Chapter 147

"Wow, the character types of the rich man's daughters in these novels sure are abundant. Here is another Lin Daiyu," Zhou Meiqi muttered under her breath. Dane took a deep breath, walking over to cover Zhou Meiqi's mouth. She should talk less to avoid trouble. Zhou Meiqi blinked, sending Dane a flirtatious glance. "Boyfriend, are you worrying about me?" "I…" Dane's palm felt slightly numb. It was evident that Zhou Meiqi was intentionally teasing him... Abruptly pulling his hand back, Dane stood behind Zhou Meiqi with a stern face. "Miss, please behave yourself." "I certainly can't comply with that." Zhou Meiqi leaned against Dane, placing all her weight on him. At this moment, if Dane were to step back, she would undoubtedly fall to the ground. Yet, she had the audacity to lay directly in his arms. Dane suppressed his frustration, inhaling deeply and maintaining his upright posture. Zhou Meiqi tipped her head back, continuing to tease Dane as if she was merely watching a play, completely oblivious to the person who had struck the zither in resentment. "Beckett, you know Xin Yan's condition better than anyone. Whatever happened between you two doesn't need my reminding. Now that your father has approved of your marriage, you should weigh what's important," Zhuang's father chided Zhuang Beckett with an elder's perspective. It's obvious that he was confident that Zhuang Beckett will marry his daughter. "What does my father's approval of the marriage have to do with me?" Zhuang Beckett gently patted Chris's back, lowering his voice, "The kid is tired. It's polite to keep your voice down as an elder." "You!" Zhuang's father exclaimed angrily. "Xingye, look at your son." Stanton looked visibly upset, but due to Ruby's poisoning incident in Sanya, he felt somewhat guilty, refraining from being overly assertive. "Beckett, come out here," he demanded. Beckett evidently had no intention of humoring Zhang Xingye. "Do you think what Zhuang Wenyin has done was right?" he asked him. Stanton scowled, annoyed that he was being questioned on the matter. "I heard from your Uncle Zhuang that you have asked our cooperation partners to temporarily halt all collaborations with the Merritt family? What's the meaning of this? All because of an outsider..." Seeing that Beckett didn't intend to move, Stanton's patience wore thin, causing him to speak out. "Outsider? Who is an outsider? Shouldn't father be quite clear on this? Or is it only when you need me to help Clinton, are they considered an insider, but now that Clinton is out, they have become outsiders?" Beckett reminded Stanton that Madeleine was the daughter-in-law of the Beach family. This was something he was absolutely clear about. Back then, in order to get Madeleine to withdraw lawsuits, didn't Stanton make him promise to marry Madeleine first? "Beckett!" Stanton became slightly out of control, raising his hand to gesture for him to stop talking nonsense. "Both parties bear a huge responsibility for this matter. Wenyin also suffered injuries and has paid the price. You need to immediately call our co-operation partners, and arrange everything internally for the company! Just for a bastard child, you seem eager to give me troubles." Stanton thought he understood his son well. Acting so defiant and causing headaches for him just after returning from Sanya, certainly wasn't for Madeleine and the child. It was clearly because he was annoyed with him regarding Ruby's matter. Unfortunately, he was at a disadvantage now and could only be infuriated to the point of half-death. "No way," Beckett's voice was firm. "Beckett, you are going too far. Are you trying to root out our Merritt family completely?" Mother Zhuang looked at Beckett in shock. "Beckett, your Uncle and I think highly of you. You and Xinyan are a good match. We are family. What are you doing?" "She, Zhuang Wenyin, needs to publicly apologize and confess her crimes. Every harm she has inflicted on Madeleine must be announced in front of the media; whether that be bullying, defamation, bodily harm, everything must be confessed. She must sincerely apologize, and publicly promise that she will never harm Madeleine or her family members again. She should leave Pinebrook and never appear in my sight again. I might consider letting her off," Beckett, holding the sleeping Chris, spoke in a low voice, yet with a strong deterrent effect. Madeleine, hiding behind Beckett, looked up at him blankly. Her eyes were