Chapter 181 Banished From The Smith Family
An agonizing scream echoed throughout the living hall.
As for the subordinate who was on his knees, his face had gone pale white. Before he could cry out a second time, he was knocked out by Jonathan with another kick.
“I will take the lives of whoever dares to touch a hair on her head.” Taking a step forward, Jonathan stood in front of Josephine. Despite being just one man, he managed to intimidate the rest of the men into keeping their distance.
At that moment, he was like a guardian angel protecting Josephine.
Whoever dared to stand in his way would be annihilated.
“Jonathan, this is a matter of the Smith family!” Hugo was outraged when he saw Jonathan break his subordinate’s leg. “If you continue to stick your nose in, you will suffer the consequences!”
“Suffer the consequences?”
Jonathan let out a smug smile. “I’m keen to see what sort of consequences are you talking about.”
How dare the inconsequential Smith family disrespect me?
If it weren’t for Josephine, he would have destroyed them a long time ago.
“Dad, stop wasting time and just call the police!” Ezra couldn’t tolerate Jonathan’s incessant attempts at interfering with their family’s business anymore.
“There’s no need!”
Snorting, Hugo waved his hand. “Josephine, let me ask you one last time. Are you sure you don’t want to apologize to the Turner family?”
“I am!” Josephine resolved.
“Fine. Since you refuse to do so, I will now banish you from the Smith family!” Hugo’s face grew frosty. “From today onward, you are no longer related to the Smith family in any way. Your fate is no longer tied to us anymore!”
Banish?
Josephine’s entire body trembled when she heard that word. She looked at Hugo in disbelief. “Grandpa, what did you just say? Are you banishing me from the Smith family?”
She couldn’t believe her ears.
In fact, she even thought she had heard wrongly.
Are they banishing me from the family over a threat from the Turners?
“Don’t call me Grandpa! I’m not your grandpa!” Hugo scoffed while giving Josephine the side-eye. “Also, I wouldn’t want a granddaughter that is willing to ruin the family. Josephine, you have two choices. Either come along with me to plead for forgiveness from the Turner family or be banished from the Smith family. From then on, you will be in no way related to us anymore! The choice is yours!”
“I refuse to apologize!” Josephine retorted with a quavering voice and reddened eyes. “I have done no wrong. Hence, they have no right to demand that I admit my mistake. Since you’re forcing me to choose, I will let you know my decision now!”
Raising her head forcefully, Josephine hissed in tears, “I would rather be banished from the Smith family than plead for forgiveness from the Turner family!”
That was how strong Josephine’s resolve was.
She preferred to be thrown out of the family than submit to the Turners.
“Fine. You have made your choice!” Josephine’s decision caused Hugo’s expression to turn grim. “I hereby declare that from now on, Josephine is no longer the chairman of Smith Group, and neither is she a member of the Smith family! From today onward, regardless of whether she lives or dies, it has no bearing on us whatsoever. Josephine Smith, from this moment on, you are banished from the Smith family!”
At that moment, a deathly silence enveloped the room.
When she heard the words “you are banished,” Josephine trembled violently. Suddenly, her vision grew dark as her body began to swoon.
“Josephine, did you hear that? You are now banished. What are you still standing there for? Isn’t it time you leave?”
“Exactly. The Smith family doesn’t welcome a troublemaker like you!”
“You almost ruined our entire family! And yet, you still dare to linger around?”
“Shoo! You jinx!”
The moment Hugo announced that Josephine was officially kicked out of the family, all the other family members revealed their true colors.
It was as if the sight of Josephine alone would sully their vision.
“Jonathan, let’s leave this place.” Feeling overwhelmed, Josephine couldn’t help but tremble as she stared at her grandpa and uncles.
She couldn’t believe how weak her familial bond with them was.
It easily shattered under the shadow of the Turner family’s threats.
“Very well.” When Jonathan saw how Josephine tried to stay strong by holding back her tears, he took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders. “Knowing their true colors early on isn’t such a bad thing after all. Anyway, there’s nothing worth staying back here for.”
Just as he spoke, Jonathan helped Josephine as they walked out of the Smith mansion.
From the moment they stepped out, Josephine was no longer related to the Smith family at all. Consequently, there was no reason for Jonathan to tolerate the humiliation he suffered at the hands of the Smith family for her sake anymore.
“That jinx has finally left!”
Ezra couldn’t help but sneer as he watched Jonathan and Josephine’s leaving silhouette.
However, Miguel furrowed his eyebrows at Hugo and asked, “Dad, why did you let them leave? With Josephine gone, how are we going to explain it to the Turner family?”
“What’s there to explain?” Hugo snorted. “Josephine is the one who offended them. Now that she has been banished, what has the matter got anything to do with us anymore?
“Anyway, prepare the car and go with me to the Turner residence to apologize to them. As long as we are willing to give the ecological park project up, they will not hold it against us anymore.”
From his perspective, the Turner family was oppressing the Smith family because Josephine refused to hand the project over.
Therefore, he assumed that by abandoning the project and banishing Josephine from the family, the Turners would no longer have any reason to fault them anymore.
As for Josephine’s fate, it no longer had anything to do with them.
“All right, I’ll get the car ready at once.”
Upon Hugo’s instructions, Miguel prepared the car without any delay.
Meanwhile, outside the Smith mansion, Josephine turned around to give the place where she grew up one final glance. Instantly, her eyes were filled with despair.
It had never crossed her mind that she would be thrown out of the Smith family one day.
In a blink of an eye, her face lost all color as it turned white as a sheet.
“Go on and cry if you feel like it.” Jonathan’s heart ached when he saw how Josephine was desperately trying to maintain her composure.
However, the moment he said those words, Josephine could no longer hold the avalanche of emotions back.
The very next second, he threw herself into Jonathan’s arms and bawled.
“Jonathan, I have lost my home!”
