Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law-Chapter 610: Love as Deep as the Sea, Naming the Baby (4)_1
"Understood."
"Hmm." Julia nodded. "You’re forcing her to commit a crime."
"If she were a person with a conscience, no matter how much I pushed her, she would never commit a crime. What I really want is to tear her apart!" Glades Horne said fiercely.
It was apparent how deep his hatred for Pheobe Rogers ran. If Pheobe Rogers had any self-awareness, she would have been content with her situation and not challenged his mother’s position for years. Nor would she have constantly whispered in his father’s ear, causing his father to be gravely biased towards her. She certainly wouldn’t have incited and instigated James Horne to usurp the family fortune. If it hadn’t been for the revenge plan he had set in motion years ago to bring James Horne to his side, James would have long since become as greedy and morally corrupt as Pheobe Rogers. Now, for James Horne’s sake, he could spare her life. However, though she might avoid a death sentence, she couldn’t escape due punishment for her crimes.
Furthermore, the financial blow and retaliation he’d dealt her might have been a wake-up call for an ordinary person, prompting them to become self-reliant, especially since he hadn’t completely cut off her means of survival. She could have supported herself if she had chosen to. But she didn’t; she continued to depend on the Horne family for her livelihood. And she harbored thoughts of revenge, plotting to strike back. Perhaps Pheobe Rogers believed the Horne family had wronged her, but has she ever considered that she is the one who should be apologizing?
"If it weren’t for you, I might have had someone strangle her and throw her into the sea to feed the sharks. But now, I no longer seek her life," Glades Horne said in a low voice.
"Thank you, Glades, for ensuring I can fulfill the promise I made to James," Julia said, embracing his sturdy waist, knowing how much he despised Pheobe Rogers.
Pheobe Rogers had brought this upon herself; she had no one else to blame.
"I’ve said before that James is my brother. Having a mother like that, James has also suffered for many years. Perhaps after everything settles down, James can finally live a more relaxed life."
Thinking of James Horne’s suffering, Julia fell silent.
Perhaps, once Pheobe Rogers’s situation was resolved, it would be a good thing for James Horne as well. At least he wouldn’t have to endure the pain his mother inflicted upon him anymore. As her son, he was also doing his best to help his mother. If it hadn’t been for him, Glades Horne might not have spared Pheobe Rogers’s life.
"How do you need me to cooperate?" Julia asked after a moment of silence.
Glades Horne then detailed his plan to Julia.
「In the first-floor hall, the room was full of people.」
The elderly lady, Gian Horne and his wife, Viola Hanley with her son and daughter, Marcel Horne—who appeared vibrant after a recent romantic encounter—and Ruby, whose blush had yet to fade, Sovia Morris, and the elderly lady’s two daughters and sons-in-law were all present.
"Mom, you’ve called us all here. What’s the matter?" Viola Hanley was the first to ask.
"A big matter, of course! It’s something major that I’ve called you all here for," the elderly lady said with a wide smile, but her words put everyone on edge, wondering what this "major matter" could be.
"Grandma, please just tell us, what is this big deal? I’m so scared my legs are weak! For Grandma to call it a big deal, surely the Valence Group isn’t about to go bankrupt, right?" Harry Horne, who couldn’t seem to say anything auspicious, was immediately glared at several times by the elderly lady. She rebuked him, half-annoyed and half-amused, "Harry, are you so eager for the Valence Group to go bankrupt? Be careful, or your brother might hear you and end up acquiring your company. Don’t come crying to Grandma then, alright?"
Harry Horne quickly looked around, and not seeing Glades Horne, he relaxed and chuckled, "Grandma, I was just using it as an example."
"Mom, please just tell us, what is the big matter?" Gian Horne, taking the lead as the eldest son present, voiced the question on everyone’s mind again.
"Naming the babies! Both babies were born several days ago, and we still haven’t chosen names for them. I’ve gathered you all here to help with the naming," the old lady said with a beaming smile.
After she finished speaking, she instructed Aunty Mei to fetch several sheets of paper from her room. All of them were filled with names. She had privately consulted an excellent naming master, who had suggested these names based on the babies’ birth charts, for the family to choose from. These names were all well-suited to the babies. She might seem superstitious, but she firmly believed that a person’s name greatly influenced their destiny. It was just like Asher Cooper, who had also consulted a naming master for his sons when they were born.
"Take a look at these names on the list. Which ones sound good? Also, if you think of any good ones, tell me," the old lady said, having Aunty Mei distribute the list of candidate names for everyone to look over and help choose.
Upon hearing that the "big matter" was naming the two babies, everyone felt a mixture of amusement and exasperation. So this was what the old lady had meant! However, on further reflection, the babies’ affairs were indeed a significant matter for the Horne family at this time.
"Grandma, my brother is so devoted to Julia. Why not pick a name like Ria? Or perhaps something similar, like ’Cherish-Ju’ or ’Adore-Ju’?" Harry Horne joked as he scanned the rows of names.
"If it were a daughter, you can bet your brother would name her Ria," the old lady retorted, rolling her eyes at him.
Harry Horne touched his nose and chuckled. He thought it was quite possible.
"Hey, Grandma, this name isn’t bad—Ivan. Ivan Horne. Hmm, it sounds good, and it isn’t hard to write. When my adorable and handsome nephew goes to school, he’ll be able to learn how to write his own name quickly," Henry Horne said, already thinking ahead to the baby’s schooling.
"Ivan Horne?"
Everyone repeated the name, mulling it over.
The old lady nodded and encouraged them to think further and look at more options.
"The old lady’s eldest daughter also selected a name. ’How about Earl? Horne Earl. It sounds like Lord Earl or Young Master Earl—very impressive!’"
The old lady nodded again.
Subsequently, others also picked out names they liked. The old lady then copied down all the selected names and had Aunty Mei take them upstairs for Julia and Glades Horne to make the final decision, as the son was, after all, theirs.
"What about Adele’s baby? Don’t forget about Adele’s baby!" the old lady suddenly exclaimed, realizing everyone had focused on Julia’s son and overlooked Adele’s. Her expression turned stern as she said, "No matter the circumstances of Adele’s child’s birth, the baby is a descendant of the Horne family. We must not show partiality, neglecting Adele’s baby while pampering Glades’s baby. We should give Adele’s baby twice as much love, so he doesn’t grow up like James did. Understand?"
Their expressions grew somber, and they nodded solemnly.
And so, everyone busied themselves with suggesting names for Adele’s baby as well.
Finally, they copied down all the selected names and had them sent to Adele’s room for her to make the final decision.
After Glades Horne and Julia reviewed the names everyone had helped choose, the couple carefully sifted through them. In the end, Julia decided on the name Ivan. Thus, her and Glades’s precious baby’s name was settled: Ivan Horne.
Adele’s decision, however, took much longer.
She wanted to name her child Billy, signifying she had no regrets about giving birth to the baby, but she felt ’Billy’ was too common a name. In the end, she wavered among Jimmy Horne, Horne Yuhao, and Horne Ming. She liked the name Horne Ming, but then she recalled that ’Ming’ shared the same sound as characters in her brother’s and father’s names, so she considered discarding it.
It was only after she learned that her nephew was named Ivan Horne that she decided to go with Jimmy Horne, using Billy as the baby’s nickname.
She was unaware that, in the future, the baby would undergo another change of both name and surname.
Thus, the names of the cousins, born on the same day with the elder being merely two hours older than the younger, were decided. The elder cousin, Ivan Horne, would be known as Young Master Ivan, and the younger cousin, Jimmy Horne, as Young Master Jimmy. The servants privately joked that they were both favored sons of heaven.
