Filed to story: The CEO’s Wife Is a Secret Boss Novel (Allison & Jeremy) Free Online
Landon smiled. “Got it, Grandpa. I’ll be more mindful next time.”
“Hey, Landon is now a pillar of our family. He’s a busy man.”
Preston hadn’t shown up in a while. He had lost while fighting for his position. He turned green with envy when he saw Landon. He smiled superficially and said, “He’s the soon-to-be president of the Harper Group. Things are surely different now.
“So, Dad, leave him be. Although we’re his elders, we can be understanding too. Once he’s appointed, I’ll need to rely on his support. Even though I’m his uncle, he’ll help to bring me honor.
“You might not know this. I met up with some friends a few days ago. They were all asking me about Landon. They wanted to meet the future heir of the Harper Group.
“The new really overthrows the old. It is now completely past our era.”
Cornelius was half-smiling. It was difficult to decipher what he was really feeling.
Landon looked toward Preston. He looked menacing. Landon squinted and glared coldly at him.
“I know all of your buddies, Uncle Preston. Birds of the same feather truly flock together. What good will it do for you to hang out with them all the time? Have you been working on the project that Grandpa assigned to you?”
Preston froze. He wanted to argue, but Landon was not going to allow him to.
He continued, “You haven’t even completed your own task. Yet, you want to pull some strings and create opportunities for them? Is it so that they can get associated with Harper Group?
“Forgive me for being straightforward. But even vassal states during ancient times would know how to present their yearly offerings to superior states.
“Those buddies of yours would only leech onto the Harper Group. Which one of them would bring about any benefits to us? Not only that, you’re wanting to introduce them to me. Do I seem like a doormat to you?”
Preston’s face flushed red with anger. Before he could reply, Landon’s following statements made his blood pressure shoot through the roof.
Landon said, “Also, we’re relatives. You don’t have to waste your time beating around the bush. You don’t have to be so cryptic. You disappeared for a few months. I thought you had gone for some meditation camp during these few months when you were absent.”
Landon had shamed Preston straightforwardly.
Preston was embarrassed.
Preston knew Landon as someone ruthless, careless, and rude. He was someone who was about to become president of their corporation.
Moreover, Cornelius was present with them. Preston assumed that Landon would have practiced some restraint.
In the end, he didn’t hold back at all!
As the head of the family, Cornelius wanted to rebuke Landon. But on second thought, he figured that there was nothing wrong with what Landon had said. He wasn’t too fond of the useless bunch that Preston had befriended anyway.
So, he simply cleared his throat in an attempt to break the tension.
Penelope, on the other hand, couldn’t stand it anymore. She frowned and chided, “Landon, how could you speak to your Uncle Preston like that? Don’t be rude!”
Preston chuckled. “Oh, don’t say that to Landon, Penny. He’s just a child in our eyes.”
Sylvia Jansen, Preston’s wife, tried to diffuse the situation quickly.
She smiled warmly at Landon and said, “Landon, that’s how Preston usually is. Otherwise, how did he end up with just a few friends? His other friends left because they got mad at him. He wasn’t targeting you specifically. Don’t misunderstand him.”
Landon relaxed his brows. He swiveled the wine glass in his hand.
This wasn’t the first time that Preston and Landon had gotten into an argument.
Preston was impotent. As a result, he was unable to satisfy Sylvia sexually. So, for years, they only seemed close on a surface level. Even so, he always provided for her materially. As such, she continued staying by his side.
Rather than being husband and wife, they were more like Bonnie and Clyde. They were a couple who schemed to make the Harper Group their own. They were like two blood-hungry leeches.
Landon glared icily at Preston and Sylvia. He clenched his teeth. He vowed to land a powerful smack on these two pests and squish them to death.
Scrumptious-looking dishes were served. Everyone started to eat. However, Landon was only tasting the red wine. He didn’t touch the food on his plate at all.
Who would have thought that Lauren would feed him so well? It was as if she was afraid that he’d starve. He was so full that his trousers could barely stay buckled when he was in the car. He felt so uneasy.
