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Married at first sight novel serenity and zachary - Married at First Sight Chapter 5244
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Married at First Sight
Chapter 5244
“Romina, Dad’s going back first. You stay here.”
Titus walked to his car, stopped in front of it, and turned to his daughter who was following closely behind.
Labbe Romina understood her father’s meaning. She hesitated for a moment and said, “Dad, that Ye guy doesn’t even want to look at me. Staying here won’t make any progress. The only woman who can get close to him is that tomboy Hank Rose.”
“Although I’m thick-skinned enough, I still feel ashamed of being repeatedly ignored and rejected.”
Labbe Romina also had her pride and dignity.
If it weren’t for her grandfather and father telling her to get close to Titus and find a way to win him over, she really wouldn’t want to appear in front of Titus. Oh, and she didn’t have many opportunities to appear in front of Titus anyway.
Titus rarely attended such banquets and events.
When he did show his face, he didn’t stay for long, and he was surrounded by bodyguards, making him really difficult to approach.
If he were easy to approach, Titus’s true colors would have been exposed long ago.
It’s because his bodyguards are so skilled, always by his side, making him difficult to approach, that despite being in H City for so many years, no one has seen his true face, and no one knows whether he’s handsome or ugly.
However, it’s certain he’s still young, not old.
The black mask reveals a little skin on his face, confirming his youthful appearance.
“Even if we fail countless times, we must continue. Only by constantly watching him can we find his weakness. I refuse to believe he’s truly averse to women,”
Labbe Romina said. “He’s not averse to women; he has a woman by his side. That Hank Rose has been with him for so many years; she’s not bad-looking, and although her figure isn’t particularly sexy, she’s definitely a woman.””Maybe they’ve already slept together. Otherwise, why would Titus be so protective of Hank Rose? I think their relationship is more than just employer and bodyguard. I wonder where Titus’s bodyguards came from.”
They had inquired with many bodyguard companies, but Titus’s bodyguards weren’t from any of them.
Those bodyguards were all orphans, with no relatives left. No wonder they were so loyal to Titus; no amount of money could sway them away.
Titus was said to treat his bodyguards very well, like brothers.
For orphans, who had suffered discrimination and lacked family care since childhood, Titus’s brotherly treatment filled that void, explaining their loyalty. Labbe Romina had
also fought those bodyguards.
She could beat one of Titus’s bodyguards, but with two, she would be the loser.
And even if she won, she would be injured—a narrow victory.
Once, when her family sent assassins to kill Titus, she disguised herself and went with them. She was soundly defeated and injured, requiring a hospital stay.
Fortunately, she wasn’t usually high-profile, so even her hospitalization didn’t attract media attention. Furthermore, she stayed in a private hospital invested in by the Labbe family, further enhancing her privacy.
Titus glanced at his daughter, lowering his voice slightly, and said, “That Hank Rose seems like a virgin. It’s normal for Titus to protect her, but they didn’t sleep together.”
“She’s Ye’s personal bodyguard, responsible for Titus’s safety, risking her life for him. Wouldn’t Titus protect her? Anyone with a skilled and loyal bodyguard would protect them and wouldn’t let outsiders bully their personal bodyguard.”
“That would be like slapping yourself in the face. If it were you, wouldn’t you defend your bodyguard in front of outsiders?”
Labbe Romina choked for a moment, then asked her father, “Dad, how can you tell that Hank Rose is still a virgin?”
Titus hesitated for a moment before saying, “Don’t worry about it, I can tell anyway. Just do as I say. I’ll go back first. You stay here and keep an eye on that guy surnamed Ye. I think he’s in a good mood tonight, so he probably won’t leave so soon.”
“As long as he’s not in a hurry to leave, there will always be a chance to get close to him. Once we pull off his mask, we’ll see his true face. We’ve used AI to generate what that child might look like when he grows up, and it’s pretty close.”
“He looked very much like his father when he was little. Even if he changes as he grows up, the change probably won’t be too big. Someone who looks like his father will always look like his father, maybe even more so than when he was little.”
