chapter 8 She has Mercury retrograde this year!

Watching Titus forcefully enter, Leila was so startled that she froze in place, eyes wide and speechless.
This kick carried somewhat a trace of performance.
Before Leila could enter, Titus's furious shout was already echoing from inside the room.
"Old lady! If you truly do not wish to fulfill the marriage agreement, I won't blame you! But I, Titus, have spent ten years in the military, a man of iron! Even getting married has to face endless humiliation from the Hodges family! Do you really treat me as a matrilocal son-in-law?"
When Leila entered the room, she saw Titus, panting heavily beside the dining table, shouting at the grandmother who was having breakfast, completely lacking manners.
In contrast, the grandmother, looking kindly and benevolently at Titus, didn't seem angry at all. Her eyes were even filled with admiration and fondness!
Leila slightly frowned, finding the grandmother's behavior odd. She usually placed great importance on manners and cultivation. Anyone who raised their voice at home would receive a scolding.
What happened today?
After a moment of scrutiny, Sophia smiled kindly and praised, "Worthy of a military background, your voice is loud and your energy is strong."
Pausing for a moment, Sophia gestured, "Titus, come over, join me for breakfast."
Titus raised an eyebrow, although he sat down, he retorted, "I've eaten already. Please, go ahead!"
Hearing this, Sophia also put down her chopsticks, continuing to scrutinize Titus, smiling, "Titus, you just mentioned that our Hodges family members have humiliated you? Tell grandma, who are they, I will drive them out of the Hodges family, removing their names from the family register."
Titus felt a jolt in his heart upon hearing this. Seeing Sophia's serious face, not seeming to joke, he felt stuck in a difficult position.
But remembering the purpose of his visit, he slightly pondered and said mockingly, "Sophia, if you really go through with this, the Hodges family will hardly have anyone left!"
Sophia remained calm and amiable, "Titus, let me be honest with you, as long as you're happy, as long as you're willing to call me 'grandma', I'm willing to exchange three grandsons for you."
Titus was somewhat unable to maintain his composure.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Leila, equally stunned. Clearly, this jewel of the Hodges family was also taken aback.
But now, whether out of genuine emotion or to align with Titus, she had to say something.
"Grandma! Even if you include the granddaughter, that totals only three grandchildren. What, for a grandson-in-law, are you planning to end the Hodges family line?" Leila spoke bluntly, her mood irritated.
This grandmother was not following the script at all!
"This is just an exaggerated rhetorical method I used to express my affection for Titus," Sophia glanced at her granddaughter, saying with a smirk. "Look at you, jumping over the wall in desperation. What, have you also bullied my Titus?"
Leila was dumbfounded, her worldview shattered.
Titus was also numb.
He prided himself on having faced great challenges, but Sophia was just too unpredictable, beyond comprehension.
"Since Leila was mentioned, I have something to say as well." Titus, in front of the old lady, lit a cigarette, even tilting his head back forcefully to take a couple of strong puffs, as if worried the old lady didn't know about his smoking habit.
"Titus, feel free to speak, no matter what it is, grandma will stand by you," Sophia said kindly, her smile warm.
"Leila, upon seeing me, despised me for being a cook, said I reeked of kitchen smoke, and just couldn't stand me. Before getting our marriage certificate, she even forced me to sign a prenuptial agreement, afraid I'd take advantage of her. On our wedding night, she even forced me to sleep on the floor, placing a knife under the pillow," Titus said all in one breath, without even pausing for air, his face full of sorrow. "Old lady, this marriage has been suffocating for me."
Leila was dumbfounded.
Knowing that Titus was making up lies as a pretext for future divorce, but this bastard was too damaging!
To disgust the grandmother, he completely obliterated his own dignity.
"Damn it!" Sophia slammed the table and rose, glaring at her most beloved granddaughter. "Kneel down for me!"
Kneel my foot!
Leila turned her face away and stormed out the door.
As soon as she left, Sophia sighed without much pain or itch, as if she had known that her precious granddaughter would never kneel.
"Titus, Leila was not like this before," Sophia said softly.
"I understand," Titus replied, seemingly lost in thought. "It seems my appearance has completely destroyed her life."
"It's not your fault," Sophia hurried to clarify, fearing her grandson-in-law might feel burdened. "In fact, in the past few months, Leila has encountered several life-threatening accidents. A week ago, she was almost hit by a thirty-meter-long truck."
A strange light flashed in Titus's eyes, and he frowned slightly, saying, "It seems she is having a bad year. I've had bad luck before, even getting food stuck in my teeth while drinking water."
Sophia was stunned, her breath slightly disturbed.
"Since Leila took over the family business five years ago, she has offended many people both inside and outside the group. Some even say she won't live past next year," Sophia expressed her worries. "Titus, what do you think about this?"
A trace of concern appeared on Titus's face, and he said solemnly, "So, if Leila and I get married, will I also be implicated?"
Sophia had not expected Titus to see it this way...
She slowly raised her thumb, sincerely admiring, "Truly from the Northern Savage Army, your sense of crisis is world-class."
Titus ignored the flattery and frowned, saying, "Grandma, you're not staging a hunger strike to force us into marriage just so I can take bullets for Leila, are you?"
"I guarantee with my integrity," Sophia declared firmly. "I have never thought that way."
Seeing Titus still unconvinced, Sophia added, "If there's real danger in the future, don't worry about anything else. Just push Leila forward and hide behind her."
"If I really do that, wouldn't it be lacking in manliness?" Titus hesitated.
"Titus, your parents died early, and you're the only one left in your family. You can't afford to have anything happen to you," Sophia stated decisively. "It's not like me, I have three grandchildren, losing one or two I can still afford."
"…"
Titus left the room with sweat drenching his back and bumped into Leila, who was sulking in the corridor.
He grabbed the irritable Leila, poking his temple, "Does your grandmother have a bit of an issue here?"
"You are the one with the problem!" Leila glared at Titus coldly.
But after saying it, she felt a bit guilty.
Grandma was indeed acting unusually today. It had only been a few days since they last met, and her taste had become so bizarre?
But thinking of Grandma's fondness for Titus, Leila felt annoyed.
Yet, as annoyed as she was, Titus was even more depressed.
"What's with your attitude?" Titus's face darkened, indignantly saying, "Do you know how much pressure I'm under to act like a jerk for our future? It's fine if you don't cooperate, but you're also giving me attitude? Leila, I warn you, divorce is not just my issue, you better start acting too! Otherwise, with your grandma's enthusiastic attitude towards me, we won't be able to divorce even at eighty! My life would be over!"
Saying that, he left in a huff.