Chapter 5 Harmful Gift

Charlotte still didn't take Noah's words for it, nor did they quell her anger and resentment. However, she didn't insist on driving Noah away.

After locking eyes with Noah for a long time, she turned to Cody and said, "You need to leave, Cody. Every member of this family is here to celebrate Gianna's birthday. You are not one of us."

Her straightforward tone made Hazel very anxious.

"Charlotte, what you are saying? Cody is not just anybody. He has been of great help to this family. He has also been very nice to you.

As far as I am concerned, he's more deserving of being here than the loser behind you. Noah abandoned you. Not only is he so poor, but he's also irresponsible. Why don't you send him away?"

As Hazel praised Cody, she didn't forget to speak ill of Noah.

Cody, who had silently watched the scene just now, came to a good conclusion. He reasoned that to get close to Charlotte, he needed to go through Gianna.

The little girl's opinion of a person seemed to matter to her mother. Perhaps Charlotte would like him if her daughter did first.

At the thought of this, Cody went out to his car and took out a bag of children's clothes from a designer brand.

"Here you go, Charlotte. This is for the birthday girl. It's a set of customized clothes.

I made it a point of duty to pick the best fabric for the clothes. They have been soaked in a special aromatic substance. Wearing the clothes will be good for Gianna's intellectual development and overall well-being."

Cody spoke proudly to the hearing of everyone present.

Eager to please him, Hazel reached out for the bag and said, "Oh, my God! Thank you so much, Cody. You are far too kind. You are a good man for liking my granddaughter. The clothes cost an arm and a leg, don't they? That's so thoughtful of you."

The complacent smile on Cody's face widened, but he pretended to be modest. He waved his hand casually and said, "It's nothing. The clothes cost only about seventy thousand. Gianna deserves the best. I just hope she would like them."

The Pierce couple was amazed by Cody's generosity. Even Julian couldn't help moving forward and praising him.

After basking in the praises, Cody turned to Noah and mocked him.

"What did you bring along, Noah? I haven't seen you holding anything. Don't tell me you came empty-handed to your own daughter's birthday!"

Before Noah could utter a word, Gianna wrapped one hand around his neck and faced Cody.

"Poppycock! You are bad! Daddy already bought me a gift at the mall just now. I like it very much!

I don't want clothes. The stuffed animal my daddy bought for me is better. I'll always sleep with it!" Gianna said proudly, making a face at Cody.

Cody's face and shoulders fell when he heard that. He scratched his head, realizing that he had made the wrong assumption. A stuffed animal only cost a few bucks, but this little girl just said she valued it more than the clothes worth thousands.

He wanted to give her a piece of his mind. However, he could do no such thing while Charlotte was present. He laughed awkwardly.

"Oh, kids will be kids. It's normal for them to value toys more than anything. How can she know how valuable these clothes are?

The money I spent on this set of clothes can buy up to three trucks of stuffed animals. She has no idea and it's not her fault."

Hazel also sneered and echoed Cody. "I wonder about the lie Noah told her when he gave her the toy. He's always treating himself like he's some king. There's no way his gift can be half as good as the clothes."

She scowled at Noah, and then smiled at Cody.

Blood surged to Noah's brain at this time. He didn't intend to let this slide. He had been keeping cool because Charlotte's parents were here. The last thing he wanted to do was fight with them.

But when he remembered that Cody was just an outsider who wanted to steal his wife, he decided not to hesitate anymore.

Noah stepped forward and touched the set of clothes that Hazel had taken out of the bag.

"They have been soaked in aromatic substance? And wearing them can develop kids' IQ? You don't even know what you are saying. Research has proven that most of the aromatic substances used on clothes actually contain aggressive herbs that are toxic. Long-term contact can be very harmful to the health. Your so-called intellectual development is actually a mental stunt. How can you gift them to a child? Do you want to harm her?"

Like magic, those words silenced everyone.