Labbe Romina was still unwilling. As long as she was repeatedly belittled and humiliated by Titus, she wished she could drink his blood and eat his flesh.
“Romina!”
Titus called out sternly.
“Think about how that guy surnamed Ye hurt your pride. Don’t you want to get revenge?”
“How can I get revenge on him? I don’t even have the ability to do so,” Labbe Romina said dejectedly.
She dreamed of getting revenge on Titus, but that guy was too powerful.
“Play with his feelings, make him fall in love with you, and if you tell him to go east, he won’t dare to go west.”
Labbe Romina pouted, thinking that Titus would never fall in love with her. As long as she was still the daughter of the Labbe family, Titus would never love her; the two families were mortal enemies.
And she couldn’t leave the Labbe family. Being the daughter of the Labbe family was her capital, always her pride. How could she possibly leave the Labbe family? Even though she had broken away from the Labbe family and the two families had been fighting for so many years, Titus couldn’t be completely unaware of her. How could he possibly fall in love with her?
That was just wishful thinking.
Instead of wasting her time, she should have set her sights on other wealthy young men. The Labbe family wasn’t the only powerful family in H City; there were many others.
It was just that the Labbe family used to be the most prestigious. Since her grandfather had harmed the head of the Labbe family and became the acting head, her status in H City had risen dramatically.
But after her father took power, with Titus as a formidable rival, her status in the city began to decline. If she didn’t hurry and find a satisfactory husband, what if that boy returned with the token and took over the Labbe family?
Her status would plummet. If he sought revenge for her parents, she and her family might lose everything, go to jail, or even lose their lives.
To ensure a comfortable life for the rest of her life, Labbe Romina secretly wanted to find a good husband as soon as possible.
However, she couldn’t ignore the task her grandfather and father had given her.
During the process, everyone in the circle knew that she had pursued Titus, which affected her later marriage into a wealthy family.
“Dad, I understand. You go back first, leave two bodyguards for me. I’ll stay and go back after Titus leaves.”
Labbe Romina thought that staying would also have its advantages; at least she would have time to chat with the other wealthy young men and build relationships.
They all grew up in the same circle, so even if they weren’t close, they knew each other, making it easier to chat.”Okay.”
Titus instructed two bodyguards to stay and protect his daughter.
Then, he got into his car.
Soon, several cars drove away.
Watching her father’s car disappear into the distance, Labbe Romina took a few deep breaths, mentally cheering herself on, before returning to the banquet with the two bodyguards.
She acted as if nothing had happened, chatting casually with everyone again, occasionally glancing at Titus.
Titus seemed to be in a good mood tonight; he had been there for quite some time and showed no sign of leaving, chatting happily with the big bosses, accepting all their toasts.
Wasn’t he supposed to be very guarded?
When socializing, he usually wouldn’t drink more than three glasses, afraid of being tricked if he got drunk.
He often said that drinking would lead to trouble, and if anyone tried to persuade him to drink more, he would use that phrase to shut them up. Why was he acting
so unusually tonight?
After observing for a moment, Labbe Romina picked up a glass of wine and walked over.
But she still couldn’t reach Titus; she was stopped by Hank Rose a few steps away.
Sometimes, Labbe Romina really wanted to skin Hank Rose alive.
He was so annoying.
“Mr. Titus,”
Labbe Romina said in a sweet, coquettish voice.As Titus looked at her, she raised her wine glass and said sweetly, “Mr. Titus, let me toast you. My father said something a bit harsh just now, which upset you. I apologize on his behalf.”
“I’m sorry ,”
Titus said coldly. “Titus upset me, but doesn’t he have the guts to apologize to my face? Pushing his own daughter forward shows a complete lack of responsibility.”
“Why did the Labbe family choose Titus as the acting head of the family? He’s far inferior to his father. If you ask me, the children that Old Master Long raised outside are much better than Titus.”
