Chapter 10
Chapter 10 Samuel's Test
"Oh, it's nothing." Annalise was startled and instantly regained her senses.
"Here. Take a look at the menu, and let's order the dishes together. You can make the arrangements! Julian said.
"It's okay, you can do it... Um, okay, I'll join you!" Initially, Annalise was going to let Julian handle it on his own
However, Julian shot her a glance, indicating that they still needed to act like a loving couple in front of the Barton family.
Annalise understood his meaning right away.
When Julian leaned over to her with the menu in his hands, she nestled into the man's arms.
She was intentionally trying to annoy the Barton family and also Samuel.
"How about this? What do you think?" She pointed to a dish, then asked Julian with a smile while lifting her head to look at him.
"Okay," Julian responded gently.
"Eh? What does this word mean?" Annalise asked.
"It's tilapia. It's a kind of fish." The smile at the corner of Julian's mouth widened, and his eyes were filled with affection.
Samuel's face became even more sullen.
When Kent and his family saw that Annalise could not recognize some of the words on the menu, they were even more convinced that she would soon return the betrothal gift to them.
During dinner, Samuel wouldn't stop finding fault with Annalise.
Annalise merely asked when Julian would depart tomorrow.
Then, Samuel stated in a low tone, "Don't speak in the middle of a meal."
When Annalise licked her utensils, Samuel said with disgust, "Watch your behavior."
Then, when Annalise tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, Samuel asked, "Have you always flinched around like this in public?"
"Flinched around?" Annalise thought in rage.
She was so furious she felt as if her chest was burning.
That was the most unhappy meal she had ever had in her entire life.
If it weren't for the fact that Samuel was an old man and the grandfather of her contractual husband, she would have immediately flipped the table in fury.
On the other hand, Abigail, Kent, and Bethany were elated. As the meal went on, their moods were lifted significantly.
In an effort to please Samuel, Abigail even placed some food on his plate using serving spoons. Worried that Samuel might refuse, she even smiled and spoke to the old man about medical theory and nutrition "Old Mr. Parks, please have some pumpkin. They are beneficial to your health. It's the best season to have pumpkins right now. Don't consume them after autumn, though. Pumpkins are cooling foods, so you might catch a cold if you consume them during cold weather. Oh, please have some chicken, too. Among all kinds of meat, chicken contains the most nutrients that can easily be absorbed by the human body. That is also the reason why postpartum women primarily consume chicken to nourish their bodies after giving birth. Grandpa, do have some of this yogurt. They taste good. Dairy helps improve your health. You should consume more dairy products in the future."
Subtly, she had changed the way she addressed Samuel from "Old Mr. Parks" to "Grandpa."
She was pleased when Samuel did not refuse the food she gave him, nor did he say anything about her calling him "Grandpa "
Subsequently, she looked at Annalise provocatively.
Annalise, who was provoked, rolled her eyes at Abigail.
"You!" Abigail was filled with anger. As Annalise had a pair of huge eyes, her pupils were barely visible when she rolled her eyes. It was an extremely irritating sight for Abigail. Annalise placed her fork down in displeasure.
Samuel reprimanded her once more, "After the meal, you should notify everyone at the table that you have finished eating. That is the most basic type of table manners. Hasn't anyone taught you this?" Once again, Annalise was at a loss for words.
She wanted to retort by saying, "No one taught me because I was born without a father, and my mother died when I was three years old. My uncle abandoned me and left me to fend for myself in the countryside. But although no one taught me, I still grew up to be a kind and righteous person!"
Aware of Julian's predicament, she suppressed her anger and ignored Samuel. Then, she stood up, walked to the couch, and sat down.
If it were not for Julian's sake, she would have barged out of the place right away.
"How impolite!" Samuel remarked.
Inwardly, Kent was overjoyed, but he concealed his joy by saying in a remorseful tone, "Old Mr. Parks, please don't be angry. She has been like this since she was young. It's my fault for not teaching her proper manners!"
"Mr. Barton, do eat up. Have some more," Samuel said.
Alexander looked at Samuel in confusion, thinking that the latter was acting quite odd.
He surmised inwardly, "Grandpa has always been amiable, and he'd never reprimand someone like that. Is he deliberately finding faults with Annalise because he looks down on her? It can't be because he's still mad at Annalise for nearly breaking his spine, right? No, that has nothing to do with this. Grandpa must have investigated Annalise and Abigail and concluded that Abigail is a lot better than Annalise. Thus, he regrets it and desires Julian to be with Abigail. Hah!"
Just then, Alexander inwardly sneered coldly.
When he requested to marry Abigail, Samuel advised against it and told him that Abigail was an indecent.
woman.
It turned out that he wanted to give all the good things in the world to his eldest grandson, Julian.
"As expected, Grandpa is biased. No matter how hard I try, I'll never be as good as Julian. I'm destined to rely on myself in this life," he mused.
After eating, the Barton family said their farewells.
Annalise immediately picked up her bag and prepared to leave with them.
However, she was stopped by Samuel. "Hold on, Ms. Barton. I have something to ask you."
The Bartons were once again ecstatic.
They speculated that in a moment, Samuel would try to make Annalise back down by being hard on her.
Left with no choice, Annalise could only stay behind.
She gazed at Julian and shrugged, communicating with him wordlessly. "Your grandpa is making things difficult for me, so if he asked me to get lost later, you shouldn't blame me for not trying my best," she conveyed that message inwardly.
Julian regarded Annalise with a gentle smile and said, "Grandpa wants to talk to you. Go ahead."
Annalise pouted as she followed Samuel into the study.
"Close the door," Samuel ordered.
Annalise frowned slightly before complying and closing the door.
She thought, "If this old man dares to do anything indecent to me, I won't hesitate to punch him."
"Kneel down!" Samuel roared.
Once again, Annalise was at a loss for words.
"What did he just say? Who does he think he is? How dare he make such unreasonable demands? He's not the king!" she mused.
"Kneel down!" Samuel ordered again.
Annalise stared back at Samuel with her large eyes without flinching.
Unable to handle the humiliation any longer, she stated, "Old Mr. Parks, you may be someone important in the Parks family, and your words are not to be defied. But I will not kneel to anyone but my parents and my savior!"
As Samuel observed Annalise's determined expression, he could not help but sigh and admit that Julian did indeed have a good eye.
Annalise was significantly better than that sycophantic and flattering Abigail.
"Kid, I'm sorry for offending you today," Samuel suddenly said.
Annalise was confused. "What is going on?" she thought.
"Thank you for saving my life today. I will definitely repay you by protecting you with my life in the future. You're right, kid, and you've done a good job. I hope you will hold on to your bold attitude and remember what you just said. You shall not kneel to anyone but your parents and your savior," said Samuel.