Chapter 9

By late afternoon, Marvin was still at the Winston family estate. Having been separated for so long, he fully embraced the joyful reunion with his wife and Axel. Beyond that, however, Marvin's true intention was to wait for Russel and Raymond to arrive.

It wasn't until around five o'clock that Russel finally returned. His million-dollar Ford rolled into the villa’s driveway, deliberately parking as far away as possible from Marvin’s vintage Audi. "That bastard’s car—he should have parked it outside the gates," he grumbled with a sneer.

A mix of relief and anxiety washed over Russel’s face. He was relieved because, for the next month at least, Winsoil was safe from its impending crisis. Yet, he was deeply anxious about who on earth had instructed The Oxy to deliver such a colossal volume of crude oil, especially since Winsoil had never even submitted a purchase order.

Stepping into the grand family room, Russel let out an irritated scoff the moment he spotted Marvin. "You have no business being in this room! In fact, you'd be better off just going home! We don't welcome ex-convicts here!"

Gennifer immediately fired back. "What is wrong with you, Russel?! Marvin is my lawful husband. He has every right to be in this room."

Axel chimed in as well. "He is my brother-in-law, Brother. We have never had an issue with his status, and frankly, it has no bearing on us."

Russel glared at his two younger siblings with a cynical expression. "I refuse to acknowledge a terrorist as my brother-in-law. Watch yourselves, or he might just bring a bomb in here," he sneered with a bitter smile.

Marvin calmly smoothed out his black shirt before replying, "You should be overjoyed right now, Russel. Didn't a billion dollars' worth of crude oil just arrive at Winsoil's terminal? Because of that, I really hope your good friend Raymond hurries over. We're practically dying to see him lick the soles of my shoes."

"You! How dare you show such disrespect to the Young Master of Harvard!" Russel began to lose his temper. His blood boiled as he pointed an accusing finger at Marvin.

Refusing to be pointed at, Marvin turned his face away and shot back, "Did I frame him? Did I fabricate false accusations to throw him in prison?" he insinuated sharply. There was not a single ounce of fear in him.

Russel was livid. He ground his teeth and clenched his fists, but it was nothing more than an empty bluff. Even in the past, he had never dared to get into a physical fight with Marvin—whether out of sheer cowardice or something else entirely, no one really knew.

Although Marvin’s provocations were highly risky—especially given his blatant disrespect toward the crown prince of the Harvard family—he simply did not care. After all, within a few short months, the Rock family's wealth would eclipse that of the Harvard family by leaps and bounds.

Fed up, Russel immediately contacted Raymond and urged him to come over. Fifteen minutes later, Raymond’s red Porsche pulled up. This time, he brought along a ring he intended to gift to Gennifer.

He placed the little red box on the living room table and said, "Gennifer, this is especially for you." Raymond then flashed an incredibly self-satisfied smile.

Marvin abruptly stood up and snatched the box. He flipped it open and remarked, "Good heavens! A blend of silver and white gold. This ring is genuine, sure, but it’s dirt cheap!" Marvin exclaimed with a mocking smile. "Oh, Young Master Harvard, have you no shame presenting such a pennies-worth gift to a woman as beautiful as Gennifer?"

Everyone in the room was left utterly speechless.

Cheap? Pennies?

Derick and Elena, who had been resting upstairs, immediately rushed down due to the commotion. "What on earth are you all bickering about?" Derick barked, his brow furrowed.

Marvin instantly took control of the stage. He was never the type of weak-willed man who would simply stay quiet and yield. Right now, he was undeniably angry and jealous, but physical brawls were for children. Let him repay the Young Master of Harvard's arrogance with sheer elegance.

Marvin held the red box up high so Derick could get a clear look. "Father-in-law, take a look at this. This stranger is offering a cheap trinket to my wife. I am furious just witnessing it. This is a blatant insult to both me and the Winston family!"

Hearing that, Raymond flew into a blind rage, refusing to let his precious gift be labeled cheap. "Listen here, you ex-con! Do you even know that this ring costs ten thousand dollars? That kind of money could feed a lowlife like you for five years!" he cursed furiously.

Elena snatched the ring box from Marvin, inspecting the jewelry in minute detail. "Wow! This ring is exquisitely beautiful and incredibly expensive. Marvin, have you lost your mind calling this cheap change?!"

Derick’s curiosity was piqued. He examined it for a long while before commenting, "There are only fifty rings like this in all of Chemisland. Marvin, did you forget that the dowry you gave Gennifer cost no more than a thousand dollars?"

At that moment, all eyes converged on Marvin. Gennifer, who had been on cloud nine since this morning, suddenly found herself wracked with anxiety once again over Marvin's provocative words.

Even Gennifer realized that her husband's remarks were extremely excessive. So far, Marvin was the only person who had ever dared to speak to the Harvard family with such audacity. Though she always trusted her husband, she couldn't shake off the mounting dread.

Axel was taken aback. He had always known Marvin to be articulate and courageous, but right now, he sensed something fundamentally different about his brother-in-law.

The reason was sheer vengeance. Marvin harbored a deep-seated grudge against Raymond. Although Raymond currently sat high above him in terms of status, that wouldn't be the case for much longer. Because of this impending shift, Marvin’s courage was pumped to the absolute limit.

Looking at him anxiously, Gennifer whispered, "Darling, if you don't like it, just put the ring down. I will never accept it anyway. Just please, stop talking!" Pure distress was etched across her face, her breathing growing erratic.

Raymond sat down next to Russel and declared loudly, "Did you think that just because you got out of prison, you could run your mouth however you please, Marvin Rock?!" Crossing his legs with the arrogant posture of a boss, Raymond shot Marvin a piercing glare. "Take back what you said, or I'll tear your mouth wide open!"

Marvin didn't flinch in the slightest. Despite the threat, his shoulders remained steadfast. He replied coldly, "Keep your supposedly expensive and beautiful ring! Compared to the Gloriest Blossom I just gave her, I’ve basically gifted her fifty of those rings!" He then casually sat back down right beside Gennifer.

Refusing to lose face, Raymond stood up and snatched the flower resting beside Gennifer. "This flower is a fake!" he proclaimed with a crooked smirk.

Marvin shifted his gaze to his mother-in-law. "Mother, you are quite the expert when it comes to flowers. You’ve been looking at it this whole time. Is that flower genuine?"

Elena scoffed, turning her head away as she answered coldly, "The flower is genuine. But none of us believe for a second that *you* were the one who gave it to her!" she snapped.

Russel was the most vocal advocate of the theory that the five-hundred-thousand-dollar Gloriest Blossom couldn't possibly be a gift from Marvin.

Influenced by Russel’s words, their parents were in complete agreement that someone must have simply delivered it to the wrong address.

A faint smile touched Marvin’s lips as he looked at Raymond. "You can't even tell the difference between a real Gloriest Blossom and a fake, Young Master Harvard? How utterly pathetic!" Marvin mocked, dialing up the intensity.

For the very first time, Raymond felt profoundly humiliated. And what made it infinitely worse was that he was being publicly embarrassed by the very man he considered a pathetic embarrassment.

It was an absolute disgrace.