Chapter 340: Chapter 340: The Patriarch’s Verdict

Melody Summers thought Maisie Lynch must be out of her mind. No wonder she and Ivan Warren were a match made in heaven.

Gazing at Maisie Lynch’s bruised face, Melody Summers shook her head and replied, "You’re overthinking it. I’m not in the mood."

Maisie kept glaring at Melody, saying through gritted teeth, "Don’t think I don’t know. My husband told me everything! He was fired by Rhodes, and it’s all your fault!"

Melody froze. ’Ivan Warren was fired?’

The incident happened last night, and Ivan was fired today. The whole process took less than twenty-four hours. Rhodes Enterprises certainly moved fast.

Maisie glared fiercely at Melody and demanded, "You’re such a vicious woman. We already admitted we were wrong about what happened before, but I can’t believe you still won’t let us go... Now my husband and I have nothing. Aren’t you afraid you’ll get what’s coming to you?!"

Maisie didn’t know what had happened at the banquet last night. She didn’t know that Ivan Warren had sexually harassed Lucy White first. She still thought Ivan had been framed by Melody Summers.

Looking at Maisie’s hate-filled eyes, Melody suddenly let out a soft laugh.

She crossed her arms, looking at Maisie with a leisurely air. "Your husband? What husband?... Maisie, if I remember correctly, you and Ivan Warren aren’t married yet, are you? Why are you already calling him your husband?"

Hearing this, Maisie didn’t get angry. Instead, a proud expression appeared on her face.

She scoffed, replying smugly, "Hmph, we’ve already registered online. We’re a legally married couple now! Once the snow disaster is over, we’ll go out and pick up the certificate!"

Due to the natural disaster, you didn’t need to go in person to get married anymore; it could all be done via video call with an ID.

When Ivan Warren came home last night, he broke down sobbing.

Maisie was terrified. She comforted him while asking what had happened.

But without a word, Ivan Warren gave her a savage beating.

As if venting his anger, he relentlessly pummeled her body. No matter how much Maisie cried and begged, he wouldn’t stop. Eventually, he beat her unconscious.

When Maisie woke up this morning, Ivan, for some unknown reason, suddenly pulled her into an embrace.

He caressed her black-and-blue cheek, crying and apologizing to her over and over.

He said that Melody Summers had caused him to lose his job and that in a moment of despair, he’d taken it out on Maisie. He hoped she could forgive him.

Not only that, but Ivan even got down on one knee and proposed to her.

Maisie had been waiting for Ivan to propose for years. Seeing him like this, her heart completely softened. She no longer held his assault from the previous night against him and accepted his proposal.

And so, with a face covered in bruises, Maisie Lynch married Ivan Warren via a video call registration.

The scene was so bizarre that even the official handling the marriage registration found it unsettling.

The official on the other end of the video call even hinted several times, trying to figure out if Maisie was being threatened and asking if she needed help...

But Maisie just gave the camera a blissful smile and said she was getting married of her own free will.

Seeing this, the official, despite thinking the couple was absurd, didn’t press the matter further and simply processed their marriage registration.

After all, with the ongoing natural disaster, the higher-ups were trying to maintain stability and reduce the number of unmarried, unemployed men by actively pushing to increase the marriage rate.

Throughout history, unmarried and jobless men have always been a source of instability. This was a desperate measure to mitigate that risk.

The current marriage rate was directly tied to the staff’s performance metrics. No matter how well-intentioned the registry official was, they didn’t want to jeopardize their own performance.

After hearing Maisie’s story, Melody Summers was utterly speechless.

’This Ivan Warren...’ she thought. ’When his career was taking off, he refused to marry Maisie. Now that he’s been fired and has no career, why the sudden urge to get married?’

’Did he wake up, see the snow, and get scared his free maid was going to run off?’

Melody didn’t even know what to say.

Looking at the triumphant smile on Maisie’s face, Melody just shook her head and said, "Well... congratulations on your marriage, then."