All in all, the delicacies outside still could not compare with the home-cooked meals he had at Sage Manor.
Everything tasted bland to him without Lauren by his side.
“Why aren’t you eating, Landon?” Sylvia asked in a concerned manner. She smiled. “This is a top- grade steak, specially imported from Furancia. Cornelius chose it especially for you. This shows how much he really loves you.”
Landon replied coldly, “Beef is difficult to digest. I get indigestion if I have too much of it. Thank you, Grandpa, for thinking of me.”
“Indigestion? You’ve always been healthy. When did you start having stomach problems, Landon? Did Angie even care for you properly?” Penelope’s expression was full of worry. She was really concerned for Landon.
“It has nothing to do with Angie, Mom.”
“You’re usually a disorganized person. You’ve been so busy every day. On top of that, you have to look after that woman from the Walsh family. Wouldn’t these take a toll on your health eventually?”
Penelope deemed Lauren to be the daughter of a murderer. The thought of her own son being entangled with someone like that made her furious. At the same time, she knew that this wasn’t a good time for her to rant.
Instead, she insinuated, “It’s not healthy to have food from elsewhere. It’ll be too late once it affects your health!”
“Mom, you can address Lauren by her name. You can also call her Ms. Lauren. But please don’t refer to her as ‘that woman.'”
Landon became serious-looking. His voice was deep. “Lauren has never talked bad about you. When she mentions you, she’s never been disrespectful either. I hope that you can also be respectful toward the person I love.”
Penelope was silenced. Her hands that were holding her cutleries started shaking.
If this were to continue, Lauren would end up stealing Landon!
Preston observed as Landon lashed out at Penelope, his own mother, without discrimination. The tension disappeared from his face. He became more at ease and sniggered to himself silently.
Lauren was Landon’s weakness.
He simply needed to find a suitable opportunity. He could probably make use of Lauren to get control over Landon. Then, he could turn the tables.
“Landon, Preston mentioned that you brought your girlfriend to the previous horse racing competition. Everyone met her there.”
Sylvia started to stir things up again. She sighed, “I was unwell that day, so I wasn’t able to attend. It’s a pity that I didn’t get to meet Ms. Lauren. We’re gathering to have dinner as a family here tonight. You should’ve brought her along.”
Landon disregarded Sylvia. He turned his gaze toward Cornelius and asked, “May I, Grandpa?”
“May you what?” Cornelius was taken aback.
“May I bring Lauren, your granddaughter-in-law, to our family dinner next time?”
Preston gave Sylvia a sidelong glance. He looked annoyed. He felt that this was a crucial moment. What she had just said was unnecessary.
Lauren was Sophia’s daughter. At the same time, she was also Javier’s daughter. She was his precious daughter. There was no doubt about that.
He had thoughts about making use of Lauren for his own purposes. But he certainly wasn’t going to allow Landon to marry her.
Should Landon choose to marry her, he would be formally establishing a marital alliance with a prosperous family. Plus, Javier would end up becoming his father-in-law.
Wasn’t that simply allowing Landon to become even more powerful?
What he needed to do now was to decide between two options.
One option was to use Lauren to threaten Landon so that Landon wouldn’t be able to become president.
Or he could take a step back and allow him to become the president. But he certainly had to prevent the marriage with the Walsh family.
Landon’s words made the tension in the dining room rise.
Cornelius raised his eyebrows in surprise. Neither did he look at Landon nor say anything in response.
Penelope couldn’t hold herself back. She chimed in, “Don’t you know the rules at our family dinners, Landon? Only our own family members are allowed to attend family dinners. It’s inappropriate for you to bring an outsider!”
“An outsider?”
Landon felt a ball of fury rise within him. His face turned frigid instantly. His eyes narrowed dangerously. “No worries. Lauren will no longer be an outsider soon enough. She will be my wife. She will become part of our Harper family.”
Penelope felt a lump in her throat. “Why are you bringing this up again, Landon? Do you think this is the right time to talk about this?”
“I decided to come tonight because of this.”