Chapter 104 A Chance to Turn Things Around
The atmosphere in the living room seemed to have lightened up after the events of the day. Having shown Quincy and Joel how fond he was of them, Robert turned to thank Sebastian for revealing Harriet’s true colors to the rest of the Wendel Family, for they had been blindsided all these years.
In truth, he didn’t think Sebastian and Madeline would ever work out.
He wouldn’t even consider the likes of Madeline, with her dubious background and whatnot, to be his granddaughter-in-law. If he thought that way, Philip, the patriarch of the Hart Family who stood at the top of the social pyramid, would not perceive her well either.
Philip was a notable figure among the elite, and the woman who could stand to become his daughter-in-law would inevitably be an heiress with both brains and beauty, not to mention an impeccable background.
Madeline, on the other hand… If one had to get technical, she was part of the reputable Wendel Family, but unfortunately, she did not grow up among them.
Robert had heard stories of her from Angie back in the day. According to Angie, Madeline was something like a personal slave to Isabel, and she was insignificant, to say the least. It wouldn’t make sense for the Harts, who cared about their image and good name more than anything else, to take in a woman who had been a personal slave to someone else and make her the family’s mistress.
As such, Sebastian was probably only with Madeline now because of the two children. If Madeline had any intention of becoming the Hart Family’s mistress at all, she would be in for a great disappointment since that was bordering on the impossible.
That said, Robert had to admit that things would work out in the Wendels’ favor if Madeline did marry into the Hart Family. After all, their social status would be launched to new heights should such a union ever take place.
This might not be a feasible plan now, but it had potential. After all, Madeline did give birth to two sons who were the rightful heirs to the Harts’ family name, and even if Sebastian were to marry another woman of pedigree in the future, it wouldn’t change the fact that Quincy and Joel were the first and second son respectively.
Philip and Sebastian would only give those two boys the best. More importantly, Quincy and Joel were both bright and perceptive; coupled with the Harts’ influence and resources, they could very well go places. Once they mingle well enough with the Harts, they will surely help to bolster our connections as the grandsons of the Wendel Family.
At the thought of this, Robert softened and became even more affable as he spoke to Madeline and her sons.
It didn’t take long for him to be completely enamored by the trio; he was friendly with them and treated them with gentle kindness. He even told Michael and his two brothers as well as Jonathan and his seven siblings that from now onward, Madeline was officially the only young lady of the Wendel Family. No one was to trifle with her or treat her unkindly, and those who did so would face his wrath. Upon hearing this, Angie gritted her teeth and glowered at Madeline with unadulterated spite.
She hated how heartless the Wendels were, and she hated Madeline for her good fortune.
Angie knew her grandfather too well to understand that the only thing he cared about, aside from his children and grandchildren, was the Wendels’ glory and future success.
For him to have changed his demeanor toward Madeline overnight meant that he had already set his eyes on forming an alliance of some sort with the formidable Hart Family.
When Angie had asked Robert and Harriet to back her up last night, she did not tell them of Sebastian’s background and identity. Everything happened so quickly that Robert did not have time to evaluate the situation.
However, now that he had spent a whole night thinking about this, he suddenly concluded to ally with the Harts. Needless to say, he could only do that if he could appease Madeline and her two sons.
If the children weren’t Sebastian’s and Madeline had come along to the Wendel Residence without Sebastian to back her up, things would have turned out very differently.
Madeline was not capable enough on her own to dethrone Angie and become the young lady of the Wendel Family, but she was lucky enough to have given birth to two sons, both of whom were Sebastian’s.
Angie remembered laughing alongside Isabel as they made fun of Madeline for having children before she got married. They had discussed her ill fortune with wicked amusement, claiming that there was no point in being pretty if no elite family would want her as a daughter-in-law, especially when she had become a mother to two boys.
In fact, James Dugray was one such case. Angie had liked him back in the day, but he was so obsessed with Madeline that he didn’t even mind her having two children in her care; he was sure that she was the one he wanted to marry.
However, when James’ mother found out about it, she immediately told Madeline off and warned James that she would jump off a building if he were to proceed with the marriage. As such, James had no choice but to give up on pursuing Madeline.
After that, Isabel and Angie were sure that Madeline would be saddled with taking care of her two mongrel sons with some average joe who wouldn’t amount to much.
Either way, it would be impossible for her to marry into an elite family and become a lady of leisure.
Alas, little did Angie know that Madeline had such good fortune. In order to save Sam, she had given birth to the two sons who ended up being Sebastian’s spawn. It just so happened that the birth came around the time when the Harts were in dire need of heirs, so it went without saying that her sons would receive nothing but the best in life under their care.
It was only because Madeline had Sebastian to back her up that the Wendels had such high regard for her. In a family as vast as the Wendels, the only ones who spoke up for Angie were Cedric, Serena, and Nicholas; no one else would come to her defense.
Why is Madeline the lucky one and not me? She was starting to regret not volunteering to undergo the IVF procedure to save Sam. Seeing as he was her cousin too, her gene sample would be compatible with his as well.
If she had been the one to give birth to Sebastian’s kids, she would have nothing to fear now even if she was discovered to be Cameron’s daughter.
However, these all chalked up to be nothing more than wishful thinking; Madeline was the one who had the privilege of mothering Sebastian’s children, and she was also the official young lady of the Wendel Family. Everything good had gone to her, while Angie was stuck with the rotten leftovers.
No, this can’t be it. I can’t just give up like this! She cast a sidelong glance at Nicholas while he stood next to her. She still had a chance to turn things around! If she could marry Nicholas, she would become Madeline’s sister-in-law as well as part of the Wendels. By then, she would get to share in the glory that would come in light of the Wendels’ eventual alliance with the Harts.
This was her last chance, and she must not let it slip out of her fingers. Therefore, she had to act quickly! Erin would bring her back to her place after this, and it would give her the perfect opportunity to strike while the iron was hot.
The only thing that might get in the way was Nicholas’ affections for another woman, and such affections apparently ran deep. Whatever sentiments he had for Angie were limited to those between siblings.
It doesn’t matter, though! Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I’ll create circumstances that will force Nicholas to take responsibility.
At the moment, her father and her brothers still saw her as one of their own. Once she became Nicholas’ woman, then they would stand up for her and make him marry her. After that, she was sure that she could win Nicholas over and have him shower her with the same love her parents shared.
Meanwhile, Madeline had caught sight of the look Angie gave Nicholas, and she couldn’t help but smirk. Looks like she’s an antsy one. I’m sure things will take an interesting turn soon enough.
Robert, on the other hand, had not slept at all last night, and it was only by sheer force of will that he could stay awake now and keep the conversation with Madeline going. Half an hour later, he finally caved in to the drowsiness. He stood up and said, “I’m rather tired, Maddie. I’ll be going to bed now. You and Sebastian can stay here for a couple of days, and the same goes for the kids too. When your mother recovers, I’ll have your father pick out a date, and we’ll throw a soiree to welcome you back into the family. I must introduce you to our friends and family and let them know that my granddaughter has returned!”
