Yours, Until Needed
Chapter 84: Vultures

Chapter 84: Vultures

I managed to hide out until the afternoon but had to go down because my parents arrived.

It was good that the weather called for warm clothing, so piling on layers to hide all these marks wouldn’t be too conspicuous.

I rushed over to my parents lest they think I was sick or something, and got my hair ruffled in the process.

Lucian similarly greeted my parents before asking about their trip.

He’s capable of doing small talk when he needs to. Surprise, surprise!

On the other hand, we busied ourselves with baking and designing, teaching Lily how to make the cookies she liked.

We were having such fun that we barely noticed the arrival of unwelcome guests.

As Riri’s lifelong best friend, I’ve long heard my fair share of stories about the holiday horrors. I just didn’t expect Lucian to encounter similar difficulties.

Now, if it had only stopped there, it would’ve been fine, but even Lily, a baby, could not have managed to escape their grasp.

They arrived with much fanfare, which the prominent branch members would not need to do. However, if we were in the Middle Ages, these people would still require their names to be announced.

"Uncle!" They immediately gunned for Grandpa. Many of these people were second cousins of Uncle Lyle and Riri’s Mom.

"We’ve missed you so much! It’s good to have you back here finally!" Said one of Lucian’s aunts.

I would’ve loved to distinguish them better. Still, it seemed like they had the same doctors and stylists to the point where the most noticeable differentiator was the color or material of their designer handbags.

There were three of them, one of which was fox fur, as she lined her bag with such an accessory. Then there’s crocodile skin and their triplet, the "beddazler".

We looked like a complete mess because we did not expect them to come this early. And I knew the moment I stepped out of the kitchen that I would face criticism for it.

And I really would have, had it not been for my mother who loomed behind me. She had this wide smile plastered on her face. But to anyone who knew better, that’s the look of a psychopath who’s ready to stab someone’s leg.

Instead, they opened with, "Eloisa! It’s been a while. We didn’t expect to see you here!" a greeting that would’ve been harmless if not for their forceful delineation of "outsiders."

Mom did say that she had a lot of enemies because of Dad. Many women were set on being love rivals with her without her knowledge. And beddazler seemed to be one of them.

She’s married herself but dares to gaze at my Dad like that.

Tsk, tsk. No wonder Lucian hated these people.

They kept squawking the entire time, and that wasn’t even counting their grubby children, who kept stealing Lily’s cookies.

These kids were already their Grandkids and were brought here hoping to impress Grandpa.

"Kids! How about telling your Grandfather about school and your extracurriculars?" Hollered Crocodile skin.

The kids begrudgingly followed, as if annoyed that they couldn’t pester Lily anymore.

It was apparent they weren’t informed that Lily was technically their aunt. That or they were purposely undermining her.

"For a long time, there had only been Lucian and me, and since I’d be carrying a different name, Lucian was the obvious successor," Riri noticed my scowl as I observed their treatment of Lily, so she explained.

"Lucian’s spot was unshakeable. Even if all these people merged, they’d still fall short against Lucian. So they have given up on that. But that changed when they learned of Lucian’s aversion to relationships and marriage."

She shook her head as she looked at me. Because so much for all that when the guy’s now married.

"So what would happen if the natural heir had no intentions of having children?" She cocked her head, and as someone with the same upbringing, I didn’t have to be told twice.

Adoption from the branch families.

These people rushed to produce grandkids, hoping to pass them off as Lucian’s heir.

Wow.

But Lily’s arrival must’ve dampened their plans, so they’ve resorted to convincing Grandpa that their male grandkids were better than Lily.

This time, Aunt Serena was there to save the day. And Lily’s had practice in dealing with little cretins. However, it would’ve been much better if she had never encountered such people.

So, the target once again switched.

Like a homing device, they zoned into every target. Not that there were many options, considering they only went for us who seemed "vulnerable."

In their minds, I was the "intimacy-starved wife, " and they immediately jabbed at my alleged inability to attract my husband.

"Our Lucian’s always busy these days! Eliana dear, maybe you should try to get him to relax more with you."

"Exactly! We’re all eager to hear good news from you! Hopefully, it doesn’t take too long!" Beddazler hinted in support of fox fur.

Now they’re making it sound like I’m a freeloader whose only job was to make babies.

I ignored their jabs, choosing to offer cookies to Lucian first.

"Babe, do you want some?" I asked as I stood next to his sofa seat.

Lucian pulled me over, sat me between his legs, and then took a cookie to munch on.

The vultures took over the living room, using up as much space as possible to isolate their targets. Their children didn’t even give way to Rina, who was an actual adult.

It was only when I found my usual comfortable position that I remembered to answer them.

"You’re right. He’s really busy, especially with the new project. So it’s nice when he spoils me with his time." I grinned at them. Instilling an unfamiliar concept to these people who could never call on Lucian personally.

I even gave Lucian a kiss, which he returned similarly, then nuzzled me.

You guys seemed too concerned about physical intimacy. Then eat dog food.

All of this would undoubtedly shock people. Only Rina and Lily have been privy to us being like this. Even my parents found it a bit shocking but managed to control their facial expressions.

"The two of you have been doing very well. Just do things as you see fit." Grandpa suddenly said, looking a bit cheerful.

My eye couldn’t help but twitch, but he backed us up, and that was the most important thing.

The vultures were uncomfortable, but challenging Grandpa’s praise wouldn’t do them any good. So they switched targets again. This time, it was Rina’s turn.

And true to tradition, aunties would always ask about the 3 Ws.

Rina was pestered about her work, weight, and her womb. Thankfully, they could barely find fault with her weight. Rina’s always been gorgeous, much to their dismay.

And she was still finishing up her graduate degree, so she just confidently brushed her off while keeping our business under wraps. Heck, we’d sabotage ourselves if they ended up finding out.

So they focused so much on her womb and her unmarried state.

"Not even a fiance? Even your cousin’s married now!"

Comparison. This is why most young people don’t have good relationships with their relatives. These people just won’t stop with the blatant comparisons.

Like me, Rina is an only child. So, these people also have their eyes set on her, this time by forcing engagements with their cronies.

Since this topic came up, I noticed Rina’s annoyed look. But surprisingly, it wasn’t because of these vultures. She’s got that far-off gaze as if she just remembered something annoying.

After that fire exit incident, where my curiosity about this was at an all-time high, we didn’t have the opportunity to talk.

But that won’t happen this time. I’ll nail her to this villa if need be.