Compared with the joyful flirting between Travis and Freya, Brian and Joanne appeared quiet. They kept silent all the way home.

Simon was surprised and pleased to see Brian and Joanne returning together. But when he took a careful look at them, their expressions seemed out of sorts. He seemed to have understood something and signaled for the other servants to leave. Then, he walked to the garden silently.

Only Brian and Joanne were left in the large living room.

"Joanne," Brian said, with a flicker of displeasure on his frosty face, "Why were you in that sort of place?"

What right did he have to question her like this?

They were married in name only, and Brian had said this himself!

Joanne retorted with full confidence, "Weren't you in that sort place just now as well?"

"I went there for business. And, Mrs. Lambert, I didn't talk to the opposite sex as cheerfully as you did."

Brian wanted to shut down the bar immediately at the thought of how long Joanne and Ryan had been sitting together,

Joanne sensed that Brian was really mad at her, so she looked down at her toes and responded, "I did not talk to him cheerfully. If you want to hear about how I do autopsies on crime scenes, I can tell you about it. Furthermore, you met Rosalyn in the hotel secretly yesterday. Did I say anything about it?"

Brian's eyes narrowed and said, "You saw it."

Composed, he continued with a smirk, "What did you hear?"

"You promised Rosalyn that you would divorce me in two years. I heard it all!"

Joanne thought smugly, "Hey, boy, I finally have something on you. See how you teach me a lesson!"

Irritated, Brian said, "Who told you that it was a promise?"

"My eyes and ears told me." Joanne replied, "but I will ignore your love affairs with Rosalyn, so don't interfere in my life."

A meaningful smile lifted from the corners of his mouth. He drew closer to Joanne.

"Are you jealous of her?"

Joanne subconsciously wanted to deny it, but it seemed pointless to just deny it.

She gave him a radiant smile and said, "According to your logic, are you jealous, too?"

Brian did not expect his newlywed wife to be so quick-witted. He curled his lips and responded, "Mrs. Lambert, you'd better know your limits."

It meant that Joanne had overestimated herself.

Joanne blinked and said, "Mr. Lambert, you are not jealous?" Then she got angry and barked at him, "Then you don't let me chat with others while you have a secret meeting with your rumored girlfriend! You have double standards. It's unfair! I will definitely not accept things that are unfair! If you want me to keep my distance from other people, we can discuss that after you break up with Rosalyn!"

She made a face at Brian before running upstairs.

Joanne spent the first day of her married life feeling indignant.

The next day.

Joanne only went downstairs at 8:20. Simon greeted her, "Young Madam, young master and you have to go to visit your family at nine o'clock. Everything is ready, you can leave after breakfast."

Joanne responded in a confused tone, "Go to visit my family?"

"The couple has to visit the bride's family on the third day of their marriage." Simon explained patiently, "This is our custom. Madam called me and asked me to arrange everything for you this morning."

"But..." Joanne counted the days as she said, "I married Brian yesterday, so today... should be the second day?"

"I don't have time tomorrow, so you can treat today as the third day."

Brian's came downstairs wearing a suit and leather shoes. The action of buttoning was done by him gracefully and elegantly; an aristocratic aura flowed from him.

Joanne was speechless for a while.

But why did it matter? The marriage between her and Brian was just in name only. They were both in it for something. He needed a wife to stop his mother from hurrying him to get married while she needed the protection of a person stronger than her father.

After breakfast, Simon put everything in Brian's car boot. He said, "Young Master, you can leave now."

Brian got up and went out, Joanne caught up with him and said, "Brian, we don't have to go to my dad's house. Actually, you don't want to go there either, right?"

"The person who doesn't want to go seems to be you."

Brian's deep-set eyes were as sharp as an eagle's. It was as if everything was in front of him and there was nowhere to escape.

"..."

Joanne hated being seen through, but Brian not only saw through her but also thoroughly saw her - she did not want to go back to that home.

Because she could no longer treat that place as her home since she was 15.

When Joanne was 15 years old, her mother accidentally discovered that her father Steven Scott had been having an affair for many years. He even had a daughter who was only three months younger than Joanne.

