Chapter 18: Do as I Say

Dora twisted her face and pulled away from him, scolding, "Have you forgotten what we set out to do two years ago? And now you are going to hesitate? If you don't give me the White's property, I will tell Kate the truth of what happened!"

"Are you out of your mind?" Leo shouted at her in fright, "Impulses are like demons. Calm down, don't screw up our plan!"

Dora believed that she had total control of Leo's temper. As long as she brought up the traffic accident that happened two years prior, he would be scared.

"Alright, do as I say, and then I will calm down!" Dora acted like a nice woman but remained tough, "I am your wife, and I won't hurt you, but Kate will hate your guts if she found out the truth!"

"Then, how are you going to convince Vincent and Cassie Smith?" After all, Leo still cared about his dignity.

"Leave it to me!" Dora had her trick ready.

Leo had no better solution, so he let her do as she pleased, "Just don't shame me in front of the Smiths. The Whites can't afford to lose their reputation."

"Don't worry; we are all in the same boat." Dora put her arms around him and gently said, "Our combined strength will overcome all obstacles. The Whites will get better and better, and so will our life!"

**

Dora invited Vincent and Cassie to have dinner at her home the next night. She wanted to solve the problem as soon as possible, so the next part of the plan could be implemented. However, what Joseph and Kate didn't know was the Smiths would be attending dinner also. When they arrived at the Whites home, they were both shocked to see Joseph's parents there.

"Our families have got together for dinner in such a long time!" Dora cheerfully said.

"It is nice. I think the last time was at  Joseph and Kate's wedding." Vincent replied with a grin.

Cassie frowned with no intention of responding to Dora.

Joseph had greeted Dora politely when they arrived, she replied, "Have a seat and relax, Joseph."

Each time they were together, Joseph called Dora his mother-in-law, but Kate knew it was only because of Anna.

"Kate, have you been on a diet? You look much thinner," Dora asked with a shameless tone.

Kate was too tired to argue with her, she replied with a faint smile, "Maybe it is the idea of becoming pregnant that is stressing me."

"Really?" Dora smirk froze on her face, and the cup in her hand almost fell to the floor.

Seeing the look on Dora's face, Kate knew that she had not been expecting her to reply that way. She smiled again and looked at Joseph, "Ask Joseph if you don't believe me."

Aha, he was the one who asked her to have a baby, but now he was too coy to talk about it in front of others.

"Then I guess you have to work harder!" Knowing that he was already provoked, Kate decided to piss both him and Dora off.

Joseph was livid, and it was apparent how displeased he was. He probably felt as if having a baby with Kate would betray his love for Anna.

"Joseph, Kate, really?" With a hopeful look in her eyes, Cassie pulled Kate toward her and told her warmly, "Just let me know if you need any help."

"Sure, I will." Kate nodded.

Vincent's tone also became kind, "I reminded Joseph the other day that he is almost thirty, and it is time for them to have a baby."

Dora swallowed her displeasure and smiled, "Yeah, they have been married for two years, it's time to..."

"Joseph, did you hear that? Dora is also urging you to have a baby!" Cassie echoed.

"Kate's baby would be my grandchild. It was also Anna's wish to have a baby with Joseph. It is…is…is a good thing!" Dora was horrified by the topic but tried her best to hide her true feelings.

Many people, including Dora, believed that a woman's status would increase when she had a child. Kate was not Joseph's favorite person, but having a baby might change that. She had to plan the next step as soon as possible, or it would all go down the drain.

Joseph didn't have anything else to say, so he just kept the grim look on his face and listened to his family's ramblings.

When Leo heard that Kate was trying to get pregnant, he began to consider whether the next part of his plan was right or not.

**

To avoid any hesitation from Leo, immediately after dinner, Dora said, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Joseph and Kate, I have to speak to you about a crucial matter."

Kate had no idea what Dora was up to, but she guessed it would only benefit Dora, according to the smile on her face.

"What is it that requires all of us to be present?" Cassie mocked her like nothing was that important.

Dora was aware of Cassie's prejudices against her, but she continued to smile, "Cassie, as you know, Leo's legs have been bad lately. The doctor told him not to work too hard, and he can't spend so much time working on things to do with White Group. So, we discussed it and decided that I would take charge of it for him."

Cassie folded her arms, and politely asked, "Do you have any management experience? Do you think taking over a business is as simple as running a roadside stall?"

"Umm ..." Dora didn't know what to say. She didn't consider the work to be hard; she just intended to take over the White Group.

"I don't think Mr. White will hand White Group to an inexperienced person so rashly." Cassie turned to Leo.

Leo smiled awkwardly. When he was about to speak, Dora blurted out, "Leo has always regarded White Group as his own life, and I just can't bear to see him so tired so ... Though I have no experience, I'm willing to learn."

"You don't have to go to all this trouble, leave it to Kate. Furthermore, when her mother died, Mr. White had promised Flora." Cassie looked at Leo with a fixed gaze, "Did you forget, Mr. White?"

Leo stammered in a panic, "Of ... of course I didn't forget."

"Since you haven't forgotten, shouldn't you fulfill your promise?"  If it was not about Kate, Cassie was reluctant to speak with Leo, who was the bastard who brought great harm to her good friend Flora.

Dora was anxious and complained with a frown, "Mrs. Smith, Leo did promise Flora then, but things have changed now. Kate became part of the Smith family; it is unreasonable for her to inherit White Group, isn't it? If she is working hard to get pregnant, why should we stress her so much?"