swollen red. Madeleine averted her eyes. Even if the Merritt family disagreed, she was already grateful for Beckett's willingness. Once... she pleaded with Alex to publicly acknowledge Charlotte's misdeeds and break off their engagement, but he disagreed... However, Beckett was willing to force the Merritt family to offer a public apology. "Beckett, your demand is too excessive. The Merritt family are also a prestigious and respected family in Pinebrook, how could you make them face the public with this." Stanton rubbed his eyebrows, puzzled at Beckett's antagonism towards the Merritt family. Everyone in the business circle cared about their reputation; it was the case for both Beach family and the Merritt family. Having their daughter publicly admit her wrongdoings was even more outrageous than slapping them in the face. "You're simply..." Father Zhuang was trembling with rage. "The Merritt family not only forged ties with the Beach family, but also the Simpson family of Yarrin. Charlotte's actions have complicated implications. We are to blame for this, so I'll make Charlotte apologize. Beckett... don’t hold onto this, let's both take a step back. Don't you agree, Miss Landry Man?" Father Zhuang turned his accusation towards Madeleine. "No..." Madeleine was silent for a long time, then spoke with a hoarse voice. "All of Charlotte's misdeeds, are due to your indulgence..." Father Zhuang's face darkened with anger, Madeleine had someone backing her now. "Madeleine, a wise woman knows to go with the flow. When your support falls, no one can protect you forever." Father Zhuang warned Madeleine, reminding her of the day when Beckett would no longer protect her. Madeleine straightened her back, her voice hoarse again as she spoke. "It has nothing to do with others. Even if you break my spine, I... will never forgive Charlotte in this lifetime. What she has done to me, what you all from the Merritt family have done to me, you knew it the best." He remembered that time in Yarrin, when Mother Zhuang instructed Clinton to take her to an external warehouse. She almost died there. "Humph." Father Zhuang huffed. "Beckett, this matter doesn’t concern you much, don't make it a bad situation for both our families." "This is the maximum limit that I can give. If Charlotte is not willing to publicly apologize for her wrongdoings and leave Pinebrook, then I will publicly expose all her misdeeds over the years. I will personally hold a press conference, telling everyone that I am very dissatisfied with the Merritt family's teaching. Because of Charlotte, her sister Jenny will also be affected, won't she?" From the beginning, Beckett has wanted to clarify his relationship with Jenny. Using the incident with Charlotte gives one a good excuse. Jenny's eyes were red, her face as pale as sheet. Beckett was planning to sever ties with her under the pretext of Charlotte's incident. She had purposely provoked Charlotte to confront Dane and Chris, thinking that owing to the relationship with Alex, nothing serious would happen... Unexpectedly, Beckett was merciless. For Madeleine and a bastard, he was actually capable of going to such an extent. "Beckett, you are..." Zhuang's mother was scared to death. Once Beckett spoke, it would destroy the Merritt family! Who would dare to marry Merritt family's daughters? Such a scandal could cause huge trouble and it wouldn't be easy to explain to elder Mr. George. If Simpson family also called off the marriage... "Xiancheng, what can be done, hurry up and let Xingye persuade Beckett!" Zhuang's mother had tears in her eyes. She has only two precious daughters. "Why the rush." Zhuang's father grunted coldly, clearly holding a trump card and bargaining chip. "Alex is on his way from the Pinebrook, he is Charlotte’s fiancé, it's a family matter! He needs to handle it!" Even if the Beach family didn't give face to the Merritt family, they had to respect the Simpson family. If Mountain Construction and Beach Group severed their cooperation, then the losses for Beach Group would also be something that Beckett couldn't bear at this stage. Everyone knew that Beckett's position was already precarious. Could he jeopardize his position for just a Madeleine and a bastard? They were not fools, they would all take a step back. Upon hearing the name Alex, Madeleine anxiously lifted her head to look at Beckett. She didn't want... Beckett and Alex to be at odds. This would not be beneficial for him in the company.