Chapter 76 Reluctantly Suing for Peace
"You resorted to guilty tripping, distorted the fact, and slandered me, so I will not go and see her, nor will I give her money. You called me unfilial, and I don't accept it."
"Teresa, they are our grandparents. Grandma scolded you, but that's not a big deal. Although you don't have to provide for them, a filial person will give them some allowances. Leila and you, however, have neither visited them nor given them anything. Fine, since you have a clear conscience, we won't comment more about it."
"We've deleted the tweet and hope you'll do the same. It has affected us. This is cyberbullying, and we can sue you. Then again, you're my cousin, and I prefer settling it in private than filing a lawsuit against you."
The speaker was Petter, the most accomplished guy of his generation. With an arrogant attitude, he preached to Teresa.
He was tactfully accusing Teresa and Leila of not fulfilling their filial piety.
There was an agreement that exempted them from their filial duty, but Petter deliberately skipped it.
Teresa sneered, "Sue me as you like. I'll wait for the court summons. I am cyberbullying you? You hired trolls to bully my sister and me. What? You can slander us, and we can't clarify things? I didn't hire anyone to stir up trouble. You went too far. The netizens were annoyed and dug up dirt about you."
"Yeah, we're unfilial that we haven't given Grandma and Grandpa allowances, but Mr. Heller, may I ask how much you give them each month? And how often do you go back and visit them each year?"
"I don't expect a blind man to have a conscience. How did Leila and I get kicked out? Our house was taken, and you were the beneficiary. They let you be the adopted son of my parents, bah!"
"You like that approach and want to do it again, right? You know what? I will not delete the tweet. Sue me as you like. I'll invite the media to stream the lawsuit live."
"Through the lawsuit, we'll make clear the ownership of my parents' properties once and for all. Stop telling me that you're my parents' adopted son. They had no sons when they passed away. That was just an excuse for you to seize the house left by them."
Petter turned livid.
He could not argue with that.
He thought of his suspension. It was quite likely that he would lose the position that he had gotten through years of hard work. Petter suppressed his anger and softened his attitude. "Teresa, I said something wrong but hope that you will not wrestle with us."
"Grandma is in a terrible situation. Although she has done something wrong, she is still our grandmother. Forgive her for the sake of her old age and illness. Come with us and visit her in the hospital."
Their idea was to invite Teresa to the hospital and ease their confrontation. Once the netizens learned that the two parties had made peace, they would stop causing trouble.
All of them had been implicated.
The criticism from the netizens was one thing. The point was that their jobs and businesses were at stake.
At first, the old couple had been unwilling to give in. Distressed to learn that the work of their sons and grandsons had been affected, they reluctantly agreed to sue for peace and let their grandsons come and see Teresa.
They were aware of Leila's current status as a housewife and that Teresa had played a major role in the whole thing. That was why they left Leila alone and came to see her.
"I heard that you are also married. If your husband is free, bring him along to the hospital and let him meet the seniors. They will help you find out if the man is reliable. You don't want to make the same mistake as Leila did."
From his words, Teresa realized that Petter was resourceful enough to figure out the current situation with Leila and her.
"Petter, save your breath. If she refuses to go, we'll smash up her store."
Teresa's youngest cousin was only 17 or 18 years old. He was at his most impulsive stage.
Her reluctance to go to the hospital and delete the tweet annoyed him, and he threatened her.
Teresa gave him a cold look and spat, "I dare you!"
Her fierce gaze and aggressive attitude daunted those men.
"Troy."
Oliver turned around and glared at his cousin. The latter was deterred and shut his mouth. Oliver laid his eyes back on Teresa and forced a smile. "Don't go down to his level. He's always talking like that."
"Petter has said so much. In short, we're cousins bound by blood. We bear the same family name, and our humiliation is also yours. About this matter, it was our fault, and we're sorry. Can we bury the hatchet?"
"You don't have to pay for Grandma's medical bills. We just hope that you'll go and see her. She really misses Leila and you. Grandma and Grandpa have been blaming themselves for doing those terrible things to you. They're sorry for failing your parents."
"Teresa, to err is human, to forgive, divine. They have learned their lessons. For the sake of their old age, give them a chance to correct their mistakes."
Appeal to pathos was the key to easing their confrontation. Only then would Teresa delete the tweet and wrap up the matter.
Even if they wanted to, they couldn't get any money from her. They had to give up.
They really regretted it.
Had they known that Teresa was so tough and bold to fight back by exposing their family scandal and bringing about such a big impact, they wouldn't have employed that trick.
They had thought that Teresa and Leila cared about their reputation, and there was no one helping them. The turn of events had not been expected. So many people helped Teresa and Leila and rebuked them.
Given their income and financial situation, they could split the medical bills without pressure. Even without their support, the old couple had enough savings to cover the expenses.
They had planned not to spend a dime but extort money from Teresa and Leila.
In the end, they paid for their whistle.
They reaped nothing but the whirlwind.
They had to come here, apologize to Teresa, and hope that she would have mercy.
Deep down, they hated her to the core and planned to get it back on her when this was over.
On the surface, they had to adopt a peacemaking attitude.