Chapter 17 It Was Zayn All Along!

“Someone is missing? No,” said Ethan. Adrian furrowed his brows even more. “Are you sure?” They had come for Zayn. If Zayn was not around, what was the point? Jordan stood on the spot, expressionless. The numerous Carter family members felt fear creeping into their hearts and Ethan could tell that something was off. He hastily asked George, “Grandpa, is someone absent from your 70th birthday party tonight?” George glanced around the entire room and noticed that everyone from the Carter family was there. There were the older ones and the younger ones, so no one was missing from the party. Moreover, it was his 70th birthday celebration, so he was the focus of the night. Who else from the Larson family needed to be there? George felt puzzled, but he still shook his head and said, “Everybody’s here.” ‘Everybody’s here?’ Adrian and Jordan exchanged glances. Could it be that this was Zayn’s test for them and he was observing from afar? It was highly possible… Soon, they came up with an idea and decided to play along. “Hah-hah-hah, it’s nothing. I’m only asking out of curiosity,” said Adrian jokingly. They were seated and began to have drinks with George and the others. When faced with a business mogul of such esteem, even with Jordan being very friendly, George still felt a lot of stress. Due to the disparity in their status, there was almost no common ground between them. They made small talk for a while, but then the conversation quickly died and the atmosphere grew tense. George would do anything to have a connection with the Larsons. A thought abruptly came to him, so he said with a smile, “Mr. Larson asked us earlier if anyone was missing from the party. I suddenly remembered that we did drive someone away. He was a son-in-law who married into our Carter family, but he’s just a good-for-nothing. Hah-hah-hah!” “Right, right, right!” Ethan’s eyes lit up upon hearing that. He had finally found something that he could use to blow his own horn. “It seems I forgot about that. That scoundrel is incapable of doing anything, but he loves to bluff. We caught him in a lie and exposed him on the spot. He was a mess and cried in the end. Hah-hah-hah, it was a good show. What a waste that you weren’t here. Otherwise, you could’ve seen what a mess that wastrel was when we chased him away. Hah-hah-hah.” The rest of the partygoers joined in and burst out laughing. They chimed in on the story one by one as if they had just reached a hot topic of conversation. They talked about how they bullied Zayn earlier and kicked him out mercilessly. They were so enlivened by the conversation that they failed to notice the expressions on Jordan and his group growing increasingly darker. “Is the good-for-nothing son-in-law you mentioned named Zayn Larson?” Jordan’s voice was practically trembling when he asked the question. Ethan was fully engaged in the topic and he was in a great mood after having a few drinks. It was apparent that he felt this was the peak of his life. “That’s right! Mr. Larson, do you know him?” After receiving the confirmation, Jordan shut his eyes and felt his heart fill with rage! He abandoned his pride this time and came over here in person to George’s birthday party only out of respect for Zayn… No, one should say he did it all just to flatter Zayn! Nevertheless, as a result, Zayn had been banished by this worthless family! The scene was so similar to the incident from four years ago. Jordan had no pity for Zayn, but he pitied himself! Jordan had already figured it out after hearing all of them mocking Zayn. It was apparent that Zayn married into the Carter family in order to escape the Larsons over the years. He hid himself and lived like a useless man. After receiving his enormous inheritance, he summoned them over on purpose in an attempt to flaunt his status. That resulted in this incident, and the dramatic history repeated itself. He imagined that Zayn would certainly loathe the Carters together with the Larsons now! Jordan’s entire body shook with rage after considering even more severe consequences. Clap! All of a sudden, Jordan loudly slammed his hand on the table and startled the bustling crowd as they were enjoying their collected mockery. Ethan was closest to him and fell from his seat. All the Carters looked at Jordan in a panic. “Mr...Mr. Larson, are you okay?” George asked cautiously. Jordan began laughing from extreme anger. He stared at George and bared his teeth furiously. “George, do you know why