Ella's face remained cold as she asked stiffly, "Mrs. Falkner, you've only mentioned that your daughter is beautiful. What about her education? Does she have any titles or certifications? And, has she ever lived with any other men?"
One question after another came at Sofia in rapid succession.
Sofia replied politely, "She graduated from a prestigious university, a senior university at that. As for titles, she has several, though I can't recall them all—there are too many. As for cohabitation, don't worry. I can keep track of that. She has never done so."
Daisy, who had been listening quietly, was fuming with anger inside.
What was this?
Was this auntie seriously that pretentious?
How dare she ask her such questions?
Didn't she see what kind of son she had?
Daisy muttered bitterly under her breath, "I went to a senior university, though the school only accepted me because my dad donated an entire building to get me in. As for certifications, a lot of them were awarded by my dad's friends—no exams, no effort required. And as for cohabitation... well, I haven't done that. But I did have a few abortions in the past. Whether I can get pregnant now? Who knows."
Spit!
Ella had just taken a sip of her tea, and upon hearing this, it all splashed out of her mouth. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
Kevin immediately grabbed his mother's arm and quickly shot her a warning look, signaling her to calm down. "I don't care, mom, I really don't care!"
Daisy was the most beautiful girl Kevin had ever seen.
Especially that baby face—it looked like she was sixteen or seventeen, and yet she had inherited Sofia's genes. Her figure was stunning, and just one glance was enough to make it hard to look away.
A beauty like that—so what if the child wasn't his?
So what if she'd had abortions?
He didn't care!
Ella, however, was furious. She jerked her son's arm away, seething, "What are you acting all smug for? You're okay with this girl who's been out there doing who knows what?! What the hell is this? A woman who wasn't properly raised, and you think she's worthy of entering my family's door?"
Upon hearing this, Sofia, who had originally planned to scold her own daughter, now hesitated.
She knew Daisy had made up those stories, but she had no intention of explaining herself anymore.
With Ella attacking her daughter like this, how could she possibly side with her?
If it weren't for Ella's husband being so politically powerful, Sofia would have really wanted to slap this woman right there and then.
Her chest heaved with anger, and Kevin, who had been watching, grew visibly nervous. He quickly yanked his mother into a seat, desperately trying to calm her down. "Mom, stop! I'm the one here for the blind date, not you two!"
"A blind date? Who told you I came for a blind date?" Daisy scoffed, her voice sharp. "I'm here today to introduce my boyfriend to my mom. As for you two? You're just here for show."
"Boyfriend?" Sofia raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "You've got a boyfriend? Where is he?"
Sofia, suspicious that Daisy might be up to one of her tricks again, hesitated. After all, while Ella might not be much, her husband had a powerful political background. If they made an enemy out of her, the Falkner family could have serious trouble moving their financial base to Veyport City.
Knock knock!
Just then, the door to the room was knocked on.
Veil entered, wearing a warm smile. "Am I in the right room?"
"Veil, you're here!" Daisy's face lit up, her voice turning sweet and affectionate as she rushed to him. She wrapped her arms around his, nuzzling her face into his sleeve as if she couldn't get enough of him. "You're late! I was just getting scolded here!"
Under the shocked gaze of Ella and Kevin, Daisy clung to Veil, sitting next to Sofia. She winked at her mom with a look that said everything.
See? How do you like my boyfriend?
Forget his background—just look at his looks! Kevin was still digging coal while Veil was already up in the stratosphere!
Talk about saving face, right?
Daisy knew her mom too well—she loved her pride above all else. And Veil was the kind of man who would make anyone proud. If he were introduced as the son-in-law of the Falkner family, her mom would be grinning from ear to ear!
"Is this really your boyfriend? Not some actor pretending to be him?" Sofia asked, her voice trembling slightly. Although she came from a wealthy family, she had never been involved in the political circles. And Veil's family? They were at the very heart of it all. She may not know who he truly was, but just meeting him once was enough to leave her stunned.
