Deanna’s heart jolted as well. She immediately grabbed Serena’s hand and said, “Come, Rena. Whatever you have to say, let’s talk after dinner. It’s almost seven already, so you must be starving.”
Nathan, who had remained silent the entire time, glanced at his wife and seemed to understand something as he chimed in, “That’s right. Let’s eat first. Dad, let’s start dinner.”
Sebastian stood up and cast an amused glance at them.
Just moments ago, Trevor had been terrified that Serena would tell Bryce about it. He was afraid that once she spoke up, Amber would once again be forcibly sent abroad for five years.
During the meal, none of them ate with any real appetite. Serena had just given Deanna some face, but no matter what, she had to make things clear today.
“Grandpa, Dad, Mom, I’m full. I’ll go back to my room first.” Amber was the first to put down her utensils.
Bryce cast her a flat glance and said faintly, “Okay.”
“Why don’t you go upstairs and rest, Amber?” Deanna smoothed things over. Then, she shot Nathan a look.
Nathan understood immediately and said, “Dad, I want to talk with you and Sebastian about the Xythern project.”
“Do you have to discuss it right now?” Bryce was displeased.
“Yes… It’s quite urgent,” replied Nathan.
Bryce had no choice but to go upstairs with them. Before leaving, he said to Serena, “Keep eating, Rena. I’ll be back soon.”
Soon, Deanna dismissed the others.
Serena put down her utensils as she knew that Deanna wanted to talk to her alone.
“Trevor, go upstairs and bring down that box of mine. Hurry!”
Trevor glanced at Serena deeply before he left.
Only then did Deanna take Serena’s hand and say, “Rena, I’m so sorry that you have to go through this. My son is just a blockhead, so don’t take it to heart. You guys have been together for five years to finally reach this point, and the wedding is right around the corner. Just forgive his childish act this once. Don’t worry about the future. If he dares to bully you after marriage, I’ll deal with him! Even if I don’t, Grandpa certainly won’t let him off the hook. I really want you to become my daughter-in-law. I’m waiting eagerly for the wedding day to arrive.”
Hearing her words, Serena chuckled lightly and said, “But I’ve already decided not to marry him. Didn’t Trevor tell you about it? After we failed to register our marriage that day, I had already made up my mind not to marry him.”
In that split second, Deanna’s smile stiffened.
“Did he bully you, Rena? You can tell me about it, and I’ll definitely stand up for you! However, with the wedding only days away, I don’t want to hear you talking about not getting married.”
When Serena heard her words, she sneered inwardly. Although Deanna seemed like she was doing what was best for her, her true intentions were still siding with Trevor.
“Mrs. Levine, during these five years that I’ve been engaged to Trevor, I’ve been constantly convincing myself that he loves me. However, even today, I still can’t feel his love for me. I can remember all of his favorite things and am willing to follow him around. When he took me to meet his friends, I genuinely thought that he was finally willing to love me. However, some things just can’t be faked. I saw how he noticed every detail about another woman and remembered her preferences without needing to be told. He could even remember every single day he’s spent with her, but what about me? He could even forget something as important as a pre-booked appointment to register our marriage.”
Serena looked at Deanna and said, “I can’t accept an engagement without love, and I also can’t live in a marriage where we treat each other like strangers. Don’t you think I should leave him?”
It was a question that came straight from the soul. Deanna’s lips parted slightly, but it only turned into a sigh.
“This is Trevor’s fault. You didn’t do anything wrong, Rena. It was I who didn’t raise my son well.” Deanna squeezed her hand. “However, can you give us a little more time? Grandpa is getting on in years, and I’m afraid he won’t be able to take the shock. How about this? Why don’t you guys go through with the wedding ceremony instead of registering the marriage? After that, you can tell him that you and Trevor aren’t suitable for each other. Would that be alright?”
Serena’s gaze turned cold at her words. “That wouldn’t be appropriate for me to do so. Once the ceremony is done, everyone will assume that I’m already married. Do you really think that this is good for my reputation, Mrs. Levine?”
Deanna fell silent.
“I’ll give you five more days,” Serena said. “You can think about how to explain this to Grandpa. Otherwise, I won’t appear at the wedding.” Then, she stood up. “I still have other things to do. Please help me tell Grandpa that I’ll be leaving first.”
She had done all she could. This was already the most dignified way she could handle it.
On the other hand, Trevor searched for a long time but couldn’t find any box. Frustrated, he went downstairs, only to see his mother alone.
“Where is she?”
Deanna shot him a vicious glare and said, “Your wife ran off with someone else. Are you satisfied now?”
