Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law

The doting and tender affection her dearest older brother, Glades Horne, showed towards Julia Bluen fueled Adele Horne's deep dissatisfaction. When she heard her brother's icy words, she screamed, "Brother, I am your sister, yet you dare to strike me for this vixen?"

In her heart, the Bluen sisters were nothing but vixens who had ensnared her brother's soul to the point where he no longer cherished his own sister.

Glades Horne had only intended to scare her. But she remained unrepentant and insulted Julia Bluen as a vixen once more. His expression immediately darkened, a surge of rage sweeping over him. He took a few large strides forward, raised his hand, and swung it to slap her.

Adele Horne was terrified, suddenly realizing she had once again provoked her brother's ire. She squeezed her eyes shut and wrapped her arms around her head, fearing Glades Horne's slap might fracture her skull.

However, the pain she anticipated never came.

"Julia, don't protect her! She's been spoiled to the point of lawlessness and has no sense of the wider world!" Adele heard her brother's voice, cold and filled with fury, near her ear.

Adele Horne cautiously opened her eyes. She saw Julia Bluen quickly step in front of her just as her brother was about to strike. His large hand was still raised, only narrowly missing Julia's delicate, pretty face.

"Glades, I don't like this violent side of you," Julia Bluen said softly, gently pulling down Glades Horne's raised hand. Then she turned to face Adele Horne. Upon receiving Adele's "I won't be grateful to you" glare, Julia suddenly raised her hand and delivered a slap to Adele Horne's beautiful face. Although the slap wasn't very forceful, it was enough to stun Adele.

Who had ever hit her since she was young?

Now, to be slapped by the sister-in-law she disliked the most—even though it wasn't very painful—still made her face flush bright red.

"Adele, regardless of how much you dislike me, your brother and I freely chose each other. It's not about anyone seducing anyone. If I hear you call me a vixen again, next time, I won't just be putting on a show—I will slap you hard enough to knock your teeth out. Don't think I don't dare to hit you. You can try me if you wish. You side with Orlando Evans because she's your friend, but your brother shares the same mother as you. Why don't I see you standing by your brother? Orlando has been your companion for so many years, and you're so grateful to her. But have you ever shown the slightest gratitude to your brother, who provides for your food, your home, and your extravagant lifestyle? You know your brother dislikes Orlando, yet you persist in trying to set them up and repeatedly accuse and insult me for Orlando's sake. Don't you think you are being utterly unreasonable?"

Julia Bluen's words were forceful and resonant, causing Adele Horne's face to alternate between red and white.

"I hit you. You can go home and tell Grandma, tell your parents. I want to see how the family deals with your irrationality and rudeness. The Horne Family is a prestigious family. If a young lady they raised behaves like this, I wonder who will be disgraced when word gets out?"

Julia Bluen's pretty face was stern, her entire demeanor exuded an imposing aura that both angered and frustrated Adele Horne.

"No matter what, I will not allow you to preach to me!" Adele Horne covered her slapped cheek, yelling furiously. Then she turned to Glades Horne and bellowed, "Brother, you favor your lover over your sister! I hate you both! I will never acknowledge Julia Bluen as my sister-in-law, not in this lifetime!"

Having said that, she stormed back to her car in a huff and immediately drove away from the villa.

Watching her sister-in-law leave in a fury, Julia Bluen sighed heavily. Outside, she had to struggle for her career; inside, she had to battle with her sister-in-law. Life is indeed a mix of sweet and spicy, she mused. But isn't that what it's all about?

"Julia," Glades Horne called out in a husky voice. "Tomorrow, I'll arrange for Adele to go abroad for further studies." He wouldn't allow his sister to keep treating Julia this way.

He had promised her a lifetime of peace and happiness, but his complex family often thwarted his promises.

"'Treating the symptoms won't cure the disease. If we want her to change, we have to address the root cause,' Julia Bluen said with a deep sigh, her words carrying a deeper meaning. Adele Horne couldn't understand why her older brother loved Julia so much. Similarly, Julia couldn't fathom why Adele allowed Orlando Evans to lead her by the nose so easily. Was it simply because Orlando had been her companion for many years? Orlando Evans was clearly a scheming, cunning, and shameless woman, yet she feigned being a proper lady. Her ambitions, it seemed, weren't limited to just Glades Horne, were they?"

After Adele Horne left, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She immediately called Orlando Evans to meet her.

Her car was damaged from another collision, but she hadn't taken it to the auto repair shop yet. I'll drive it home, she thought, and let the family see it. I'll make everyone lose their good impression of Julia Bluen and see her as a malicious, wicked woman.

How dare she hit me! And accuse me of being ungrateful to my brother! I'm a Horne, the princess of the Horne Family! When did it become Julia Bluen's place to lecture me? Even if she married my brother, in my heart, she's still a Bluen, not a Horne. She's not one of us; she's an outsider who married in.

"Adele, what's wrong? Where should I wait for you?" Orlando Evans could tell from Adele Horne's voice on the phone that something was wrong, and her heart sank. Adele's sudden trip to Haoting Garden to disrupt the sweet harmony between Glades and his wife was, of course, my doing. In the backseat of Adele's car, there are numerous photo albums of celebrities and supermodels. I put them there for Adele to show Glades, hoping he'd take an interest in one of them. As long as Glades shows interest in one, Julia will be troubled. With Glades's power, he can have any of those celebrities or supermodels whenever he desires. Even if Glades isn't tempted, just having so many photo albums of beautiful women in their cozy little home will surely irk Julia. I've decided to start with these small things. It's these trivial matters that can seep into Julia's life and slowly erode her marriage to Glades. Besides, Adele is an adult now. If she keeps meddling in Glades's marriage, they'll never enjoy a loving and peaceful life. No matter how ruthless Glades can be, I don't believe he'd truly be harsh with his only sister.

"The plan failed. I'm annoyed and I want to drink. Blue Moon Pub. Wait for me there," Adele Horne responded irritably.