"Mom, what are you doing? What's with the attitude? How could you treat Grandfather like this?"
"Yeah, who do you think you are?"
"Kneel and apologize to Grandfather now."
The Callahans took turns criticizing Gladys. Gladys's demeanor immediately changed.
Smiling, she said, "Dad, my house is too small for you; it's not a villa. We haven't got many chairs either. Since there won't be space inside, I think you should stay outside. We can discuss whatever you came to discuss here. Oh, and you brought gifts too! Davie, where are your manners? Take the gifts!"
"Okay!"
David accepted the gifts, but there were so many he couldn't carry them all. He shouted, "Lyssa, help!"
David passed some gifts to Alyssa before reaching for more.
Lex tried to remain calm. Leaning on his cane, he said, "Gladys, we're family. Whatever differences we had in the past, we should let them go. I'm here to reinstate you as part of the family."
"Dad, it's fine," Gladys waved her hand dismissively. "This is great for us! At the very least, we won't have to live by your rules anymore. As we're able-bodied, we'll survive even without you."
"Gladys, how can you?"
"What? Howard, let me remind you that this isn't the villa. You lack the authority to order me around here."
Overhearing the argument from inside, James smiled. Thea felt anxious. They were family, after all. Why was her mother making things so awkward? She got up and approached the entrance.
"Mom, forget about it."
"Forget about it?" Gladys roared. "Haven't you been through enough? Have you forgotten how they used to mock and humiliate you?"
"I" Thea flushed, speechless.
Gladys turned back to Lex. "Dad, we don't want the shares, much less listen to you. You can leave now."
Slam!
She slammed the door in their faces. The Callahans turned pale. Howard pointed at the closed door, shaking with anger.
"Dad, look at them! Gladys is terrible!"
John relentlessly knocked on the door, shouting, "Benjamin, you worthless bastard! Where are you? Open up! Dad's here!" But the door remained shut.
"This is horrible," someone said.
"How could they do this?"
"Grandfather, why do we want them back in the family? Just let them be."
"I agree. Now that we've signed the contract with Celestial again, I don't think they'll back out. There's a huge penalty for breaking the contract."
"Dad, come on. Let's go."
The Callahans voiced their opinions. Lex sighed deeply. "Let's just wait until they cool down." He then walked away, leaning on his cane.
Inside the house, Gladys examined the gifts. "Ooh, Citronelle," she exclaimed. "Look, it's a box of limited-edition Yellow Crane! It must have cost tens of thousands."
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