Pampered by my three brothers: the return of the neglected heiress novel Chapter 759

Chapter 759: The Pierson Family

Dean does not call it a tradition, but the Pierson family gathering continued to amaze him every time. He never recalled how or when it all started, but for some time now, this family meeting had steadily leveled up, not just in its venue, but also in its theme. Not that everyone was required to follow the theme — who had the time?

Scanning the lavish ballroom in a historic mansion where the family gathering was set, Dean couldn’t help but sneer. The grand room was bathed in a warm glow from the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, which featured intricate moldings and frescoes. The luxurious decor created an atmosphere of timeless elegance.

Everyone stood with champagne and wine in their hands, dressed in formal attire. They were laughing, talking, and mingling, their toasts echoing faintly, harmonizing with the classical background music from the live string quartet in the corner. But no one sat around the long dining table in the middle, which was decorated with fine china, crystal goblets, ornate silverware, and a silk tablecloth running down the center, adorned with a centerpiece of flowers and gilded candelabras.

"It looks like modern meets history," Dean commented as he took another sip from his glass, chuckling to himself. "Surely, someone made an effort today."

His eyes searched for tonight’s host, smirking. "I wonder who they were trying to please tonight?"

"Is that even a question?" A beautiful woman in a sophisticated white dress that wrapped tightly around her body approached from his side.

Dean glanced at the woman, who was only a few years older than him, before his eyes fell on her small bump. "Your stomach... the dinner hasn’t even started, but it seems you’re already full."

"Haha. Funny." The woman chuckled, covering her red lips with the back of her hand. "I missed you too, Dean."

She then placed a hand on her tummy. "I’m almost in my third trimester."

"Hah."

"Won’t you congratulate me?"

"What’s the point?" he returned sarcastically, peeling his eyes from her to look at everyone from the corner where he stood. "If you’re here, what’s the point?"

The woman studied Dean’s side profile before she smiled gracefully. "It would still be nice to be congratulated. I’m about to give birth to a life. It’s a strange feeling that I would probably never be able to describe."

Yet, what she received from Dean was nothing but silence. Keeping her smile, she cast her eyes on his side profile again.

"You don’t have a date?" she asked, nodding in understanding when Dean didn’t answer. "Still single, I see."

"Even if I’m not, there’s no way I’d ever take her to meet everyone."

The woman laughed with her lips closed. "And still overprotective, just as I remember."

For a moment, the classical music and inaudible conversations in the area replaced the supposed silence between them. They tried to enjoy it for a while, even if the word "enjoy" was for neither of them tonight.

"Something happened?" Dean inquired, his eyes still on the event unfolding in front of him. "You wouldn’t come back if there was nothing you needed here."

Slowly, he peeled his eyes from the "beautiful and graceful" scene to the woman. "Belle, what happened?"

"A lot." The elegant woman, Belle, smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. "Many things happened that it’d take me a whole day to list them all. But to summarize it all, my heart is burning, and my prayers have always been filled with someone’s death."

"I’m sorry."

Belle shook her head. "You don’t have to. Did you do it?"

Dean didn’t answer, but the look he gave her seemed to say that whatever he was about to say wouldn’t help either. Belle chuckled, understanding this man’s quirks.

"Shiela surely is trying to please Zoren tonight," Belle commented, sneering as her eyes landed on the woman surrounded by other women. "I wonder what she wants to go all out tonight?"

"Me and him?" Dean snorted, brushing her hand from his shoulder. "I’m sorry to disappoint you, Belle. It seems you’d have to give up everything to someone else in exchange for a small price."

"It’s my family’s life. Giving up everything else for them is worth it."

"Tell that to your child who will have to live, watching her parents work themselves to the bone to pay their bills."

Belle chuckled as she created a small distance between them, not letting his comment affect her. "It’s a woman," she guessed, watching him raise a brow. "I’m right. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be standing on the sidelines tonight like everyone else."

"Shut up."

"She probably is very special," Belle teased, shrugging. "Well, if that is the reason, then I can perfectly understand you."

Slowly, Belle stood beside him and gazed at the same scene Dean had been watching. "Such a grandiose gathering... designer items all over the place, wines from the most expensive selections, and yet no one can even enjoy a single thing. If anything... we all look tired, don’t we? Or am I the only one?"

No.

She wasn’t wrong.

Dean shared the same sentiments. At one glance, everything was so elegant — the venue, everyone’s attire, and all the smallest details. However, despite the joyful chatter harmonizing with the classical music, their words were daggers masked with flowery words.

Everyone was already fighting with smiles on their faces, contempt in their eyes, and snide remarks on their lips.

"Isn’t it sickening?" Belle hummed. "I wonder who else will yield tonight?"