He rose leisurely from his chair, addressing his father and Carter. “Dad, Carter, I have something to take care of, so I’ll be heading out.”
James and George exchanged bewildered glances, surprised by his abrupt decision. James blinked in disbelief. “Didn’t we agree you’d stay the night?”
Klein offered a faint smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Sorry, Dad. I can’t tonight. I forgot to feed my rabbit. I need to get back and take care of it.”
With that, he left them standing there, and James turned to George with a bemused expression.
“When did he even get a rabbit?” James asked, scratching his head in confusion.
George shrugged, equally puzzled. “No clue.”
James sighed heavily, his brow furrowing. “We need to make sure to invite Klein over more often. I don’t want him drifting away from the family.”
Ever since Klein had returned to the country, James had felt an unsettling shift in their relationship. It was as if an invisible barrier had formed between them, one he couldn’t quite identify.
When James made his way downstairs and found Whitney absent, he frowned. “Where’s Whitney?”
Sabrina offered him an awkward smile, her eyes darting away. “Whitney said she was overwhelmed with work and had to rush back to the office. She asked me to tell you she’ll visit next time.”
James let out another heavy sigh, his frustration bubbling just below the surface. He shot Carter a pointed glare, but Carter remained silent, standing off to the side like a statue.
Just then, George called Carter back into the study.
“Carter, what on earth happened between you and Whitney? How did it escalate to the point of discussing a breakup?” George inquired, his brow creased with concern.
George couldn’t wrap his head around the situation, but he assumed his son must have done something to provoke it.
Carter hesitated, his gaze dropping to the floor. “Dad, I didn’t do anything. She’s just been acting really strange lately.”
“The wedding is just over a week away. There’s no way we can actually cancel it now. I don’t care how you do it, but you need to win her back before then,” George insisted, his voice rising slightly.
“You saw how your grandpa treated Milly today. If you really break off the engagement, how is Milly supposed to hold her head high in this family?” George pressed, his tone serious.
“Just the other day, he even mentioned setting Emily up for marriage,” he added, his eyes narrowing.
Carter’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Grandpa wants to arrange a marriage for Emily? Absolutely not.”
George’s expression hardened. “Why not? Everything we do is for the sake of the Harris family. No one can be the exception.”
Carter’s fists clenched, the tension in his forehead palpable. “I understand, Dad. I’ll marry Whitney.”
With his son’s firm assurance, George felt a significant weight lift off his shoulders.
He decided it was time to pay a visit to Whitney’s family the following day. If anything went awry on the wedding day, it would create chaos.
Whitney parked her car by the curb, humming a random tune to herself, when she suddenly caught sight of that unmistakable license plate-GHOST-drawing closer.
She hopped out of her car and waved enthusiastically at Klein as he approached, his vehicle gliding to a stop right in front of her.
“Uncle Klein,” she called out, her voice bright and cheerful as a ray of sunshine, genuinely happy to see him.
Klein couldn’t suppress a smile, amused by the shift in dynamics. ‘Just a moment ago, she was avoiding me, and now she’s the one coming over?’ he thought, a playful glint in his eyes.
Maintaining a neutral expression, he rolled down the window and gestured for her to hop in.
Whitney had hoped he would step out to talk, but the intimacy of the car’s interior made her feel slightly uneasy. Still, they were close to Harris Manor, and standing on the side of the road chatting wouldn’t present the best image.
Klein seemed to be in high spirits. Raising an eyebrow, he teased, “Did you wait here just for me?”
Instead of answering him directly, Whitney seized the opportunity to steer the conversation. “Uncle Klein, I wanted to discuss the agency contract between PrimeBridge Law Firm and the Harris family.”
The moment those words left her lips, Klein’s expression shifted, a frown forming on his face. “So you waited here just to talk business with me?”
“Yes, Uncle Klein, but I’m not asking for any special favors. I just want my boss, Ivan, to have a fair shot at competing,” Whitney clarified, her voice earnest.
