Chapter 12 The Leavens Want To Be Invited

• At Winona's home in the suburbs, Susan exclaimed, her eyes widening with astonishment, “Winona, where on earth did you acquire this invitation?”
• Before her lay a substantial stack of opulent invitations, each embossed with the golden words: Invitation to the Succession Ceremony of Lord Empyrean.
• The exclusivity of these invitations was well-known throughout Jacaster; they were the most sought-after tickets, fetching astronomical figures on the black market, yet essentially priceless as no one was actually selling them.
• Susan had never imagined that her daughter could have managed to secure such a bounty.
• “It was a man named Desmond who delivered these to me, on the orders of Lord Empyrean,” Winona explained, her voice tinged with uncertainty. “Perhaps... should I return them?”
• “There's no need to return them, just take them to attend the ceremony. It could be an interesting experience!” Franklin interjected casually, having orchestrated the delivery himself through Desmond.
• “Exactly, we shouldn't return them. We should attend ourselves,” Susan agreed unexpectedly with Franklin's viewpoint.
• After all, the grand succession ceremony of Lord Empyrean was a spectacle no one would want to miss. Besides, even if they chose not to attend, the potential to sell the invitations for a significant sum was tempting.
• “But...” Winona hesitated, unsure of the best course of action.
• Knock, knock, knock!
• At that moment, the sound of urgent knocking came. Rebecca burst through the door, her presence marked by a demand as soon as she laid eyes on the invitations sprawled on the table.
• “Winona,” Rebecca demanded, “you are to hand over all the invitations to the family immediately, under Grandma's command!”
• “Huh?” Winona started, instinctively reaching to comply.
• “Don’t hand them over,” Franklin quickly stepped in, his tone firm. “Remember how the Leaven family treated you, how they ostracized you and your mother, and humiliated you both. And now, they expect you to hand over these invitations? I cannot fathom why the Leaven family can be so utterly shameless!”
• “Who are you calling shameless?” Rebecca retorted, infuriated by the insult to her family.
• How can a good-for-nothing simp have the gall to insult the Leaven family?
• “What's this? The Leaven family, shamelessly trying to snatch invitations from under everyone's noses?” Franklin's retort was sharp, cutting deeper than a mere insult.
• “Franklin, you're just a good-for-nothing! I'll ruin your face so you'd look like that ugly freak!” Rebecca screamed, her anger boiling over as she raised her hand to strike him repeatedly.
• “You dare to be so bold here?” Franklin interjected coldly, catching Rebecca's hand mid-air, stopping her assault.
• “Ouch!” Rebecca cried out, feeling a sharp pain in her wrist.
• “Let go of me, you worthless coward...” As she struggled, Rebecca continued to shriek insults.
• Once freed, she saw Franklin's unyielding gaze and, knowing she was no match for him, she spat a threat, “Just you wait. This isn't over.”
• After Rebecca stormed off, Susan finally voiced her concern, “Now, you’ve truly made an enemy of the Leaven family.”
• Franklin simply shook his head, then turned to Winona. “Do you really want to return to that kind of life?” he asked softly.
• A myriad of emotions crossed Winona's face, her mind a whirl of thoughts, yet she simply nodded gently in response.
• Seeing her taciturn reaction, Franklin did not press further but his thoughts were ablaze with speculation.
• Meanwhile, Rebecca, seething, recounted the events to her grandmother, exaggerating the confrontation. “Grandma, that monster had no intention of surrendering the invitations. He even struck me and threw me out.”
• “D*mn that cursed Winona!” The elderly matriarch fumed, her anger palpable as she smacked her wheelchair forcefully.
• “Seamus, go, tell Winona that if she brings an invitation to me, the Leaven family is willing to buy it for a thousand each. It's not much, but for them, it should be quite the sum!” she decreed, her voice echoing with a mix of desperation and disdain.
• “Leave it to me, Grandma!” Seamus declared confidently, nodding his head.
