Justin noticed his parents' attitude and tightly held Samantha's hand, giving her a gentle smile.
Samantha shook her head. She knew deep down that she was not worthy of Justin now, so the attitude of Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher was understandable, and she didn't take it to heart.
Justin led Samantha to sit on the sofa.
Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher sat on the other sofa.
Justin was the only son of the Fletcher family and had three older sisters. He had been greatly expected since childhood.
However, today, none of his three sisters had come. Including their grandmother, who had always loved her and Justin very much.
"Uncle, Auntie, where's Grandma? Why didn't she come? Can I go see her?" Samantha asked.
Mrs. Fletcher replied casually, "Grandma is not in the city."
With this brief answer, the matter was settled.
The atmosphere became tense.
Samantha keenly felt that Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher disliked her, very much so.
Their whole demeanor showed resistance.
Realizing this, Samantha became extremely uncomfortable.
Justin also noticed his parents' attitude. His usually gentle face darkened slightly, and he gave his parents a warning look.
Seeing their son, who usually respected them so much, acting like this because of a woman, Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher felt even more displeased with Samantha.
Before, Samantha was the heiress of the Miller family, and she and their son were childhood sweethearts, matching well in both family background and status. Naturally, they approved of them being together.
But now, Samantha not only had a child out of wedlock but was also kicked out of the Miller family.
Recently, they heard about her inappropriate relationship with Ethan Steele.
In this case, it seemed that during the time she was dating their son, she was not devoted to him but was playing both sides.
How could such a woman, who didn't even respect herself, be worthy of their son?
But since their son liked her, they didn't dare to intervene too much, lest they hurt their relationship with him because of a woman.
However, pretending as if nothing had happened and chatting with Samantha amiably, they couldn't do it. Maintaining a facade of calmness was already giving their son enough face.
Seeing his parents' continued coldness, Justin could only alleviate the embarrassment and gave Samantha a piece of apple, "You used to love eating apples the most. This one was specially prepared for you. Try it and see if it's sweet and sour like you like."
Samantha stole a glance at Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher. Under their cold gaze, she took the fruit Justin handed her and took a bite, forcing a smile. "Hmm! It's the taste I like!"
Justin instantly looked like a happy child. He quickly offered Samantha another piece.
Watching her son dote on Samantha, Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher felt a pang of bitterness in their hearts, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Mr. Fletcher couldn't help it and spoke up in a deep voice, "Justin, come with me to the study. There are some urgent matters in the company that I want to discuss with you."
Justin didn't want to leave Samantha alone, afraid that she might be mistreated. He furrowed his brows and asked, "Now?"
Mr. Fletcher replied with an unquestionable tone, "Yes, it's very urgent!"
With that said, Justin couldn't say anything else. He spoke softly to Samantha, "Wait for me here. I'll be back soon. If you're bored, you can stroll in the garden. It's full of Lilies, which you like, and they're blooming beautifully."
Knowing that Samantha liked Lilies and crabapple flowers, he personally planted them in the garden.
Samantha nodded, "Okay, you go ahead!"
Justin glanced at her worriedly. Before leaving, he reminded his mother to take good care of Samantha.
Mrs. Fletcher agreed on the surface.
As soon as Justin left, she immediately changed her demeanor and got straight to the point, "Samantha, let me be straightforward with you. I don't like you, and you're not the ideal choice for my son's wife. I hope you can willingly leave Justin."
Samantha had already guessed that they didn't like her, but hearing it so directly made her heart tremble, and her face turned pale.
She was stunned and couldn't speak for a while.
Seeing her silence, Mrs. Fletcher's expression softened slightly, and her tone became gentler, "Justin is the only heir of the Fletcher family. I can't accept him marrying a woman with a illegitimate child. I could tolerate him marrying Karen, even though her background isn't good, but at least she doesn't have an illegitimate child."
As the words fell, Samantha's body visibly shook. Her lips were so pale that they were frightening.
Mrs. Fletcher realized that she had been too harsh with her words, feeling a pang of guilt. She explained, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to discriminate against your daughter. But, after all, she's not Justin's biological daughter, and we can't accept Justin becoming a stepfather at such a young age. So, I hope you can leave Justin."
Samantha lowered her head, clutching her skirt tightly with both hands. She gritted her teeth, biting her lip to suppress the pain in her heart.
Mrs. Fletcher continued, "I know my words today are harsh, but please understand me. As a mother, I'm doing everything for my son and for the reputation of the Fletcher family. The reason I agreed to talk to you today is that I don't want any conflict between you and my son. I hope you can voluntarily withdraw."
Implied in her words was that she didn't want to be the villain; Samantha should be the one to take on that role.
Samantha naturally understood. She also understood that a family like the Fletcher's would never accept a woman like her who had given birth to a child.
But, Charlotte couldn't wait to have a father.
And Justin had been very happy these days.
Samantha couldn't bear to sever her relationship with Justin, knowing that all the current happiness would vanish into thin air. Could Charlotte endure it? Could Justin endure it?
Seeing her remain silent, fearing she might refuse, Mrs. Fletcher's tone involuntarily became more severe, "I've watched you grow up since you were young. I don't want us to fall out, and you know how much Grandma loves you. Do you really want everyone in the family to dislike you?"
Under Mrs. Fletcher's pressure, Samantha couldn't bear it any longer and nodded in agreement.
"Okay, I promise you! Don't worry, I won't marry Justin. I won't set foot in the Fletcher family for the rest of my life."
Hearing her response, Mrs. Fletcher breathed a sigh of relief and her attitude improved significantly. She hurriedly instructed the servant to serve Samantha some tea.
Meanwhile, upstairs, in the study.
Mr. Fletcher's face looked grim, and he didn't hide his dissatisfaction.
"Is Ethan Steele targeting our company recently because of Samantha?" he asked.
Justin defended, "This is just business competition. What does it have to do with Samantha? The business world is like a battlefield, where only the strong survive. Don't attribute incompetence to women."
Mr. Fletcher was furious at his son's defense of Samantha.
"You don't need to cover for her. Everyone in the capital knows about her and Ethan's affair! Let me tell you, I don't agree with you two being together. I let you bring her home today to save face for you. But I strongly oppose this marriage. I will not allow you to marry a woman who has given birth to a child."
Justin's handsome face darkened, and he said firmly, "She is the woman I will spend the rest of my life with. Whether you like it or not, I have made up my mind about her. I am an adult and I know what I want. I will not marry anyone else but Samantha in my lifetime. I am willing to give up everything for her."
This was a threat.
A blatant threat.
Mr. Fletcher was so angry that he couldn't catch his breath and almost fainted.
"Are you willing to give up everything for her, even me, your mother, and the entire Fletcher family?" he asked.
Justin didn't say anything, but his silence was an answer in itself.
Mr. Fletcher's heart ached faintly, and he pressed his chest tightly, disappointedly saying, "I raised you for over twenty years, and now you're willing to abandon me for a woman. You've truly disappointed me."
Seeing his face turn purple, Justin softened his tone out of fear that he might have a heart attack, "Marrying Samantha doesn't conflict with filial piety towards you. She is the woman I love, and I hope you and Mother can love her as much as you love me."
With that, he turned and walked towards the door.
As he opened the door to leave, he couldn't help but add, "I hope you and Mother can respect the woman I love. Otherwise, you will lose me as your son."
With that said, he left the room.
Mr. Fletcher felt as if his heart was being twisted in pain.
He immediately took out a pill from the drawer of his desk, mixed it with saliva, and swallowed it.
***