Her mother loved only Steven in her entire life. She could not bear the shock and had a sudden heart attack and died.

Three months later, Steven brought Patricia and Mia home. He told Joanne that from then on, Patricia Scott was her mother and Mia Scott was her younger sister.

Joanne smiled coldly. The two siblings became enemies with their father. From then on, in Joanne's heart, she had only one remaining relative- her brother, Chris.

After graduating from high school, Joanne moved out. In her university years and when she went abroad to study, she had never asked for a single cent from Steven. She did not return to that home other than when it was absolutely necessary. After she started working, she stayed in the little apartment that Chris bought her, and never returned again.

Chris hated Steven just like her.

Chris could already play with stocks when their mother was still alive. After graduation, he used the money he made playing stocks to start a business upon returning to their home country. He started "Everbridge Group" by himself . It became their father's "Scott Group" greatest competitor.

At first, Steven did not mind his son's little company. By the time he grew aware, he discovered Everbridge Group was already exerting pressure on Scott Group. His company was in danger. Chris wanted to force him down the road to ruin.

Since this was so, Steven also decided not to make things easy for Chris. Joanne was Chris's only weakness. That was how he thought of kidnapping Joanne to threaten Chris.

Chris might let Scott Group off only if he did this.

Chris had discovered Steven's plot in time. He had wanted to send Joanne overseas for a period of time, but she refused to leave. So he had to find his mother's good friend when she still alive, Iris, for help.

Iris did not even think before she said, "Let Joanne and Brian get married! I'd like to see who would dare to touch Lambert Family's daughter-in-law."

That, was how Brian and Joanne's marriage and the returning to the bride's family today came about.

The Scott Family had a villa in the north of the city. They arrived there after an hour journey by car. A servant came to open the door and let Joanne and Brian into the sitting room politely.

Steven sat on the sofa of the sitting room with Patricia and Mia sitting by his side. When he saw Brian, he put down his cigar and stood up with a smile. He said, "Brian, we waited for you guys for the entire morning."

"My apologies." Brian shook hands with Steven. Then, he wrapped his hands around Joanne's waist naturally and said, "Joanne woke up late this morning."

Even though he said that there wasn't a single hint of reproach in his tone at all. His actions also had a tinge of indulgence.

Steven sighed, "This daughter of mine has one bad habit is that she likes to sleep in."

Brian's lips curved up with a faint smile. He held Joanne even more tightly and said, "I don't think there's anything bad about that."

Joanne's heart...couldn't help but jump violently.

Why was she so useless? Brian's protection of her was only done for Steven to see.

Steven paused for a while, but the old fox was experienced and he quickly smiled with a "pleased" expression. "Joanne, there are many people who want to be Brian's father-in-law. I didn't think that you'd help me get this honor."

However, if Chris and Iris thought that he would give up just like that, then they were very very wrong. Even though there was not a single person who would dare to provoke Brian in the business circle, he was considered Brian's senior. His connections were not any weaker than Brian. If he really wanted to do something to Joanne, Brian might not dare to pit against Scott Group.

When he thought of that, Steven took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Joanne, you have to live well with Brian."

Steven was warning her?

Joanne smiled frostily and said, "I know how to be a wife, you don't have to waste your efforts telling me."

"That's good." Steven knew that Joanne hated seeing Patricia and her daughter. Yet, he still said, "Why don't you introduce your aunt and sister to Brian?"

Steven had done that intentionally!

Joanne's universe exploded in a second. However, she suddenly felt someone squeezing her hand.

It was Brian.

Brian did not look at her. Instead, he placed the meeting gift in front of Patricia and her daughter calmly. "Joanne told me about Mrs. Scott and Miss Scott. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Joanne was puzzled. Why was Brian so elegant and polite to other people, but such a ruffian to her?

Uh-huh, that's obviously differential treatment, alright?

Mia took the exquisite package and hugged it happily. She smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you, Brian."

Patricia also accepted it politely and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

Joanne did not have the mood to stay with Mia and her mother. She got up and went upstairs.