There was hatred in Roxy's eyes. "I want to drive a wedge between Laurence and Noelle. The misunderstanding will drive them apart.”
She hated Noelle the most.
Noelle was uncompromisingly strict and highly skilled in combat. The point was, she had Laurence's deepest trust and respect. The way Laurence looked at Noelle was something else. Roxy dared to say that Laurence was in love with Noelle.
Noelle's heart belonged to Laurence, too.
"Grandpa, we can use Noelle. She's loyal to Laurence, but she's just a girl. She loves Laurence. Once Laurence produces the family heirlooms and takes over the family, his social standing will rise, but within the family, he will be bound by tradition.
"Noelle is unfit to be Mrs. Longbottom. Can Laurence change the family law for her? With the senior family members around, they won't let him get his way. Noelle is a good pawn to tear Laurence down."
Tony said, "I know, but that won't work since they trust each other. They are too smart to get the wrong idea. No amount of sabotage can break the trust between them."
Manipulation could only happen when the foundation of loyalty was weak.
"Once they fall madly in love, that'd be our window. Lovers are very possessive."
Roxy's eyes flickered. “Grandpa, don't the women you keep on the side have children? Are there any girls we can manipulate?"
After much thought, Tony replied, "I have a few grandchildren, but only one is of age. The others are minors in high school."
He kept his lovers on a tight leash. Even if these women had ambition, they would not ask for more. Tony allowed them to bear his children, but their offspring could only be girls.
Susan would not permit any heir born outside wedlock, so the mistress could only give Tony girls.
Tony would contribute a bit for his illegitimate daughters' weddings, but they were entitled to nothing more. The family inheritance could only belong to Susan's children.
"Your cousin is beautiful. Susan dotes on her, so I can't make use of her. I won't want to ruin her anyway."
Susan was against Tony making Roxy a pawn and had voiced her complaints several times in private.
Due to her ambition, however, Roxy was more than willing to be part of the game.
Her cousin's face came to mind. The girl was stunning with a boyfriend with whom she had grown up. Roxy's aunt literally showered her with all the love in the world. The girl was young and innocent, having just graduated from college this year.
Roxy and her cousin were pretty tight. She said, "Never mind. She's the only daughter of my aunt. Plus, Grandma loves her. She and her boyfriend go way back. It's best not to hurt her."
However, Roxy did not feel bad for the girls with whom she did not share a grandmother.
These girls were proof of Tony's infidelity to Susan. Susan had grace by keeping her silence and allowing other women to bear Tony's children, but Roxy wanted nothing to do with them.
Roxy had no qualms about manipulating them if they were of use. Their feelings did not matter.
If these girls could bring nothing to the table, they would not even be worth destroying.
They should consider it their privilege.
Roxy kept these thoughts to herself.
She felt nothing for Tony's illegitimate children.
In fact, Tony did not really bond with them. He could not care less about who they marry. Their respective mothers could fuss about their marriage on their own.
Without Tony's help, his lovers could only set their daughters up with guys from middle-income families. None of them had the connections to marry up.