“Old Master Long should have let his children from outside return to shoulder the responsibilities. Titus is just a legitimate son of the legal wife.”
Titus has several half-siblings. Although they also share the surname Long, everyone knows they are Old Master Long’s illegitimate children, but they haven’t truly returned to acknowledge their ancestry, nor do they work for the Labbe Group.
It’s not that they don’t want to, but that Titus disagrees.
He knows his own limitations perfectly well; if he let his illegitimate children return, he would be outshone.
If his father were to become biased and allow his illegitimate son to succeed him, where would he put his face? This was something Titus wouldn’t allow, and neither would his mother.
When his father first cheated, his mother said she wouldn’t care how many women he had outside the family, but the successor had to be one of her children. Children born out of wedlock couldn’t truly be recognized as family members, much less work for the Labbe Group.
The affairs of the Labbe family were none of the concern of those illegitimate children.
When Mr. Labbe was young, he kept many mistresses who obediently served him. He would allow them to have children, but they couldn’t transfer their marriage certificates; he would give them a large monthly allowance. He
also made it clear that the successor wouldn’t be any children born outside the family, but only his children born to his wife.
After Titus truly became the acting head of the Labbe family, Mr. Labbe slowly regretted it. His eldest son wasn’t particularly capable and could only maintain the status quo.
His other son was ruthless, but still far inferior to him.
On the contrary, the illegitimate children he had raised outside the family were exceptionally capable.But he was getting old, and his eldest son had already assumed the position of acting
head of the family. Old Master Long didn’t want his children to suffer fratricide, so he ultimately didn’t allow his children from outside the family to return and take over.
He planned to find that child before he died, kill him, obtain the family head’s token, and then have his grandson, being even more ruthless than his son, pass the token to his grandson.
That way, the position of head of the Labbe family would be passed down through his branch. Even
if his son wasn’t good enough, a good grandson would suffice.
Therefore, Old Master Long helped Titus secure his position as acting head of the family and warned his illegitimate children not to covet the position. They could build their own businesses and accumulate their own wealth; he wouldn’t interfere.
The Labbe family must be inherited by the children born to him and his wife.
This essentially returned to the path of direct lineage, except that Titus was a direct descendant of his branch.
Before Labbe Romina could speak, Titus continued, “However, the Labbe family has always been ruled by the direct line.”
“Even the acting patriarch, Mr. Labbe, can’t escape that kind of thinking.”
This was a sarcastic remark.
Labbe Romina’s smile froze.
Titus’s words always carried a barb, making people uncomfortable.
“Don’t you all agree?” Longting asked the others.
Everyone chimed in, agreeing with Longting.
In fact, the Labbe family was indeed ruled by the direct line; the past patriarchs had all been from this line.
That is, the previous true patriarch’s entire family had died, except for a little child who was missing. Mr. Labbe had searched for decades without finding the child, not knowing if the child was alive or dead.
It turned out that if the true patriarch’s descendants couldn’t find that little child, the line would end.With their lifeline severed, and having lost the impression of being the family head, along with the family’s symbolic possessions and totem, the position of family head of the Labbe family could no longer be held. Titus’s branch could only serve as acting family heads.
Many people knew the inside story of the Labbe family’s tragedy, but it was an internal struggle within the Labbe family, and outsiders couldn’t interfere, especially since they had no evidence.
It was none of their business , so they kept to themselves.
Privately, everyone said that Titus and his son’s status in the city had declined because they had given so much to the Labbe family, yet they couldn’t truly claim ownership.
They couldn’t even mobilize the Labbe family’s elites; without the family head’s symbol, orders wouldn’t be obeyed, and the father and son were powerless.
This was the Labbe family’s successive family heads retaliating against Titus and his son.
If fate were to arrange for that little child from back then to return and take over the Labbe family, Titus and his son would have no choice but to relinquish all power unless they could also silence that little child and obtain the totem and other valuables.
Otherwise, they would easily be doing all the work for someone else.
Labbe Romina’s face darkened further.
