Zoey had a habit of nagging Dave for he had ruined their daughter—a twenty-four-year-old young lady, who had never been in a relationship and could not get along with the men they set up for her. Zoey complained that Quinn treated those men as buddies.Why buddies? Why could they not become lovers?Every time Zoey nagged, Dave would tease her, suggesting they should take good care of their health and have another daughter. Then, they could raise the younger one as a proper lady, which always makes Zoey blush. She would seize him and tickle him.They were old enough to be grandparents, how could they still have babies?If they wanted to, they could have done it when they were younger.“Time for dinner. It’s late and you’re making Julian drink tea, it affects sleep. The same goes for you, don’t stay up late chattering when you can’t sleep later,” reprimanded Zoey as she carried the dishes out of the kitchen.Dave chuckled, “Julian came from afar, he’s our guest. It’s only hospitalit
Regardless of how they dissuaded him, Julian was firm that he had no ability to stop his parents, leaving the Crawfords quite helpless.They thought that if Julian’s parents did come, they would treat them cordially.Ring, ring, ring.Zoey’s phone rang.She answered the call without checking who it was from.“Oh, it’s Felicia.”Hearing Zoey greeting the caller, Quinn and her brother immediately pricked their ears to listen to their mother’s conversation with Felicia.“You want to introduce a boyfriend to Quinn? What does he do for a living? You know about Quinn’s situation right? You won’t introduce someone afraid Quinn might be abusive like those previous ones, will you?“Felicia, let me clarify right away. If the prospective partner is worried that Quinn might be abusive, there’s no need for you to play the matchmaker. Quinn won’t marry anyone with such concerns. I’d rather raise her for life than let her marry someone with tendencies for domestic violence.”Felicia chuckled
Quinn calmly ate her food. When Zoey was not looking, she seized the window of opportunity and refilled her glass with wine before downing it. By the time her mother looked over, she had already put down the glass and was back to calmly eating her meal. There was no sign of her sneaky behavior.Julian found this amusing.However, he did not dare to fill Quinn’s glass with wine. His future mother-in-law had strict rules about not allowing the family to drink too much, and even though he was just having a couple of drinks together as their guest, he could not overindulge. He certainly did not want to break the good impression Zoey had of him.“Yes, it’s her colleague’s son. She wants our daughter to meet him tomorrow at the nicely decorated bubble tea shop near our gym.”Zoey handed the phone to Dave and asked quietly, “What do you think? Should we arrange for our daughter to meet him? He seems a bit overweight, and it’s clear that he seldom works out.Dave took the phone, and Will
Quinn had always treated Julian like a buddy and the Crawfords had eliminated him from the list of potential son-in-law candidates. Zoey took her phone back and said, “Let’s wait for any updates tomorrow. You can go over if Felicia doesn’t cancel the date. The boba shop isn’t too far from our gym anyway.“Bring a dress and a pair of heels with you when you go to work tomorrow. You should change into them to look more ladylike if the date isn’t canceled. Stop dressing up like a bodyguard every day. Anyone would be afraid that you’d swing a punch at them.”“Look at the weather, Mom. It’s impossible to wear a dress. Do you want me to catch a cold?”Quinn glanced at Julian’s glass. She wanted to steal a few sips. “Who said anything about a summer dress? You can wear one that’s suitable for winter.”“I don’t have dresses in my closet, Mom. I’ve never worn a dress since I became an adult.”Quinn did not like wearing dresses. It would get in the way during her practice. “I can’t wa
Will believed that the men the matchmaker introduced to Quinn were unattractive. Dave did not object to the match, while Zoey reminded her son to be considerate of Julian and not hurt their guest. Everyone in the Crawford family was trained except Zoey. Due to their competitive nature, they liked to have matches with people skilled in martial arts. Julian contemplated whether to go all out or hold back later. However, upon remembering that Quinn admired strength, he decided to put his all into the match and defeat Will. That way, he could gain Quinn’s admiration. He hoped that his future brother-in-law would not hold a grudge against him for it. After the meal, Julian wanted to help clear the dishes but was stopped by Zoey. She said, “You can go and talk to Dave. Quinn and I will clean up.”Julian smiled and said, “It’s okay, Mrs. Crawford. I’m the one who cleans up after every meal in my family. I’m used to it.”He needed to exhibit his good side to the Crawfords. As he
Ten minutes later, Julian and Quinn walked behind her brothers. They were heading to Power Fitness. Summervale was livelier when dark fell. Although it was not as bustling as Wiltspoon, the city lights illuminated the streets. Mark said, “You can go up against me first, Julian. My dad trained us three, so we have similar moves. If you can beat me, you’ll have a greater chance of challenging my brother. He started training several years before I did. He’s stronger and faster.“He has also been teaching more advanced students while I’m still overseeing kids. It’s because I’m still young and not as famous as Will.”In Summervale, Quinn’s brothers were well-known in the martial arts circle. Julian said, “If so, it’s unfair to Will. It’s okay. I’ll have a match with him right away. I can accept any outcome. I train to strengthen my body and defend myself, not for fame.”Quinn grinned. “Why do you need fame when you’re a businessman? You’re already popular in Wiltspoon’s business in
“Besides, no one in their right mind will try to offend Old Mrs. York. She’s the one with the most connections. You’ll know that no one in my social circle is simple once you get acquainted with Serenity and the rest.”Families of higher status usually knew each other well with some even allies. “Will you still be my friend if you’ll be in danger because of me, Quinn? Will you break off our friendship?”Will turned his head and said, “What do you take Quinn for? My sister has already thought of you as her best friend. She’s sincere and will go to any lengths to help her friends. She’ll never break off your friendship.“However, that’s only if you don’t do anything illegal that’ll endanger Quinn. Otherwise, not only will we cut all ties with you, we’ll also beat you up.”Then, he told Quinn, “Julian was teasing you. Why did you believe him? If his situation is as dangerous as it sounds, he won’t contact us anymore if he has a sliver of conscience. Since he dared to come to our hou
“Don’t take me for a fool. I know what’s love,” Quinn complained. Will looked at Julian, then Quinn, who clearly had no idea about love. He chose not to expose the tension between them. Hang on. He had just revealed that Julian was preparing his sister for something. Yet, Quinn did not seem to get the hint that Julian was worried for her. “You must hold back during the match later, Will. Don’t go all out,” Quinn reminded him as her way to change the subject.Will said, “We’re not having a death match. Don’t worry. I’ll go easy on him.”Julian thanked Will. Soon, they arrived at Power Fitness. A few coaches were still around, watching their students train at night. When they saw Quinn and the rest walking in, they stopped. “Everyone take a rest and clear some space for me. I’m going up against Mr. Bucham here and have you all witness a match between professionals,” Will spoke with a smile, and everyone complied. A coach eyed Julian and asked, “Which gym is he from, Wil