CHAPTER 336

When Madeline changed into the dress and came out of the fitting room, she saw a crowd forming from afar with Leigh and the three children there. Emory had brought Fred and Simon to protect them nearby.

She quickly walked over. "Leigh?"

Hearing that, Leigh turned around and looked at her. At once, her eyes were full of fascination. "You look beautiful!" Even though she had known Madeline for a long time, every time Madeline changed into a different attire or a different style, she would be fascinated by her.

Madeline smiled and looked at the crowd. She only took a glimpse, but she quickly frowned in shock. "What's going on?"

At the center of the crowd were a man and a woman. The woman was standing, while the young man was kneeling in front of her.

Leigh shook her head and answered, "I don't know. It just happened all of a sudden."

Emory walked over and said softly, "That lady is Ava Penham, the young mistress of the Penham Family. Meanwhile, the man kneeling is the young master of the Penham Family and Austin Penham's bodyguard, Johannes Penham."

"What happened?" Madeline asked. "They're causing such an embarrassing scene in public."

"I'm not sure," Emory answered softly. "Young Mistress Penham is quite hot-tempered. She's famous for being arrogant and bossy in our circle. I wonder how Johannes offended her."

At this moment, Madeline realized how he addressed Johannes, so she asked, "Do you know Johannes?"

"Yeah," he answered. "Old Master Penham used to be our father's assistant, and their relationship goes a long way back. Our family's companies and the Penham Family's companies have been collaborating for years too. In fact, they are considered the Hart Family's ally."

"Young Mistress Penham is outrageous!" Leigh frowned in disgust and spoke up. "If anything did happen, she could have dealt with it at home. Why is she embarrassing the bodyguard in public? Is a bodyguard not considered a human?"

Emory replied, "To her, she might really think that a bodyguard isn't a human."

"What the f*ck?!" Leigh exclaimed.

Hearing that, Madeline shouted, "Leigh!"

"Sorry, my bad." Leigh lowered her head and looked at the three children. "Cover your ears."

Joel didn't understand what was happening, so he raised his head to look at her. "Why do we need to cover our ears?"

"That's because your Mommy says that I can't curse in front of you guys. It will have a bad influence on you," Leigh explained.

At this moment, Madeline was speechless.

"Oh…" Joel knitted his little brows. Then, he said seriously like a little adult, "I think it might really have a bad influence on kids—I want to curse as well!"

He pointed at Johannes. "I pity him!" Then, he pointed at Ava. "She's so bad!"

While Emory, Madeline, and Leigh were talking, they had kept it down so that the people from afar couldn't hear them. But when Joel said that, he didn't control his volume at all. His baby voice was so clear that it traveled to many people's ears, Ava included.

When Ava heard that, she glanced in their direction as her gaze landed on Joel's face. "Who's bad?"

Her eyes were red, and her tone was very fierce. Her gaze was bleary, and there was some drunkenness in it. It was obvious that she was in a drunken state.

Terrified by her hostile gaze, Joel trembled and hid in Madeline's arms subconsciously.

Madeline hugged him and patted him. "It's okay, Joel. Mommy's here."

"Joel? Joel Taylor?" Ava's bleary eyes darted around Joel's face, and she laughed like a fool. She then stuck out her finger and pointed at his nose before saying, "I know! He's that illegitimate child that the Hart Family took back home, right? Haha! The Hart Family is really ridiculous! They actually brought the illegitimate sons back home to raise them when everyone despises illegitimate children! Are they trying to raise two obedient slaves for their legitimate sons in the future? It's just like…"

She turned her hand and pointed at Johannes. She chuckled and said, "Just like this slave right here!"

She then raised her leg and stepped on Johannes' chest. "Hey! I'm talking about you! Do you admit to your mistake?"

Johannes lowered his head and didn't say anything.

When Ava saw that, her expression changed immediately. She grabbed on to his hair, forcing him to raise his head. "I'm asking you something—do you admit to your mistake?"

Johannes could only answer resignedly, "I'm sorry. I'm just a subordinate."

"Subordinate? Do you really think you're a subordinate? You're just a dog that Austin keeps as a pet!" She released her hand that was grabbing his hair and ordered, "Slap yourself!"

However, Johannes didn't move at all.

Ava grabbed his hair again, forcing him to lift his head. "Why? Are you not satisfied with me? What order did Austin give you? Are you not complying with his words now?"

He still didn't say anything, but he raised his hand and gave himself a heavy slap in the face.

At this moment, Joel was so afraid that he started trembling. He used his two arms to hug Madeline and stared at Johannes with his big, round eyes full of fear.

Seeing that, Madeline covered his eyes. "Don't look anymore, Joel."

However, he pushed her hand and said softly, "I want to watch, Mommy… Why did the bad lady call me

an illegitimate son? Will I become someone's slave in the future?"

"Don't listen to her!" she said with a frown. "Didn't you say that she's a bad lady just now? How can you believe a bad lady's words?"

At this moment, she was very frustrated since she didn't get to rebuke Ava when the woman scolded her son. Before she could say anything, Ava started humiliating Johannes. If she rebuked her now, it would seem a little weird.

However, she couldn't let this pass just like that. Ava had to apologize to Joel in front of him. She needed to let him know that what Ava said just now was nonsense because she was drunk.

When Ava heard that, she glanced in their direction as her gaze landed on Joel's face. "Who's bad?"

At this thought, she touched Joel's face. "Wait here, Joel. Mommy will get her to apologize to you later!"

"Yeah!" Leigh chimed in. "Joel, that bad lady was just rambling nonsense. Don't believe what she says. If she doesn't apologize to you and Quincy later, Mommy and I will punch her until her teeth fall out!"

"Oh…" Joel heaved a sigh of relief before nodding. "I'll be fine as long as Quincy and I don't end up like that man." Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g

He pointed at Johannes. "He's so pitiful. Quincy and I don't want to be like him, right, Quincy?" He tilted his head and looked at Quincy.

While holding Joel's hand, Quincy said, "Don't worry, Joel. We won't be that kind of person."

Madeline looked at Johannes slapping himself right then, and she felt upset. Who would want to be that kind of person? He just doesn't have a choice.

Based on Johannes' attitude toward Ava, he was probably an orphan who was raised by the Penham Family, just like Emory and his brothers.

Since the Penham Family raised them when they were young, they had to sign a contract when they grew up with the Penham Family that could restrict them and make them loyal to the Penham Family. That was why they were inferior to the masters in the Penham Family since they were born.

If they met people who were kind-hearted, their life would be better, just like Emory and his brothers. Their lives would be comfortable, and they'd be given proper treatment. There was no difference between their lives and an ordinary person's life.

On the contrary, they would be doomed if they met a master like Ava, just like Johannes. He had to kneel down and slap himself in the face in public.

Madeline believed that what caused him the most pain at this moment was not the pain on his body, but the humiliation he was experiencing as a result of being surrounded by the crowd.

But no matter how embarrassed he felt, he needed to endure it since he was indebted to the Penham Family. He needed to be loyal to the Penhams, and he couldn't disobey their orders.

At this moment, Madeline was feeling a sense of repulsion and disgust toward the whole Penham Family because of Ava's actions.

Could this family be of any good if they managed to raise such an arrogant and bossy woman like Ava?

It was just a child's babble. If Ava was not satisfied with what Joel said, she could have asked him to apologize to her, but she shouldn't say those hurtful words.

When this matter between Ava and Johannes ended, she would not only let Ava apologize to Joel in front of him, but she would also meet the patriarch of the Penham Family to ask him how he educated his child and whether the other Penhams were just like Ava, discussing and humiliating her son!