As Durif walked past Leo, Leo greeted him, “Durif…”
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But Durif didn’t even look at Leo. He went straight to Harris, shook his hand, and said, “Harris, I hope you don’t mind me showing up out of the blue.”
Harris smiled and replied, “Why would I mind? If you hadn’t come, I’d be the one upset.”
“Please, have a seat,” Harris added.
Durif nodded with a smile and said, “Now that you’ve said that, I can relax.”
As he spoke, he sat down next to Harris.
After sitting down, Durif smiled at everyone and said, “Hope you don’t mind me showing up like this. If I’ve made things awkward, my apologies.”
After Durif finished speaking, he grinned at Leo, but there was a hint of sharpness in his gaze.
After Durif sat down, Harris took his seat as well.
The others followed suit.
Leo looked uncomfortable, avoiding Durif completely. He’d lost all the swagger he had just moments ago.
He was intimidated by Durif.
The other elders of the Zamora family stayed silent, and the living room quickly fell into an awkward hush.
Durif kept a friendly smile and said, “I heard someone mention Wilhelmina just now. What’s up with her?”
Everyone just looked at each other, but nobody wanted to say a word.
Mostly, nobody wanted to get on Durif’s bad side.
Verena didn’t dare do anything. She stood quietly behind Leo, looking nervous, as if she was terrified Durif might notice her.
After all, she’d gotten pregnant with Victor before Wilhelmina had even given birth to Bette and Daron.
To Durif, her and Victor’s presence was living proof that Leo had betrayed Wilhelmina.
As long as she and Victor were there, the whole Zamora family couldn’t even look Durif in the eye.
Verena had more than once envied Wilhelmina for having such a powerful family backing her.
Even after all these years since Wilhelmina passed away, her status in the Zamora family was still above Verena’s.
To make sure Verena would never marry into the Zamora family, the Blanchard family even brought in another woman, completely shattering any hope Verena had of ever becoming a Zamora.
Noticing how everyone had gone quiet, Durif flashed a smile and teased, “What’s with the silence?”
Matthew wasn’t the type to shy away from speaking up.
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Seeing that the others were staying quiet, he spoke up in a low voice, “We brought up Wilhelmina just now because we’re talking about putting Victor on the Zamora family record.
“Right now, the only wife listed for Leo in the record is Wilhelmina, so Victor would have to go under her name.”
Durif just nodded, looking like he was easy to talk to.
Matthew breathed a silent sigh of relief before speaking up again. “Durif, Wilhelmina’s been gone for years now. Whatever Leo did to her, that’s all in the past. But the kid is innocent…”
But Durif didn’t let him finish. He raised a hand to cut him off.
He said, “But Wilhelmina never had any children for the Zamora family besides Bette and Daron.
“And our Hayley has been married into your family for years, but she’s never been listed in your family record. Your family’s reason was that she never had any children for you, so she couldn’t be included.
“From that, it’s clear your family takes the family record very seriously and sticks to the rules.”
Matthew nodded and said, “Our family record has been passed down for over a thousand years, evolving with each generation. Those traditions are sacred. We’ve always stuck to them.”
Durif pretended to think for a moment.
“Is that so?” he said.
“Matthew, looks like you’re getting senile. Seems you’ve forgotten most of those old family rules.”
Matthew’s face darkened. He was clearly pissed at what Durif said, but he bit his tongue. He couldn’t act all high and mighty like he did in front of Daron.
“Why would you say that, Durif?” Matthew asked.
Durif looked up at Matthew, his gaze sharp and full of authority.
He said, “Mistresses aren’t even legal anymore. But since you want to talk about old traditions, let’s get it straight. Wilhelmina was the Zamora family’s lawfully wedded wife. After she passed, Hayley became your legitimate second wife.
“So what does that make Verena, then?”
Harris quickly cut in, trying to ease the tension. “Durif, take it easy. We’re just discussing things here. Nobody’s seriously putting Victor under Wilhelmina’s name…”
Durif flashed Harris a smile. “Harris, I’m not upset at all. I just suddenly felt like having a little debate and thought I’d remind Matthew about those old family traditions.
“Honestly, some of the stuff our ancestors left behind is pretty solid. Since your Zamora family is all about keeping those traditions alive, you really shouldn’t be forgetting the real rules.”
Harris was left speechless.
Durif kept his eyes fixed on Matthew, refusing to let it go. “So, Matthew, according to those old rules, what exactly is Verena’s place in the Zamora family?”
Matthew realized he’d walked right into Durif’s trap and quickly tried to change the subject.
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Matthew said, “Durif, we’re talking about the kid here. Why bring her up? She doesn’t have any status in the Zamora family”
Verena stood behind Leo, her hands at her sides balled into fists, her face ghostly pale.
After all these years with Leo, the Zamora family still treated her worse than a servant.
Durif gave a low, mocking laugh. “How could she have no place in the family?
“If we’re talking old traditions, she’s Leo’s mistress.”
Leo’s face went rigid for a moment.
Victor sprang to his feet, his eyes burning with resentment as he glared at Durif.
“And just who do you think you are, acting like you have any right to talk about our family rules?” Victor snapped. “This is Zamora family business. What’s it got to do with you?”
Leo frowned, his eyes cold as he glared at Victor.
“Watch your mouth! Who told you you could talk? Sit down!” Leo snapped.
Victor clenched his jaw, but under Leo’s glare, he had no choice but to swallow his anger and sit down.
Durif didn’t look the least bit offended. He just flashed Ian a smile.
He said, “By the old family rules, a child born to a mistress was called a bastard. Back then, they had zero rights to inherit, weren’t recognized by the clan, and were seen as nothing but stains on the family name.”
Durif didn’t hold back at all.
Matthew’s face twisted uncomfortably, left speechless by Durif’s bluntness.
Victor was so furious he shot up from his seat, practically shaking with rage as he pointed at Durif and started cursing him out, “You old bastard…”
Before Victor could finish, Harris flung his cane at him.
“You ill–mannered disgrace! Get out!” Harris roared.
Verena hurriedly pulled Victor back.
“Victor, you can’t talk to your elders like that!” she whispered urgently.
She stepped forward, pushed Victor back into his seat, then walked over to Durif, stopped in front of him, and bowed deeply in apology.
“Mr. Blanchard, I know you’ve held a grudge against me for years, Verena said. “It was my fault for having Victor, and for coming between Wilhelmina and Leo. I know I was out of line.
“But Victor didn’t do anything wrong. Times have changed. I just want him to be with his family. Please, show some compassion and let him come home.”
Durif didn’t even bother to look at Verena, his voice cool and indifferent.
“You really overestimate yourself, Verena. Do you honestly think you’re important enough for me to hold a grudge all these years?
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“If Leo hadn’t kept you around, it would’ve just been someone else. You just happened to be the one. It’s nothing personal.
“Wilhelmina came into the Zamora family with a clean reputation. I just don’t want some illegitimate child attached to her name, tainting her with a stain she never deserved.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
