Her 20 years of hard work should not be undermined by that mistress at a time like this.
Old Master Mallory noticed a change in Karen's expression in that instant and knew what he said had an effect.
He turned to look at Mr. Bennet and asked, "How's the food coming along?"
Mr. Bennet slightly bowed and replied in a low voice, "Sir, I'll go check on it now."
Then, he turned around and headed to the kitchen.
Karen shifted her eyes and pondered for a moment. Then, she said, "Father, I’ll listen to whatever you say about Pierre's matter.
He's your grandson, after all. You wouldn't want to see him get into trouble. But when it comes to that woman, I won't listen to
you."
Old Master Mallory shot her a glance.
Karen continued, "I don't care if you've changed your mind or what the purpose of this meal is. I won't agree to their marriage
even if Percy has already registered their marriage. I won't acknowledge her as my daughter-in-law."
Old Master Mallory remained silent.
Karen looked at the coldness in his eyes, unable to figure out why Old Master Mallory had invited Nina to dinner.
Having stated her position, she had nothing more to say. She sat there and continued to eat the grapes.
Mr. Bennet approached and said, "Sir, the chef has prepared the meal."
"Good." Old Master Mallory glanced at the antique wall clock. Normally, the Mallory family would be preparing to have their meal
at this time, but Percy had not arrived yet. Hence, he sat there and waited.
Mr. Bennet also noticed the time. He thought to himself, ‘Could it be that Master Percy won't be coming...'
He frowned. He thought that it would be foolish of Percy not to come. It was a great opportunity to repair the relationship
between the grandfather and grandson.
If Percy did not come, could it mean that he had no intentions of mending his relationship with Old Master Mallory?
Mr. Bennet thought about it over and over. When he concluded that Percy was not silly enough to do such a thing, the distant
echo of voices drifted in from outside.
Even though Percy had gotten into a dispute with his family members, he still had the keys to Mallory Manor. Mr. Bennet's eyes
lit up. "It must be Master Percy."
Karen heard this and raised an eyebrow, feeling disgusted at the thought of Percy bringing Nina here.
Why should that woman be allowed to stand on the Mallory family's territory?
If it were not for Old Master Mallory, she might have used a broom to sweep Nina away the moment Mr. Bennet uttered the first
word.
Old Master Mallory heard Mr. Bennet. There were hardly any changes of expression on his face. He picked up his cane, ready to
stand up at any moment.
However, he remained seated.
Percy held Nina's hand and carried two bags of gifts with another hand as they entered the living room. Percy saw both Old
Master Mallory and his mother sitting there. Then, he turned to look at Mr. Bennet.
Mr. Bennet blinked at him and nodded. Only then did he approach them to take the two bags from him. "Master Percy, Ms. Nina,
you've arrived."
Since Old Master Mallory had not officially acknowledged Nina's identity, Mr. Bennet did not address her as Mrs. Mallory to avoid
upsetting the old master.
After all, it was Old Master Mallory who paid his salary. He could not show too much favoritism toward Percy.
"Grandpa, Mom," Percy greeted them as he walked toward Old Master Mallory with Nina by his side.
Nina felt nervous. Percy held her hand tight, and she remembered what Luca told her.
It was already the worst situation, and it would not get any worse. Taking a cue from Percy, she greeted the Old Master Mallory
and Karen, who were in the living room, "Good evening, Old Master Mallory. Good evening, Madam Mallory."
Old Master Mallory did not acknowledge their marriage. Nina had no idea how the old master felt this time. Therefore, it would be
best for her to use the most formal title to address them to play it safe.
"Hmph, you do know it's already late evening. Are you deliberately putting on airs by coming at this hour?" Karen did not care
about Old Master Mallory's attitude toward Nina. She put her on the spot right away.
Nina's face turned a little pale, but she remained silent.
Percy held her hand tightly, as though he had not heard what Karen said. He looked straight at Old Master Mallory. "Grandpa,
Nina brought these for you."
Old Master Mallory glanced at the bags expressionlessly and replied, "There's no need. Take them back."
Nina's heart tightened. It turned out that her instinct was correct. Old Master Mallory did not invite her here to smooth things over
with Percy.
If it was not to mend the fences, then it would mean trouble for her...
Even though she was mentally prepared long ago, Nina felt helpless. No matter what she did, she was destined to never gain the
approval of the Mallory family because of her background and what Pierre did to her.
Percy frowned and said, "These are just some gestures from us. If you don't want them, you can just throw them away."
Mr. Bennet, who stood nearby, was terrified by what he heard. Percy's tone was unwavering. Was he going to ignite a family
internal war?
The relationship between the grandfather and grandson had only just started to improve a little because of Pierre's incident.
Now, it seemed like things were going tense again because of Nina.
Mr. Bennet had been watching Percy grow up since he was little. He had witnessed him growing stronger over time, eventually
becoming the most capable heir of the Mallory family.
He certainly did not want to see the relationship between grandfather and grandson deteriorate any further.
Mr. Bennet quickly picked up the two bags and said, "Old Master Mallory, Master Percy, I shall put these away first. It's getting
late, and dinner is ready. Please proceed to the dining room."
Once Mr. Bennet spoke, Old Master Mallory's gaze lifted and fell on him. His eyes bore a hint of reprimand, clearly disapproving
of him acting on his accord.
Mr. Bennet lowered his head without saying another word. He thought to himself that all of this was for the sake of their
relationship.
He hurriedly carried the bags to the storage room.
Old Master Mallory, leaning on his cane, rose to his feet and ordered, "Let's have dinner."
He was speaking to Karen and also to Percy and Nina.
Nina lifted her head and looked at Percy. Her eyes were filled with anxiety.
People in Mallory Manor, whether it was the young or the old, had been harsh toward Nina. If she were to stick to her usual way
of doing things, she would surely walk away without any intention of trying to win over this challenging bunch.
However, she had to change her ways of dealing with them for Percy's sake. She had no choice but to endure the disapproval of
Old Master Mallory and Karen.
It was all for the man she loved...
Percy gave her a comforting look while feeling sorry for her.
She was enduring all of this silently for him.
Karen observed their interaction. It suddenly reminded her of her husband and the mistress abroad. That foreign woman always
pretended to be weak and helpless, trying to attract her husband's attention.
She could not help but mutter, "Slut."
Nina furrowed her brows as her expression turned sour.
Nina could understand why she was accused of social climbing, not being good enough, or being a cunning woman, but being
called a slut...
There were no other female companions when Percy was together with her. So, why was she being called a slut now?