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
“Ms. Crawford, please don’t feel obliged to bring out a lot of food.” Julian smiled. Quinn smiled. “I’m not bringing out much. Just some fruit and snacks. My mom hasn’t finished cooking. You must be hungry after a long journey here. You should have something to tide you over. “Have a chat with Mr. Bucham, Dad. I’ll help Mom in the kitchen,” Quinn said and returned to the kitchen. Julian looked at Quinn’s receding back and raved about her to Dave. “Ms. Crawford is a kind and talented woman. She is beautiful, and a skilled fighter. She handles herself well and would make a good wife. You have raised her well, sir.”Dave replied with a smile, “You’re too kind, Julian. Quinn is a good kid.” In fact, Dave loved it when people complimented his daughter. “I heard from my daughter that you would like to enroll in our gym. How old are you now, Julian?” After an exchange of pleasantries, Dave cut to the chase. Julian answered, “I know I’m a little old to start learning the art
“I’m in the big business, but I have a team to run the business for me, sir. Even if I’m not around in the office for months, the company will still be fine. I think I can start training and see where I go from there. “I am looking to hire bodyguards. I hope you can recommend some capable and trustworthy individuals for the job. I can offer the same great benefits as my office workers. I will make it worth their while if they do a good job.” Quinn said that Power Fitness was not just about training strength, but also to direct the students to a life of integrity. The Crawfords would not tolerate bullying or lawbreaking from any of the students.They would punish and cut ties with students who abused their training, not wanting to be associated with them anymore. As such, Julian could have the utmost confidence in the people recommended by Dave. Julian would have to keep up with the lies like Zachary if he hired Dave’s recommendations though. Technically, Julian did not have