Jeff stared at Emily's stunning profile, but to him she looked utterly repulsive.
"Heh, first you cheated on me, then you framed me for cheating, and now you want to slap my face? Good wife. I really married a 'good wife' that comes along once in a century."
Jeff's anger had reached its boiling point.
Unexpectedly, Brandon snatched the Dragon Ruler from Emily's hand and charged straight at him.
"You bastard, how dare you hit me! I'll smash your face to pieces!"
Brandon swung the heavy metal ruler at Jeff's face with full force.
Jeff stood motionless. He caught Brandon's wrist with his left hand, twisted it sharply, and forced Brandon to slap himself with his own weapon.
Snap!
The Dragon Ruler cracked hard across Brandon's already battered face.
His swollen features looked even worse now.
The entire hall fell silent in shock.
The live-in son-in-law had just made the Harper family's eldest grandson hit himself?
Old Madam Harper shot to her feet in fury. "You scoundrel! How dare you act so wildly here! Do you know how many bureau chiefs and department heads are among these guests? They could have you arrested and thrown in jail on the spot!"
Jeff knew her threat carried weight. The Harpers mingled only with the powerful; no ordinary people were in their circle.
Yet he turned calmly to the guests. "I think the officers present can see clearly. Brandon attacked me first with a weapon. I was only defending myself."
The guests were dressed casually; no uniforms in sight. But a tall man with glasses spoke up.
"But you just agreed to accept the Harper family rules, then went back on your word when punishment came. Do you think that's how a man behaves, being so untrustworthy?"
His words drew murmurs of agreement from the crowd, showing his high standing.
Old Madam Harper smiled at the support.
Jeff replied evenly, "I am willing to accept the Harper family rules, but only if I've actually done something wrong."
Old Madam Harper snapped, "You cheated on Emily with other women and beat my grandson! Isn't that enough?!"
Jeff snorted coldly. "For the past three years, I loved Emily Harper with all my heart, without a single stray thought."
"It's your granddaughter who's been cheating. She checked into The Pinnacle Hotel with Ryan Caldwell yesterday. You can check the hotel records."
The words exploded through the hall. Guests began whispering immediately.
"Ryan Caldwell? The second young master of the Caldwell family?"
"I've heard rumors the Harpers were trying to match Emily with a Caldwell son. Looks like it's true."
"The Harpers and Caldwells would be a perfect alliance, but she should divorce first. Having an affair while married isn't right, is it?"
"So the number one beauty in Riverforge isn't as pure as the stories say, huh."
The murmurs grew louder. Emily's face flushed crimson with embarrassment.
"Grandma, everyone, don't listen to his nonsense. I met Ryan yesterday to discuss business. As you know, Sterling Real Estate is raising funds right now. I was talking investment with Young Master Caldwell."
Jeff laughed. "You need a hotel room to discuss business? You need to wear a bathrobe for it? Do you think everyone here is an idiot?"
Just then, a familiar figure entered the hall.
Speak of the devil. Ryan Caldwell himself strode in, flashy hairstyle, expensive suit, holding a lavish gift.
He froze at the tense atmosphere.
When Emily spotted him, she rushed over and pulled him forward.
"Young Master Caldwell, this worthless son-in-law is trying to frame me, saying I had an affair with you. Please tell everyone I came to see you yesterday purely for business."
Ryan paused, then understood why everyone was staring.
He glared at Jeff, thinking, This freeloading trash actually exposed my affair with Emily in front of all these people!
High society might do dirty things, but the key difference from common thugs was appearance. No matter how filthy the deed, they always presented themselves as upright.
Ryan said smoothly, "Everyone, please don't believe what this good-for-nothing Jeff is saying. Emily and I are completely innocent. She came to deliver some documents yesterday, that's all."
He turned to Jeff. "You claim I had an affair with Emily. Do you have any video or photos to prove it?"
Ryan knew Jeff hadn't pulled out his phone to record at the hotel.
Any security footage showing how long Emily stayed in the room had already been erased through Ryan's connections.
All Ryan had to do now was deny everything.
Seeing Jeff stay silent, Ryan laughed triumphantly.
"Everyone, the real reason Jeff is slandering me is something else."
"You may not know this, but this Harper son-in-law also works part-time as a delivery driver. I ordered takeout yesterday, and he happened to be the one who delivered it."
"He was so rude, throwing my food on the ground just because he thought he had the Harper family behind him."
"So I left him a one-star review."
"And it just so happens Mr. Kane, the Swift Delivery agent, is here today. Mr. Kane, you can check his delivery records from yesterday!"