"Mom, what are you thinking? Of course he's my boyfriend!" Daisy rolled her eyes playfully.
Daisy wrapped her arms around Veil's neck and planted a kiss on his cheek, though inwardly she was cursing at her mother's poor taste.
What kind of ridiculous aesthetic did her mom have? With her figure and looks, how could she not be a match for someone like Veil?
Kevin, sitting across from them, was practically seething. His eyes were red with anger as he watched the woman of his dreams fall into another man's arms, kissing him like she didn't care. Was this something any man could stand?
"Auntie, what's going on here? Didn't we agree this was a blind date? Now there's a boyfriend involved?" Ella's voice was sharp, her temper flaring. "Sofia, if you don't explain yourself, this will be a huge slap in the face to my family. Your daughter's already out there with who knows what kind of man, and now you're having her set up a blind date with my son? What, do you think there's no one else in my family?"
Her words were vicious, pressuring Sofia with each sentence.
Veil, watching the scene from the sidelines, couldn't help but find it amusing.
Well, this was fun!
He had been dragged here by Lisa under the pretense of a blind date, only to say one sentence and find himself caught up in this drama. He was already being rubbed up by the "one-eyed rabbit" and kissed by Daisy. Now, he had a chance to put people in their place and show off a little.
Was this what it meant to be the chosen one?
When had he, the villain, become the one with all the luck?
Veil didn't say a word, just sat comfortably between Sofia and Daisy, savoring the sweet scent that lingered in the air.
This was... pretty damn good.
"Ella, calm down first! Let me explain—I don't even know how this happened…"
Sofia rushed to ease the tension. Truth be told, she was quite satisfied with the boyfriend her daughter had brought home.
Well—satisfied with his looks, at least.
But some things weren't up to her to decide. After all, the family had arranged this blind date with the clear intention of forming a marriage alliance. Who could say no when the Hunt family had such power and influence in Veyport City?
And from what she'd heard, they were planning to expand into even higher-tier cities.
Rumors like that didn't just spread out of nowhere—there had to be some real wind behind them.
Otherwise, why would the Falkners even bother arranging a match between Daisy and someone from the Hunt family?
"What's there to explain? Your daughter brought some sketchy man into this house!" Ella lashed out with no intention of letting the matter go.
She'd never liked Sofia to begin with—thought she was a shameless vixen.
Now that she finally had an excuse, she climbed right onto her moral high horse and started tearing into her.
For a moment, Sofia was at a disadvantage.
Daisy, who had been watching quietly from the side, was clearly hoping to sabotage the whole event. Seeing the perfect opportunity, she leaned in and whispered to Sofia, "Mom, don't worry. My boyfriend is from the Lancaster family in Luxhaven City. Compared to the garbage-tier Hunt family, they're in a whole different league."
Huh?
Sofia turned her head sharply and stared at Veil with narrowed eyes. "You're from the Lancaster family?"
Veil smiled and nodded politely. "Yes, ma'am."
The moment he said it, Sofia stepped forward, her proud figure on full display as she reached out to feel his forehead and lift his eyelids, inspecting him carefully.
"Mom, what are you doing?" Daisy asked, her expression twisted in confusion.
Sofia didn't seem to hear her, muttering under her breath as she continued her inspection. "Something's not right… He doesn't have a fever. And his eyes look fine too—no signs of mental illness… So why on earth would he be interested in my daughter?"
Pfft!
Daisy almost coughed up blood.
What the hell?!
Was this really her mother?
What kind of parent tears down their own daughter like this?
What was so wrong with her that only a man with a high fever or severe vision problems would want her?!
That was just cruel!
"What is this nonsense? Flirting with some random low-life? Kevin, we're leaving!"
Ella rolled her eyes and grabbed her son's arm, ready to storm out.
But just as she turned, the Sofia who'd been on the back foot suddenly stood tall, straightening her spine with pride.
She blocked Ella's path, her expression ice-cold. "You can insult me. You can even talk down about my daughter—I'll hold my tongue. But calling my son-in-law a 'sketchy man'? That I won't tolerate.