I’m here to celebrate your lame birthday despite me being the patriarch of the Larsons and the head of the family?” The corners of George’s lips twitched as he had an ominous feeling. “No, I don’t know…” “It’s because I’m doing it out of respect for Zayn.” Jordan’s expression was icy cold. “The good-for-nothing you all kicked out so carelessly!” George’s mind went blank from the sudden realization. The blood drained from his face and he was ghastly pale. His body went numb and he was shaking profusely. Not only George, but the rest of the attendees also reacted similarly. Jordan’s statement immediately left them dumbfounded. Faye was stunned instantly. Her jaw hung open and the shock left her dumbstruck. Waine and Ruby were terrified and it took them a while to recover from this revelation... The magnate Jordan Larson had actually come over to George’s birthday party out of respect for Zayn? Uh...why did it sound so absurd?! It felt even more preposterous to them than the sun rising from the west. “That’s impossible!” Having fallen to the ground, Ethan stood up and said aloud, “You must be joking, right, Mr. Larson? Zayn is just a good-for-nothing. Everyone in the Carter family, young and old and even the dog, bullies him. Why would you show your respect for him? Hah-hah-hah!” Ethan was intoxicated from the drinking. With his mind befuddled, he was laughing, but no one else joined him this time. Jordan, Adrian, and a few Larsons glared at him coldly while everyone from the Carter family was already scared to death. He finally noticed something was off. He said to Adrian, “Adrian, please explain to Mr. Larson that you’re here for the birthday celebration because I invited you and that it’s unrelated to that good-for-nothing Zayn…” Before he could finish his sentence, Adrian loudly slapped him across the face. It sent him spinning two full rotations before he crashed into the ground. The blow left half his face swollen. “Who do you think you are to have my respect? Had it not been for Zayn, I would have crippled that Thomas boy on the spot the other day!” said Adrian bubbling with rage. He was furious, but more than that, he was terrified. It was Zayn who ordered him to pass the message to Jordan, but the deed did not go well and he managed to offend both sides! He blamed Ethan for this fiasco! At that point, he truly wished that he could kill the b*stard! Ethan had been sobered up by the blow to his face. He widened his eyes and stared at Adrian in fear and panic. He realized that he had made a huge mistake! George and the others were horrified yet resentful at the same time. In any case, they could not figure out the reason. Was Zayn not a useless piece of trash? Why would he be able to invite Jordan to George’s birthday party? It did not make sense at all! “Faye, what’s going on? Since when is Zayn acquainted with the patriarch of the Larson family? Fifi. Fifi, talk to us!” Ruby’s face was filled with dread. She shook Faye’s hand hoping that her daughter had answers. As it was, Faye had turned into a gargoyle. She stood there in a daze without budging at all. Her eyes were red as tears streamed down her face soundlessly. Her heart was in so much pain that she could not breathe! Her mind was filled with the image of Zayn… “Don’t worry, Fifi. I won’t embarrass you tonight! Moreover, not only will I not embarrass you, but I will also boost your reputation!” “It’s a secret, so I can’t tell you yet. Just wait and see tonight anyhow. I’ll definitely boost your reputation tonight.” “Fifi, I know that you don’t trust me and you have a deep misunderstanding of me, but I’m going to prove it to you.” “If I win, my request is for you to be my wife, a wife both in name and in fact!” “Fifi, we’ve been married for four years. Have you never loved me even just for a moment?” “I’m sorry for putting you through such inconvenience for the past four years. From now on and for the rest of your life, I hope that you can be happy.” Every word Zayn had said surged into her mind, especially the scene where he was so bitterly hurt, battered out of his senses, and left in a disheveled state. The thought of that pierced her heart mercilessly like a knife. She was in so much pain that her entire body convulsed in agony and she could hardly stand straight. So it turned out that Zayn had never deceived her from the start, but she had refused to trust him all this time and hurt him over and over again! She swiftly dashed out of the room. She wanted to look for Zayn by herself!