Serena had driven over today precisely so that if anything awkward happened, she could leave at any time. As her car pulled out of the Levine Residence, she suddenly remembered that she had wanted to ask Sebastian about the contract.
Call it taking a shortcut if others like-she simply wanted a fair and equal chance at competition.
Then, she pulled over to the side of the road, unlocked her phone, and tapped on Sebastian’s contact.
‘Uncle Sebastian, are you staying there tonight?’
Initially, Serena thought Sebastian wouldn’t reply so quickly. However, to her surprise, Sebastian replied almost instantaneously.
‘Why? Are you waiting for me to leave?’
Staring at the text, Serena could feel herself blushing.
Though Sebastian always looked so upright, she felt like he was teasing her whenever she chatted with him. She didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but there was always this faint, elusive sense of flirtation.
Sitting in the car, unable to see him, Serena unconsciously straightened her posture.
‘I’ve already left. If it’s convenient for you, I’ll wait at the intersection.’
Waiting was tormenting. After a full minute, the other side finally replied with a single word.
‘Okay.’
In the study room, Sebastian rubbed the screen lightly with his thumb with a smile. Then, he stood up and said casually, “Dad, Nathan, I have something to take care of. I’ll be heading out first.”
Hearing his words, the duo looked at him in surprise.
“Didn’t you say you would stay tonight?” Bryce asked.
Sebastian smiled faintly and replied, “Maybe next time, Dad. I forgot to feed my rabbit. I need to go back and feed it.”
As Sebastian left, Bryce and Nathan exchanged glances.
“Since when did he start keeping a rabbit?” Bryce frowned/
Nathan shook his head and said, “I have no idea.”
Bryce sighed and said, “Tell him to come home more often. Don’t let him grow distant from the family.”
Ever since Sebastian returned from abroad, Bryce felt that he had become somewhat distant. He couldn’t put his finger on why, but it just felt different.
When Bryce came downstairs and didn’t see Serena, he asked, “Where is Serena?”
Deanna smiled awkwardly and replied, “She said work has been busy and had to rush back for overtime, so she left first. She asked me to pass along her regards and said she’ll visit you next time.”
Bryce sighed, then shot a glare at Trevor.
Trevor stood silently to the side. Bryce didn’t say anything, but Nathan called him into the study room.
“Trevor, why have things escalated to the point where Rena wants to break off the engagement?” Nathan didn’t understand what happened, but no matter what, he was certain that it was Trevor who had done something wrong.
Trevor was silent for a moment before saying, “I didn’t do anything, Dad. She’s just been acting strange lately.”
“There’s barely a little over a week left before the wedding. There’s no way we can cancel it!” Nathan said sternly. “I don’t care what method you use, but you must be on good terms with her within this week. You saw Grandpa’s attitude toward Amber today. If you were to really break off the engagement, how do you think Amber would survive in this family? Last time, he even mentioned arranging a marriage for Amber.”
Hearing this, Trevor widened his eyes in shock. “He wants Amber to enter a political marriage? No, he can’t do that!”
When Nathan heard this, something flicked in his eyes, and he said, “Why not? We’re all family members of the Levine family. If you want to be in control, leave this family.”
Trevor clenched his fists tightly, the veins on his forehead bulging violently.
“I understand. Don’t worry, I will marry Serena.”
With his promise, Nathan finally relaxed a little. He decided to visit his in-laws the next day. Otherwise, it would be ugly if something went wrong on the wedding day.
…
Serena parked her car by the roadside and was humming absentmindedly when a familiar license plate came into view. She got out of the car and waved toward the man inside.
Then, Sebastian parked his car in front of hers.
“Uncle Sebastian!” Serena was happy to see him.
Sebastian chuckled inwardly. He found it funny that she took the initiative to come to him when just moments ago she had been desperately avoiding him.
His expression remained unchanged as he lowered the window and gestured for her to get in.
Serena had originally intended to chat with him outside the car since the enclosed space inside made her feel uneasy. However, they weren’t far from the Levine Residence, and it would be inappropriate if someone saw them talking by the roadside.
“Did you purposely wait for me?” Sebastian asked in a good mood.
…
“Uncle Sebastian, I want to talk to you about Beaumont Legal and your agency contract.”
The moment the words fell, the smile on Sebastian’s lips faded slightly. “Did you wait for me today just to talk about this?”
“Yes. I’m not asking you to pull strings for me. I just want to give my boss, Eugene, a fair chance to compete.”
“Oh? From what you’re saying, is someone being unfair to him right now?”
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