Chapter 671

“So this is Mr. Clark’s son, Marlin, the one you’ve been praising so highly.” Latham froze, genuinely startled. He instinctively looked over at Octavia. “How did Mr. Clark’s son get so heavy?”

Octavia glanced at the photograph and her jaw dropped. “He wasn’t this big when I saw him.”

“Could Shirley have mistaken him for someone else?”

“Whether I got the wrong guy or not is something Octavia should be asking Mrs. Clark.” Shirley pouted. She had always been this insolent since childhood. With her family constantly sheltering her, everyone else had just grown used to it.

Although Octavia was displeased, there was absolutely nothing she could do about Shirley right now. She could only offer an awkward smile. “If this really is Mr. Clark’s son, perhaps he put on some weight while studying abroad these past two years. That is unavoidable, after all. I heard he eats a lot of high calorie foods, which makes it easy to gain weight, unlike our family’s healthy diet. Gaining weight is no big deal. First of all, a man doesn’t need to focus too much on his looks. Secondly, if he’s heavy, he can always just diet.”

“Diet?” Patti sneered. “Octavia is right. You can always lose weight. But if Latham looked like that back in the day, I wonder if you would have still agreed to marry him.”

Octavia choked on her words. Thinking about how handsome Latham was, if he had looked anything like Mr. Clark’s son, she honestly might not have been able to stomach it.

“It’s all thanks to our mother’s good genes that her two sons turned out so well. Otherwise, I never would have married Pearce,” Patti continued. “I’m sure you thought Latham was quite handsome too, didn’t you?”

“Latham’s charm goes far beyond his looks,” Octavia replied, forced into a corner by Patti’s aggressive probing.

Patti’s tone was incredibly pointed. “Of course it does. Latham also has money.

Since marrying him, you have never had to worry about a single cent.”

That remark was clearly meant to mock Octavia, but she seized the opportunity to fire back. “If Shirley gets engaged to Mr. Clark’s son, she will definitely never have to worry about money either. After she graduates from college, Mr Clark can arrange a comfortable and respectable job for her. She can work if she wants to, and quit if she doesn’t.”

“I actually think it’s better for young people to have a career. She can always resign later after having kids.” Octavia felt she was speaking the absolute truth.

Being a stay at home mother was nowhere near as respectable, relaxing, or fulfilling as having a job. Octavia herself was the perfect example.

If you failed to care for the children properly, the blame fell squarely on you. If you did a perfect job, people just said it was expected of you.

Husbands never showed any gratitude.

By the time the kids were grown, it was too late to start your own career. Playing cards, shopping, and going to the spa every day actually left a person feeling incredibly empty inside.

“I suppose you’re speaking from experience, happen to agree with you,” Patti said. “However, my Shirley is a pr girl. She isn’t going to just

Bidly obey. Never mind that this

Marlin is so heavy. Even if he were incredibly handsome, she still might not give him the time of day.”

Patti gave her daughter a pointed look.

Shirley quickly chimed in. “Mom, it has nothing to do with my pride. It’s plainly because Mr. Clark’s son is far too ugly And being ugly isn’t even the worst part. He’s into men! His mother definitely knows exactly what kind of person her son is, which is why she’s using business terms to buy him a fiancee. Otherwise with the Clark family’s wealth and status, what kind of amazing daughter-in-law couldn’t they find?”

Am I really that exceptional? Shirley asked herself silently.

“What do you mean he likes men? Shirley, are you sure you aren’t mistaken? Even if you don’t like him, slandering him like this won’t end well if it reaches their ears,” Octavia scolded.