---- Chapter 140 After saying that, Frederick turned to the crowd below the stage and said, "Everyone, I hope you'll be our witnesses. Starting today , Elise is one of us. The Guzman family is her family now. And if anyone dares to call her some backwoods nobody again... Well, they'll have to check with us first." He said it with a joking tone, but it was obvious he was standing up for me. Ilooked at him, genuinely touched.

I hadn't expected him to remember those words that had once been used to attack me. Was that why he did all this? Did he go that far just to stop people from looking down on me? It was clear to everyone watching that he was protecting me. Maybe he was also trying to provoke Jonathan... Jonathan stepped in front of me, blocking Frederick's line of sight completely . The two men stared at each other, and the atmosphere suddenly turned tense.

Worried things might get ugly, I instinctively tugged at Jonathan's sleeve. "If there's nothing else, should we head back now?" But Jonathan ignored me, and his expression was icy as he kept his eyes locked on Frederick. Frederick, on the other hand, acted like he didn't even notice ---- Jonathan's cold glare. Instead , he turned to me with a smile and said, "Well? Aren't you going to call me big brother?" I took a deep breath, and I could feel the sudden tension in Jonathan's arm.

Even through his white dress shirt , I could feel the veins bulging beneath his skin. I quickly looked at Frederick and gave him a subtle signal to stop. There were too many people present tonight who could be the people we might have to work with in the future. If things got out of hand now, it'd be bad for all of us. But Frederick looked like he was dead set on making a scene. He waved me over with a calm expression. "What are you waiting for?

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Come on." I stood behind Jonathan, frozen in place. Seeing how determined Frederick was, I eventually forced myself to take a step forward. I had no choice , knowing I had to calm one of them down first. But the moment I moved, Jonathan grabbed my other hand, locking it ina tight grip. He stared at me coldly, his eyes so chilling they made my heart race with fear. Still... Ilooked at Frederick again, and in the end, I didn't hesitate and walked over to him.

"Elise," Jonathan called out to me from behind. His voice was hoarse and painfully raw. But I didn't respond. I walked straight up to Frederick, ---- lowered my voice, and said, "Don't push this too far." "T know," he whispered back, leaning in close to my eat don't you think Jonathan's face right now is kind of hilarious? " ut I said nothing, just pressed my lips together. The entire room had gone silent. No one dared say a word. Frederick suddenly started clapping.

"Thank you all for being witnesses. From now on, Elise is officially my little sister. Anyone who tries to mess with her is messing with the Guzmans." Others quickly followed his lead, clapping along to try and smooth things over. Alicia's parents looked furious, but they had no choice but to carry on with the event. "It's Alicia's birthday, and who would've thought it'd also bring about such a beautiful new bond?

All the prestigious families here in Harthville are all one big extended family..." Their smiles were still plastered on, but they were definitely fuming inside. After all, the Ford family had always favored the Zimmer family, but if the Guzman family suddenly got involved, those exclusive privileges would be split. No one liked losing a share of the pie. Jonathan's expression was ice cold as he walked over and ---- pulled me into his arms, full of possessiveness.

His sharp gaze locked on Frederick. "I don't care what game you think you're playing," he said flatly. "Stay away from her."