Alan Hunt looked in the direction of the staircase and said, �He might�ve been able to eliminate the opposition from the company last time by faking his death, but my brother and his people are all still alive and kicking. Who knows what they�ll come up with next��

�Enough!� Old Mr. Hunt interrupted. �Have all of you forgotten that I�m still here? Better stay quiet if you have nothing nice to say!�

He turned pointedly to Alan Hunt and, in a quietly powerful and intimidating voice, told him, �Isn�t it a good thing when a man loves his wife? This proves he is made of flesh and blood and that he has feelings and empathy. Why should you be worried if such a man is leading the company?�

Alan lowered his head and meekly replied, �Don�t be angry, Uncle Timothy. It�s not that we don�t trust Stefan�s capabilities. It�s just that� My brother and his family are incredibly crafty and cruel. Don�t you remember how that rascal Jovan almost succeeded in seizing power in the company?�

The brother that Alan Hunt was referring to was Arthur Hunt, his older brother, and father of Jovan Hunt. Although they were siblings, there was no love lost between him and Arthur, owing to the fact that both Arthur and his son Jovan were ruthless and treacherous. Instead, Alan had a much closer relationship with his cousin Alexander Hunt.

Just as Alan was still talking about his brother, Arthur�s recognizable boisterous laughter was heard approaching from the entrance.

�Ah, Alexander! Francine! Congratulations! Congratulations!�

The atmosphere in the great hall tensed up immediately. There was even a sense that blades would be drawn at any second.

Ever since Stefan faked his death and Jovan colluded with his cronies in an attempt to seize power in H Group, the Hunt family was divided into two warring factions. The first took Alexander Hunt�s side, while the second took Arthur Hunt�s side�and from then on, the two cousins then became adversaries.

Alexander had a forthright personality, so when he saw Arthur approaching from a distance, he immediately glowered and blurted, �Hmph! I can�t believe you have the gall to step into this house! If I�m not mistaken, I don�t think my father ever invited you and your wife here today!�

�Come on, Alexander! Why are you treating me like I�m a stranger?� Arthur, cunning as an old fox, wore a wide phony grin on his face as he walked up to Alexander and put his hand on his cousin�s shoulder in a fake brotherly gesture.

�How could I not be here when it�s such a happy occasion for the Hunt family?� he asked. �I�m your cousin, after all! Anyway, the more, the merrier, right? I must raise a toast to you today!�

His wife, Sheila Hunt, followed behind him, clad in a luxurious wine-red coat and carrying a limited-edition designer handbag. As soon as she stepped through the door, she jeered, �Say, you two are indeed lucky, Alexander and Francine! You managed to get a daughter-in-law, a grandson, and a granddaughter in one fell swoop! I do envy you! Arthur and I can never hope to be as lucky as you!�

Sheila might possess enormous wealth and a great style, but she still paled in every aspect when compared to Francine. Before she married Arthur, she always regarded Francine as her imaginary rival. Then, after marrying into the Hunt family, she always compared herself to Francine at every opportunity she got.

Unfortunately for her, no matter which way she made a comparison, whether it was herself against Francine, her husband against Francine�s husband, or her son against Francine�s son, she always came up short. She finally won, albeit barely, when she compared their daughters-in-law, yet now� Not only did Stefan get himself a wife, but he even had a son and a daughter, which meant that she had, once again, completely lost to Francine!

Sheila was so angry could barely hold it together, but she held her breath and gathered her strength. She would finally put Francine in her place today! Arthur and Sheila seemed to have no shame at all as they proceeded to calmly and respectfully offer old Mr. Hunt a cup of tea even though they were accosted by cold glares and angry glances from the people around them.

�Take a seat!� old Mr. Hunt told them in a lukewarm voice after taking a sip of the tea.

�Uncle Timothy!� Alan muttered with displeasure.. �You�re too kind and generous! Don�t you remember the shameful deeds of this greedy brother of mine and his cunning son? They almost took over the entire company! If I were you, I would�ve booted them from the Hunt family a long time ago�yet you still drank the tea they offered��

�Alan! You�re my own younger brother! How could you accuse me of such things?!� Arthur acted as if his feelings were hurt and let out a sigh. �At the time, no one knew if Stefan was alive or dead. H Group was thrown into chaos, and Jovan stepped in at the most crucial hour, leading the company in a time of crisis and saving the family�s honor. Don�t you know how much pressure he was under?�

�Hmph! It�s not surprising that he was under a lot of pressure since he was a usurper!� JrNovels.com