Chapter 20

It was night. It was dinnertime in the Jensen residence, but the whole house was enveloped in a grave atmosphere. George was sitting in the center of the living room while Alex's family and Adrian's family sat on either side of him. The younger generation in both families remained silent. Adam sat opposite George, his expression cold and stern. He was looking more intimidating by the second. It wasn't until Hector told Adam the whole truth about the room incident today that he realized how Scott, Hank, and the others had worked together to oppress Shannon before he came back. Even Eva had told Shannon to get out of her home. As for Adam, before he learned the whole truth, he had reprimanded Shannon for going to the Shaws of her own accord, and then… Just like everyone else, he had urged her to let Eva have the room. It was no wonder that Shannon would feel so disappointed that she would want to move out. He had failed as a father. "Adam, Eva caused such a ruckus today because she's just a child. She doesn't know any better. It's all my fault. I'll give Shannon an explanation, and I'll do my best to get her forgiveness…" Noticing that the atmosphere was a little odd, Linda took the initiative to speak up and take responsibility. Beside her, Alex frowned when he heard that. He took Linda's hand, saying in disagreement, "It's not your fault at all. Eva is just a small child, so she voices her needs and wants without hesitation. It wasn't a serious problem at all. "If you ask me, Shannon was the one making a mountain out of a molehill. It hasn't been that long since she returned to the family, but she's running away from home just because of a minor issue—" Before he finished speaking, he saw Adam looking up coldly and interrupting him. "Alex, my daughter was forced to run away from home as soon as she came back. Is this what you call a minor issue?" Alex was exasperated. Faced with Adam's stern gaze, he eventually decided not to say anything else. Adam's grave and intimidating gaze swept across the others. "Eva is just a young child. She wants Shannon's room because it's pretty, and that isn't a big deal in itself. Our family is rich enough, so if she wants it, you can easily renovate her room even if she wants to decorate it like a palace. Why did Shannon have to let Eva have her room, then?" No one in Alex's family spoke a word. Adam's voice turned sterner. "You didn't really want her to give up her room. You just thought that since she's new here, she should please you and behave well so that you would accept her!" "Adam, that's too much! Eva is just a kid. She doesn't have such cunning thoughts." "Does she not? If she hadn't thought of Shannon as an outsider, why would she tell Shannon to get out of the house? Even when a child is mad, they should be aware of the things they could say and the things they could not." Adam sounded a little stern. Nearby, Eva was so scared that she shuddered and hid in Linda's arms. She pursed her lips, but she didn't dare to wail without warning like she did in the past. When Linda saw that, she felt very bad for Eva. She said, "Eva said something she shouldn't have, so I'll apologize to Shannon for that. I'll ask for her forgiveness and beg her to come back. I'm an elder, so if I beg her in person, I'm sure she will agree to come back. Adam, please don't blame Eva for this…" Beside them, Hank watched as his mother humbled herself in front of Adam for the sake of peace. An annoyed look flashed across his eyes, and he couldn't help but speak up. "Uncle Adam, Shannon was the one who wanted to leave. No one forced her to do it. Also, this isn't my mom's fault, so why should she beg Shannon to come back? What if Shannon did something wrong to piss off the Shaws, so she found an excuse to run away from home in case Grandpa got angry?" Turning to look at Hank, Adam said in a low voice, "If Shannon did something wrong, I'll educate her. I don't have to report to anyone else for that. But Hank, if you continue to treat Shannon like this, I am no longer your uncle." His voice wasn't loud, but Hank and the others felt their hearts skipping a beat when they heard what he said. They subconsciously widened their eyes. Adam's gaze swept slowly across the whole room, which included the younger members of the family like Scott and Caleb. "The same goes for all of you. If you refuse to accept Shannon, I will no longer be your uncle." Adam didn't sound mad, but his voice was stern like never before. The younger generation subconsciously straightened up, every one of them looking like they didn't dare to disobey Adam. Adrian had always respected Adam. At that moment, he gave his son a firm slap and laughed as he said, "Adam, children may be sharp-tongued, but they actually