Chapter 7: Gift
1371 Words
Penny and Dave grimaced, hearing how Elijah casually told them he was their son-in-law.
“Can you please not call us that? It’s disgusting,” Penny said, rolling her eyes. “How rude of you for being here, Elijah. Don’t you have any shame? No one wants you here.”
“Well, that’s completely false.” Elijah smiled, looking at Athena, who stared at him like he was the most precious gem in the world. “I would not be here if someone didn’t want to see me.”
Elijah’s eyes moved toward Hermione, who blushed and looked away upon locking eyes with her husband.
Seeing that, Dominic couldn’t help but clench his fists. He was trying his best, spending more money than he should just to have Hermione on his hands—By hook or by crook.
But Elijah just seems to ruin all his plans, and he won’t let that happen.
“You’re already here, so there’s no sense for us to send you away,” said Dominic in a cold and harsh tone. “But you should have proper manners next time. Is this what the military taught you?”
Elijah smirked, matching Dominic’s intimidating gaze.
“If we’re talking about proper manners here, then you should be the one to apply that lesson, Dominic. Because among the two of us, you, a mere stranger, shouldn’t be here at our family dinner.”
Dominic snorted, his lips curving to a smirk. “Yet I’m the one they invited.”
“And again, I’m the Elsher family’s son-in-law.”
The tension arose between Elijah and Dominic, making the Elsher family’s table fall in utter silence.
A few seconds later, it was Hermione who broke the silence, for the sake of Athena, who was having a hard time understanding why her father was quarreling with someone else.
“Everyone… Let’s eat, shall we?” Hermione said, her tone polite yet authoritative.
Penny sighed and shook her head before taking the utensils in her hands. The other members did the same, while Elijah ordered one more set of food since he was an uninvited guest.
“You’re not going to make Dominic pay for your meal, don’t you?” Penny asked, raising a brow as the waiter gave Elijah his food.
“I won’t. I have money with me,” Elijah answered confidently, pulling a few bucks in his hand.
Elijah has cards—some of them were even limited cards that only a VVIP can obtain. However, ever since he lived in the Ecotopia, where ATMs were out of reach, he learned to have a few bucks anywhere he went.
“Do you think those few bucks will be enough to buy food here?” Penny asked, rolling her eyes as she looked at the few bucks in Elijah’s hand. “How stupid.”
Elijah shrugged and ignored his mother-in-law’s harsh remarks. Instead, he looked at Athena and smiled, asking, “My little one, do you want some ice cream?”
“Yes, Daddy!” Athena nodded, the joy evident in her voice.
“Alright. I’ll get one for you.” Elijah called a waiter and asked for another order.
“Just an ice cream… Tsk. You want to show people here how poor you are, don’t you?” Dave muttered in a harsh tone, shaking his head, feeling embarrassed at Elijah’s presence.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Elsher. No one will judge us here. My father was friends with this restaurant’s owner, so nothing will be on the news,” Dominic reassured him, smiling.
Dave smiled back in relief. “Thank you for being reliable, Dominic. And you should address me as ‘father’ from now on. Sooner or later, you’ll be married to Hermione.”
“Dad—”
“Shut up, Hermione, if you don’t want me to crush the Herm Group in a snap,” Dave warned, his voice and gaze intimidating.
“Sure, Dad. I like that.” Dominic smiled, his gaze moving to Hermione.
Dominic will make sure that he’ll get Hermione no matter what it takes.
But what he said earlier was a lie.
Little did everyone know, Dominic had already asked some of his people to create articles that would destroy Elijah and the Elsher family, just in case things didn’t go according to the plan.
Hermione, on the other hand, could only tighten her grip on the spoon and knife. She had already lost major power in the Herm Group and the Elsher family. Being the heiress was only a title.
Frowning, Elijah looked at her. He saw how important the Herm Group was for Hermione, especially since she was the one who founded and built it from scratch.
‘Don’t worry, Hermione. I’ll make sure you’ll get the company back, along with the other things you lost,’ Elijah said confidently at the back of his mind.
While the Elsher family was eating, Dominic was subtly flaunting his and the Walter family’s achievements.
“Recently, my father secured a deal with the Heussaff Corporation,” Dominic said, the arrogance evident in his tone. “Dad says that it was hard to even talk to their representatives, but we managed to get in.”
Elijah, although he wasn’t included in the conversation, raised an eyebrow upon hearing the company’s name. ‘Heussaff Corporation? Why does that sound familiar?’
“Wow! Heussaff Corporation was owned by Tyler Heussaff, right? I heard he was personally connected with the Montgomery family,” Marianne said, her eyes widening in shock, feeling astonished.
‘Ah, that’s why the name sounded familiar. I think I saw him in the mansion back when I was a child,’ Elijah thought, referring to Tyler.
A smirk formed on Elijah’s face. It felt like he was gathering intel from the enemies like he did in the military before. The only difference is… Dominic was giving him information without any hardship.
“Yes, they are connected. And I have a feeling that we will be able to communicate with the Montgomery Corporation soon,” Dominic told them, his tone confident.
The Montgomery Corporation, led by the Montgomery family, the highest-ranking family in the country, was known to be an independent company.
They were the ones choosing their partners and alliances, not the other way around.
‘Knowing father, he won’t approach any company soon, or maybe he’ll use his other subsidiaries for that,’ Elijah thought, shaking his head.
“How great you are, along with the Walter family, Dominic. You and Hermione would make a perfect pair,” Penny complimented.
She felt excited about the wealth and influence they'd get once Hermione marries him.
“Right, Mother!” Marianne agreed, smiling ear-to-ear. “Unlike others…”
Marianne glanced at Elijah, giving him a disgusted look. Penny and Dave did the same.
But Elijah was strong as a rock. With his experiences, along with his training in the military, he wasn’t fazed by those expressions and harsh criticisms anymore.
However, Hermione and Athena would only be exempt. Whoever hurt them will receive his rage.
“Anyway, Athena?” Dominic called Athena, who was busy eating the ice cream bought by Elijah. “I have a gift for you.”
Athena’s eyes twinkled with joy. “Really, Uncle? What is it?”
Dominic pulled a small white box from his pocket and placed it in Athena's hands. “Since your birthday was around the corner, let me give you this one.”
Feeling excited, Athena opened the box. She giggled upon seeing a bracelet inside it. “Wow! It looks beautiful, Uncle!”
“Of course. I really chose that Sapphire bracelet because I think it suits you the most,” Dominic informed, smiling.
Penny, Dave, and Marianne smiled in satisfaction, seeing that Dominic was treating Athena nicely, too.
Hermione, despite not liking Dominic, also appreciated the fact that he gave Athena a gift.
“So, did you like it?” Dominic asked.
“Yes, Uncle!”
“Alright, then let me put it to your wrist.”
Taking the bracelet out of the box, Dominic was about to wear it to Athena’s wrist.
Suddenly, Elijah stopped him, noticing something wrong with Dominic and his gift.
- Writer
