“Mr. Bucham, see you later.” Julian smiled. “Okay, Ms. Crawford. That reminds me. Do you and the kids need a ride back to the hotel? I can pick you up.” “Thank you for the offer, Mr. Bucham, but our transport is sorted. We chartered a bus, so we’ll take the bus back to the hotel after the competition.” “Alright then. You don’t have to hire a bus next time. Just give me a call, and I’ll plan the logistics.”Quinn grinned. “Alright. We’ll be in your care if we come over for another competition.” There would always be competitions, but rarely were they held in Wiltspoon. Quinn did not say no when Julian offered since the likelihood of her returning to Wiltspoon was slim to none. At least she would not be troubling Julian. After the phone call, Julian was not going to sit and wait in the car until the afternoon. The car was not the most comfortable place to wait, even if the air conditioner was blasting. It was sweltering outside.He got out of the vehicle and entered the h
“Ms. Stone, um… What's going on? I kept it a secret. How did it get leaked?” Elisa angrily uttered, “How would I know? You’re the heir of the Buchams, for Heaven’s sake. How am I supposed to know when you don’t? Mr. Bucham, you started it and dragged me into this. I don’t care where you are and what you’re doing right now, but you must come here. Stat!” Knowing he was at fault, Julian embarrassedly said, “Don’t be mad, Ms. Stone. It’s my fault, and I got you into this. I’ll head there right away to explain to my parents. Please let me know if you ever need my help. I will assist you unconditionally.”Julian, who was in the wrong, made a promise to Elisa as the last thing he wanted was for Elisa to hold a grudge. “I’ll keep that in mind. I won’t be shy to ask when I need you.” Elisa then hung up. Serenity, who had heard the whole phone conversation, waited until Elisa tossed her phone aside before approaching her. She picked up Elisa's phone and placed it back in front of her
Elisa gave a nod. “That sounds like my mom. She annoyed me to no end and the same went for Mr. Reading. He didn’t know what my mom was up to, but he avoided me and my family like the plague when he belatedly found out. I even heard he sold his villa so as not to live in the same neighborhood as us.” Elisa was helpless about the situation. She believed she did Andrew dirty by dragging him into the matter for no good reason. “Andrew is Zachary’s cousin. He didn’t want a part in Aunt Audrey’s plan, so he sought advice from Zachary.” Elisa could guess where this was going before Serenity could finish the story. “Seren, did Zachary suggest to Andrew that Julian woo me?” “Zachary had no say in telling Julian to pursue you. He told Andrew to ask Julian for help. Julian has an illness, so anyone who isn’t his soulmate would only be looking at marriage without physical intimacy. If Julian agreed to help Andrew divert Aunt Audrey’s attention, Andrew could walk away from this. One more
Elisa hurriedly left the office and drove out of the building. Serenity saw Elisa off before returning to the office to call Zachary. She told him that Elisa was made privy to the reason behind Julian’s pursuit of her. Terrified of Elisa, Zachary asked, “Was Elisa angry enough to want to skin me alive?”“She’s livid. She wants me to kick you out of the bedroom,” Serenity deliberately uttered. “That won’t do. Nobody can separate us. She could be mad that I gave Andrew advice, but how was I supposed to know that Andrew could actually get Julian’s help? Andrew was caught in between Elisa and Remy’s relationship, innocently dragged into it, so it was only right that I offered him advice. Elisa is your cousin while Andrew’s mine. We were only doing what’s best for our cousins.” Zachary indignantly said his piece before cautiously asking, “Honey, was Elisa really angry?” “I was only kidding. Elisa wasn’t angry to learn the truth. She’s a reasonable person. We shouldn’t doubt her.
Darrell agreed. “This is a misunderstanding, Mr. Bucham. Mr. Julian must’ve had a reason for not pursuing Elisa earnestly. Elisa already has a boyfriend anyway. Their relationship’s doing well.”Walter smiled and said, “I have all the answers. Julian has been giving Elisa presents and flowers behind our backs recently. He had even visited your house several times and fetched her from the airport when she returned from her business trips.“We didn’t know a thing because that boy hid it too well. We would’ve come over sooner if we had known. Our families have been acquainted for decades, and we know everything about each other. Don’t worry. We’ll treat Elisa like a daughter after she joins our family.”Stacy chimed in, “That’s right. It’s good that our families are well acquainted. Since we don’t have a daughter, we’ll dote on our daughter-in-law like our own. You don’t have to worry about Julian mistreating Elisa. We’ll definitely be on her side.”They could finally rest in peace if
Julian and Elisa would have gotten along well if not for his existing condition. Alas, he had a tricky illness. Everything was up to fate, but Elisa and Julian did not share the same thread of destiny. Neither of them would be happy if they were forced to be together. Although Audrey could not bear Elisa leaving after marriage, she hoped Elisa could attain happiness. She did not want Elisa to be a widow. “Mr. Julian is here, Mr. and Mrs. Stone,” informed a maid.Audrey had never looked forward to Julian appearing as much as she did now. She said, “Quick, invite him in.”Not long after, Julian entered and Elisa happened to have returned as well. Remy was with her. “Dad, Mom, what are you guys doing?”Julian looked embarrassed when he saw the gifts on the coffee table. “You rascal. You didn’t tell us that you’re attracted to someone and worried us all this time. We’ve been thinking of how to save you. You, on the other hand, kept the fact that you’re in love with Elisa a
Everyone looked at Julian after hearing what he just said. Even Elisa, who had just returned, looked toward him with interest while Remy’s boiling anger dissipated instantly. “Really? Where’s that girl? You’re not lying to me, are you? Don’t blame me for being harsh on you if you dare deceive me. Your mom and I have been concerned about your marriage all this time.”Walter was stunned. He quickly questioned Julian about the truthfulness of his statement. Julian grabbed the keychain that he brought everywhere with him. Even after meeting Quinn, he did not return the keychain. It was their token of love; well, to Julian anyway. He showed his parents the photo on the keychain and told them, “Look. This is the photo of that girl. It’s all thanks to Ms. Stone that I was able to find her.”Elisa said, “Me? I didn’t do anything.”She was happy that Julian had found the one for him because now he would stop bothering her. Even if Julian did not love her, she was troubled by his pest
Stacy gladly passed the keychain to Audrey. She said with a huge grin, “I’m relieved now. Julian can be saved. He doesn’t have to stay single forever. Take a look at her, isn’t she wonderful? I think she’s an excellent match for my son.”Only moments ago Stacy was addressing the Stones as in-laws. She immediately switched her form of address after her future daughter-in-law had changed. Audrey looked at Quinn’s picture before passing it to Darrell. She smiled and said, “This girl gives a good first impression. Julian and her would make a wonderful couple.”Even if the girl in question were inferior, Audrey would still sing her praises. That said, Quinn truly left a good and comfortable impression on her. The only people who gave Audrey a comfortable first impression were Serenity and Liberty. Even then, she had no idea they were her nieces. Once she saw Serenity, she simply took a liking to her and wished to get close to her. Quinn was giving Audrey a similar feeling now. The