don't mean anything bad by that. Acceptance isn't even a problem. Shannon is a child of our family, after all. We don't have to go that far." The look in Adam's eyes darkened. He had a subtly depressed tone in his voice as he said, "Shannon was missing for 18 years. Even though the Grays made sure that she was fed, she was just an adoptive daughter, and she was mistreated in the Gray family. "Now that she has finally come back, I don't want her to be mistreated, not even a little bit. I won't ask every one of you to tolerate her, but at least treat her like a normal family member." After a pause, Adam spoke in an increasingly grave voice, "If you can't do that, I'll move out with Shannon and Hector." As soon as Adam said that, his words were a huge shock to both Alex's and Adrian's families. Their expressions shifted. They didn't expect Adam to go so far this time! He was going to break up the family just because of Shannon! It was also at that moment when George, who had been silent all this while, finally spoke up. He didn't sound intimidating, but it was clear that he wouldn't allow any objections. "Adam, I don't want to hear this a second time." He continued, "Our family is a whole unit. As long as I'm around, no one is allowed to even talk about moving out!" Everyone in the room fell silent. No one dared to retort to George's words. Even Scott remained silent, mumbling in his heart that Shannon had indeed talked about moving out. George glanced around the room and then looked at Alex and Linda. "Children in the Jensen family can have whatever they ask for, but when you pamper your children, you should also teach them that in this world, they won't be able to get everything they want. "Children must be taught. If you fail to educate her properly, I can do it myself." When Eva heard that her grandfather intended to personally teach her, she shuddered violently. She almost burst into tears. That was too terrifying a thought. She didn't want that to happen at all. Alex and Linda lowered their heads in silence, holding their child tightly. They promised that they would educate Eva properly. After making sure that the younger generation had realized the gravity of the situation, George didn't say more. Turning around, he said to Hector, who had been sitting lazily while remaining silent all this while. "Make some time to take Shannon home. We have also arranged a party, and we're going to officially announce her identity as the eldest young lady of the Jensen family. She has to come back either way." Hector retained his signature smile as he nodded. "Got it." George was about to say something more when the butler suddenly came in from outside. The butler said to Adam, "Mr. Adam, Mr. and Mrs. Shaw are here." Adam frowned a little. Why would the Shaws come knocking at this hour? Could this have something to do with Shannon? Even though Shannon shouldn't have gone to the Shaws and said such things, if the Shaws' reaction was to come knocking to seek justice, they would be going too far. Nearby, Scott and the others had just gone through a harsh scolding, so they didn't dare make another sound. Still, they discreetly exchanged glances. They all had subtle looks of glee in their eyes. Shannon had gotten into trouble, so the Shaws were here to complain about her. They knew it. Shannon had left on purpose to avoid taking responsibility. It wasn't their fault at all. While the younger Jensens were lost in their thoughts, Donald and Helen were already hurrying in through the door. They had slightly anxious looks on their faces. Thinking that it must have been the misunderstanding caused by Shannon's visit, Adam softened his expression as he got up to talk to the Shaws. "Mr. and Mrs. Shaw, I'm aware that Shannon has been quite mischievous today. I apologize for the trouble she has caused you. I've already reprimanded her…" Adam thought that if he apologized first, judging by how Donald and Helen usually dealt with things, they would definitely let Shannon off. But unexpectedly, when Donald and Helen heard his words, their expressions shifted. Then, looks of panic and remorse appeared on their faces. "Please don't say that, Mr. Jensen. It was our fault for getting the wrong idea about Ms. Jensen before we learned the whole truth. Ms. Jensen was giving us advice out of kindness. We should have known better. "We have repented now, so please give us a chance to apologize and make amends to the great Ms. Jensen!" As soon as Donald and Helen finished speaking, an eerie silence seemed to envelop the whole room. Scott and the others widened their eyes in disbelief. They couldn't believe what they were hearing. Why weren't the Shaws here to complain about Shannon? Also… What did the Shaws mean by "the great Ms. Jensen"?