Chapter 373 Pair of clowns

Stephan glanced at Darius and Miranda, the couple who looked like a pair of clowns:

“What just happened?”

“It was quite a show. I’ll tell you all about it when we get back.” Alana replied.

Neither of them spoke, but they both silently understood the thoughts and feelings in each other’s eyes.

Cynthia brought up her grandmother’s health. “My in-law, how are you feeling?”

Grandma nodded. “I’m doing well... much better.”

Cynthia smiled. “That’s good. I’d heard from Lana about your condition and was quite worried, so I came over specifically to visit. I hope I didn’t disturb your rest.”

Grandma replied immediately, “Not at all. I’m very happy that you two came to visit this old woman. And I’ve also heard from my granddaughter that you’ve been taking good care of her. I’d like to thank you on her behalf.”

Cynthia laughed. “It’s only natural, Lana is the girl my son likes... she’s sensible and well-behaved. Our whole family loves her, so looking out for her is the least we can do.”

Grandma said sincerely, “I’m so happy to hear you say that.”

Although Alana had told her that her boyfriend’s parents were very kind and attentive to her, she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, so she couldn’t help but worry, fearing it might just be a joke Alana was telling to placate her.

But after seeing it with her own eyes, she felt much more at ease and believed that Alana had found a wonderful family.

Cynthia glanced at Alana and added, “Last week, Alana even came over to our place for a visit. She and my son... these two young people have been through a lot to get where they are today, and their relationship is very stable now. As parents, all we hope for is that they’ll be happy for the rest of their lives.”

Grandma nodded; she understood what Cynthia meant.

“It’s time for them to start talking about marriage.”

Hearing this, Cynthia seized the opportunity to say, “Future in-law, I promise you this: as long as you agree to let Lana marry my son, my entire family pledges on our honor that we will never treat her unfairly.”

Grandma looked at Alana.

Alana bit her lip and nodded at her grandmother.

Grandma smiled. “I agree. I trust you’ll take good care of her.”

Cynthia smiled gratefully. “Thank you. We won’t let you down.”

Grandma nodded. “All right, thank you so much.”

Her greatest wish in life was for her granddaughter, Alana, to find happiness.

If her granddaughter was happy, she would have peace of mind.

Over on the other side, Darius and Miranda exchanged a glance.

They had figured it out: Stephan’s parents had come to visit the elderly today specifically to discuss the marriage between Alana and Stephan.

Who would have thought that Stephan, such a domineering, high-handed, and sharp-tongued man... would have such reasonable and understanding parents?

Didn’t they look down on Alana’s background?

But these relatives didn’t want Alana to marry into a wealthy family and live a life of luxury. Wherever they went in the future, she would be a step above them... how could they possibly accept that?

Driven by a desire to stir up trouble, Miranda walked straight up to Cynthia and Bernard.

“I’m Alana’s aunt. You can marry her if you want, but the dowry certainly can’t be skimped on, right? If the dowry is too low, we won’t agree to let her marry into your family!”

Grandma frowned the moment she heard this.

Who asks about the dowry right off the bat? That’s so rude.

Besides, the amount of the dowry is a matter of the groom’s goodwill; the bride’s family shouldn’t be demanding it.

After all, marriage isn’t a business transaction; as long as the two people are happy together, that’s what matters.

Alana’s breath caught in her throat; this was a highly sensitive topic.

Besides, she could tell that Miranda had asked that on purpose, just to embarrass both families.

She regretted it inwardly; if she’d known, she never would have let Miranda and her husband in from the start.

It was bad enough to make a fool of herself, but now they were trying to disrupt her marriage prospects.

She glanced nervously at her future in-laws, unsure how to broach the subject.

Her palms were sweating.

Stephan noticed her rapid breathing. He reached out, took her hand, and gently rubbed her sweaty palm with his fingertips, as if to soothe her.

It was a subtle reminder that this was just a minor incident, there was no need to panic.

Cynthia, who was very tactful, replied with a smile, “The dowry isn’t an issue. A girl as wonderful as Alana marrying into the Hudson family is a blessing for us. How could we possibly shortchange her on the dowry?”

