Win My Husband Over to Find My Child
Chapter 396: A Pathetic Melancholy Skit by a Fool

Chapter 396: A Pathetic Melancholy Skit by a Fool

"T-this is absurd!"

Abruptly standing up, Gladys hit the table with both palms. Her enraged face flushed red as her teary eyes looked at Leslie and Calix.

Gladys’ sudden cry shocked everyone, including Geoffrey and Deena. Looking up at their daughter, they both wondered what made her erupt.

"Gladys, what..."

Cutting Deena off, Gladys pointed a finger at Leslie. Her whole body exuded anger and jealousy. She looked nothing like her usual portrayal of a docile young miss.

"Charlene! You arranged this to humiliate us, aren’t you? Do you think you’re mightier than us? Have you forgotten everything our family has done for you? How could you disrespect Grandma and our family name like this?!"

Gladys’ explosion of outrage stunned everyone but the husband and wife in front of her. Leslie and Calix watched her little act with amused smiles on their lips. None of them were affected by the former’s wrath.

"Brother Calix! Don’t believe anything this witch has been telling you!" Gladys anxiously focused on Calix, pleading with him to see things from her perspective, "She always caused trouble! My grandma always had to step up to clear her mess!"

Gladys no longer cared how Belinda had chided her before. No matter what, she couldn’t clarify whether Xander relayed the rumors to Calix or not.

Driven by her unrestrained jealousy and fury, Gladys was forced to take a gamble.

It was all or nothing!

"My grandma always has to look out for her. But... she didn’t care about it at all! How cruel is she to abandon our family after climbing higher? Please! Open your eyes! Don’t be bewitched by her!"

Irritated by Gladys spouting nonsense, Calix wanted to tell her off. He moved his body forward, ready to scold the annoying woman. But, Leslie stopped him before the first word came out of his mouth.

Her meaning was clear. She wanted to see more of Gladys’ foolishly tearful performance.

"Gladys, sit down," Old Madam Li finally spoke after being caught off guard by her favored granddaughter’s cries, "Don’t let her upset you."

Gladys’ chest heaved up and down. Clenching her hands into fists, her eyes began glistening with tears. She looked at Old Madam Li briefly before returning her gaze to the unfazed Leslie.

"Charlene, don’t you feel sorry for Grandma? Our family has sacrificed so much for you. How could you be so heartless ah?"

Gladys’ pitifully melancholy skit earned a smirk from Mr. Wei. He had been quietly watching the family drama from the sidelines as he waited for further instructions from Calix.

No wonder the Xu matriarch and Chairman Xu insisted on involving the legal team in this issue. The Li family was really unhinged on the inside.

Tsk tsk, what a waste of a good name.

Gladys’ action was still ongoing. She paid no attention when Deena subtly tried to stop her from yapping her mouth. Old Madam Li’s darkened expression became uglier.

"You dare to cut ties with your own blood family! Do you think your in-laws will back you up if they know? You’re being unfilial!"

Gladys purposely emphasized her last sentence. Filial piety was extremely important in their culture. Cutting off ties with families symbolized a rebellion beyond redemption.

Huh! Even if the Xu family’s young master blindly supported his wife’s idea, the elders surely wouldn’t stay still.

Leslie raised her right hand. Her action caught Glady’s attention. The latter narrowed her eyes as suspicions shrouded her mind.

"...what? Are you trying to deny the truth?"

What kind of excuse would this witch make?

"Gladys, you’re telling your truth," Leslie sneered. Tilting her head, she inquired, "Then, why don’t you list down... all the troubles I’ve caused this family? Shouldn’t you make everything clear?"

Calix deepened his frown. Despite understanding what Leslie was trying to do, he couldn’t help but worry. He had to restrain himself from tearing Gladys apart for what she was doing.

Still, Calix said nothing. He respected Leslie’s wish to fight this battle on the frontline herself. He was just a foot soldier by her side.

Calix silently grasped Leslie’s hands under the table before squeezing them, hoping to offer some comfort.

Sensing what he was doing, Leslie lowered her eyes to look at their interlocking hands. Curling up her lips into a soft smile, she squeezed his hands in return.

This little gesture helped in conveying more strength to her.

"Come on," Leslie raised her brows, her taunting gaze locked onto Glady’s eyes, "Spill everything, won’t you? Aren’t you... determined to prove I’m in the wrong?"

Gladys blinked. She was confused as to why Leslie wanted her to air out her dirty laundry, especially when Calix was present.

What made this woman so confident about her husband tolerating everything she had done?

"Have you..."

"Gladys! Enough! Sit down!

Old Madam Li’s tensed voice cut Gladys off, pulling the latter’s gaze to her.

"Grandma, we need to put this woman back in her place," Gladys shook her head, openly disagreeing with Old Madam Li, "We can’t let her humiliate our family like this!"

"Sit down," Old Madam Li sighed in frustration. She pressed the space between her eyebrows, "Calm yourself first."

"But..."

"Sit down! Your grandma told you so!"

"Ah! Dad!"

Geoffrey pulled Gladys down, forcing her to fall on her seat. Gritting her teeth, her face flushed red in embarrassment. Her father’s piercing glare stopped her from whining.

Seeing the way Gladys was scolded by Old Madam Li and Geoffrey amused Leslie. She openly laughed, not caring about fueling more into their irritation.

"Anyway, I don’t care what you are saying about me," said Leslie in between laughter. Her eyes glinted coldly, "Tonight marks the last day... I’m being one of the Lis."

Rowan and Bianca flinched. They were horrified by Leslie’s persistence.

"C-Charlene, please reconsider..."

Leslie ignored Bianca’s pleading. The middle-aged woman looked very pitiful but, her failure in defending Charlene all these years disgusted Leslie.

"Huh... Didn’t you want me to list down every trouble you’ve caused us?"

Irritated to see the smug look on Leslie’s face, Gladys uttered those words. She didn’t care when Geoffrey, Deena and Old Madam Li tried to stop her.

"Say it," Leslie chuckled, "What? Are you afraid?"

"No!" Gladys hissed. Pushing her body forward, she spat, "Have you forgotten the worst thing you’ve done? You’re pregnant with a bastard child!"

Leslie chewed the inside of her cheek. Hearing Gladys refer to Calliope as a bastard irked her.

But...

This was what she had been waiting for.