Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law
Chapter 38 Provocation (1)_1

Thinking of this, my face is turning red. Julia Bluen’s cheeks flushed unnaturally.

"Five days, huh? Twenty-four hours in a day, so five days make one hundred and twenty hours, or 7,200 minutes. That’s quite long, you know. Julia, actually, if you stay here overnight, no one would say anything. You see, you two have already received your marriage certificate; you’re a legally married couple. So even if you..."

"Julia Bluen, why are you here again?" The old lady’s words were abruptly interrupted by a sharp female voice.

Adele Horne, accompanied by Orlando Evans who was a guest at the Horne family’s house, walked downstairs. Seeing Julia Bluen assisting the old lady, Adele’s expression immediately darkened. The mere sight of Julia Bluen reminded her of the warnings she had given. Julia Bluen had clearly registered her marriage with Glades. Yet, when Adele had warned her, Julia had merely replied, "I understand," with an air of nonchalance. This infuriated Adele, who had been inwardly anticipating the moment she could see a truly shocked expression on Julia’s face.

"Adele, what are you talking about? Julia is already part of this family." The old lady sat down on the sofa, her displeasure evident on her stern face.

"Grandma." Adele hurried to the sofa, trying to squeeze past Julia to sit next to the old lady. But the old lady snubbed her, calling out, "Julia, come sit beside Grandma." It was clear she favored her granddaughter-in-law over her own granddaughter.

Adele’s face instantly darkened.

Orlando Evans silently made a cup of tea for Julia Bluen and placed it in front of her with a faint smile. "Miss Julia, I wasn’t sure what you liked to drink, so I took the liberty of brewing a cup of jasmine tea for you. If you don’t like tea, I can get you something else—coffee, soft drinks, whatever you wish. I can prepare anything you’d like."

Julia Bluen sneered inwardly. The tone of a hostess! Treating me like a guest. She waltzes into the house, clearly intending to lay her hands on my man, and yet she has the audacity to speak to me as if *she’s* the lady of the house? Orlando Evans is only twenty-two, in the prime of her youth, not bad looking, and from a good family—how can she be so shameless? Alas, shamelessness truly knows no bounds!

Julia Bluen blinked her bright, almond-shaped eyes. With a turn of her wrist, she pushed the cup of tea Orlando had placed before her back towards Orlando. Then, she smiled graciously yet apologetically at Orlando, saying, "Miss Evans, you are a guest staying in our home. How could I possibly let you serve me? I should be the one entertaining you. After all, this is my home too."

Thinking she can trample over me? Not a chance! I’m the legally wedded Young Mistress Horne. And who are you, Orlando Evans? To put it nicely, you’re just Adele Horne’s friend. To put it bluntly, you’re nothing but a shameless hussy trying to climb into Glades Horne’s bed!

"Auntie Mei, please make a cup of coffee for Miss Evans and bring over a few bottles of soft drinks, along with some red wine. I’m so sorry, Miss Evans, but I’m not well-acquainted with your preferences, so I asked Auntie Mei to prepare a variety of options for you to choose from," Julia Bluen said, smiling as she ignored the darkening expression on Orlando Evans’s face. Her tone as the lady of the house far surpassed Orlando’s.

Orlando Evans’s face turned pale, her alluring eyes looking towards Adele Horne with a hint of grievance.

Seeing her best friend, whom she considered her future sister-in-law, so pitifully rebutted by Julia Bluen, Adele Horne desperately wanted to lash out. But as she looked up, she saw the old lady watching her with piercing eyes and immediately suppressed her anger. In this family, she feared Glades the most, but she also didn’t dare to act out in front of the old lady, who was the ultimate authority in the household.

Firm footsteps echoed from the staircase.

Glades Horne came downstairs. His face was taut, harder than marble. His deep eyes, filled with a chilling coldness, were as inscrutable as an abyss, making others feel intimidated. He radiated an icy demeanor from head to toe, as if someone owed him billions.

Upon seeing Glades Horne’s sudden appearance, a look of surprise flashed across Orlando Evans’s face, which she quickly replaced with an even more pitiable expression. Her beautiful yet refined face took on an expression so pitiful it would stir compassion in anyone. Her alluring eyes, full of unspoken emotion, were downcast, and the slight flutter of her lashes revealed her sense of grievance. She didn’t even have to look at Glades for him to be aware of her presence.

Glades Horne didn’t even want to waste time glancing at her. He had always been indifferent to women who threw themselves at him. Orlando had been pestering him since she was fourteen, and he felt nothing but annoyance towards her, not a shred of affection. His sister was temperamental and spoiled. Despite being in her twenties and a college graduate, Orlando was her only friend. He pitied his sister’s loneliness, which was the only reason he tolerated Orlando’s presence in the Horne household. Otherwise, he would have kicked the love-struck fool to the Pacific Ocean ages ago.

Striding towards Julia Bluen, Glades Horne looked down at her, his gaze even more profound and unfathomable, like a silken web ensnaring everyone, leaving them breathless. After a minute, he finally extended his large hand, his tone not particularly cold, but one could hear the effort he made to sound gentle. "Julia, let’s go. I still have some matters to attend to at the company."

"Big brother, when did you get back?" Adele Horne glanced uneasily at her friend, worried about how much of their conversation he might have overheard. Seeing him reach out to Julia, Adele shot her a flattering smile and quickly grabbed his strong hand. "Big brother, I’ve been so bored at home. Why don’t you let me accompany you to the company? Let Julia keep Grandma company."

After all, Grandma prefers Julia over her own granddaughter. So what if my temper is a little nasty and I’m a bit spoiled? Everyone else dotes on me. It’s just Grandma who always favors Julia, showing me so much less affection. Just for that alone, I don’t want Julia Bluen to have an easy life!

Shaking off his sister’s hand, Glades Horne pulled Julia up, ignoring Adele’s displeased face. He said to the old lady, "Grandma, we won’t be back for dinner tonight. We’re leaving now." With that, he turned and left, taking Julia with him.