Her grandmother couldn’t help but step in to smooth things over, “Dear in-laws, the amount of the dowry isn’t important... what matters is that the sentiment is there.”

Miranda sneered, clearly relishing the chaos: “Mom, how can that be? She said her family will cherish Lana and won’t shortchange her... we certainly can’t skimp on the dowry! If we give too little and still claim to value her, wouldn’t that be a laughingstock?”

Grandma was getting angry. “Miranda!”

Miranda continued, “Mom, I’m just looking out for Lana. If she can’t get a hefty dowry from her future in-laws, what’s the point of getting married at all?”

“Besides, you’ve raised Lana all these years and given her all your money. Isn’t it reasonable to ask for a high dowry as a return on your investment?”

Grandma’s face flushed with anger, she was both furious and embarrassed.

She felt too ashamed to even face Cynthia and her family.

Alana was very worried about her grandmother, fearing that the stress might take a toll on her health again.

Cynthia, on the other hand, remained remarkably calm; after all, she had weathered her fair share of storms.

Besides, she had already learned the details of Alana’s family situation from Stephan at the outset.

She knew that aside from her grandmother, who was genuinely kind to her, everyone else was a scheming villain with no good intentions.

Now, Alana’s aunt was deliberately demanding a high dowry just to make things difficult for her.

But Cynthia wasn’t about to let herself be pushed around like that.

She smiled calmly and said, “Dear in-laws, rest assured on this point. We will certainly provide a generous dowry. We’ve already discussed this from the start: the dowry for Alana will be no less than five billion dollars, not including several properties worth over a hundred million each, as well as luxury cars, jewelry, and other expensive items.”

“Of course, when the time comes to present the betrothal gifts, we’ll prepare a detailed list. If you feel it’s still insufficient, we can always add more.”

Of course, she was actually underestimating the amount; the dowry she intended to give Alana would be nothing less than that.

Back when Stephan’s father married her, the dowry he gave her was well over 10 billion.

But fearing that Miranda and her kind might have their eyes on the dowry, she had deliberately downplayed the amount.

But such a massive sum was enough to leave Miranda and Darius, the married couple, so stunned their jaws nearly hit the floor.

Her grandmother and Alana were also stunned.

Although they had guessed that Stephan’s family was well-off, a dowry in the billions was simply too extravagant.

Grandma’s lips trembled; she couldn’t believe it. “T-t-that’s... far too much...”

Seeing the reactions of Grandma, Miranda, and the others, Cynthia knew she had this in the bag.

She smiled. “It’s not much... it’s just a token of our sincerity in wanting Alana to join the Hudson family.”

Miranda let out a shriek, “Five billion?! Are you kidding me? Spending five billion on a dowry to marry an orphan, don’t you think that’s a huge loss?” The moment the words left her mouth, everyone except Darius shot Miranda a hostile glare.

Only then did Miranda realize that, driven by jealousy over the five-billion-dollars dowry, she had let her true feelings slip.

But she didn’t think she was wrong, she simply didn’t believe Alana was worth a dowry of over a million, talk more of a billion!

If that billion-dollar dowry were given to her own daughter, she wouldn’t know how happy and delighted she’d be.

But it had to go to Alana how could Alana possibly deserve it?!

Cynthia frowned, truly feeling that her aunt was clearly jealous of Alana’s success, it was disgusting.

She truly felt sorry for her niece; she deserved respect, not constant belittling and mockery for being an orphan.

Cynthia spoke directly, “I think Lana deserves it. She deserves even more and better. It doesn’t matter that she has no parents, but as long as she marries my son, I will be her mother, and Stephan’s father will be her father. We will cherish her as our own daughter.”

Stephan took Alana’s hand and made a promise to his grandmother at that moment, “Grandma, rest assured. I’ll take good care of Lana.”

Grandma was deeply moved. “Good. Hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.”

Upon hearing this, Miranda felt as if a bowl of jealousy had been overturned inside her, making her feel even more bitter.