covered your tuition for an entire semester. I also want 30 thousand dollars.” 

James finally realized that they said they had something to discuss with him, but actually, they just wanted to ask for money. 

Juana was about to say something else, only to have Nadia stride over and address her in an icy cadence. “Are you sure that you bought me a trove of garments? 

“If my memory serves me right, those garments were the clothes that your daughter urged you to deliver to me. 

Tinitially held the belief that you acted with an unburdened conscience, bestowing upon my sister and me the garments your own daughter didn’t want. Yet, in the end, I discovered it was your daughter scheming to besmirch me, falsely accusing me of pilfering her garments, which led to my isolation for an entire semester, as my schoolmates branded me a thief. I will never forget this as long as I live.” 

Chapter 28 

Upon hearing Nadia’s piercing words, Juana hesitated to retort, ultimately allowing her silence to prevail. 

Nadia shifted her gaze, her countenance icy as she fixed upon Ed. “Of all, you’re the worst. You said that you raised me and bought me food and clothes. How dare you say that? The sustenance I’ve enjoyed and the attire I’ve worn were all offered by Iris. Have I ever had the food you provided or worn the garments you bought? 

“Tell me, does that really make you feel better when saying that? When do you intend to return my mother’s pension of 40 thousand dollars? After two decades, the principal and interest should be about 100 thousand dollars, right?” 

“And you, Andrew.” Nadia strode toward Andrew and gave him a ferocious stare. 

“You professed to have funded a solitary semester of my education. Pray tell, where did you get the money? 

“Do not assume that I am oblivious to the truth. The money was earned by my grandma, who worked so hard to dig and sell herbs. You only helped her deliver the money to me. How could you say that it was you who helped me pay my tuition? 

“I didn’t expect you to be so shameless. Are you still a human?” 

Hearing what Nadia said, Juana murmured, “Nadia, you can’t say that. We did all this just for your own good. This man didn’t even pay a penny for your marriage. We’re just worried about your future happiness.” 

“Hmm!” 

Nadia sneered, as she perceived their grandiloquent statements as a mere charade. 

They just thought that Nadia married a man of good condition. He did own a car although it was just a Chevrolet Sail and a house. In addition, he earned four to six thousand dollars per month. So, they wanted to take advantage of him. 

After all, the leopard couldn’t change its spots. Though after so many years, they were still the same as they were. 

James stood aside and realized that all these people were hard to deal with. 

He looked at the thin and weak Nadia and couldn’t help but imagine the travails she had weathered in her childhood. He thought he had an unhappy childhood since he was sent overseas to fend for himself without parental love. 

Only his grandma sporadically went abroad and offered companionship during his sojourn abroad, which forged ant unbreakable bond between them that endured to this day. 

Yet, Nadia, who stood in front of him, seemed to have a more unfortunate experience, which elicited a twinge of empathy in 

his heart. 

A crazy thought suddenly popped up in his heart. The two decades prior had been devoid of his presence in her life. 

He wanted to care for her in the days to come and didn’t want her to suffer any grievance. 

As Nadia finished speaking, her mind drifted to times of yore, conjuring memories that welled within her and bestowed a crimson hue upon her eyes. 

James gently patted her shoulder and took her in his arms while murmuring in her car. 

“Don’t worry. I will always be here with you in the future.” 

With those words, his gaze, reminiscent of an eagle’s keen scrutiny, fell upon Ed, Andrew, and Juana. 

“Wouldn’t you all be interested in engagement gifts? Certainly, I can give them to you, but under the condition that you shoulder your respective responsibilities.” 

Upon learning of his willingness to offer an engagement gift, Juana’s eyes brightened. “Sure, as long as we can!” 

Ed chimed in. “Yes!” 

Andrew added. “That sounds reasonable, James.” 

With a subtle upturn of his lips, James spoke in a composed yet chilly tone, “Iris’s medical and surgical expenses amount to 110 thousand dollars. It stands to reason that nothing should be paid by Nadia. After all, my father–in–law and mother–in–law have already passed away. Shouldn’t this burden be equally shared among your three siblings? 

“Moreover, as for my late mother–in–law’s pension of 40 thousand dollars, Ed, you should return it to my wife and her 

sister. 

“And about my late father–in–law’s pension of 20 thousand dollars… Andrew, Juana, do you not think you both should return it as well? 

“Of course, you don’t have to pay the interest!” 

The three people, whose eyes just brightened with hope, now deflated like punctured balls upon hearing James‘ words. Nadia too understood that Ed’s claims of financial struggles were far from true. His supermarket had been operational for two decades, and he had a well–situated cousin who was said to hold a high–ranking position in a listed company, owning a villa and driving expensive cars worth around 100 thousand dollars in the city. How could anyone believe Ed’s claims of financial losses in his supermarket? 

Chapter 28 Andrew’s truth. 

s of struggling to make a living via driving a taxi were equally questionable, and Nadia had long krown the 

Andrew opened a rental company in the city to rent cars, and he also bought a house. 

As for Juana, her husband’s contracting business had certainly been profitable, granting them both a house and a car. They all lived a good and wealthy life, yet they didn’t want to pay even a penny when Iris was sick. 

And now, they were even attempting to pressure Nadia for a share of the engagement gift. Could there truly be such self–serving individuals in the world? 

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