Stan continued, "Say something nice and I'll help, but I'm walking away if you're going to keep up that attitude.""Stop."Rea promptly caught him—she would be really embarrassed if she let him go, only for her dad to go looking for him."So what should I say?" She asked, batting her eyelashes. "Please?""Not nice enough," Stan smiled in slight amusement. "If you need to ask for a favor, you should at least look the part. Get it?"Rea had certainly not been harassed like this, and she was left heaving, almost exploding right then."Am I not being nice enough?" She asked, as she had bent herself backwards.Stan leaned in to whisper into her ear, "Which part of you, exactly?"Rea was nonplussed, but her cheeks flushed beet red in realization, since she was frustrated too. "You little…""Tut, tut," Stan clicked his tongue. "You're actually blushing? Are you that innocent? Never noticed that myself… but since you're blushing that hard, I'll help you out."Rea was going to snap at
Rea told him, "Just keep your mouth shut and try not to talk.""Be mute—got it," Stan nodded, but leaned forward, "Your parents wouldn't be interested if I'm mute, huh?"Rea snorted coolly, meeting his eyes up close. "What? Are you really trying to get my parents to like you?"Stan cleared his throat awkwardly. "Nope. Just asking."Rea rolled her eyes. "And you're the first man I've ever lost to."She suddenly jammed her foot on the pedal, and her car suddenly lurched forward, catching Stan off guard.As he was pressed into his seat from inertia, his eyes widened in shock as he looked at Rea, "Why are you driving so fast?"Rea completely ignored him, but she wasn't slowing down either.Stan had to catch the car grab handle, "And how did you lose to me? I never did anything to you. Are you trying to get me killed?"Rea huffed. "Shut up."Stan blinked. "I came to help, but I guess I was wrong—stop!!!"There was a SUV dead ahead, and Rea missed it by inches.Stan was so petrif
Stan pursed his lips, while Rea rolled her eyes. "Hey, am I your daughter, or is he?""Daughter? Son-in-laws are better," Mr. and Mrs. Fowler retorted almost at the same time.They knew that their daughter could not do anything aside from fool around, so they wanted a good son-in-law.After all, the family had to count on him in the future, so their daughter's wants had to wait—they must not let a good son-in-law escape.Stan actually felt unaccustomed to such enthusiastic hospitality, while Rea was left rubbing her brow."What's your favorite food?" Mrs. Fowler asked just then. "I'll ask the kitchen to cook—we can have lunch together."Stan turned toward Rea, as if to say she had never mentioned staying for lunch.On the other hand, Rea had enough of her parents' enthusiasm—they were acting like she could not get anyone!Getting up and pulling Stan away from them, she said, "Stan is my boyfriend. How are we going to grow closer if you keep him to yourself?"Both Mr. and Mrs.
However, Stan noticed Rea blushing and moved his lips closer to her ear to tease her. "It's fine—I agreed to help anyway, so I'll help deceive them. That said, this isn't a permanent solution, since you can fool them once, but not all the time.""Of course I know," Rea said, looking everywhere but Stan's face.Still, she had already thought about that on her way to Stan.She would first ask him to pretend to be her boyfriend to stop them from bugging her, and then tell them it was a long-distance relationship when Stan returned to Franconia.That would keep her parents satisfied for a while, and she could use the time to find someone who suited her.If she did, she could tell her parents she broke up with Stan and found a new lover.At the very least, they would not be breathing down her neck about marriage."Don't worry. I'm in your hands." "Hey, you said it, not me," Stan said, able to smell her nice perfume while his eyes stayed unwittingly fixed on her thin neck from up cl
Stan slowly turned to look at Rea's legs—they were long, slender, and fair.Her toenails, poking out of fluffy slippers, were sparkly and made her skin appear fairer.To be honest, she was not ugly—if anything, she was good-looking.Still, Stan turned away and smiled at Rea. "Are you a woman?""What, are you saying that I'm a man?" Rea snorted in annoyance—her skin and appearance were perfect, as befitting of an heiress!"Really?" Stan flashed a sly smile. "Then why don't you prove it?"Rea puffed her chest, only for Stan to purse his lips. "Aren't those fake?""I'm one hundred percent natural, and nothing about me is fake!" Rea huffed. "Stop looking like you don't believe me!"Despite the popularity of plastic surgery, Rea could proudly say that she never needed a scalpel—not even a tiny bit.All she did was professional skincare, and she was too young to need botox.She was a natural beauty and at the peak of her youth, so what use did she have for medical beautification?
Rea was left gaping at Stan—this man was such a bitch, complaining to her parents!And he was the one bullying her!Having had enough, she snapped, "You call yourself a man?!"He was pouting like a wounded wife but also afraid to speak.Mr. Fowler snapped at Rea right then, "What are you saying?! I've really spoiled you so much that you don't understand when it's too much. Apologize to Stan now!"Rea's cheeks were flushed. "He's bullying me.""How? The way I see it, you're the one throwing a fit," Mr. Fowler said. "Apologize to him!""No!" Rea refused stubbornly.She never apologized to anyone and was certainly not going to do it to a man who framed her!"Stan Hill!" she snapped, her chest heaving. "How despicable can you get?!"Stan promptly cringed dramatically. "No, no, you don't have to apologize. I'm used to it—don't get upset with her, Mr. and Mrs. Fowler."Mr. Fowler glared at Rea. "We'll speak later. Let's go downstairs, Stan."Stan nodded.As Stan left, Mr. Fowler
Stan was not proud—he understood humility and how to respond impeccably.In contrast, Mr. Fowler did not like impetuous men—those types would not succeed in anything."What do you think of Rea?" Mr. Fowler then asked.Stan mused to himself for a while and said, "She's great!" Mr. Fowler chuckled. "She's spoiled."He then made another move, avoiding Stan's attack and checking Stan.One wrong move, and Stan would lose.As he stared at the chessboard, Mr. Fowler looked up at him. "My daughter is spoiled and has led a charmed life. But even though she has an attitude, she's naive and kind.""Well, she's one of a kind."Stan could feel that Mr. and Mrs. Fowler were loving parents, which made for a good family vibe.Even if Rea would get a little feisty, she did not bear ill will, and that made her a rare specimen.Only those who lived in sheltered environments would retain their kind nature, while those who faced society's abuses would end up warped.Mr. Fowler nodded. "Yeah… B
Even after a moment, the savory taste still lingered—even someone uneducated in tea like Stan knew that the tea was good.Turning toward Mr. Fowler, he said, "Thank you for your hospitality, sir."Mr. Fowler waved him off, "Oh, a cup of tea is really nothing. You can have everything I have when you become my son-in-law.""Dad." Rea pouted. "Could you stop talking about that? Aren't you worried about scaring him away?""Fine, my bad." Mr. Fowler chuckled.Rea wrapped her hands around his arm and leaned on his shoulder. "So, who won?""I lost," Stan said. "No, we played two games," Mr. Fowler smiled. "And we're even."Stan, however, could see what was going on. "You're letting me win, or I wouldn't have taken the first round.""No, you're good enough." Mr. Fowler nodded in acknowledgement. "Youngsters these days don't even know how to play chess."Then, turning to Rea, he said, "Why don't you go on a stroll in the back garden with Stan? I'm quite proud of it." He was clearly