CHAPTER 50: CHAPTER 50: MAKE HER JEALOUS

Joelle Quinn looked at this scene, her face a bit pale.

She had seen Marcus countless times, but no matter how she tried to please him, this child never gave her a glance.

Now, seeing him have such a good relationship with Eleanor Hollis, she was truly jealous.

"Marcus, why do you call her sister? Don’t you know she’s already divorced? Calling a divorced woman ’aunt’ wouldn’t be too much."

Joelle Quinn said, her words full of sarcasm towards Eleanor Hollis.

Marcus was still a child, and with autism, he naturally couldn’t match Joelle Quinn with words.

But he knew he was being bullied, so his lips pouted, and tears started falling in large drops.

Old Master Quinn had never seen his grandson cry, so he glared at Joelle Quinn fiercely at once.

"You’re getting more and more out of line! Causing a scene at my birthday party, Marcus is still a child, he doesn’t understand your crooked ways. Don’t use your little tricks in front of a child, lest you set a bad example!"

Marcus was still crying, tightly gripping Eleanor Hollis’s sleeve, his body trembling slightly, looking as though he had suffered a great grievance.

"What’s going on here?"

As everyone was inwardly laughing at Joelle Quinn, they heard Hugo Quinn’s voice.

Hugo Quinn was holding a glass of red wine, his brows slightly furrowed, and his originally calm demeanor changed to a sullen one when he saw Marcus crying with a pout. He immediately strode over.

"Marcus, what’s wrong? Who bullied you?"

As he spoke, his gaze swept over everyone present.

The crowd slightly shrank their necks, feeling as if the Grim Reaper’s hand had momentarily gripped their throats.

Joelle Quinn was even more frightened, taking a step back. In the Quinton Family, she feared only two people: one was Old Master, and the other was this uncle.

The uncle’s aura was too strong, and every time his gaze swept over her, she felt like a layer of her flesh had been scraped off.

"Uncle, I was just correcting Marcus’s form of address. It’s laughable for him to call a divorced woman ’sister,’ so I..."

Joelle Quinn spoke, almost forcing the words out, with nervous sweat in her palms.

Hugo Quinn’s gaze then landed on her, his eyebrows dark and somber.

"As long as Marcus’s form of address isn’t disrespectful to anyone, he is free to call people what he chooses. Why must you interfere?"

The words ’interfere’ made Joelle Quinn tremble even more violently.

She hadn’t expected her grandfather and uncle to be so unrelenting, all for Eleanor Hollis!

She saw Eleanor Hollis standing gracefully before everyone while she herself seemed like a pathetic clown. Feeling utterly wronged, she burst into tears and ran out of the hall.

Old Master Quinn sighed, having long known that this child had an unstable disposition.

"I apologize for the spectacle."

Having said this, the onlookers didn’t dare remain, promptly finding excuses to disperse.

Hugo Quinn, on the other hand, continued to kneel by Marcus’s side, wiping his tears with his fingers.

"Stop crying, be a man, why are you crying."

Marcus stopped his tears, turned to look at Eleanor Hollis, and his face lit up with a shy smile.

Eleanor Hollis felt warmth in her heart, squatting down to stroke his head, "Marcus is growing up, becoming protective of others."

Marcus’s eyes sparkled brightly, grasping her sleeve even more tightly.

When Grace Lynch entered, she saw this scene and nearly fainted from anger.

The three of them looked like a family unit, leaving her, the legitimate wife, nowhere.

She gritted her teeth, quickly composing her facial expression, and walked over gently, "Marcus, why are you crying? Are you okay?"

She wanted to pinch Marcus’s cheek, but he turned his head to dodge, causing her face to turn awkward.

Old Master Quinn also noticed this detail, his brow furrowing.

No wonder Hugo wanted to keep Eleanor Hollis at the villa; relying on Grace Lynch, Marcus’s condition probably wouldn’t improve in his lifetime.

This child had no feelings for Grace Lynch, and at the moment, Eleanor Hollis really was the hope for his cure.

Now he somewhat understood his son’s decision and sighed.

Only now did Grace Lynch seem to notice the old master was also nearby, and she greeted him with a forced smile, "Dad, weren’t you playing chess with the others?"

The old master never liked the hustle and bustle; he always played chess with the other elders on the second floor during annual birthday banquets. It was unusual for him to be in the hall this year.

In fact, Old Master Quinn had indeed been playing chess, but Marcus suddenly burst in from outside, calling him grandpa, and pulled him towards the first floor.

He didn’t know what had happened, but as he got closer, he realized everyone was giving Eleanor Hollis a hard time.

It seemed, just as his son said, Eleanor Hollis held a special place in Marcus’s heart.

"Eleanor, could you come with me for a moment?"

Old Master Quinn suddenly spoke, his gaze directed at Eleanor Hollis.

Eleanor Hollis had always known the old master’s character. Hearing his request, she nodded calmly and immediately followed him to the study on the second floor.

This left Hugo Quinn, Grace Lynch, and Marcus alone, but after Eleanor Hollis left, Marcus kept his head down.

"Hugo, why didn’t you wait for me tonight..."

Tonight, she was supposed to enter with him, as this was a Quinton family banquet. No matter what, she and this man were husband and wife.

"Something came up last minute."

Hugo Quinn took Marcus by the hand, intending to leave.

But this time Grace Lynch was more insistent; she had just heard people around her discussing Eleanor Hollis, with everyone speculating about Eleanor’s relationship with Hugo Quinn.

This was undoubtedly a slap to her face.

"Hugo, I’ve indeed done some things wrong, but at least we’re still married. You wouldn’t want Marcus’s origins to be a matter of gossip, right? Everyone is speculating about your relationship with Eleanor Hollis; this isn’t good for Marcus’s upbringing."

She pointedly remarked, knowing how much this man cared for Marcus; he wouldn’t want Marcus to be the subject of anyone’s discussion.

"I know how to handle it."

Hugo Quinn left those words, then took Marcus and left.

Grace Lynch’s face was dark, but she was somewhat relieved. As long as she remained Marcus’s mother, he wouldn’t really do anything to her.

The murmurs around gradually faded, though the gazes directed at her were still probing.

Grace Lynch forced a smile, appearing poised and soon was chatting with her usual group of close friends.

Meanwhile, Eleanor Hollis, who had followed Old Master Quinn into the study, sat quietly in a chair, silently clutching her purse.

"Eleanor, I’m sorry about your divorce from Nathaniel. When your grandfather discussed this matter with me at the time, I considered it carefully. But by then, you were already pregnant, and you weren’t entirely heartless towards Nathaniel, so I agreed."

The old master wore an expression of contemplation, uncertain of the person before him’s thoughts.