As she spoke, Amelia paused deliberately. "But then again, considering Rose was such a promiscuous woman, even if Nancy isn’t Andrew’s daughter, she might not be Hugh’s either. Who knows how many men Rose had? It’s no wonder Hugh doesn’t want to acknowledge her."

Suddenly, with a loud "smack," Amelia received a harsh slap across her face.

Clutching her now-swollen cheek, Amelia stared at Arthur in shock. Her voice, once soft and seductive, was now sharp and shrill. "Mr. Thompson, what do you mean by this?"

Arthur shook his hand, exuding authority as he bellowed, "Do you think you can casually slander and insult members of the Thompson family? Do you take us all for fools, believing we would come here to call Nancy your family without verifying her identity?"

"I... I didn’t mean…"

Amelia suddenly felt a pang of guilt. "I was just stating the facts…"

"Facts, my foot!"

Arthur showed her no mercy. "I warn you, if I ever hear any slander about Nancy or Rose again, I’ll destroy your entire family and leave you begging on the streets!"

Terrified, Amelia ignored the pain in her cheek and retorted in a panic, "What does this have to do with me? People have mouths—they’ll say whatever they want. How can I control that? Besides…"

A sharp glare from Arthur silenced her instantly.

Despite his age, Arthur’s aura and authority still commanded respect and fear from everyone present.

Biting her lip in frustration, Amelia was utterly humiliated. "You’re being unreasonable…"

"I am reason!"

Arthur declared coldly. "No one messes with the Thompson family. Anyone who dares will pay a heavy price, and I’ll make sure of it!"

Amelia’s heart trembled, and she dared not say another word as she fled from the scene.

Arthur snorted disdainfully. "How dare she slander Nancy’s mother in front of me…"

Then, he turned to Micheal. "Micheal, investigate that woman. If you can find any information on Hugh, all the better."

Micheal nodded. "Yes, Grandpa."

After a few more rounds of drinks, the banquet came to an end.

Charlie, along with the Firth family, began escorting the guests out. When Arthur and the rest of the Thompson family approached, Charlie coldly remarked, "Mr. Thompson, since Nancy hasn’t accepted your recognition, it wouldn’t be right for her to accept your dowry either. Please take it back."

"What?"

Arthur’s mustache nearly bristled in rage. "Charlie, do you realize that what I’ve brought are priceless treasures? They’re rare, invaluable items that money can’t even buy!"

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "Do you think we care?"

Arthur was so enraged he nearly coughed up blood!

The items in the dowry were so rare that people would fight over them, yet Charlie had the audacity to say they didn’t care? It was enough to drive Arthur mad!

Seeing his grandfather fuming, Micheal frowned and said, "Mr. Firth, even if Nancy hasn’t recognized us yet, she will eventually. By then, bringing everything over again would be a hassle, don’t you agree?"

"That’s for the future to decide."

Charlie showed no courtesy. "We’ll discuss it then."