Marrying My Father's Enemy-Chapter 31: A Father Who Knows Better

Chapter 31: A Father Who Knows Better

-Two Days Later-

"Hahahaha!" Vanesa was laughing at the dinner table, her eyes started shining as she glanced at her mother.

Beatrice chuckled along, proudly lifting her head as she watched her daughter.

"I just can’t believe you actually did it," Beatrice said.

"I mean, really, Vanesa—humiliating that girl like that. Eira deserved every bit of it."

Henry sat quietly across from them, cutting into his steak, chewing slowly, and focusing completely on his plate.

He didn’t react, didn’t even look up at them.

Beatrice noticed and raised an eyebrow. "Henry?" she called, pressing a bit. "Why are you so quiet? You’re usually the first to share a word or two at the table. Don’t you think our Vanesa did something reward-worthy?"

He finished chewing, set his fork down gently beside his plate, and looked up, first at Beatrice, then at Vanesa.

"I went to see Eira," he said in a weirdly calm voice. "In the hospital."

Beatrice froze, her pride vanished immediately from her face. "You... what?"

"I visited her," he repeated, "while she was asleep. I wanted to see how she was."

Vanesa’s laughter died abruptly, and she set her fork down with a loud clink.

Her face scrunched into a frown.

Beatrice’s face turned cold. "Without telling me?" she demanded. "Without even asking me?"

Henry leaned back in his chair, completely unbothered by what his wife was saying. "I didn’t think I needed permission to check on someone hurt by my own family."

Vanesa’s mouth fell open. "Hurt by us? Are you kidding me?"

Beatrice crossed her arms. "I knew you had a soft heart for that wench, Henry, but this? Going behind our backs like this?"

Henry ignored her, keeping his focus on Vanesa.

"I’m disappointed in you, Vanesa," he said quietly, and his words struck like a slap. "You didn’t just humiliate her. You leaked private pictures and videos of her. Do you have any idea how far you’ve gone?"

Vanesa’s eyes narrowed. "She deserved it, Dad. Eira’s nothing but a stuck-up little—"

"Enough," he interrupted in a harsher tone than usual. "I don’t care what you think of her. You crossed a line."

Beatrice slammed her hand down on the table, making the dishes rattle. "We crossed a line?" she hissed. "You’re her father. You should be supporting her, not attacking her."

"Attacking her?" Henry laughed. "You think it’s alright for her to ruin someone’s reputation, involving such pictures?"

Vanesa folded her arms, a pout forming on her lips. "It’s not like Eira was innocent. She flirts with her buddy in university, walks around like she’s better than everyone. She needed a reality check!"

Henry looked at her, disappointment crossing his face. "This isn’t about that, Vanesa. This is about what kind of person you’re choosing to be."

Beatrice gave him a withering glare; her tone was icy. "So now we’re questioning her character? Is that it?"

"Yes," he said, unflinching. "If this is who she’s becoming, then yes."

Vanesa rolled her eyes, crossing her arms tighter; the pout deepened. "You’re just being dramatic, Dad. She’ll get over it."

"You really think that?" he asked. "Do you understand what you’ve done to her?"

"She’s not some saint," Vanesa muttered, looking away. "She’s not going to die from this."

"Enough," Beatrice snapped in a raised tone. "Henry, this is ridiculous. You’re tearing apart our family, all because of some girl who means nothing to us."

Henry took a deep breath, pushing his chair back slightly. "I’d say that’s a girl who’s already been torn apart. She’s in the hospital because of what Vanesa did. That’s serious."

Vanesa scoffed, giving her mother a pleading look. "Mom, you agree with me, right? You know she deserves it!"

Beatrice reached out, patting her hand gently. "Of course I do, darling. And your father should support you too. Isn’t that right, Henry?"

But Henry wasn’t listening to them anymore.

He stood up, turned toward the newspaper on the side table.

He picked it up and unfolded it, pointing to a picture splashed across the front page.

"Look at this," he said. "Eira Hax, Selling Her Body While Callian Reed Is Nowhere to Be Found."

Vanesa’s eyes widened as she looked at the headline, then at the blurred photo beneath it.

It was one of the pictures she had leaked. She hadn’t expected it to be everywhere, for the entire city to see.

She shrugged. "So what? She put herself out there."

Henry threw the paper down on the table, the patience he had now wearing thin.

"This is beyond cruel, Vanesa. What you did... it’s not just a harmless prank. This article doesn’t just make her look bad. It destroys her reputation. And it’s your doing."

"What are you saying, Henry? That we should feel bad? That we should apologize? To her?"

"Yes," he replied, meeting her eyes without a hint of fear. "Because what she did was wrong. And I won’t stand here and pretend otherwise."

"Well, if that’s how you feel, Dad, maybe you’re the one who’s wrong."

Beatrice shook her head, placing a comforting hand on her daughter’s shoulder. "Don’t you worry, Vanesa. We don’t need his approval. Not for this."

Henry looked between them, his face pained from their ignorance.

"No, I suppose you don’t." He looked once more at the headline, then turned, walking out of the room without another word.

Vanesa watched him go. "Guess he’s just too soft to understand, Mom."

Beatrice nodded, smoothing her daughter’s hair back. "Let him sulk. We’re stronger than that."

But as they sat back down, the laughter had drained from the room, leaving only an uneasy silence between them. free𝑤ebnovel.com

What Vanesa did wasn’t just a harmless prank, and Henry didn’t care about Eira’s reputation at all.

What they both couldn’t understand was that if any of these people leaked the fact that Vanesa was the one filming it and humiliating Eira, it would only backfire on him.

He was a cold and ruthless man.

Henry didn’t care much about his children, be they real or illegitimate.

All he cared about was saving his reputation.

"Call the hospital. We need an update about that bastard’s health. If needed, give him a stronger dose and end him there."

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