The room erupted.
"What?"
"He's shameless!"
"Still clinging on even now?"
Lila froze.
Her head snapped toward him, eyes wide in disbelief. What game is he playing at? They had lived as if the other did not exist for three years, now he refused to release her?
"What are you playing at?" she asked, anger surging to the surface.
Elias turned to her, his eyes calm. "I'm not playing at anything."
"You already agreed to it that day at the hospital. Why go back on your words now?" She was on the verge of erupting.
This idiot… She was already giving him a way out of this thankless marriage but he was not taking it. Was he a fool or what?
Elias however didn't seem to understand her good intentions. His lips curled into a smile and he responded leisurely, "You just said it yourself and stormed out. I didn't agree to it."
Lila was speechless. "You—"
He was really making her furious but she managed to calm down at the last minute. Instead, she figured it was better to talk sense with him.
"Look," she began. "We've lived under the same roof for three years, Sebastian, yet we have never shared a meal. We are husband and wife in name only. If you like that secretary, we can get a divorce. I think that's the best for all of us."
As Lila spoke, she met the man's gaze directly. His eyes were calm and she felt that he seemed to understand her intentions.
But to her surprise, he just responded self-righteously, "I don't like her."
Lila was speechless.
What was up with his focus?
She was infuriated but too dumbfounded to speak.
As though, he didn't notice the angry looks she was tossing him, he continued, "Also, I don't think that's the best. At least, not for me. I'm quite comfortable with our current status."
As Elias spoke, he found that everyone in the room was staring at him gobsmacked. He had no idea why they were looking like that. But anyway, all he knew was that he was lucky enough to find himself directly in the storm. He was not going to let go of this fat piece of meat.
Meanwhile, the rest of the people were just thinking about how shameless the man was. He had an affair and was given the chance to escape unscathed but he was actually still acting so self-righteously.
"I actually think it's best for you too if we keep this status quo. You don't want any sudden attention on you by the media, right?"
Lila was initially thinking he must be crazy but those last words, made her turn sharply at him. Her gaze darkened. "What do you mean by that?"
Elias knew he must have struck a chord with those words. But, he had no care for her anger. Anyway, he was going to stamp himself in this family even if he had to provoke her.
"What do you think I mean?"
"You—" Lila could not hold in her anger at all. If she had a drink in front of her right now, she would have tossed it in his face.
But just when the tension rose high enough, the matriarch's sharp voice suddenly cut her off.
"Enough!"
Silence fell in the room instantly and Lila had no choice but to pull back her claws in. The matriarch's gaze swept over Lila, pinning her in place.
"Lila, do not be foolish. If you divorce him now, the company's stocks will plummet again, and your scandal will blaze across the markets a second time. Do you want your father's branch to shoulder that burden?"
Lila's lips pressed together. The rebuke was delivered with authority too heavy to refute. Her chest tightened with frustration, but she could only lower her gaze in silence.
The matriarch turned her eyes back to Elias. "Sebastian, you will remain. But hear me well, your place in this family exists only because of Lila. Overstep again, and do not blame me for discarding you."
Elias inclined his head slightly, his expression unreadable. Inside, however, he noted every word. This matriarch was… ruthless and calculating. He hadn't said anything about Lila's scandal outright yet she had taken the chance to ruffle Lila's feathers and made her submit. He had to be wary of her. One wrong move, and she could cut him down without hesitation.
Before the air could settle, Theo stepped forward again, his face tight with anger. "Grandmother, you haven't addressed what he said to me. Are we just going to ignore his arrogance?"
The matriarch shifted her gaze once more. "Sebastian, did you truly say such words?"
Elias's lips curved faintly. "Theo is just being childish. He came to the hospital that day and was only short of forcing me out of bed to solve his issues. I feel that as a man such behavior shouldn't be condoned. A man should resolve his own scandals instead of dragging others down with him. As for underestimating Grandmother… that is not something I would ever dare."
The explanation was smooth, and reasonable, so clean there was no seam to pick at.
Theo held his mouth agape at how he just flipped everything around so seamlessly. He was too speechless to even defend himself and could only look at the matriarch shaking his head.
