Chapter 814

The message was unmistakable. Samantha was openly siding with Galileo.

Nearly all assembled knew that stool had been placed there intentionally, except for Quintis' immediate family. No one dared defend Emily now.

Quintis' face darkened, anger simmering just beneath the surface. Yet confronting a child would be inappropriate. Instead, he asked Samantha, "Are you saying Emily doesn't merit a seat here?"

Samantha's expression hardened, but she yielded by saying, "I never said she couldn't sit. She simply must find the right position."

Jack's fists clenched, ready to explode. However, he noticed Emily's subtle head shake from across the room to signal him to stand down.

Emily would rather endure the humiliation than let Jack and Quintis make a scene that could spiral out of control in the family. Hadn't she endured enough slights since marrying into the Lycan family? What was one more humiliating episode?

Lillian quickly sat herself beside Samantha, rubbing her back with concern. "Don't upset yourself, Mom. Why waste your breath on some dull-witted woman? Your health is far too precious to be disturbed by such trivial matters."

Lillian gladly threw Emily under the bus to gain favor from Samantha. After all, Emily was insignificant and unworthy.

Augustine's expression darkened as he issued a stern warning. "Watch your tongue. That's your sister-in-law you're talking about. Have you no sense of decorum?"

Lillian's expression quickly shifted to one of wounded innocence. She noticed that not only Augustine, but even Norman and Vincent looked visibly displeased. Lillian realized that while trying to gain favor with Samantha, she might have just offended Vincent and Norman.

Luckily, Samantha had always liked Lillian. After all, she had given birth to two accomplished grandsons.

Samantha shot Augustine a glare and snapped, "You've no right to speak!"

Augustine immediately pulled back his stance.

Samantha had no interest in pushing the matter further with Emily, who stood there quietly and

composed. For the moment, there was nothing to fault. To Samantha, Emily might as well have been invisible.

Though Jack was fuming with anger, he maintained a neutral expression. He stepped forward, brought over a stool, and placed it beside Emily for her to sit.

As Jack turned back, he caught sight of Galileo pointing at Emily and laughing. His eyes were fixed on Jack.

The stool he'd yanked from Emily's hands wasn't being used to sit. Instead, Galileo had planted one filthy shoe on it, grinding the surface into a mess of dirt. Yet, no one dared to chastise him.

"How did I perform? Pretty good, huh?" Galileo asked Knox.

Like the rest, Galileo didn't see Jack as their cousin. Upon learning Knox despised Jack's side of the family, and with Samantha openly siding against them, Galileo had found the perfect opportunity to score points with Knox.

Knox didn't respond. He simply reached out and patted Galileo's round head.

That simple gesture filled Galileo with pride. Acknowledgement from Knox meant he was clearly being groomed to become one of the rising stars of the Lycan family's younger generation.

The cousins in Knox's age group laughed and pointed at Jack. They were obviously mocking him.

No one sat near Jack. He was treated like a plague-something to steer clear of. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ

Even the few cousins lingering on the fringes, who seemed like they might approach Jack, were scolded by their parents. They dared not approach him again.