Chapter 1443


    When Elbert learned the truth, he was shocked, and just as wild with rage. The Pines and the


    Laurences were basically enemies, and now, thanks to Bernard’s meddling, they were awkwardly


    stitched together as rtives. Who could swallow that bitter pill?


    Elbert had been nursing dreams of vengeance, but old man Sheldon Pine put a stop to that real quick.


    “He’s family now, son,” he warned, “and that’s the end of it. Unless some blind bat from the Laurence


    n stabs us in the back, you leave Bernard be.”


    Of course, Sheldon was just looking out for thest scion of the Pine family. With Elbert’s


    hotheadedness, he didn’t stand a chance against Bernard’s wits. So, the old man sweet-talked him into


    seeing reason.


    His argument was a sly one, “It’s Bernard who should be squirming, not us. That boy has to call me


    ‘Uncle Sheldon’, putting us a rung above the Laurence’s in this twisted familydder.”


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    The moment Elbert realized he had the upper hand in this bizarre hierarchy, his eyes lit up, and he


    pped his thigh in excitement, shaking Sheldon’s arm. “Dad, you’re a genius!!”


    Sheldon looked at Elbert’s goofy grin, shook his head, and yfully cuffed him on the ear before


    booting him out of the house to cool off.


    Elbert couldn’t wait to spread the news to his cousins in Chiang Rai. Stepping out of the airport, he


    practically bumped into the very subjects of this mess. What were the odds?


    In his glee, Elbert neglected one tiny detail. “Robin, Bernard’s gotta call your mom ‘Aunt’ and my dad


    ‘Uncle’! Isn’t this family tree a hoot?”


    He wasughing so hard he could barely stand, but the others in the car exchanged awkward nces.


    They all knew what Elbert had forgotten – he too had to call Bernard ‘cousin’.


    Nobody had the heart to burst his bubble until Elbert started ribbing Robin. “Hey, you’ll have to call


    Bernard ‘cousin’, too. Hrious, right? He is now officially your family!”


    Robin, barely managing to contain his annoyance while starting the car, fixed Elbert with a withering


    re. “You want to dieughing, or do you prefer dying a stranger’s death in a foreignnd?”


    Elbert quickly backed off, but muttered under his breath about Robin’s overreaction.


    Robin smoothed his ruffled shirt, then coolly reminded Elbert, “I might have to call him ‘cousin’, but so


    do you. Pot calling the kettle ck, much?”


    The realization hit Elbert like a ton of bricks. He wasn’t the one with the upper hand over Bernard;


    Sheldon was. He had totally forgotten his own ce in the pecking order.


    As the car grew quiet, Bernard finally spoke, his voice devoid of emotion, “Family ties are a mess, but


    I’m happy to be your ‘cousin’, and my wife is more than willing to be your… ‘cousin-inw”.”


    Elbert had always adored Eleanor’s beauty and gentle nature, so the new title didn’t bother him. But


    Robin’s expression soured at the title.


    “Why so glum, my dear second cousin?” Elbert teased, quick to adapt to the new family roles. “Not


    thrilled about your new cousin and cousin-inw?”


    Robin, having none of Elbert’s flippancy, asked coldly, “You want your mouth torn open, or prefer to


    take a dive out of the car yourself?”


    Undeterred and emboldened by Bernard’s presence, Elbert retorted, “Hey, cousin, cousin-inw, my


    second cousin here is bullying me. I might just have to get you a banner that says ‘heroes of the


    people’ for saving me.”


    Eleanor couldn’t help butugh at Elbert’s antics, “Robin, for the sake of our adorable little cousin here,


    let’s not be too harsh on him.”


    Robin’s anger melted away at Eleanor’s words, and he hit the gas like a bat out of hell, the car surging


    forward.


    Bernard wrapped an arm around Eleanor, pulling her closer, and rolled down the window a bit. The


    breeze wafted in, ying with Eleanor’s hair, which danced across Bernard’s chiseled features like a


    scene from a painting.


    Elbert, ever the opportunist, snapped a photo with his phone and shoved it under Robin’s nose.


    “Second cousin, isn’t this picture a looker?”


    Robin nced at the screen, his jealousy twisting his face into a snarl, “Second your ass!!”


    Elbert could only shrug; sometimes there was just no pleasing some people.