Celine said coldly, “Spend this money on nicer clothes. Stop dressing up like an old-fashioned farmer. Oh, but you’re already one. Take the money and get lost. Never, ever, appear before me again.”After saying her piece, Celine walked to her car and drove off. Carmen was left crying on the street. Her biological daughter hated her. She knew she could not compare to Belinda Fisher. It was all that woman’s fault for snatching her daughter away. While crying, Carmen picked up the cash and started counting it on the spot. Her tears gradually stopped flowing as she counted the money. Celine often had about ten thousand dollars in cash inside her wallet. With a casual throw, Carmen obtained quite a lot of money. As a farmer’s wife, it was a cash windfall. She thought of Caroline, who had grown up in her home. The same girl had already become Belinda’s successor and snatched everything that was supposed to be inherited by Celine. Carmen resented Caroline for that. She go
Quinn was unaware she was Julian’s destined woman, the only one he was attracted to, and nobody else.“I just arrived, Ms. Crawford,” replied Julian with a smile. Seeing his hands full, Quinn said, “You could’ve come without bringing anything along.”“It’s my first time meeting my coach. It’s only appropriate to prepare some gifts. I can’t possibly come empty-handed.”Quinn smiled. “Are you so confident my dad will accept you as his student? Let’s go. My house is nearby. You can have a meal at my house and meet my dad. We can see if he’s willing to take you in.”“Sounds great.”Quinn led Julian to her house. “Didn’t you say you would be Mr. York’s groomsman? Why are you here?” she asked while she took some of the load Julian was carrying.She had just returned from Wiltspoon two days ago. Looking at the stuff he brought, she told him, “You bought so many expensive gifts. It must’ve cost a lot.”The cigarettes, alcohol, and supplements Julian bought were from well-known bra
Quinn brought Julian to her house. It was not far from Power Fitness, and she met many acquaintances along the way. They saw Quinn walking beside a handsome man who was holding lots of stuff. They naturally assumed that Julian was Quinn’s boyfriend. “Is this your boyfriend, Ms. Crawford? He’s handsome.”“Is he your boyfriend, Quinn? To think your parents were worried you couldn’t get married. I told them not to worry because there’s no way you can’t get married with your looks.”“Your parents will be happy that you’re bringing a man home. They won’t have to worry anymore.”The parents of Quinn’s students or her neighbors would greet her and ask about her and Julian’s relationship. Quinn quickly explained to one of her neighbors, “This is Mr. Bucham. He’s here to learn martial arts from my dad.”Mrs. Patterson said, “Oh, I thought he was your boyfriend.”After glancing at Julian, she pulled Quinn aside and whispered, “I recognize all of your father’s students, Quinn, but this
On the other hand, Julian would not tell Quinn about his illness if she had no feelings for him. She was the only one for him. “My guess was right. However, you should really take action soon to relieve your parents of their anxiety,” Quinn said.“While my parents don’t often urge me to get married, my brothers have it worse. They even wear earplugs at home to avoid listening to my parents’ nagging.“My brothers are too picky. Whenever they’re introduced to a girl, they would find the girl too weak for their liking. They want someone who’s on par with them in martial arts. My dad was so furious that he wanted to beat them up.”Julian could not resist laughing. “It’s normal for your brothers to think that way. After all, they’ve been training since they were young, and most of their friends were likely skilled in martial arts too. It’s normal for them to want a wife who knows how to fight.“Do you wish to look for a boyfriend trained in martial arts too?”After briefly consider
“We’re here. This is my home.” Quinn led Julian into a house that was built by hand. It has a yard too. Julian knew where the Crawfords lived. In fact, he had done his homework on his future in-laws. The Crawfords were not super wealthy in Summervale, but their family gym was well-known. Still, the Crawfords were more well-off than most families. They owned the house on the street and a few properties elsewhere. The Crawfords bought the land for Power Fitness. Dave, Quinn’s father, planned to leave the family home to the firstborn son as his son could take over managing the gym. The other properties would be split between his youngest and Quinn. If Dave could make enough money for another property, he would buy another piece of land and build his own house. That way, he would have more properties to share among his children and benefit from the rental income.The Crawfords’ house was wider than the neighbors'. There was an arbor covered in flowers at the front door, wh
Dave pulled himself together and got acquainted with Julian through Quinn’s introduction. Then, he courteously welcomed Julian into the house. Quinn’s brothers, Will and Mark, had not returned home. Julian stepped into the house and put down the gifts he brought. Dave asked him to have a seat and said, “You didn’t have to, Mr. Bucham.” “Your daughter saved me. I was nearly robbed on my way home from an event. Your daughter happened to come by the same way and beat up the robbers. She even called the cops for me. “I’m sorry to intrude, Mr. Crawford.” Dave smiled at the mention that Quinn had saved Julian. He said, “We always help out when we can. It was no biggie. You don’t have to get us anything when you visit.” “Why don’t you serve our guest a drink, Quinn?” Zoey emerged from the kitchen in an apron. Quinn introduced Julian to her mother. Julian stood up as Zoey approached. After Quinn’s introduction, he politely said hello. Zoey did not hear the conversation t
Zoey was disappointed, but she quickly regained her spirits. She told her daughter, “I bet Julian is single, Quinn. Whether or not he joins our gym, you can make an effort to get to know him and see if there's a connection.” Dumbfounded, Quinn said, “Mom, Mr. Bucham is a CEO. He drives multi-million-dollar fancy cars. I bet the bar is set high, and I don’t come close to his expectation of an ideal woman. Besides, I don’t want to marry into money.“Also, he’s a lot older than me. He’s thirty-five and at least ten years older than me. In a few more years, he could pass for my father.” Zoey poked Quinn’s head and replied, “Don’t talk like he’s your father’s age. Will is older than you by eight years. Julian is around Will’s age anyway, with about two, three years of age gap.“Plus, Julian looks younger than Will. I would’ve thought he’s in his early twenties.”Quinn said amusedly, “Mom, he’s just here to join our gym. Just keep this between us, and don’t talk about it again. Peop
Julian mentioned that his parents were pressuring him to get married too. Quinn believed it made sense that Julian’s parents were worried because he was in his thirties. However, Quinn was still young, in her twenties. Yet, her mother was worried she might never find a man. Still, Quinn was not interested in marriage. When the time came to that, she would find someone who was not intimidated by her fighting skills. “You should worry about Will and Mark, Mom. Will is thirty-two, and Mark is twenty-eight. I’ll get married after them.” Zoey grew frustrated at the mention of her sons. She whined, “I don't understand the minds of young people nowadays. In my era, it was normal to think about marriage when we reached eighteen. But now, people are not as interested in marriage.“More families choose to have one child now. The way I see it, it’s better to have at least two children. The more the merrier.“With big families, the kids can share the responsibility of caring for elderl