Chapter 14 In a Single Sentence, the Exhibition is Halted
William pondered for a moment before saying, "Let's not meet for now; we can talk about it later."
On the other end, Patricia replied, "Understood, Mr. Jones."
After hanging up, William spent the night sitting in the hallway.
The next morning, Mary spoke to him coldly, "I'm taking Sarah back home this afternoon. Are you coming with me?"
William nodded with a wry smile. "I'll go and make amends to Tyler."
Hearing this, Mary was inwardly moved, but she kept a cold expression and nodded without saying more.
In the afternoon, William and Mary brought Sarah back to Tyler's house, only to feel a chilly atmosphere as they entered.
"Dad, I'm back," Mary said, feigning composure.
No one greeted her. Tyler sat on the sofa, peering over his reading glasses at the newspaper.
Margaret was busy with something in the kitchen.
William set Sarah down, and the little one hid behind her father's legs, clutching William's trousers tightly. She looked up at him with innocent, wide eyes and whispered, "Daddy, do they not like me?"
William squatted down, affectionately stroked Sarah's little head, and smiled gently, "No, sweetheart. Go and say hello to Tyler and Margaret."
With the sparkle of black gems in her eyes, Sarah cautiously glanced at Tyler, who was reading the newspaper, before scampering over and calling out in a tender voice, "Grandpa, Sarah is here."
Only then did Tyler put down the newspaper. He stood up and walked straight into the study without a glance in her direction.
The study door closed.
The sound heavily struck both William and Mary's hearts.
Mary saw Sarah 's lips quivering, about to cry, and hurried over to hold her in her arms, taking her into her bedroom.
William's brow furrowed slightly, displeased.
His father-in-law's attitude towards Sarah was too cold.
However, he endured, following along into the kitchen to assist, only to be met with cold indifference by his mother-in-law.
"William, I don't need your service, and I can't afford it. You should just go back to where you came from. Our family doesn't welcome you."
Margaret spoke dismissively, not giving William any pleasant looks.
"I'm sorry, mom."
William bowed his head, understanding the purpose of his visit today. He didn't want to make things difficult for Mary.
So, he chose to compromise.
"Oh dear, I can hardly bear it."Margaret remarked with a sardonic tone, and her countenance smug and her expression sharp-tongued.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Margaret glared at William, pushed him aside rudely, and then ran to the door with a face full of joy, calling out melodiously, "Coming, coming, is it Matthew Anderson?"
As the door opened.
Dapper in a smart suit, Matthew Anderson entered, hands full of gift boxes, and greeted, "Auntie, hello."
"Oh, come in." Margaret was overjoyed, busily taking the gift boxes from Matthew Anderson's hands. "You shouldn't have brought gifts, it's too much."
"It's my first visit; it's only proper. I bring regards from my parents to you and Tyler," Matthew Anderson said generously.
Turning around, Margaret caught sight of William sitting on the living room sofa, and her mood soured instantly. She snapped, "Didn't you see we have guests? Go make some coffee. Have you no sense?"
Looking at Matthew Anderson, he knew to bring gifts when visiting.
However, William arrived empty-handed, carrying only his bad luck, a truly inauspicious sight!
William glanced at Matthew Anderson, who was looking at him triumphantly, as if to say, "Loser, even your mother-in-law treats me better than you."
William didn't take offense. He stood up and made a cup of coffee.
Tyler had already come out of the study, warmly chatting with Matthew Anderson on the sofa.
William just stood in a corner, silently listening.
"Tyler, where's Mary? Why don't I see her?" Matthew Anderson looked around, his eyes shifty.
Tyler called out, "Mary, we have guests at home."
The bedroom door opened, and Mary, who had just managed to put Sarah to sleep, was taken aback when she saw Matthew Anderson sitting in the living room.
"Why are you here?" Mary's tone was cold.
"Why can't he be here? Is it only you who can bring a loser home?"
Margaret emerged from the kitchen, fruit plate in hand, glaring venomously at William, who was standing in a corner smoking, clearly irritated, "No smoking in the house, go outside if you want to smoke."
