She held up a piece of paper, almost pushing it into my dad’s face. “Last time, your Tristan slandered him, saying he failed the exam. This can’t go unchallenged!”
Several relatives leaned in to look, clicking their tongues in disapproval. Madison immediately spoke up, just as loudly as Virginia. “And our daughter! Look at that, a brand-new Mercedes, an E300!”
She pointed downstairs at a white Mercedes, shining in the sunlight. “Last time, Tristan said it was a beat-up used car worth $2,500. That’s nonsense! We need an explanation today!”
My cousin stood to the side with her arms crossed, face blank but eyes showing slight condescension. The other relatives started whispering among themselves.
“Exactly, Tristan’s words were really hurtful last time.”
“How could he speak about his own family like that?”
“Virginia and Madison are elders who raised him and he didn’t respect them at all.”
“This bad influence can’t continue; they need to be properly taught.”
“Too much studying makes people arrogant; they don’t even understand basic respect for elders.”
“If this isn’t resolved today, we can’t remain relatives.”