• As the favorite grandson and the eldest of the next generation of the Leaven family, he was trusted immensely by his grandmother, and intended to be the future patriarch of the family.
• This task of retrieving the invitations from Winona was not just a matter of familial duty but an honor in itself, given the gravity of the event.
• Arriving at Winona's residence, Seamus was surprised to find Franklin alone, lounging on the couch.
• “Franklin? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be over at Rebecca's doing chores? Where's Winona? Call her out, my grandmother has urgent business with her.”
• Seamus was under the impression that Franklin was still engaged to Rebecca, unaware that the latter had abandoned Rebecca and married Winona instead—a fact that Rebecca had chosen to keep from her family due to her embarrassment.
• “She's resting right now. Whatever you need to say, you can tell me,” Franklin replied nonchalantly.
• “Who do you think you are? You're just a simp. Out of my way,” Seamus retorted, his tone dripping with disdain.
• “I am Winona's husband. How am I not qualified?” Franklin responded, his posture relaxed but authoritative.
• “What did you say?” Seamus was taken aback, his mind struggling to accept the news.
• It was inconceivable to him that Franklin, who was engaged to Rebecca, would choose someone like Winona, whom he considered far less desirable.
• Seamus had seen Winona and knew her reputation; her appearance was often discussed with derogatory amusement.
• Nonetheless, the urgency of his mission pressed him to overlook these distractions. “Listen, Franklin, my grandmother says the Leaven family is willing to buy each of Winona's invitations for a thousand. It's a generous offer. Take it and don't be ungrateful.”
• A thousand dollars? Those invitations could fetch millions on the black market. This offer from the Leaven family is frankly insulting!
• Franklin scoffed dismissively, waving off the suggestion. “Tell Old Mrs. Leaven if she wants an invitation, she should come and ask for it herself.”
• “You're pushing your luck. Just you wait!” Seamus spat out bitterly before storming out.
• Once Seamus had left, Susan approached Franklin, wringing her hands anxiously. “What do we do now? The Leaven family is not to be trifled with.”
• “There’s no need to worry. I have everything under control,” Franklin reassured her, his confidence unwavering.
• Back at the Leaven residence, Seamus relayed his version of events, painting Franklin in a particularly negative light and inadvertently revealing Franklin’s marriage to Winona.
• “Can you believe it? That loser was supposed to marry Rebecca but ended up with that... that ugly freak!”
• “She couldn't even keep an eye on her own fiancé?”
• “What a disgrace. How did our family end up raising a wretch?”
• The members of the Leaven family exchanged glances, their eyes flickering toward Rebecca, each face painted with a mix of curiosity and skepticism.
• Rebecca herself was engulfed in a cloud of gloom, her features twisted in embarrassment—a sensation she had never endured to such a degree. Internally, she seethed with resentment toward Franklin.
• Meanwhile, Yolanda, though visibly shocked by the turn of events, recognized that dwelling on these revelations would be unproductive. The invitations remained her top priority; securing them was critical, and she could attend to Franklin's audacity afterward.
• “What else did he have the audacity to say?” she demanded, turning her piercing gaze upon Seamus.
• Startled by the intensity of her scrutiny, Seamus faltered, his voice trembling as he relayed Franklin's message, “H-He insisted that you, Grandma, should personally come to collect the invitation...”
• “Outrageous! How dare this nobody spout such nonsense!”
• “To think he expects Grandma to personally retrieve it—utterly disrespectful!”
• The room erupted in disbelief and indignation at the audacity of such a demand.
• That nerve of that Franklin!
• The Leaven family's response was a chorus of outrage, with many voices blending into a cacophony of scorn. Yet, all eyes inevitably returned to Yolanda. The invitations were with Winona and so was the right to give them out. If they wanted the invitations...
• “Grandma, maybe we should reconsider our approach to Winona. It's not as though she's the only one with invitations,” Seamus proposed cautiously.
• “What do you know!” the elderly lady snapped back, her fury palpable.
• She was nearly trembling with rage, each word biting the air like a cold wind.
• “I'll go!”