She didn’t offer Titus another toast, instead downing her own drink in one gulp.
After finishing the drink, she said in a deep voice, “Indeed, the Labbe family has always been ruled by the direct descendant, and my father was my grandparents’ biological son. My grandmother was my grandfather’s only wife, so my father was the direct descendant.”
She deeply resented the Labbe family’s centuries-old, outdated rules and customs.
If it weren’t for these shady rules, her grandfather wouldn’t have needed to conspire with others to kill the head of the family. Although he ultimately succeeded, a thorn remained in his heart for many years.
He always worried that the child he rescued would return for revenge.
Many powerful families have such outdated customs; they really should change them. A virtuous and capable person should take over. Titus chuckled twice, ignoring Labbe Romina.
His chuckles, however, made Labbe Romina blush; she felt his laughter was sarcastic.
Suppressing her anger, Labbe Romina maintained her good temper and said to Titus, “Mr. Titus, may I come over and have a chat with you?”
“What does Miss Labbe want to talk to me about? You think you can chat like this? My hearing is excellent; I can hear you unless you’re a mosquito buzzing.”
Titus swirled his wine glass, the liquid tracing elegant arcs with his movements.
“I really don’t like Miss Labbe getting too close to me. The perfume you’re wearing is pungent and stinky to me. Do you have body odor, Miss Labbe? Is that why you use so much strong perfume to mask your body odor?”
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh.
They knew this man liked to target the Labbe family and everyone in them, but they hadn’t expected him to be so sharp-tongued, showing no mercy even to the Labbe family’s young lady.
Tonight, Labbe Romina was practically being thoroughly humiliated by Mr. Titus.
Labbe Romina’s face flushed red with anger.
But she couldn’t lash out at Titus. She said, “Mr. Titus, you really have a sharp tongue. Which woman attending this banquet tonight doesn’t wear perfume?”
“The whole room reeks of perfume and tobacco. How can you single me out? Does Mr. Titus dislike me?”
Labbe Romina was telling the truth.
No woman attending the banquet was without perfume.
It was just that her perfume was a little stronger.
“Do all women who wear perfume have body odor? We women just like perfume, is that wrong? Mr. Titus seems to discriminate against us women.”
Titus laughed, though Labbe Romina couldn’t see his smile. “My daughter doesn’t use perfume. I prefer natural body odor, I just don’t like perfume. Others wear perfume, but they don’t flaunt it in front of me, so it doesn’t bother me.”
“Miss Labbe, you’re wearing such strong perfume and you’re flaunting it in front of me. It’s bothering me. If it didn’t bother me, I wouldn’t even bother saying anything. Do you think I’m so idle and like to meddle in other people’s business?”
He glanced at Labbe Romina and said, “Miss Labbe is quite pretty, but I just don’t like the look of you. Don’t be angry, Miss Labbe, our two companies are mortal enemies, like fighting cocks.”
“Everyone in H City knows that your father and I are mortal enemies among mortal enemies. Tell me, how could I possibly like the look of you? If I did, you probably wouldn’t be having a good time at home. Maybe your father would think you stole your Labbe family’s trade secrets and told me.”
“If you hadn’t secretly told me the trade secrets, how could I have accurately hit your weak points every time?”
Labbe Romina’s face darkened.
“Titus!”
she shouted out his full name.
“Stop making baseless accusations! When did I ever pass on any trade secrets to you?”
This scoundrel wanted to drive a wedge between her and her father, and even more so, to make her the target of everyone’s suspicion.
Heaven help her! She had never even seen Titus’s true face, never been close to him, how could she possibly pass on trade secrets to him?
Titus laughed again, “Why is Miss Labbe reacting so strongly? I was just saying hypothetically, not actually. Miss Labbe, why are you reacting so strongly? Did you do something like that behind your father’s back?”
“Which company’s young master did you leak important information about your Labbe Group?”
“I didn’t!”
Labbe Romina denied, her face dark.
She had never leaked any important secrets of the Labbe Group.