Such blunt humiliation left Liam completely red-faced.
Liam knew Ryan was a ruthless and arrogant brat. However, considering Ryan was about to become CEO and with Logan
present, Liam thought Ryan might show some restraint.
It turned out that Ryan would not hold back.
As the head of the family, Logan wanted to reprimand his grandson, but on second thought, Ryan was right. He, too,
disapproved of his younger son's behavior and the useless cronies Liam associated with. So Logan awkwardly cleared his throat
and took a sip of water.
However, Claire could not hide her discomfort further. She frowned and chided. "Ryan, how can you speak to your uncle this
way? Show some respect!"
"Haha... Oh, Claire. Don't be so hard on Ryan. To us, he's still a kid."
Liam's wife, Selena, quickly stepped in to smooth things over, smiling warmly at Ryan. "Ryan, your uncle has always been like
this, which is why he doesn't have many friends. His bluntness scared them all away. He didn't mean anything bad by it, so don't
take it to heart."
Ryan raised an eyebrow and swirled the wine in his glass.
This was not the first time these two had played good cop, bad cop. Although Liam had physical limitations that made it hard for
him to satisfy Selena in some aspects, he never shorted her materially. Despite their long-standing estrangement, Selena had
never divorced him.
Rather than a married couple, they were more like a pair of thieves conspiring to seize the Hoffman family's wealth, resembling
two leeches bloated with fresh blood.
Ryan's icy gaze fixed on Liam and Selena, his teeth clenched tightly. 'One day, I'll strike them with thunderous force, squishing
these two parasites into oblivion!'
As the staff served the delicious dishes, everyone began to dine.
However, while everyone else enjoyed the meal, Ryan merely sipped on his red wine, not touching the food on his plate at all.
Well, Carrie had just stuffed him with food, fearing he would go hungry. In the car, he felt so bloated that his belt was about to
burst open. He was practically squirming in discomfort. But there were no delicacies outside that could compare to the homely
meals at Willow Creek Villa.
Without Carrie by his side, everything seemed tasteless.
"Why aren't you eating, Ryan?"
Selena adopted a concerned attitude toward her nephew. She smiled radiantly. "This is top-grade steak flown in from France
today. Your grandfather had specially selected it for you. Look at how much your grandfather dotes on you.
Ryan responded with indifference, "I don't digest beef well. I get stomachaches if I overeat. Thanks for thinking of me, Grandpa."
"Stomachaches? Son, you've always been healthy. When did you develop a stomach problem? Did Yasmin not take good care
of you?" Claire's eyes filled with worry. "Mom, it has nothing to do with Yasmin."
"You've always been careless, busy from dawn till dusk every day, taking care of that girl from the Salvador family on top of
everything else. Isn't it inevitable for your body to develop issues over time?"
As Claire thought of her son's complicated relationship with the murderer's daughter, she felt a surge of anger that she could not
express at the moment. She corede resort to a veiled objection. "Eating outside food is unhealthy. If you end up with health
issues because of it, it'll be too late to turn back."
"Mom, you can call Carrie by her name or refer to her as Ms. Salvador, but please don't address her as 'that girl'."
Ryan's expression grew serious, his tone deep. "Carrie has never spoken a word against you and has always mentioned you
with respect. I hope you can treat the person I love with the same courtesy." Claire was at a loss for words. Her hands were
trembling with anger as she gripped her knife and fork.
If this continued, that wretched girl Shannon had given birth to would truly steal her son away!
Seeing Ryan's indiscriminate attack, not sparing even his own mother, Liam felt better about himself, like the balance had been
restored. He secretly smirked.
The Salvador family's youngest daughter was Ryan's weak spot. If Liam could find the right opportunity, he might be able to use
Carrie to control Ryan and turn the tables!
"Ryan, I heard from your uncle that you brought your girlfriend to the horse race last time."
Selena was trying to stir the pot again. "It's a pity I was ill that day and couldn't meet Ms. Salvador. Aren't we having a family
gathering now? You should've brought your girlfriend with you." Ryan ignored Selena, turning his intense gaze to Logan. "Can I
do that, Grandpa?"
"What?" Logan was momentarily surprised.
"May I bring Carrie, your granddaughter-in-law, to join our family dinner next time?"