CHAPTER 478: CHAPTER 478: HUO SHAO MAKES A MOVE (1)_1

After hearing what Hansen Ruiz said, Matthew Ruiz was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered. After decades in the Shopping Mall, his reactions were still swift. He truly pulled out the most valuable items on his person and, with a beaming smile, handed them over to Hansen Ruiz, saying, "Hansen, these are all valuable. They’re for my daughter-in-law, to thank her for putting up with an unworthy son like you."

Hansen Ruiz didn’t accept his father’s gifts. He only picked out a bank card, glanced at it, then put it back into his father’s hand, saying meaningfully, "Dad, Rachel and I appreciate the thought, but you have it tough too. We couldn’t possibly accept your things."

Then he leaned closer to his father’s ear and sighed, "Dad, your bank card probably doesn’t have a million in it, does it?"

His father might seem like the head of the Ruiz Family, but the finances were tightly controlled by his wife. The grandeur with which his father carried himself, along with all related arrangements, was managed by his wife from behind the scenes. Even his monthly allowance was strictly controlled by her; she claimed that too much money would lead him to keep mistresses.

In fact, the person Hansen Ruiz respected the most was his father. That he had endured for so many years was truly not easy, and it also showed that his father genuinely loved his mother; otherwise, he would not have willingly been restrained for decades.

"Hansen, don’t quibble with your mom about those things. She’s just like that. Honestly, deep down, she’s very happy you’re getting married," Matthew Ruiz whispered to his son.

The father and son were as close as friends.

"Hansen, are you just going to leave your dad and me standing at your front door?"

When Mrs. Ruiz saw how close her son and husband were, she felt a pang of jealousy, feeling that none of her three sons were close to her.

Hansen Ruiz gave his father a warm smile, then turned and walked back towards the villa, naturally allowing his parents to enter as well.

Once inside, the family of three sat down on the sofa.

Hansen Ruiz’s warm eyes once again landed intently on his mother. His large, steady hand reached out once more in front of her as he smiled. "Mom, Dad has already given his gifts. What about yours? Surely you haven’t come empty-handed, just to stir up trouble, have you?" She was indeed here to stir up trouble!

"I... I have a gift. But, Hansen, I’m not that familiar with Rachel. I don’t even know what she likes. Tell me, what does she like? I’ll have Floyd Thomas go out right now and buy it," Mrs. Ruiz also said with a smile, though, like her son, it was a grin that didn’t quite reach her eyes—a pair of smiling tigers.

Hansen Ruiz smiled, his expression growing even warmer. "Mom, I like that diamond ring on your right ring finger. Why don’t you give it to my Rachel?"

Mrs. Ruiz had several diamond rings on her hands, but only the one on her right ring finger was the most valuable. It was the wedding ring Matthew Ruiz had specially commissioned for her when they married.

"Hansen, that’s the wedding ring I gave your mother when we married!" Matthew Ruiz exclaimed in a low voice, seeing his son directly ask for his wife’s wedding ring.

"I know, Mom and Dad. I just want the wedding ring from when you got married. I think it’s meaningful. Dad has been loyal to Mom all his life and has never kept mistresses. You’ve been a couple for decades, still sharing such deep affection and growing old together. That’s why I too want to grow old with Rachel, remaining constant throughout the decades," Hansen Ruiz said, a smile playing on his lips that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

His words, however, slapped hard against Mrs. Ruiz’s face, leaving her clenching her teeth in silent anger. She wanted to break up her son and Rachel, but her son used this opportunity to declare he intended to spend his life with Rachel, to grow old with her, and no one could separate them. To give the diamond ring or not? Mrs. Ruiz’s smile became a bit forced.

Hansen Ruiz continued to look at his mother intently, his smile as warm as a spring breeze. It brushed against his mother’s face, yet it made her feel as though she were standing in a cold wind. Matthew Ruiz secretly gave Hansen a thumbs-up. Hansen, well done!

"Mom, surely you’re not reluctant, are you? You don’t want me and Rachel to grow old together? You came here today—not for the reason Dad mentioned—but because you want to move in here, right? To take advantage of your proximity to drive out my Rachel, isn’t that it?" Hansen’s tone suddenly became accusatory, though his smile grew even warmer.

He wasn’t a fool; he knew his mother’s intentions all too well. They say knowing your enemy and yourself assures victory in every battle. It was his thorough understanding of his mother that allowed him to defeat her and leave her feeling helpless. In their mother-son battles, he never exposed his weaknesses, whereas he had his mother’s vulnerabilities firmly in his grasp. Besides, Floyd Thomas was the one helping his mother with her luggage.

"I like it here and don’t want to stay at a hotel. You’re my son, so what’s wrong with me staying here?" Mrs. Ruiz did not deny her intention to move in. "However, Hansen, I never thought of driving Rachel away. She’s your wife; you just got married yesterday. I’ve just become a mother-in-law and I’m truly happy about it.

"But we, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, haven’t spent much time together. We had some misunderstandings before. Now I want us to spend time together, improve our relationship, and clear up those past misunderstandings—is that not okay?"

Mrs. Ruiz composed herself and countered.

"Certainly. But, Mom, you should take off the diamond ring and give it to Rachel and me before we discuss you moving in," Hansen Ruiz said, steering the conversation back to the original topic.

Mrs. Ruiz’s face involuntarily twitched as she cursed inwardly, Damn fox! Are you really my own flesh and blood?

Matthew Ruiz found this hilarious. His wife had been strong all her life, but in the end, she was about to be outdone by their son. Truly a case of the student surpassing the master! He proactively removed the diamond ring from his left ring finger and handed it to Hansen, who accepted his father’s ring without hesitation.

Seeing her husband remove his ring, Mrs. Ruiz, though reluctant and still maintaining a forced smile, finally took off the diamond ring from her right ring finger. She handed it to Hansen as well. For the first time in her nearly sixty years, she felt she had suffered a significant loss, and at the hands of her own son.

Actually, she should have expected this. She never managed to get the upper hand with her eldest son. No one could bully those he cared about.

Ah, this diamond ring... She had worn it for decades, and it held deep emotional significance for her. Moreover, it was a testament and symbol of the love between her and her husband—priceless in her eyes. But now, she had to hand it over to Rachel Bailey, that country girl whom she thoroughly disliked and considered an embarrassment to the family for marrying into it.