Looking at Charles Bennett's rude demeanor, coupled with words that completely contradicted his expression, both father and son of the The Carter Family felt uneasy, unable to figure out what exactly this young master of the The Bennett Family meant.

At this moment, Charles Bennett continued, “It’s just that our The Bennett Family’s current situation really doesn’t allow us to pay off the debt all at once. But don’t worry, I, Charles Bennett, am definitely not someone who shirks his debts. I plan to pay back a portion every year—this is called installment repayment. I estimate it’ll take about ten years or so to pay it off. When that’s done, I’ll return the marriage contract to you!”

Hearing Charles Bennett’s final words, which bordered on shamelessness, the father and son of the The Carter Family were so angry their noses nearly went crooked. Not to mention, Second Young Master Carter was about the same age as Charles Bennett, and he and Zhuo’er were originally planning to get married next year. If they had to wait another ten years or so for the engagement to be dissolved, who would he marry then?

“Charles Bennett, don’t go too far!” The Second Young Master of the The Carter Family, still hot-blooded and young, turned red with anger and stepped forward, pointing at Charles Bennett and rebuking him, without even considering who was really going too far.

“Going too far?” Charles Bennett looked up and swept his gaze over the Second Young Master Carter opposite him, a sly smile appearing on his face as he said, “How do you figure, Second Young Master Carter? Your The Carter Family proposed to break off the engagement, and I, Charles Bennett, agreed without a word. I even offered to return the betrothal money. So how did it end up with me being the one going too far?”

“You…” Second Young Master Carter wanted to argue further, but was stopped by Mr. Carter reaching out his hand. Then, the Black Fatty Carter suddenly broke into a smile and said, “I understand what you mean, Young Master Bennett. How about this: our The Carter Family will forgo the debt your The Bennett Estate owes us, and you don’t need to return the betrothal money either. All we want is the marriage contract!”

Hearing Mr. Carter’s words, Charles Bennett turned his head and spat on the ground, then suddenly grinned and stood up, saying, “As expected, ginger gets spicier as it gets older. If Mr. Carter had gotten to the point earlier, there wouldn’t have been so much nonsense.”

Seeing Charles Bennett act so shamelessly, the father and son of the The Carter Family were both furious, but they were also puzzled. The old Charles Bennett had always been gentle and refined, even a bit bookish and dull. How come, with the The Bennett Family’s recent misfortune, Charles Bennett had suddenly turned into a street thug?

Unfortunately, the The Carter Family father and son didn’t know that the Charles Bennett of his previous life was far more ruthless than a mere street thug. It was just that he cherished this rare chance at rebirth and didn’t want to repeat his old path, so he was playing some ‘refined’ tricks with them. Otherwise, with his former temperament, he’d probably sneak into the The Carter Family mansion tonight and leave the father and son with a lesson they’d never forget!

Of course, while the current Charles Bennett wouldn’t resort to more extreme means of revenge, that didn’t mean he was weak. Having learned to hide his anger, Charles Bennett was now even more terrifying than the hot-tempered version of his past life. As for letting the The Carter Family off their debt, that was just a little interest he collected along the way.

What followed was simple. The The Carter Family father and son were eager to break off the engagement. If Charles Bennett insisted on not going to the yamen to sue them, according to Ming law, a single accusation would be enough. Now that Charles Bennett had made it clear he wanted them to forgo the two hundred taels of debt, although two hundred taels was no small sum, being able to dissolve the engagement without future trouble was a huge bargain for the The Carter Family.

Having been in business for many years, Mr. Carter could do the math. So he suppressed his anger, took out the The Bennett Family’s IOU from his chest, and said, “Fine! Since Young Master Bennett has said so, I, Carter, will be straightforward. Here is your The Bennett Family’s IOU. You bring out my son’s marriage contract, and our two families will be even—no more ties between us!”

Charles Bennett saw the IOU in the other’s hand, then had Steward Evans step forward to verify it. Only then did he signal for him to fetch the marriage contract from the back. Then, in a tone that could make anyone sick, he said, “Uncle Carter truly is a forthright man, a model for us juniors. But if that wealthy merchant’s daughter from Huating looks down on your son and the The Carter Family wants to come back and marry my little sister, that could be a problem. By then, my little sister might even have a child, so I hope Uncle Carter won’t hold it against us!”

Hearing the sarcasm in Charles Bennett’s words, Second Young Master Carter gnashed his teeth in anger, wanting to mock Charles Bennett in return, but was stopped by Mr. Carter. In contrast, the dark-faced Mr. Carter appeared much more composed. He didn’t seem angry at all at Charles Bennett’s words, only replying in a calm tone, “My son’s marriage is our The Carter Family’s business. There’s no need for you, Nephew Bennett, to worry about it!”

Seeing that the other party didn’t seem angry, Charles Bennett felt a bit disappointed. Soon, Steward Evans brought the marriage contract. Charles Bennett took the contract and exchanged it with Mr. Carter for the IOU, and the two of them almost simultaneously tore up the documents in their hands. From then on, the two families had no further ties. However, when Charles Bennett tore up the IOU, he didn’t notice the strange expression on Steward Evans’s face.