"I forbid you to say that, Ethon." Fiona trembled as she felt her heart sink in depression. Although she
felt the same way deep inside, she could not help wondering why she had such a sense of premonition.
"You must stay by my side, do you hear me? I will protect you." Suddenly, Ethon's eyes lit up. A light
smile spread across his face. Only in front of Fiona could he smile so heartily as if he were a child.
Shyla's nose was red, and her eyes were slightly puffy. She had tears in her eyes, and there was a kind
of raging jealousy in her heart that could not be expressed.
For a moment, Shyla was touched by what Ethon had just said, especially the words "you must stay by
my side, and I will protect you." Shyla had lived for more than 20 years. Since primary school, boys had
been chasing after her, but none of them had ever said such sweet words to her.
A promise was like a beautiful butterfly that could disappear and not be seen again in the blink of an
eye. Nonetheless, a woman still liked to hear promises, especially if they were from the lips of the man
she loved. Hearing such words made a woman very happy.
A lump formed in Fiona's throat. She nodded, her eyes still slightly red. She was stunned for a few
seconds, and her reactions seemed to slow down after hearing Ethon's words.
"You little bitch! Do you think you deserve my son? Look at you! You don't deserve my son at all! And
you have the gall to want to marry him. I'm telling you, even if you get married, I won't take you as my
daughter-in-law. You better give up now." Monica could no longer control her anger. Gritting her teeth,
she strode up to Fiona. She looked haughty and was ready to curse the poor young woman with the
most vicious language she could speak.
Hearing Monica's malicious words, Fiona kept silent. After all, Monica was an elder, and she was
Ethon's mother. Besides, it was not the first time that she had spoken ill of her. Fiona had always been
docile since childhood and could bear others' verbal attack against her.
"It's up to me whether we get married or not," Ethon answered in a firm voice, his handsome face now
stern and domineering.
"You have no control here. I've moved your residence booklet to the Yu Family, so you can't marry this
bitch without my permission," Monica said sarcastically without remorse.
This proved the famous saying, "While the priest climbs a post, the devil climbs ten." Aged ginger was
more pungent than younger ones. Ethon was a simple and innocent man, while Monica, on the other
hand, was shrewd and cunning.
Ethon was not a person who would be forced to do anything rashly, but this time, he found himself
trapped in his mother's schemes and threats. He did not really expect that her mother would try every
means to separate him from Fiona. She had really spent a lot of time and energy on this matter.
"All right. Just let me ask you a question. What if Shyla were not the mayor's daughter? What if she
were just an ordinary woman? Would you still like her that much? Would you still want me to marry
her?" Ethon asked through clenched teeth, great rage blooming in his heart.
Monica stared at Ethon with wide eyes. She felt so embarrassed that she could not utter a single word
to refute her son. How could he say such words in front of her and Shyla? How dare he spew some
thinly veiled insults?
"There are no 'ifs' in the world. Some people are simply not born into families that are meant to rule,
much like lions don't give birth to mice. Similarly, human beings can't choose their family. Whose future
do you think is better, a lion or a mouse's?" Monica held her breath. After a few seconds of silence, she
answered Ethon's question. She made an analogy, comparing Shyla to a lion and Fiona to a mouse.
"It depends on what kind of lion or what kind of mouse it is. One thing is for sure. I'd rather be a
despised mouse that's free to run around and go everywhere than a worshiped lion that lives in a cage
and is doomed to perform at the crack of a whip for the rest of its life." With his eyebrows furrowed,
Ethon got straight to the point. He managed to restrain his anger while using his intelligence to respond
to Monica.
Obviously, Ethon had just won this round.
Monica was too angry to say a word in response. She was on the verge of exploding. She really
wanted to slap Fiona across the face, but she could not do it because Ethon was standing right in front
of her. He was really trying his best to protect Fiona from her.
"Well, then you can be a poor mouse. If that is your goal, I really have nothing else to say." Irritated,
Monica picked up her expensive Prada bag and threw it at Ethon with all her strength.
The bag cut through the air, creating a swooshing sound as it flew toward Ethon's face.
To Monica's surprise, Ethon just stood there with an arrogant look on his face. He did not even try to
avoid her attack. Monica's face turned bright red with mixed annoyance and rage.
There were many things in Monica's bag namely an umbrella, cosmetics, her car keys, and a pile of
odds and ends. They were really heavy together.
The bag hit Ethon right in the face and then fell to the ground.
"Ethon..." Fiona exclaimed with a hint of fear and amazement in her voice.
At the same time, Shyla opened her mouth and called, "Auntie."
Ethon rubbed his nose and felt a pang of pain. He only watched as Monica threw her heavy handbag
right at his face. He had deliberately not evaded her attack.
But the funny thing was that the two women's reactions were quite different. Fiona called to him while
Shyla called to Monica. It was quite obvious who loved Ethon more deeply.
"You... You are not a devoted son at all. You are a disgrace." Monica's lips quivered as she could no
longer control her emotions. She cried hysterically, wailing and thrashing like a mad woman.
Since his childhood, Ethon had not been beaten by Monica, not even once. This was the first time that
Monica hit him in the face with a handbag. This would become a most unforgettable memory for both
Ethon and Monica.
When Ethon was a kid, he was obedient, and he never offended Monica. He always did what she
asked, but after his third year in high school, his thoughts and behavior changed a lot. That was the
time when he met and became familiar with Fiona. All of a sudden, he did not want to follow the path
his father had made for him. Ethon was born in a family of military men, but he was not interested in
becoming a military officer like his father. Since ancient times, heroes always wanted beauties, and
Ethon was no exception. In truth, he would choose his beautiful beloved Fiona over the bright and
promising future designed by his parents any day.
"Ethon, are you okay?" With a pitiful look on her face, Fiona quickly strode in front of Ethon and
checked his face. Her eyes were glistening with tears.
"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt." Ethon smiled, trying to be strong. He looked at Fiona with a calm and gentle
expression as if a heavy, expensive handbag had not just violently hit him in his face.
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