"I'm sorry." William immediately snuffed out the cigarette, opened the window, and fanned away the smoke.
Mary also glared at William, wishing she could take him away immediately to avoid further embarrassment.
"Matthew Anderson, these fruits were specially bought this morning. They're very sweet."
Margaret presented the fruit plate to Matthew Anderson with a flattering air.
"Thank you, Margaret," Matthew Anderson replied politely.
Witnessing this scene, William felt a bitter taste in his heart.
When Sarah arrived, she hadn't even seen what fruits were available.
After all, she's their granddaughter. Treating her like this is really showing people the lowest level of respect.
"By the way, Tyler, about your exhibition, the setup has already begun, and the invitations have been sent out. It will start promptly at ten o'clock on Saturday morning."
Matthew Anderson spoke with pride, casting a triumphant glance at William.
Clearly, his status in the Smith family was much higher than that of his son-in-law.
"Good, I really appreciate you, Matthew Anderson."
Tyler was also full of joy, imagining the sensation his exhibition would cause throughout the city.
His friends had already begun to create a buzz for him.
In Lindwood City, many prominent figures knew that Tyler had received a painting worth a million!
It had caused quite a stir in Lindwood City.
Everyone was waiting for the exhibition day to make a big splash.
"Tyler, you're welcome; it's my duty," Matthew Anderson said modestly. "Also, about your request to meet Mr. Jones, I've spoken to their person in charge. The meeting is possible, but the time is not yet set. You know, someone like Mr. Jones is very busy."
How shameless!
William inwardly despised him. When had he agreed to a meeting?
This was lying to curry favor and quite skillfully at that.
A meeting was possible, but the time was not yet determined.
Matthew Anderson knew how to please Tyler's heart, which made Tyler feel more and more comfortable and fond of him.
"William, look at Matthew Anderson. You should learn from him. Don't be idle all the time. If you can't manage that, let Matthew Anderson arrange a job for you. It would be more dignified."
Tyler spoke up, perhaps the first time he had considered something for William.
This was a good start.
But to William, it was uncomfortable to hear.
Matthew Anderson's company, with its total assets of just a few tens of millions, didn't even match his pocket money for a month.
"William, what are you standing there for? Go and beg Matthew Anderson," Margaret scolded, glaring at William as if he were a disappointment.
The fool, even with the conversation at this point, still stood there stupidly. He deserved his lack of success.
And Matthew Anderson sat there, eyes narrowed, smugly waiting for William to come begging.
How satisfying!
Although Mary didn't like Matthew Anderson, she thought a good opportunity was still desirable.
So, she glanced at William, her lips moving slightly, the message clear.
However.
"No need, thank you. There is no room for me."
William declined calmly.
This response made Tyler and Margaret's expressions sour.
Tyler snorted coldly, and Margaret scolded, "William, why are you so clueless? Go on, get out, we don't welcome you here."
This was an eviction.
William was directly pushed out of the house by Margaret.
The door closed behind him. William shook his head with a wry smile and then took out his phone to call Patricia, "I'm not fond of Matthew Anderson."
Patricia, who was in the midst of setting up the exhibition, immediately responded upon receiving the call, "Understood, Mr. Jones."
With that, she ordered the work at the site to halt and then called Matthew Anderson.
At that moment, Matthew Anderson was boasting in the Smith family home. Suddenly, he received a call, and seeing it was from the person in charge of Eagle Trade Showroom, he showed off to Tyler, "Look, Tyler, it's a call from the person in charge of the showroom."
"Hello, Patricia, Is it that Mr. Jones has agreed to meet?" Matthew Anderson's voice was cheerful and proud, loud enough for all to hear.
"Mr. Allen, I'm sorry to inform you that the showroom can no longer be lent to you."
"What?"
"This is Mr. Jones's decision. He's not happy, so the showroom will be temporarily closed to the public," Patricia said coldly, her meaning clear.
The call ended, and Matthew Anderson's smile froze instantly, his face turning sour.
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