The matriarch was disappointed. She also disapproved Theo's wishy washy attitude to things. He was unlike the rest of his cousins and even worse than Lila who was a girl.
She sighed and turned her gaze to Elias. She knew he was simply spouting nonsense but he said it so righteously, she couldn't blame him. And now, he was staring at her directly without fear.
'What exactly is he up to" she wondered to herself. He was acting strangely.
She held his gaze a moment longer, then nodded once.
"That's enough. So, what do you intend to do about the scandal?"
Elias saw Theo look at him eagerly at this. He realized he must be very anxious about the matter. But too bad, he had no intention to do it. At least… not yet.
He smirked and said calmly, "From what I know, he's calmed things down a tad bit by visiting me in the hospital to improve his reputation. It's best to lie low and do nothing for now. The public have short term memory and in a couple of days no one will remember it. We can keep investigating secretly though and solve the corporate issues first."
When Theo heard him say that so casually, his already anxious face turned red and he barked, "What do you fuvking mean by lie low? You just don't want to do anything, do you? You're nothing but a janitor in this house. Your job is to clean things up like the fuvking trash you are. Who do you think you are to lecture me?!"
He heaved angrily as he spoke while everyone present gave him strange looks. It was one thing to mock Sebastian amongst themselves but he was still married to Lila after all. Wasn't he afraid of angering her by saying that?
And as if to cue those thoughts, Lila was indeed annoyed. She was about to speak up when Theo's father, Edward suddenly butt in.
He glared at his son. "What nonsense are you saying?"
He glanced toward the matriarch as he spoke, afraid that she was furious. After all, his mother loved keeping faces and it was extremely rude for Theo to call Sebastian that publicly.
Theo however was already burning with anger and couldn't understand his good intentions. He yelled back, "What! Is that not the truth?"
Edward almost slapped this idiotic son of his in anger. He turned toward the matriarch and tried to smooth things over.
But, she cut in first, giving him no chance to speak,
"Theo, that was very rude. No matter what, that's your brother-in-law. Is it your place to say such a thing?" She looked at Theo, her tone full of authority. "Apologize to him right now."
Theo was stunned. "Grandmother…"
Sebastian was nothing but trash. How could she ask him to apologize to someone like him?
"Are you disobeying me now?" The matriarch s face turned stony.
Edward knew his mother was beginning to get angry.
He quickly barked at his son, "You brat! Apologize to your grandma this instant!"
Theo was shocked and confused. This meeting was originally to destroy Sebastian and make him grovel but how did it become him apologizing to that trash?
But he knew he seemed to have angered the matriarch. He didn't dare to disobey her and could only bow under pressure.
He looked toward Elias and seeing him sitting there so relaxedly as though he was not the one who put him in such a tight spot made him grit his teeth angrily. He had the urge to pounce on him and give him a punch to set him right.
But, he didn't dare to and could only bite the bullet. "Sorry."
He said it so fast Elias almost couldn't hear it.
But, he didn't pander on the matter. The matriarch was not giving him face by asking Theo to apologize. It was simply about keeping their family faces and not being dissed for being shrews.
If he insisted any more, it would only backfire on him.
Satisfied, the matriarch added, "Sebastian is right. Lie low for now. Do not stir more trouble than you can handle."
"Grandmother…" Theo was still unwilling to let things go like that. He was still being dissed back and forth online; how could he have the mind to lie low?
But when he saw his father shaking his head at him, he could only swallow just protest. His face flushed with humiliation but under her command he could only grit his teeth and step back, seething.
The matriarch finally lifted her hand, ending the matter with finality. "This meeting is over."
The room slowly emptied, with Theo and the rest of the third branch storming out while sending Elias obvious looks of disgust.
Lila also got up to leave so Elias rose and followed after her calmly. Only Beatrice was left seated, looking at the both of them in a huff.
Once they were out, Lila finally noticed him trailing after her. She turned to him sharply, regarding him as though she was trying to figure something out.
Elias stopped walking when he saw her look. He met her gaze calmly and asked, "Is there something on my face?"
The lady continued to stare at him pointedly for a few more moments before she suddenly blurted out, "Did you hit your head in that accident or something?"