Chapter 0010

Seeing Vincent's somewhat polite demeanor, Mrs. Smith's attitude grew more confident and arrogant.

Naturally, her arrogance was directed at Louis; no matter how foolish she might be, she wouldn't dare be arrogant toward Vincent.

Mrs. Smith glanced at Louis before turning to Vincent with a smile, "Mr. Vincent, I came here today to visit Mrs. Eve. We met previously at a social gathering."

Hearing this, Adolf couldn't help but glance at his wife.

Mrs. Eve, slightly bewildered, shook her head, indicating she had no recollection of the woman before her.

This was understandable, as only Mrs. Smith remembered Eve; Eve didn’t even recall Mrs. Smith's presence at that event.

However, this wasn’t a significant issue for Mrs. Smith, as her true purpose for being here wasn't related to Eve.

She looked at Vincent and continued, "Moreover, I also want to thank the Astor family for their cooperation."

Vincent shook his head and said, "It is what you deserve."

At this point, he couldn't help but feel somewhat pleased with Mrs. Smith's attitude.

However, before he could express his satisfaction, Mrs. Smith boldly declared, "I have only one request, which is to switch Louis's internship position with my son Mason!"

As she spoke, she pointed at Louis and continued to insult him. "Louis is a completely useless person. He must have used some dirty tricks to get an internship with the Astor Corporation! Moreover, you don’t know, this boy is extremely unlucky and might bring misfortune to your company!"

She relentlessly insulted and humiliated Louis, seemingly enjoying the process, completely oblivious to Vincent's gaze growing colder by the moment.

Everyone present was shocked by Mrs. Smith's tirade, looking at her as if she were a fool.

How could she dare insult the future heir of the Astor family right in the Astor estate?

Vincent and Ariana's expressions darkened; if looks could kill, Mrs. Smith would have been torn to pieces by their gazes.

Louis’s face also grew somewhat unsightly.

He didn’t care about the insults directed at him, but hearing these words in front of his family still angered him.

When Louis was still in school, Mrs. Smith always tried to tell all his classmates that he was a bad and unlucky child...

Mrs. Smith kept talking non-stop, almost as if she were on a mission to paint Louis in the worst possible light.

Louis clenched his fists and suddenly shouted, "Shut up!"

"Shut up!"

Almost simultaneously, another voice echoed. Louis widened his eyes in surprise and looked to the side.

He saw his father, Vincent, with a cold expression, stepping forward and glaring icily at Mrs. Smith.

Vincent truly felt like a fool for not investigating everything thoroughly before.

It was clear that Louis’s life at the Smith household had been like hell; he certainly hadn’t received even a bit of love or care!

Vincent said in a deep voice to Mrs. Smith, "You have no right to slander the heir of the Astor family. Shut up before I make sure you can't say another word!"

With that, he turned to the butler and coldly commanded, "Throw them out of the estate. Never let me see them around here again!"

The butler immediately obeyed, and with the help of the guards, he dragged Mrs. Smith and Mason out of the Astor estate.

Mrs. Smith and Mason seemed stunned by Vincent's words.

They stared wide-eyed at Louis, their eyes almost popping out, mumbling in disbelief as they tried to deny the reality before them.

They seemed to want to scream something, but the guards silenced them and dragged them away.

It wasn’t until they were out of sight that Louis no longer felt their intense, hateful stares.

He looked at Vincent and nodded slightly, saying, "Thank you very much."

On the surface, that was all he said, but in his heart, Louis was deeply moved.

He had thought that Vincent would be swayed by Mrs. Smith’s words, just like his classmates or anyone else. But no, Vincent had defended him.

Vincent quickly smiled, then, with a hint of sadness, asked, "I just want to ask you this once, did you have a good life at the Smiths'?"

Louis lowered his head, not saying a word. His silence made Vincent's heart ache.

Indeed, anyone who saw Mrs. Smith's attitude earlier could tell that Louis hadn’t been happy living with the Smiths.

Vincent was just trying to find a glimmer of hope that his son hadn’t suffered for 18 years, but it seemed that hope didn’t exist!

Vincent's expression turned icy, and he said in a deep voice, "Ariana, terminate the contract with the Smith family immediately. In the future, don’t give them any opportunity to cooperate with us!"

After a pause, he felt that was too lenient and added, "Spread this news, and let's see who still wants to work with the Smith family!"

The Smith family had become a target for the Astor family, and those seeking to curry favor with Vincent would certainly avoid collaborating with the Smiths.

Ariana quickly responded, "I informed the legal department to prepare the agreement when we brought Louis home. I was going to inform you later. I didn’t expect those shameless people to come to our house and even dare to insult Louis!"

As she spoke, her eyes were cold, and that coldness was, of course, directed at the Smith family.

Louis watched them, his eyes seemingly sparkling with a small light. It was truly wonderful to have a family that protected him.

Perhaps, at last, heaven was beginning to compensate for the suffering he had endured.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Smith and Mason were being escorted out of the Astor estate by the butler and the guards.

They looked bewildered, as if they didn’t understand what was happening.

The butler shook his head slightly, feeling that these people were not only cruel but also foolish.

He said in a deep voice, "Young Master Louis is the lost heir of the Astor family. If nothing else happens, he will be the future head of the Astor family!"

Upon hearing this, both Mrs. Smith and Mason widened their eyes in shock. Even after the butler left, they didn't seem to register it.

Mason muttered, "This... how can this be happening..."

Mrs. Smith, on the other hand, began to tremble uncontrollably.

She tried to take a few steps but could no longer bear it and collapsed to the ground. She clutched her head, groaning.

She started to recall how she had treated Louis over the past eighteen years, and there wasn’t a single moment when her face was kind towards him.

All he received was coldness, humiliation, and abuse!

At this moment, she truly regretted it, regretted it deeply! If only... if only she had treated Louis well from the beginning...