Even a fool could discern the underlying meaning behind Stefanie's words.
All of it conveyed a disdain for Mollie's humble background while also implying that she led a morally loose life outside.
Upon hearing this, Theo felt the last bit of sympathy he held for his eldest daughter dissipate.
A wave of blazing anger surged within him as he grabbed a porcelain cup from the tea table and hurled it towards Mollie.
"You worthless thing! You're tarnishing our family's reputation!"
The porcelain cup aimed at Mollie's shoulder whizzed through the air. However, Mollie deftly shifted to the side, skillfully evading the impending danger.
With a loud clang, the porcelain cup struck the white wall and landed on the intricately patterned carpet, miraculously unbroken.
Mollie calmly picked up the porcelain cup and handed it to the maid beside her. She then looked at Theo and uttered, "Dad, Jonathon is the only man I have. Are you suggesting he's not worthy and bringing shame to the family?"
When Theo heard Jonathon's name, his infuriated expression turned into one of shock.
Hadn't his daughter always been indifferent to Jonathon?
Why the sudden change in attitude, and why would she claim that Jonathon was her only man?
"A-Are you serious?"
Learning from his previous misjudgment, Theo instinctively believed that Mollie was trying to deceive him.
In contrast, Mollie seemed much more composed, calmly reflecting on her recent thoughts about her feelings. She expressed her determination to maintain a good relationship with Jonathon for her own and the family's sake.
At the same time, she did not forget to retaliate against Stefanie.
"I don't understand why Stefanie accuses me of being fickle with men... It was wrong of me to hit her, but she insinuated in front of Mr. Hudson that he's a third party. Wasn't that equivalent to pushing our whole family into a fire pit?"
Offending Jonathon would lead them all into a predicament.
"You knew very well that the person in the hotel was Jonathon, Stefanie, so why did she intentionally say such things? What were you trying to do?"
Mollie's words were like needles, leaving Stefanie momentarily unable to come up with an explanation. Stefanie became frustrated, and she blurted out, "Dad, don't listen to her twisting the truth and accusing me unjustly. I didn't mean it that way at all. I-"
Suddenly, Mollie's stepmother, Louise Gray, emerged from the kitchen and pulled Stefanie behind her.
Louise Qi (Louise) [Gray] gave her own daughter a comforting look before turning to Theo and tactfully flashing him a smile.
"Theo, Stefanie is still young and got flustered due to her concern for her sister...
"Now that Mollie has finally returned, let's not dwell on this matter. How about we all have a peaceful family dinner?"
Theo was still upset with Mollie at first, but upon hearing Louise's conciliatory words and considering their relationship with Jonathon, he decided not to pursue the matter further.
After all, if he could become Jonathon's father-in-law, his future status in Norbury would be self-evident.
Theo couldn't help but feel a little pleased when he thought of how those influential people would would look up to him.
He cleared his throat and said in an unusually calm manner, "Alright. Finish your meal and get some rest. It's Grandpa's birthday banquet tomorrow."
In the evening, Mollie, who couldn't fall asleep, tossed and turned in bed.
Her grandfather's 80th birthday celebration tomorrow marked a crucial turning point in her life.
In her previous life, she had heeded Stefanie instigation and exposed Jonathon's "psychopathic behaviour" at the banquet, almost ruining his reputation and deeply offending the Hudson family.
This time, she was determined to seize the opportunity and reverse the unfavourable situation, asserting her authority over Stefanie.
While she was lost in her thoughts, a vibrant space suddenly appeared before her. The space was very large, and there were many bottles and cans with labels on them.
There was a confusing amount of pills, beads, and medicinal powders with different effects like cooling down, detoxification, skin care, beauty enhancement, and even ones to play pranks with.
Mollie used to learn some basic medical skills from a barefoot healer in the countryside, so her excitement upon seeing the space was even more intense than her astonishment.
She couldn't help but take a few pills and play with them in her hand.
While playing, she drowsily and gradually fell asleep.
When she woke up again, she felt unusually light-headed.
She attributed this to the "dream" she had last night.
However, as she opened her eyes and saw the black pills in her hand, she was jolted awake.
"It wasn't a dream?" she wondered.
Reflexively, she rubbed her eyes and looked at her palm again-the black pills were still there!
At the same time, a soft and cute voice echoed in her mind.
"Congratulations, Master, on successfully activating the Medical Cloud Space. I am the system's adorable pet administrator, Kris. Please take care of me."
Mollie's face was visibly confused as she felt like her mind was shrouded in a dense fog. Her only thought was, "What in the world is the Medical Cloud Space?"
"Master, here's the thing...The system's pet, Kris, seemed to be able to hear the thoughts in Mollie's mind and patiently explained to her.
"The Medical Cloud Space is like a massive storage unit equipped with the world's most
sophisticated and advanced medical equipment and medicines. You can exchange items using corresponding points."
"A points system?"
Mollie couldn't help but recall her experiences of using reward points to exchange for goods. She asked through her thoughts how she could earn points.
"It's simple. The system will allocate corresponding points based on the intimate activities between you and Mr. Jonathon Hudson, Master."
Mollie never expected that earning points would be related to Jonathon.
Kris automatically explained, "The reason the system chose Master is also related to Mr. Hudson's obsession. It is a given that there is a connection." Mollie raised an eyebrow at that.
So that was how it was. She unexpectedly gained Cloud Space, and it seemed she also benefitted from Jonathon's feelings for her.
However, speaking of obsession, Mollie recalled the scene from her previous life where Jonathon held her decaying body and then unhesitatingly stabbed himself in the chest. For some reason, a wave of sorrow welled up in her heart. But the sorrow lasted only for a few seconds, as the sound of knocking on the door resounded like thuds in her ears.
Stefanie's unrestrained curses also rang out then.
"Mollie Hays, even pigs don't sleep as long as you do! You lazy woman with a big *ss face! Get up already!"
Hearing that, Mollie frowningly took out a medical portable kit from the Cloud Space and headed into the shower to freshen up.
After coming out, she ignored Stefanie Hays' dark face and happily attended her grandfather's birthday banquet.