Another elder said, "Maria is still young and has a lot to learn. There's no need to be too harsh on her, right?"

Although he was subtle about it, it was obvious that he did not want Naria to be punished,

Now that two elders had expressed their opinions, Mrs. Jenkins spoke again.

“Well, I've always lenient with people, especially when it comes to the younger generation of our Jenkins family. Even though I don't have a direct blood relationship with Maria, she is still my granddaughter. I don't have the heart to hurt her.

However, rules are rules, No matter how much we cherish Maria, we can't neglect the rules set by our ancestors which have been passed down for hundreds of years, right?"

Upon hearing this, Canaan had to stop himself from spewing a slew of curses,

This wicked woman pretended to be magnanimous and honorable by bringing up the family rules, but her true intention was to teach Maria a lesson! Hrs. Jenkins seemed to be able to guess what Canaan was thinking because she shot him a meaningful look.

Unwilling to meet her gaze, Canaan quickly lowered his head and picked up the bowl of porridge again.

“Canaan, you are in charge of the board of elders. Why haven't you said a word?"

Hrs. Jenkins pushed him to speak.

“Take a stand. Do you want to follow the rules of the Jenkins family or ignore them to protect Maria?’

Canaan's jaw fell open slightly in shock, and he almost blurted out the words, “what the hell?"

He couldn't believe that this woman had the audacity to accuse him of being willing to violate the family rules set by their ancestors. That would be the same as rebelling against the Jenkins family.

Canaan closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down. After a long silence, he said slowly, “Even at a court trial, the defendant is required to be present, right? Maria hasn't come back yet. How can we take a decision regarding this matter when she's not even here?"

This was all Canaan could think of to do for Maria: to buy some time for her!

If he could stall them long enough, Maria might be able to fight back.

“Canaan, you are obviously biased toward Maria. Everyone saw what she did at the charity auction last night. If you don't believe me, you can call any representative you want to...

"

Seeing that Canaan was deliberately dragging on the process, Barbara couldn't help blaming him for favoring Maria.

“Barbara! Watch your tongue. You have no say in this matter!"

Canaan shouted all of a sudden, interrupting Barbara's rambling.

“Yes, how ridiculous! How dare a youngster from other family criticize an elder of the Jenkins family?" another elder yelled angrily.

“Exactly! Besides, Barbara, you are at most the plaintiff or witness in this situation. And neither of them has the right to make a judgment,” yet another elder pointed out.

The rest of the elders present came to their senses and questioned Barbara one after another. They called her out for overstepping her welcome in the Jenkins family and for going against an elder.