Third Person's POV
As the young lady of the Watkins family, Ginevra was brought over by Veronica and given the best and largest guest room, though it still couldn't compare to Vanya's room.
Melinda had seen Vanya's bedroom before, and at that time, she secretly resolved that she would live there sooner or later.
She lowered her head and touched her belly. "Child, you must do your best. Whether your mother can become the mistress of the Todd family depends on whether you are a boy or a girl."
In the evening, Cliff returned home. Seeing the completely new look of the Todd family house, his brows immediately furrowed.
Jenny had already been urgently summoned back by Veronica. When she saw Cliff return, it was as if she had found her backbone. "You're finally back..."
She looked at the surrounding decor, wanting to say something but hesitating.
Cliff frowned—the furnishings in the house had all been changed, even the furniture was new.
This Todd family house was his and Vanya's new home; every arrangement had been made according to Vanya's favorite style.
At this moment, Melinda was massaging Veronica's back beside the sofa.
Cliff entered and asked, ""
Veronica said indifferently, "She's already dead. What's the point of keeping those things? Melinda was just worried you'd keep staring at them and get lost in your memories. She meant well."
"It was you?" Cliff looked at Melinda.
Melinda looked aggrieved. "Cliff, Vanya is already dead. You should move on."
Cliff narrowed his eyes dangerously. "I'll give you three hours to restore the house to how it was! Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude!"
Melinda bit her lip and looked at Veronica with difficulty.
Veronica frowned. "Cliff, Melinda is carrying your child now. Don't lose your temper at every little thing. It's just a few pieces of furniture. If they've been changed, so be it. Grandma won't allow you to bully her. If she suffers and something happens to the baby, that would be a grave sin."
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a knock at the door, followed by Aldrich's loud shout: "Cliff! Open the door! Open up for me!"
Mirabelle tugged at him from the side. "Honey, calm down! Don't be so impatient!"
"Get out of my way!" Aldrich had waited at home for four days without any news of Vanya, and he was already beside himself with worry.
Jenny opened the door, and Aldrich stormed in, furious.
When he saw the furnishings in the house and Melinda standing beside Veronica, his expression changed dramatically. "Cliff, she's only just gone missing, and you couldn't wait to bring another woman home! Are you even a man?"
Aldrich was so angry that his face turned red and his neck bulged with veins.
Cliff had always been domineering outside, but now he said nothing, letting Aldrich vent his anger.
Seeing that he didn't respond, Aldrich grew even angrier and slapped Cliff across the face.
Seeing this, Veronica immediately stood up and shouted angrily, "Who allowed you to act so wildly in the Todd family!"
Aldrich had always been timid and afraid of trouble, but this time he stood his ground. "Vanya was harmed by kidnappers and is still missing! Can't I even say a few words? I'm telling you, if anything happens to Vanya, our Dalton family will never let you off!"
"You! You're being completely unreasonable!"
Veronica clutched her chest in anger—she had been respected all her life and had never been treated like this.
She immediately said to Jenny, "Go! Throw these two out!"
"Honey, why are you so angry?"
Mirabelle tried to pull Aldrich back, but he shook her off. "Today, your Todd family must give me an explanation!"
Veronica glared at the stunned Jenny and shouted angrily, "What are you standing there for? Go!"
"...Y-yes, Veronica." Jenny was just about to leave when Cliff called out, "Stop."
Cliff frowned and said, "Aldrich, this was my oversight. It's my fault that Vanya got involved. If you want to hit or scold someone, it should be me."
Seeing Cliff's sincere attitude, Aldrich's anger subsided a little.
At this moment, Melinda suddenly spoke up. "Cliff, how can you say that? If you want to blame someone, blame Vanya's bad luck for being targeted by kidnappers! You've been sending people to look for her day and night these past few days. Why should he hit you?"
Cliff shouted angrily, "Shut up!"
Melinda was startled and immediately fell silent.
But this also drew Aldrich's attention to Melinda. He stared at her for a long moment and said, "So, you're the college girl rumored to be Cliff's kept woman? Looks like the rumors are true—Vanya just had an accident, and you couldn't wait to shove her into the Todd family. You people are really calculating!"
Aldrich said to Mirabelle beside him, "Let's go! From today on, we'll look for Vanya ourselves! Our Dalton family and your Todd family are irreconcilable!"
Aldrich stormed out in anger, while Mirabelle was terrified—what kind of status did Cliff have in Los Angeles?
How could the Dalton family possibly have the means to go up against the Todd family?
She kept smiling apologetically to everyone as she chased after Aldrich out the door.
Inside, Veronica let out a cold laugh. "What is the Dalton family anyway! How dare they threaten us in the Todd family! Cliff, from now on, you don't need to show them any mercy. Let them know that offending us will never end well!"
Cliff only felt his mind was in chaos. He rubbed his brow and said, "Grandma, please get some rest."
With that, he picked up his suit jacket and left the Todd family house, with Beta Elliot following closely behind.
"Alpha Cliff!"
Cliff stopped in his tracks and said to Beta Elliot, "Do everything you can to compensate the Dalton family. If the Todd family's joint projects with them fall through, they'll definitely suffer losses. Find a way to make it up to them."