Chapter 274 What’s the Child’s Surname?
Edmond responded with a “hmm”, his gaze shifting towards the window. Thinking of Claudia having made her move, his eyes softened.
In the past, he thought she was the last of her kind, and he went to great lengths to protect her, even if it meant being disliked by her without offering any explanation. However, after realizing how formidable she was, he didn’t know how to face her.
She was the lost daughter of the Friedan family, with three older brothers above her, and a powerful organization behind her.
She was not the last of her line, it was not his place to protect her, nor did she need protection from anyone.
Thinking of this, Edmond’s heart felt as if it was shackled, and even taking deep breaths couldn’t alleviate this palpitation.
The knuckled fingers clenched tightly, fine sweat broke out on the forehead. After a while, it finally returned to normal.
Just then, the phone rang, a message popped up: Tristen wants to see
you.
***
Early in the morning, Claudia arrived at the Fleming family’s place in the Johnson family’s private car.
She was going to meet this Axton.
As long as Axton didn’t give up the idea of making Arianna his granddaughter-in-law, her marriage would be hindered.
She had always believed that anyone who could use marriage as a bargaining chip was not a good person.
The place where Axton lived was a quadrangle courtyard, located within the third ring road, covering a vast area. From the outside, it looked majestic and imposing, but once inside, it revealed a world of its own.
Claudia stood at the door, waiting for the butler to go in and report.
The cold wind swept past, and she suddenly thought of Magnus.
Compared to Edmond, the identity of Magnus was more complex.
Thinking of her master, Claudia took a deep breath, releasing the repression and melancholy in her heart.
She had fulfilled her master’s last wish, next, she should plan for her own life.
“Ms. Friedan, please come in,” the butler invited her in with a warm smile. The moment she stepped in, the butler quickly sent a message to Edmond: Young Master, Ms. Friedan has arrived.
Claudia walked into the Fleming family’s living room and immediately saw Axton smoking by the window. He was holding a long pipe, neatly rolling the tobacco, stuffing it in, and lighting it up, all in one smooth motion.
He leisurely took a few puffs, squinted his eyes in enjoyment, and only then did he look at her.
Axton looked her up and down a few times, finally his gaze landed on her not noticeably pregnant belly.
“Sit down, it’s not suitable for pregnant women to stand for a long time.”
The tone unexpectedly carried some elder’s care, which made Claudia feel strange.
Thinking of Magnus’s identity, it suddenly became clear, and Axton also knew who the father of the child in her belly was.
“Mr. Fleming, I am here today for my cousin Arianna,” Claudia said with a faint smile. “I have already taken care of the Johnson family’s matter, so there’s no need for Mr. Fleming’s assistance. However, I hope Mr. Fleming will refrain from involving my family in the future.”
“My cousin would not marry your grandson.”
She spoke directly.
The Johnson family didn’t dare to warn Axton, she wasn’t afraid.
Axton raised an eyebrow, looking at her in surprise, “Did you come today just for this?”
This was the first time he had seen such a decisive and direct warning.
“How did you handle the Johnson family’s matter?” Axton asked her with interest.
The Johnson family’s situation was so tricky that Kingston had invested heavily this time, and even he wanted to help but didn’t know where to start. However, the little girl in front of him said she had already solved it. He was curious about how she could solve it.
Claudia’s clear eyes shimmered, the corners of her bright red lips slightly upturned, “Mr. Fleming knew about the Enigma, didn’t he?”
Mr. Fleming was slightly taken aback.
“I was an employee of the Enigma, saving a company was just a matter of a single sentence.”
“Enigma?” Axton squinted his eyes.
Thinking of the rumors from a while ago, he took another look at
Claudia
Such a young girl had joined such an organization, which showed her outstanding abilities.
Thinking of his grandson’s relationship with her, Axton nodded in satisfaction.
From Magnus’s perspective, he was very satisfied with this granddaughter-in-law.
“Since you’ve already settled the matter with the Johnson family, my dealings with them are over. Arianna doesn’t need to marry Zyon anymore. Don’t you think it’s redundant to come and tell me all this?” Axton sat on the sofa, his expression stern.
“Your deal with my uncle didn’t go through, but I fear you still have the intention of arranging a marriage. I visited you today specifically to dissuade you from this idea. My cousin has worked hard and excelled for so many years, not to marry your foolish grandson.”
“Foolish grandson…” Axton’s face turned sour, his voice suddenly dropping, “My grandson may be foolish, but marrying into the Fleming family would never treat her poorly. What’s wrong with the Fleming family having no mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts? How many people wish for such a life but can’t attain it? Ms. Friedan, you’re young and inexperienced. Marriage isn’t all about love, what matters most is whether you’re comfortable in the latter half of your life.”
Hearing this, Claudia sneered in silence.
It’s a pity that Arianna was destined to be uncomfortable marrying such
a man.
“I didn’t come to negotiate with you today, I just came to inform you. If you still have such thoughts, I advise you to dispel them as soon as possible. I can revive a dying company, and I can also make a thriving company decline. If you don’t believe it, you can try it.”
Her tone was indifferent, every word and sentence laden with deep meaning, which made Axton’s anger build up.
What a transition from prosperity to decline.
“You’re part of this organization, don’t you have any internal rules and regulations? Does your top leader know about your arrogance?” Axton narrowed his eyes in anger, “I heard that your organization can get things done with money, I want to see, between our Fleming family and your Johnson family, who has more money!”
Claudia’s clear eyes were unfathomably deep.
System? She was the system.
As for whether the top leader knew about this or not, well, that’s purely overthinking.
“Mr. Fleming, some things can’t be solved with money. That’s all I have to say for today. If you don’t believe me, you can post a task in the organization and see if they accept it or not.”
Having said all that, she suddenly felt somewhat exhausted.
She turned to leave, when Axton suddenly spoke up, “Have you seen
Magnus?”
Claudia paused in her steps, and Axton spoke again, “The child in your belly is ours, the Fleming family’s. By rights, you should call me grandfather.”
Claudia’s heart sank abruptly, she sneered, “Mr. Fleming, you’re mistaken, my child’s surname is Lamont, not Fleming.”
Her surname, Lamont, was her reciprocation to Cicely’s last wish.
Before Cicely died, she gave her everything she had struggled for half her life. How could she possibly give birth to a child and still let him bear the surname Fleming?
What’s the difference between this and ingratitude?
If Cicely had known, she might have jumped out of her grave.
Unexpectedly, she would utter such a resolute statement. Axton’s face instantly darkened, “With this attitude, are you not planning to remarry Magnus?”
“If you wanted to remarry him, the child would have to take the surname Fleming.”
Claudia remained calm, her tone light, “I’m sorry, Mr. Fleming, my mother-in-law’s dying wish was for a house full of descendants. There’s no way the child could have the surname Fleming. If I remarry, it would be with Edmond, not Magnus.”
“If Mr. Fleming didn’t have anything else, I would leave first.”
“Stop!” Axton’s face was covered in wrinkles and filled with anger, “You could get engaged and marry Horace, so why can’t you do the same with our Magnus? Why can’t you marry him as a second wife and let the child change his surname? Is the Fleming family not as good as the Lamont family?”
Axton’s face was grim. After a moment of thought, he coughed.
Immediately, several black-clad bodyguards rushed in from outside the door.
“Ms. Friedan, you’re a guest as long as you’re here, don’t rush to leave. You don’t know the Fleming family yet, so why not stay a few days to get to know them better?” After saying this, he gave a signal to the bodyguards.
The bodyguards intuitively walked over, a few of them standing in front of her like an impenetrable wall of iron and copper.