You owe him an apology. Right now. If you don't apologize, no one's leaving this place!"
Hmph!
She squared her shoulders defiantly. She'd had enough of this trashy woman named Ella!
What was her deal anyway?
Always lowering her voice to sound all sweet and fragile, walking in here like she had a rod stuck up her spine, trying to act all superior.
Was she trying to compete with Sofia?
What's there to compete with? Even if Ella pumped herself full of a kilo of water, she still couldn't match Sofia. Her entire body looked like junk pulled from a landfill.
"You didn't even know your daughter had a boyfriend and still tried to set her up on a date. If that's not 'sketchy,' then what is? Not letting me leave, huh? Fine! I want to see how you plan to play queen in Veyport City!"
Ella didn't seem fazed. Instead, she took out her phone, dialing a number with a soft, syrupy tone.
Obviously, she was calling for backup. Calling in her connections.
Sofia pulled her daughter aside, her expression suddenly serious. "You're not lying to me, right? He really is from that Lancaster family? If there's even a tiny mistake, we're both going to be in deep trouble today!"
Knowing how powerful the Lancasters were, Sofia became extremely cautious.
"I'm not lying," Daisy replied, feeling a little offended.
She was starting to wonder if she'd actually been picked up off the street as a baby. She didn't feel like her mother's real daughter at all.
What was with that line about insulting her being fine, but not Veil?
What kind of mother says stuff like that?
"So, tell me," Sofia asked, gripping her daughter's hand tightly. "How far have you two gone?"
Daisy was distracted, her mind wandering. Am I really adopted? Should I find a chance to yank a strand of my mom's hair and do a DNA test?
But then a shiver ran down her spine. What if I'm not actually her daughter? What then?
She'd lived a life of comfort for so long. If the Falkners kicked her out, how was she supposed to survive?
"Hey! I'm asking you something!" Sofia pinched Daisy's palm anxiously.
Snapping out of her daze, Daisy frowned. "What are you even talking about? That was so vague—I didn't understand a word."
"You idiot! Who else would I be talking about?" Sofia rolled her eyes and shot a glance toward Veil, then leaned in close and whispered bluntly, "I'm asking if anything's happened between the two of you. Has Veil touched you?"
"I…"
Daisy thought she was already pretty open-minded, but even she wasn't prepared for her mom to be this bold!
Her lips pressed into a tight line, her big, beautiful eyes widened. After a long pause, she shook her head and replied firmly, "We haven't gone that far yet."
"You idiot! Are you stupid?" Sofia hissed, pinching her daughter's arm with frustration. "Do you even realize what kind of son-in-law he is? If people found out Veil's real identity, do you know how many families—ones way bigger than ours—would be begging to offer their daughters up just to warm his bed?"
Daisy was practically choking on her own blood now. Watching her mother's expression—that look that said she wanted to scrub Daisy clean and serve her to Veil on a silver platter—she could only force a lie through gritted teeth. "I was just messing with you. If we hadn't done it, why would Veil even show up here?"
"Really?" As someone with life experience, Sofia narrowed her eyes and scanned Daisy from head to toe, clearly suspicious. But she still gave a piece of advice: "Just be careful, alright? If you really want to tie a man down, the best way is to get pregnant with his child. You're not that young anymore—you should be spending more time with him."
Daisy looked like she was in pain.
She'd only brought Veil over to get out of this matchmaking setup. Who had time to think about babies?
Besides, a baby wasn't something you could fake!
She quickly came up with an excuse. "That won't work. Veil's really careful about safety in that area."
As soon as she said it, she mentally patted herself on the back. Nice save.
This way, the blame wouldn't fall on her, right?
It was Veil's choice!
With her mom's personality, there was no way she'd dare go after Veil.
But instead of getting mad at Veil, Sofia rolled her eyes again and muttered with a look of disdain, "You're useless. Can't you take the initiative and help him take it off?"
Daisy was stunned. "?????? What?!"