The Strongest Daughter-In-Law Of The Black Lion Family [EN]: Chapter 54

#54.

“What about it? We’re over anyway.”

Rachel just smiled. It was undeniably true, leaving no room for argument. When Zachary fell silent, Rachel spoke up.

“Isn’t it better for me to choose the man I’m remarrying than to marry someone Dad picks? Besides, you know my taste best, Zachary, so I can ask for your advice. Right, ‘daughter-in-law’?”

“Of course!”

Chelsea smiled sweetly, chiming in with Rachel. I doubted she fully grasped the implications of her agreement.

‘She’s not stopping her… No, there’s no reason for her to stop her.’

Right. What would that little thing understand?

Besides, she and I are divorced anyway. Whether Rachel remarries or not is none of my business anymore.

I’m only here temporarily for my son’s wedding. Once it’s over, Rachel will go back.

And when she goes back…

‘She’s going to remarry one of those damn scoundrels?’

Zachary’s gaze snapped to the scattered portraits. His eyes burned with such intensity that he looked ready to breathe fire.

He seemed to have already lost half his composure. But Rachel didn’t let up on provoking him.

“Anyway, if you’re not going to pick one, don’t get in the way. Move aside.”

How could I possibly stay still after hearing those words?

“No. A man must be judged by another man.”

Zachary forced a smile and pulled his chair closer.

* * *

I secretly smiled, pleased that the situation was unfolding even more smoothly than I’d anticipated.

I’d worried needlessly that she might simply return home. Zachary was actively ‘helping’ Rachel choose a remarriage partner, even pulling his chair right up close.

No, to be precise, he was pretending to help while actually sabotaging the process, leveraging all the information he possessed.

“The Breeze family has a history of womanizing.”

“What? Then absolutely not! Does he just sleep around?”

“And the Hazel family is currently deep in debt and planning to file for bankruptcy.”

“Huh, did he apply for matchmaking because of money? Does he think he can fool someone!”

It was an incredibly open and shocking scene. An ex-husband helping his divorced wife pick a new husband. Could anyone even imagine such a scenario?

But it was happening. And it was all part of my grand plan.

‘In the end, if we can persuade Zachary, Rachel won’t have to keep going back and forth and can stay in Javis City.’

‘Yeah. But that guy is so stubborn.’

‘Hmm. How about using the remarriage card?’

‘You want me to remarry?’

‘No. Just pretend. First, gather all the portraits of potential partners that your grandfather gave you.’

‘And then?’

‘Subtly leak information to Zachary. I’m sure he’ll react strongly.’

‘I don’t know if this will work. He might even encourage me to do it, that lion of a man.’

‘Just watch. Jealousy is the best way to get someone to be honest about their feelings. And I think Javis [referring to Zachary] is definitely the embodiment of jealousy. Just look at Jerakiel [Zachary’s son]. So, if you want Zachary to withdraw his intentions, there’s nothing better than a jealousy operation.’

‘Oh my, our Ricky [a nickname for Zachary] is jealous?’

I couldn’t forget the sparkling look in Rachel’s eyes at that moment.

‘Our Ricky is jealous. Oh my gosh, the sun will rise in the west!’

She seemed amazed that my son had such a side to him! From my perspective, as the one who experienced it firsthand, I was thinking, ‘Why is this so surprising? This is my daily life!’

And he was jealous in a way that was unique to a true psycho.

Only I can call him, only I can call his name, only look at me, only give me flowers.

He was stubborn about the strangest things, and it was hard to keep track of them all.

He was like this when he was young, so I didn’t think Zachary, who inherited that blood, would be any different.

‘Ahem. Anyway, Rachel, just trust me this once. He’ll definitely take the bait.’

‘Okay. By the way, why don’t you call me Mother?’

‘Huh?’

‘Rachel is too impersonal. It’s like you’re drawing a line like Keira [Zachary’s ex-wife].’

It was common to get sidetracked during strategy meetings. She rarely showed a serious side.

I was only able to get back to the main topic after hearing the word ‘Mother’ ten times.

‘This family is definitely full of stubborn people.’

She was saying that because I, who would soon become a member of the family, was also stubborn.

Anyway, after many twists and turns, Rachel and I planned ‘How to make a runaway mistress make a splendid return to the house.’

In fact, it was a suggestion that I made with some doubt, but it hit the mark perfectly.

In the meantime, Jerakiel’s obsession was clearly inherited from Zachary.

Look at him now. He’s so blinded by jealousy that he’s picking out every flaw in the potential partners like a sharpshooter.

“Ugh! Why are there only such lousy ones?”

Rachel reacted to Zachary’s words one by one, pushing the portraits aside. Every time she did, Zachary’s lips curled up, his intentions obvious.

After eliminating them one by one, only a few portraits remained.

When I subtly gave her a look, Rachel pointed to a portrait and said.

“Hmm. Isn’t this leopard okay? He looks pretty handsome?”

“Don’t associate with felines.”

Hey. Strictly speaking, Father [Zachary’s father] is also a feline.

I struggled to suppress my laughter. This visually confirmed that Zachary had some feelings for Rachel.

In fact, Rachel and I deliberately scheduled tea time for when Zachary would pass by. To be exact, it was to test Zachary.

If Zachary heard the conversation and passed by indifferently, we would have to enact Plan B.

Fortunately, Zachary couldn’t just pass by; he even took a seat and interfered.

Knowing this, Rachel couldn’t hide her satisfaction, and her lips trembled. She delivered the prepared line.

“Hmm, well. I like felines. That’s why I married you.”

“Are you comparing me to a leopard now?”

“Why? A leopard or a black lion.”

“They’re different, though?”

“There’s also the saying that a pheasant is better than a chicken [meaning something inferior is better than nothing]. Why are you reacting so sensitively? It’s not like you’re going to remarry me?”

“Are you perhaps going to use a leopard as my substitute now?”

“If you don’t like it, go meet a badger female.”

Rachel snorted and pushed the leopard portrait to the side, in the exact opposite direction from the portraits that had already been rejected.

After that, a few more portraits were set aside. Even when Zachary tried to stir up trouble with all kinds of information, Rachel remained stubborn.

“Ha! Do as you please!”

In the end, Zachary couldn’t stand it and jumped up from his seat. Rachel and I watched Zachary disappear in a cloud of dust. Keira, who was standing next to us, watched us with a blank expression, not a single smile on her face. She was indeed a master of the poker face.

After a while, once we were sure he was completely gone.

“Pfft!”

“Ahahaha!”

Laughter erupted simultaneously. Rachel even pounded the table as she laughed. Meanwhile, Keira, who was standing next to her, watched us with a blank expression, not a single smile on her face. She was indeed a master of the poker face.

After a while, Rachel wiped the tears from her eyes with her fingertips and said.

“I’ve never seen Zachary so flustered! It feels like a 10-year-old indigestion has finally cleared. Ahahaha!”

“What did I tell you? I told you this would definitely work, right?”

“Oh, you’re so cute.”

Rachel pinched my cheeks and smiled brightly. She seemed happier to have made fun of him than to have confirmed Zachary’s feelings.

I, whose cheeks were suddenly squished like mochi [Japanese rice cake], smiled awkwardly.