Chapter 5. Not As Good As a Dog

The attitude of the partygoers became increasingly outrageous. Gregory couldn't stand the snobbish and disdainful attitude of the crowd and handed the jewelry box to Anderson, saying: "I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Gregory Thompson, CEO of the Eclipse Prestige branch in Lightharbor city. Since Young Master Anderson purchased the Aurora Luxe necklace and paid immediately, I had to arrange for a quick delivery. Furthermore, as Young Master Anderson is an acquaintance of the chairman, I came to deliver and receive the item."

"Alright, no need to say more. I've signed and confirmed it, you can go back." Anderson emphasized sternly, as if scolding Gregory for talking too much.

Gregory, realizing he had intervened too much, quickly said,

"Thank you, Young Master Anderson." Gregory Thompson finished speaking and turned to leave.

At that moment, a chilling silence enveloped the room, everyone present was stunned. It took them a while to recover from their astonishment.

"Clap clap clap..." – A round of applause rang out.

Applause rang out, a sound Anderson had received numerous times at the height of his glory, but this was the first time at the Harris household, making him anything but happy; in fact, it was quite uncomfortable. Could it be that they changed their attitude just because he knew the chairman of Eclipse Prestige, someone whose name he didn't even know? Perhaps Gregory Thompson said that just to help him.

As Anderson was wondering, a voice exclaimed: "Great performance! You deserve a high score for that! Listen to that loud applause, you've earned it!"

Anderson froze for a moment. What was happening?

"Hic... I'm trying so hard not to laugh, I might hurt myself... Haha..." Christian couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Haha... Knowing the chairman of Eclipse Prestige, do you even realize how influential that person is in this area to claim acquaintance!" Conrad couldn't stop laughing.

"Anderson, your acting is excellent, it's a pity you didn't become an actor!"

"That well-dressed man even acted better. How much did you pay him? Even the suit he wore looked so real. Where did you buy it?"

"Can't even get a decent job, pretending to be wealthy, buying expensive jewelry, claiming to know the chairman of a major jewelry corporation. Oh my, can someone help me stop laughing?"

Nobody believed what Gregory and Anderson had just said; it was too exaggerated. They all felt that Anderson, having been the butt of jokes for years, had deliberately staged this performance to change their perception of him. The result would only backfire and make them despise him more!

"Anderson, are you trying to kill me with frustration?" Lauren couldn't take it anymore.

Just now, when she saw Anderson and Gregory acting so realistically, she almost believed it was true. But after hearing everyone say it was just a play, she woke up from a dream, realizing Anderson had staged this fake play to regain his honor. This made her even more disappointed in Anderson. Even knowing the truth, she wanted to pretend to believe him. But he was just deceiving her.

"..."

Anderson remained silent, unable to explain. Perhaps for them, it was only about themselves, and he was just a dog, unable to utter trustworthy words: "I just wanted to give Lauren's grandmother a gift, whether she accepts it or not is up to her."

"Ridiculous! How arrogant! Next time, no strangers will be allowed here. What if they steal something? Our Harris household isn't a place where just anyone can come and go!"

"Sorry, let me laugh a little longer, haha..."

"Haha... I'm about to die laughing!"

"Anderson, you should change your name to Anderson the Boaster, it would suit you better! Haha..."

Everyone continued to laugh loudly. Anderson, no longer in the mood to stay, placed the gift on the table and silently stood up to leave. However, a mishap occurred at that moment.

As Anderson turned, he was unaware of Caroline's dog under his feet. He accidentally stepped on her pet! The dog yelped loudly under Anderson's unintentional step. Caroline was furiously enraged at seeing her dog being trampled.

"You lowly vermin, are you blind? Did you intentionally step on my dog, aiming to kill it, just to provoke me?" Caroline berated Anderson, even throwing the gift box at him!

Anderson, hearing the swoosh behind him, instinctively turned around and swatted it away!

"Thud!"

The gift box shattered, the Aurora Luxe necklace from Eclipse Prestige spilled out, its diamonds scattering on the floor. Anderson couldn't believe that just because he accidentally stepped on a dog, Caroline would throw something at him! Was he really less valued than a dog in the Harris household?

Anderson could have endured it as usual, but this time, he was truly furious!

Suddenly, a deadly glare flashed in Anderson's eyes, fixating coldly on Caroline. Many who were still laughing at Anderson's previous act suddenly fell silent.

Anderson's eyes turned icy, filled with a chilling and deadly aura. Everyone who saw that look was terrified, and they shivered, instinctively recoiling. No one could have imagined that the usually indifferent and tolerant son-in-law would suddenly erupt in anger.

At that moment, Lauren yelled at Caroline's face: "Caroline, you've gone too far! Anderson is still your brother-in-law, how could you think of hitting him? And now the necklace is ruined."

"It's just fake, why do you care?"

"It's the thought that counts. Grandmother hasn't even spoken yet, what right do you have to throw the gift away?"

Seeing Caroline strut away without a word, Lauren was genuinely intolerable. Although she didn't like Anderson, she couldn't just stand by and not educate her cousin. Even though theirs was a loveless marriage, Anderson had been with her for a year, doing laundry, cooking, and handling all household chores.

Even if one raises a dog for three years, they would grow attached to it, let alone a person. Even if it wasn't love, there were still other emotions involved.

"You saw it, my sister, your husband stepped on my dog. He deserves to be punished, or he will continue to behave this way. He even wanted to hit me." Caroline complained bitterly and rudely.