"What, you want Winona to marry that William Carter?" Bruce Wallace’s tone dropped, barely hiding his disheartened shock.

How could they let his precious daughter marry such an old man?

"No, I won’t marry! I refuse to marry that old fellow!"

Winona Wallace was truly frightened this time, tears streaming down as she threw herself at Bruce Wallace: "Dad, I won’t marry, I won’t marry, I can never marry such an old man. Dad, sob sob sob..."

"Alright, alright, you won’t marry, you won’t marry, rest assured, Dad won’t let you get married..." On Bruce Wallace’s usually stern face, even a hint of sorrow appeared.

His heart ached for Winona, his daughter whom he raised with tender care, how could she face such a calamity?

"Mom, isn’t there another way? Winona is still so young, she..."

"If there were another way, do you think I’d let my granddaughter marry such an old fellow? Bruce Wallace, you need to wake up, you should understand better than anyone how the Wallace family ended up in this predicament. To resolve this, Winona’s reputation is paramount. She has tarnished the Wallace family name and must pay the price."

Mrs. Wallace’s words were authoritative, leaving no room for dissent.

She considered the family’s interests, setting aside personal feelings and focusing solely on the outcome.

"But..." Bruce Wallace still wanted to argue but was silenced by Mrs. Wallace’s icy glare.

In an instant, Bruce Wallace understood Mrs. Wallace’s warning, realizing there was no room for negotiation in this matter.

"I won’t marry, Dad, I won’t marry..." Winona was still unaware that her fate had been decided, pleading tearfully with the ever-doting Bruce Wallace.

Seeing Bruce Wallace remain silent, she assumed he couldn’t think of a solution and cleverly suggested, "Leslie Howard, let Leslie marry! William Carter was originally intended for her, why should I suffer on her behalf! Dad, let Leslie marry, a lowly woman like her should pair with William Carter. I am Miss Wallace; I am your daughter, I cannot..."

"Shut up!" Mrs. Wallace had lost the last bit of patience with the spoiled Winona Wallace.

She raised her drooping eyelids, her eyes cloudy yet shrewd, glaring viciously at Winona: "Even at this point, you still can’t see the situation clearly. Winona, you really are the grandchild of the Wallace family... Fortunately, this time, I see how foolish you are, otherwise, if someone like you were to inherit the family business, after I pass on, the Wallace family would surely be ruined by you!"

"Grandma..." Winona was utterly bewildered by Mrs. Wallace’s rebuke, not understanding what she had done wrong.

Could it be wrong that she didn’t want to marry an old fellow?

Mrs. Wallace finally saw how foolish Winona had become, spoiled by Bruce Wallace.

She sneered: "Ha, even now you want to push William Carter onto Leslie, clearly showing you lack any foresight or wisdom. Winona, listen carefully, Leslie is different from you, from now on you are not to speak another bad word about Leslie!"

After sternly warning Winona, Mrs. Wallace turned and put on a kindly demeanor, looking at Iris Yates.

"Daughter-in-law, can you ask Leslie if she’s free to come home for dinner soon? If she has time, it’s best she comes back tomorrow night; just say that Xavier wants to see his sister. Tell her to bring Mr. Redington along as well. Since they have started dating, Mr. Redington should visit the house and get acquainted."

[Update completed, mwah~]