With that, Melody didn’t bother with Maisie anymore and turned to go straight home.

Ivan Warren had already been fired by Rhodes Enterprises. Without the salary and benefits the company provided, Maisie’s hard times were just beginning. There was no point in arguing with her.

What Melody didn’t know was that it wasn’t just Ivan Warren; Supervisor Walsh had also been fired by Rhodes...

「...」

At the same time, Supervisor Walsh’s wife, Lana Rhodes, had braved the snow early in the morning to return to her parents’ house, intending to ask her father for help.

Although Lana’s father was only from a branch of the Rhodes Family, he had served in the military in his youth and had some standing with Mr. Rhodes.

It was because of this connection that the mediocre Supervisor Walsh was able to ride his father-in-law’s coattails into Rhodes Enterprises and even secure a supervisor position.

However, due to the incident at The Nimbus Hotel last night, Rhodes Enterprises had already informed Supervisor Walsh that he was being dismissed.

While it wasn’t an immediate termination like Ivan Warren’s, the process was already underway, and his duties were being transferred to someone else.

Lana, her face etched with anxiety, grabbed her father’s hand. "Dad! You have to help us! What happened to your son-in-law was a completely undeserved disaster!" 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"All he did was defend his subordinate and his niece. How did it escalate to him being fired?! The punishment is too severe. Someone must be deliberately targeting him!"

Lana had heard Supervisor Walsh’s account of the events last night. She felt that all he had done was show a little favoritism to a subordinate who made a mistake and helped Zara Walsh during a dispute. That was it.

Although Supervisor Walsh shouldn’t have done it, when it came down to it, it wasn’t a huge deal.

How could it warrant being fired?

Supervisor Walsh was a son-in-law of the Rhodes Family, after all. They were all family, so why was no mercy shown?

Lana just couldn’t understand it. She was convinced her husband was being targeted!

After listening to Lana’s story, her father couldn’t help but frown deeply.

He heaved a deep sigh and said, "He’s a grown man. How can he still be so reckless, covering for his subordinates... It’s outrageous!"

Hearing her father say this, Lana grew anxious. "Yes, yes, I already gave him a piece of my mind. He definitely won’t do it again! Dad, he just trusted that subordinate too much, that’s why he made a muddled decision! I promise it will never, ever happen again!"

"Dad, Walsh has worked at Rhodes for so many years. If not for his achievements, then at least for his hard work! Firing him over something so small... this... this is driving us to our deaths!"

As Lana spoke, she grew so frantic that tears started to fall.

It was hard to find a decent job these days, and getting into Rhodes Enterprises was next to impossible. For a middle-aged man like Supervisor Walsh to be suddenly dismissed was like the sky falling for his family. Lana simply couldn’t accept it!

Seeing Lana start to wipe her tears, her father sighed again. He asked helplessly, "What can I do if you come to me now? I can’t interfere in company matters. Ronan Rhodes is in charge of Rhodes Enterprises now. Even though he’s from a younger generation, I don’t have any sway with him."

Upon hearing this, Lana immediately replied, "Dad, please call Mr. Rhodes and plead for him! You have some history with Mr. Rhodes. As long as he gives the word, Ronan can’t disobey!"

Seeing her desperation, Lana’s father nodded helplessly.

Things had come to this. For the sake of his daughter and son-in-law, he would have to swallow his pride and beg Mr. Rhodes.

Lana’s father stood up silently, took his phone to the balcony, and called Mr. Rhodes...

「...」

A long moment later, Lana’s father walked back into the living room, his expression grave.

Seeing him, Lana immediately shot to her feet. "Dad, how did it go? Did Mr. Rhodes agree to help?!"

Meeting Lana’s expectant gaze, her father just shook his head, his face dark. "Don’t waste your breath. It’s no use asking anyone—Mr. Rhodes was the one who personally made the decision to fire him!"