Maddie entered the house. When Steven saw her, he merely snorted, as if he had suffered some enormous injustice.
Unusually, Maddie did not greet him. After sitting down, she waited until Tessa came in before asking, “Where are Mom and Dad?"
"They're probably chatting with people around the neighborhood. They love to go out every day to listen to gossip, then come home and tell us all about it."
Tessa placed the nutritional supplements Maddie had brought on the coffee table and said to her husband, "Maddie knows you're angry, so she brought all these supplements. Don't be mad anymore."
She sat down beside Steven and nudged him twice, urging him to say something.
However, Maddie said, "Those supplements are for Mom, Dad, and you, Tessa. I didn't bring them here to apologize to Steven or anything. I have nothing to apologize for."
The moment she finished speaking, Steven's expression changed. Even Tessa looked at her in surprise.
She was shocked that her sister-in-law could actually speak so firmly.
Ever since Tessa married into the Zeller family decades ago, Maddie had always been the gentlest and most easily bullied. Whenever her siblings scolded her a little, she would immediately lower her head and assume she must have done something wrong.
Tessa had even told her husband before that they should be gentler with Maddie and coax her rather than pressure her. After all, Maddie was the lady of the Flemming family, and the Zellers's wealth could never hope to be in the same league as the Flemmings.
Zellerco still depended on the Flemmings. They simply did not have the capital to act domineering toward Maddie.
If Maddie had not valued her family ties, and if her parents were not still alive, she would have fallen out with them long ago.
Everly was the same as her mother in that way. Even her elders did not dare to raise their voices in front of her, afraid that they might anger her and cause her to terminate the business partnership between the Zetters and the Flemmings. If that happened. Zelferco would not even Survive two months before going bankrupt.
If Zellerco went bankrupt, everyone's lives would be affected.
The younger Zellers were not particularly capable. Unlike Everly, they could not stand on their own or support a corporation as large as Flemming Group.
They all depended on Zellerco for their livelihoods. Maddie's brothers, in-laws, and other relatives all relied on the company's profits to maintain their comfortable lifestyles.
That was why Zellerco was so important to the family. It could not be allowed to collapse. Even if it could never flourish like Flemming Group as long as it remained in business and there was still money in its accounts, the entire family would have their livelihoods secured.
The Zellers had managed to survive until now due to the support of Flemming Group. That was why Kaden and Everly were the people the Zellers could never afford to offend.
"Maddie!" Steven shouted. "I kindly introduced a match to Everly, but I'm the one at fault? Everly embarrassed Nate and even called his father on him, and Andy called me to complain. Who am I supposed to complain to then?
"Everly embarrassed me in front of
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Andy and caused his son to resent me. Shouldn't you be apologizing to mert don't even want these supplements. I don't care if you brought them back for Mom Dad, and Tessa. It shows that you respect them.
"But you have to compensate me. I went out of my way to help my niece find a boyfriend, but ended up offending a friend. I nearly lost that friendship altogether! That's a huge sacrifice. You owe me for this.
"After Andy called me, I was so angry that I didn't even go back to the office."
Maddie said, “My father-in-law didn't go back to the office either. He said he got so angry that he felt unwell."
Steven froze. "Who angered Old Mr. Flemming?"