“From what you’re saying, is someone treating him unfairly right now?” Klein inquired, his tone shifting to one of concern.
Whitney hesitated, suddenly aware that she might have come off a bit too eager.
“No, that’s not what I meant,” she stammered, struggling to articulate the situation between Ivan and Hector. “Uncle Klein, please don’t get the wrong idea.”
Klein’s dark eyes flicked up to meet hers, his casual demeanor masking a deeper interest as he noticed the flush of her cheeks. “Did you have enough to eat at dinner?” he asked, his tone light.
“What?” Whitney blinked, taken aback by the unexpected question.
Klein looked away, feigning nonchalance. “I just wanted to know if you had enough at dinner. If not, would you like to grab something with me?”
His casual invitation caught Whitney off guard, but it also made her realize she hadn’t eaten much and was feeling a bit hungry.
“Alright, Uncle Klein, let me treat you tonight,” she replied, a grin spreading across her face.
Klein’s lips curled into a faint smile, clearly pleased. “Well, good.”
As the red and black cars disappeared into the night, they finally came to a stop outside Sunrise Bites.
Whitney’s expression darkened at the sight of the restaurant. The last time she had visited this place, it was to discuss the painful decision of breaking off her engagement with Carter for the very first time.
Klein entered first, with Whitney trailing closely behind as they made their way into the private room.
Inside, Tina noticed them walk in and found herself lost in thought, her mind racing.
“Tina, what are you staring at?” one of her friends called out, breaking her reverie.
Snapping back to reality, Tina hurried over, her heart racing as she thought, ‘Wait, that figure looks just like Whitney.’
“Tina, your burn is taking forever to heal. It’s still all red,” one of her friends remarked, concern lacing her tone.
Tina gritted her teeth, her frustration boiling beneath the surface. “It’s all because of her. That witch is seriously crazy,” she spat, her anger palpable.
Her friends laughed, but their amusement only fueled Tina’s ire. “Tina, is your stepsister really going to marry into the Harris family? If she does, who knows how much more she’ll make your life miserable,” one of them teased.
Tina’s eyes darkened, the thought striking a nerve. ‘Yeah, that’s true. Whitney is already throwing her weight around, and she hasn’t even married into the Harris family yet.’
“Once the wedding is over, she’ll be even more arrogant,” Tina muttered, her voice laced with venom.
With a cold snort, she replied defiantly, “It’s not a done deal yet.”
Whitney always felt a flutter of nerves in her stomach whenever she found herself alone with Klein. It was a sensation she couldn’t quite shake off. With a determined smile, she said, “Uncle Klein, feel free to order anything you like.”
Klein merely raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly as he summoned the waiter to take their order.
He spoke with the ease of someone who had navigated such situations countless times, effortlessly selecting all of Whitney’s favorite dishes from the menu.
“Let’s keep it light tonight, something that won’t weigh us down. These are their signature dishes; I highly recommend them,” Klein suggested, his voice warm and inviting.
Whitney couldn’t suppress her curiosity. “Uncle Klein, you haven’t been back in so long, yet you still remember all their signature dishes?” she asked, genuinely intrigued.
This restaurant held a special place in her heart; it was where she had spent countless evenings, savoring every bite of its delicious offerings.
Klein smiled, his eyes twinkling with nostalgia. “I used to come here quite often back in the day.”
As they waited for their food, time seemed to stretch infinitely. Whitney found herself glancing at her fingers, tracing the patterns on the tablecloth, and eventually resorting to scrolling through her phone to pass the time.
Suddenly, Klein broke the silence. “How long have you been working at PrimeBridge Law Firm?” he asked, his tone casual yet probing.
Whitney straightened up, her heart racing as if she had just been caught texting during a lecture. “I started interning at PrimeBridge right after I graduated,” she replied, her voice steady.
She had always been a quick study, racing through her education and finishing school ahead of her peers. By the age of 22, she had already graduated from grad school, and now, this year marked her fourth at PrimeBridge Law Firm.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.