Chapter 330 A Strong Alliance
The situation Lauren was facing now was not too good, nor it was bad.
After all, she was his own daughter. Even though Dexter was still angry, he would not turn her away.
With the help of Alex, who acted as a go-between, Dexter and Lauren could sit down and eat at the same table.
However, when it came to the contract, Dexter was still unwilling to compromise. It was obvious that he was still refused to give in,
Lauren sighed over the phone. Clarissa didn't know what to say, so she could only comfort her by asking her to take it slowly.
After all, it was related to the kinship between father and daughter and Clarissa was just an outsider, there was nothing she could do about it.
Their conversation did not last long. After a few minutes, she hung up.
Clarissa and Anderson strolled around for a while before returning to the old mansion.
The dumplings feast in the evening was lively and harmonious.
On such a day, even a slow person like Chantel knew that she should restrain herself and not make the Old Madam unhappy. Thus, the atmosphere was quite merry for the night.
On that night, since they stayed up too late at night, Clarissa and Anderson both stayed in the old mansion.
Early the next morning, they were woken up by the sound of the firecrackers.
The old mansion of the Jordan Family was located in the city. Although firecrackers were prohibited in the city, the Old Master insisted on following the tradition and custom, so he asked people to light a few firecrackers.
For the older generation, setting off firecrackers on the New Year's day had the meaning of having a prosperous year ahead.
Anne woke up very early. Although she was young, she was bold. Looking at bursting firecrackers, she was not afraid at all. Anne covered her ears while clapping her hands and laughing in the yard.
Clarissa had just gotten up from bed. Leaning against the window to watch what was going on outside, she couldn't help but indulge herself in the festive mood. She turned around and nudged Anderson, who was still asleep beside her and said, "Anderson, it's time to get up. Look, Anne and the others have all gotten up."
Anderson frowned in dismay. It was obvious that he was unhappy that someone had interrupted his sleep early in the morning. He stretched out his arm and pulled Clarissa back into his embrace.
"Let them play by themselves then. Come sleep with me for a while."
Clarissa was locked in his embrace. She could not help but smile helplessly. After all, it was a special day today. If it was so noisy outside, the Old Madam would probably have woken up a long time ago. As the younger generation, she still had to greet the Old Master and Old Madam on Christmas Day. It was not appropriate for her to wake up too late.
So she stretched out her hand to tickle Anderson's waist while trying to persuade him, "Grandma they all have gotten up. If you wake up late, you'll be a laughing stock later. Get up quickly."
Anderson didn't say anything, instead, he held her tightly in his arms.
He was a man of self-discipline. It was rare for him to stay in bed like this.
Clarissa tried to persuade him but to no avail. Knowing that he had slept late last night, she couldn't bear to disturb him anymore. After he fell asleep again after a while, she carefully slipped out of his arms, put on her clothes, and went out by herself.
The courtyard was indeed bustling..
Not only did the Old Master play with Anne there, but even some of the members of the Levine family and the Blaine family were here.
On New Year's day, it was a custom to visit your family and friends. Although it was the younger generation who had made the visits, every little bit of effort would count. The atmosphere at the Jordan family was joyous.
As soon as Marty came in, he first paid his respects to the Old Madam and the Old master before he received a present from them. Then, he came in and happened to run into Clarissa. He quickly called her with a smile, "Clarissa, Happy New Year! Where's Anderson?"
Clarissa smiled and said, "He's still sleeping. Why are you here so early?"
"I come here around this time every year. I'm used to it."
Clarissa gave him a present that she had prepared. Although they were of the same generation, he still regarded her as his sister-in-law.
Marty didn't stand on ceremony and accepted it with a smile. Then, he went inside to look for Anderson.
Gabriela and Gimmy from the Levine family were here.
Lara was not here. It was probably because they knew that Lara and Clarissa were on bad terms.
Clarissa first greeted Gimmy, and then went to find the Old Madam.
At noon, the people from the two families stayed here for lunch.
After lunch, Marty found an opportunity and whispered to Clarissa, "Clarisaa, I want to tell you a secret. Do you know Lara, the girl who has just returned to Levine family?"
Clarissa glanced at him and raised her eyebrows. "What's wrong?"
"I heard that the Holland family sent men to the Levine family last night to propose marriage to them. Lara is the one who they have proposed the marriage to."
Clarissa was stunned for a moment.
Marty blinked his eyes, a hint of schadenfreude could be seen from his expression.
"They are determined to unite the Levine family and their family by marriage. The Holland family acts fast. Just right after the Levine family had found her back, they hurried to them to propose the marriage, as if they were afraid that someone would snatch her away. However, they didn't know that Lara is not the real Miss Levine. In the end, when Old Master Levine died, all their efforts would be in vain. They would not benefit a single cent from it. I pity the youngest son of the Holland family. He is such a pure and simple person."
Clarissa was in a daze for a few seconds. She remembered last evening, when she and Anderson went out for a stroll, she had met the youngest son of the Holland family on the way.
Lara and him were going to have an arranged marriage?
Just thinking about it sent a chill down her spine.
"Do they know about Lara's past?"
When it came to this, the evil smile on Marty's face grew even bigger.
"How can they not know about it? At that time, what happened to the Chapman family was a hot topic on the Internet. It is not difficult to find that out. You can't hide it at all."
Clarissa frowned.
"Then they still let their youngest son marry her?"
Marty sneered.
"So what? The personal interests of the children of the rich and powerful families, especially the four great families, have always been insignificant compared to the family's interests. No matter how unwilling he is, he will not be able to stand the pressure from his father. Even if he tried to make a fuss about it, he would have to give in in the end anyway. In our generation, except for Anderson, everyone else is living under the shadow of their family's interests."
Marty's tone became serious with a touch of sadness in it.
He felt a sense of sorrow for kids who grew up in the same family background as him.
Clarissa thought for a moment and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't be so pessimistic. I'm not sure about the others, but with your current deportment, no rich and affluent family would dare to marry their daughter to you. After all, marriage is a double-edged sword. A good relationship would form a strong alliance. Once the relationship breaks down, they might turn their backs against each other. You have so many flings out there. Only the silly ones would be fooled by you. So don't worry!"
Marty rolled his eyes in anger after being teased by Clarissa.
"I am kind enough to break the news to you and yet you teased me like this? Hey, next time I won't be telling you any titbits anymore!"
As he said that, he crossed his arm before stomping off.
Clarissa couldn't help but laugh, but it only took a moment for her smile to fade.
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