"Uncle, I’ll still call you Uncle for now—" Ethan Scott couldn’t hold back any longer, his face completely fell, "Don’t be too excessive in your words and actions." "Tell this to your mother!" Ernesto Scott showed him no courtesy at all, replied coldly, and turned to leave. Ethan Scott’s complexion changed again and again. He knew Ernesto Scott didn’t welcome him and didn’t like their entire family, but it had never been to this extent before. It was incredibly disrespectful! He was clearly there to help Sophie Scott and Alma Ferreira regain their dignity, but he didn’t expect to lose face for both himself and his mother entirely. Sophie Scott couldn’t sit still anymore. As soon as she called out, tears started streaming down. Her vision blurred with tears. Looking at Ernesto Scott’s back, she accused, "Aren’t you being too biased?!" She hadn’t expected that upon Ernesto Scott’s return, he didn’t question anyone or investigate anything, his heart immediately tilting towards Nora Scott. Seeing each of them in such an awkward situation, he didn’t say anything to ease the tension, his first reaction was to worry that Nora might be bullied by them. They were both daughters, why was he so biased?! Ernesto Scott looked at her calmly, and after a few seconds, spoke in a steady tone, "If you could treat her as your real sister, I wouldn’t be biased towards anyone." The statement settled. Ernesto Scott walked towards the study, without looking back. Sophie Scott was brought up entirely by Alma Ferreira, and whatever flaws she had, Ernesto Scott was well aware of them. Due to his bias, they certainly held resentment and grudges towards Nora Scott. This time, Ethan Scott and Andrew surely were conspiring with the two of them, aiming to give Nora a hard time. If they hadn’t deliberately caused trouble, with Nora’s temperament, why would she bother to deal with them? In such a large family, no one accepted Nora. If he didn’t support her, what reason would Nora have to return home? The study door shut out all outside commotion. "Nora, are you there?" ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net Along with the knocking came Ernesto Scott’s gentle inquiry. The one who opened the door wasn’t Nora, but the designer. The designer nodded and bowed to him. Seeing the designer, Ernesto Scott’s expression became more stern, "Did you finish the negotiation?" "Finished, finished." The designer was exceedingly frustrated, glancing backward. In his years in the industry, he had never encountered such a picky customer. In these few hours, he offered countless design proposals, none of which satisfied Nora. Only until just now, Nora simply left behind a pile of blueprints and plans, waved her hand, and allowed him to leave. It looked like there would be more hassle to come. "Alright, thank you for your hard work." Ernesto Scott observed his exhaustion, showing a bit more kindness. "It’s nothing, nothing." The designer quickly said a few polite words, then hurriedly took his leave. Once he left, Ernesto Scott entered the study. Nora wasn’t using the desk but occupied the sofa and coffee table, the surface of the coffee table filled with blueprints. Seeing him enter, Nora glanced over, saying nothing but organizing that pile of blueprints. Standing by the coffee table for a moment, Ernesto Scott, originally so assertive in the living room, now seemed to have lost all confidence, appearing slightly uncertain. "Nora, they didn’t bully you, did they?" Ernesto Scott asked gently. Nora paused her movement. She looked up slightly puzzled. She originally thought that Ernesto Scott entered the study because he had heard Alma Ferreira and Sophie Scott’s "complaints," and came to question her. Unexpectedly, it was entirely opposite to what she had anticipated. Pausing briefly, Nora lowered her eyes, and replied calmly, "No." "That’s good, that’s good." With Nora’s affirmation, Ernesto Scott finally relaxed completely, breathing a sigh of relief. "What about them?" Nora casually asked. "Them?" Ernesto Scott promptly responded, "I told Andrew and Ethan to come less often, so as not to disturb you. If they come to harass you again, you don’t need to hold back." Nora was quite surprised by this answer. She originally thought Ernesto Scott would be furious. Seeing Ernesto Scott’s behavior, Nora paused slightly, glancing at the empty sofa beside her, "You’re not sitting?" Without a moment’s hesitance, Ernesto Scott hurriedly sat down. Gathering all the blueprints together, Nora lazily remarked, "Actually, I have a few questions to ask you." "Ah," Ernesto Scott didn’t comprehend immediately, "What?" Before coming in, he was mentally prepared, intending to face Nora’s blame and anger—to question him about why he brought her back, only to let her be subjected to such targeting. Unexpectedly, with just a few casual words, Nora diverted the topic. Clearly not taking previously what happened in the living room to heart.
