Eva was stunned for a moment, and then gritted her teeth in frustration. "I am Charlie’s mother!"

Nancy tilted her head slightly, a cold glint flashing in her amber eyes beneath the veil.

"Does he acknowledge you as his mother?"

"You!"

Eva was so infuriated by Nancy's words, hitting precisely where it hurt the most!

Nancy didn’t care how furious Eva was—she could not see her reaction, anyway.

"My husband hasn’t forced me to acknowledge the Thompson family, so why should you? Even if he did recognize you, you still wouldn’t have the right! Whether I acknowledge my biological family is my own business. What does that have to do with you?"

"Nancy!"

This time, Eva was truly enraged by Nancy. If it had not been for the crowd watching, she would have slapped Nancy across the face!

"I’ve told you before: with your current status, you are not worthy of standing beside Charlie. Now that the Thompson family is here to acknowledge you, if you miss this opportunity, there will never be another! Or do you want to stand by and watch something happen to Charlie?"

"Tch!"

Nancy scoffed, an expression of disdain on her face. "My man is not as weak as you think!"

What kind of man depends on a woman to protect him?

Even if Nancy had acknowledged the Thompson family that day and used their power as backing, would Charlie really have been willing to rely on them for help when something went wrong?

Eva was completely frustrated with Nancy’s stubborn and reckless thinking. In a fit of anger, she raised her hand and slapped toward Nancy's veil.

With a resounding "smack," the slap didn’t land on Nancy’s face. Instead, Charlie had rushed over and caught Eva’s hand mid-air.

Charlie’s deep eyes flared with intense anger as he glared at Eva. He forcefully pushed her hand away.

"This is Nan’s own business. It’s not your place to interfere!"

His strong hand gripped Nancy’s smaller one firmly, offering a comforting warmth.

“Eva, I’ll say this one last time: Nancy is my woman. Since I’ve chosen her and married her, she is my wife. If you dare to interfere with her again—be it with words or actions—don’t blame me for not being polite!"

Eva looked at Charlie, heartbroken, as if her entire world had shattered.

"Charlie, I’m doing this for your own good!"

But Charlie didn’t even spare her another glance. Suddenly, he bent down and scooped Nancy up in his arms like a princess.

Nancy smiled softly and naturally wrapped her arms around his neck. She loved how strong and assertive he was, radiating protective energy!

Charlie carried Nancy, walking steadily along the red carpet.

Arthur and Andrew both stepped forward at the same time, intending to take Nancy from his arms.

Charlie’s deep eyes shot them both a cold look. “My wife doesn’t need a powerful family background, nor does she need strong support from her side. I am her knight, and the Firth Family is her backing. Whether it’s the Thompson family or the Lesser family, we neither aspire to, nor wish to, climb higher!”

His words were full of pride, giving no face to either Andrew or Arthur.

Yet, strangely enough, his declaration left all the women present feeling a mix of envy and jealousy.

After all, no matter how powerful or influential a woman's family may be, if her husband doesn’t love her or care for her, what’s the point?