Staring at the leading lady who died on screen, Lucy thought of herself.
The neglect and grievances she once suffered rapidly swelled from the depths of her heart, making her feel uncomfortable. "Mr. Green, when you get married in the future, make sure to find a woman you love. Even if your family forces you to marry someone you don't love, don't agree or compromise, no matter the reason."
"What if the woman I love doesn't want to marry me?"
"Then just find someone else to love."
Jacob's eyes darkened as he looked at her, "What you're saying sounds reasonable, but feelings aren't something you can just decide to stop and have them be completely clean."
"But if you find a breakthrough that lets you give up all hope, it's not that hard." Lucy looked at him with reddened eyes, "Once you find an opportunity to convince yourself, you'll realize how easy it is to give up hope."
"You speak as if you've succeeded in doing this. Do you have someone you love?"
"No."
"You don't love me?"
"You're just my patron, not my boyfriend. Loving you would be courting disaster."
Jacob was at a loss for words. After a few seconds of silence, he added, "You certainly are professional."
"Didn't you realize that morning at the hotel?"
Jacob had never met a woman like her. In his business, he had encountered countless shrewd individuals.
But only a woman like her made him feel like she truly didn't care for him.
She was like an alluring vortex, drawing people closer to inspect further.
If her tactics were truly exceptional, she wouldn't continue associating with him in the guise of her special profession, and she would definitely argue that she was also a victim that night.
But she didn't do any of that.
Lucy noticed his thoughtful gaze fixed on her, smiled gently, leaned forward, and kissed him, "Darling, we should sleep now."
The sweet and sticky term of endearment prompted Jacob to naturally embrace her, "Sleep."
Lucy lay in his arms, inhaling his scent, her eyes stinging with tears. Lying by his side like this was something she had once longed for but never achieved, and now it was done effortlessly, truly a twist of fate.
——
The Quinn family of three arrived first at the reserved restaurant the next afternoon.
Upon reaching the private room, Autumn Fletcher quietly instructed her daughter, "Not only Jacob will be coming, but his parents will also be here. Behave yourself and don't bring the family's typical manner to today's meal."
Stellan was instantly displeased upon hearing this. "Isn't Jacob supposed to be coming alone? Why are his parents coming too?"
"It was arranged by your dad and me, and we also asked them not to tell Jacob. Jacob doesn't know his parents will be here."
"Mom and Dad, why are you having Jacob's parents come?"
Stellan's face turned stern, "Why? Of course, for two reasons: one, to consider your future marriage, and two, to maximize our Quinn family's interests. Your mom and I can't think of any other wealthy family heir who would like you as much as Jacob."
"But I've seen his true colors, and I don't want to marry him."
"Nobody's saying you must marry him right away," Benjamin Quinn said. "Get engaged first. You have plenty of time to get to know his character."
Stellan looked unwilling but understood that at this critical juncture, it wasn't the time for tantrums.
"Then you have to set the engagement for as long as possible, at least until I'm satisfied."
"How about six months?"
Stellan pondered, "A year, perhaps."
"Sweetheart, a year is too long," Autumn Fletcher disagreed. "Who knows what changes might occur within a year? Six months at most. Both your dad and I hope it will happen sooner rather than later."
"He works so much every day; how many times could we meet in six months?" Stellan insisted. "In light of our family's business, we can expedite the engagement, but the wedding must be a year later. If, during this year, you also see his true colors, you must agree to cancel the engagement. You can't throw me into the fire for fame and fortune."
Autumn Fletcher did her utmost to soothe her emotions, "Naturally, your dad and I wouldn't just watch you jump into a fire. Don't worry; your dad and I have a good eye for people. Jacob, who can manage the entire Clan Green headquarters, certainly isn't as you've described."
Stellan huffed, "You both trust him so much."
"We've met far more people than you have, so there should be little discrepancy in judgment," she quietly advised. "Once Jacob arrives, speak kindly to him, and take out the attitude you've previously shown him, all right?"
Stellan remained silent.
Autumn Fletcher unhappily asked again, "Did you hear me?"
"Got it," she replied impatiently.
Just as the words left her mouth, the private room door opened, and in came Mr. and Mrs. Green.
Stellan accompanied her parents in warmly welcoming them.
"Please, have a seat."
Mr. Green shook hands with Benjamin Quinn and then started the obligatory small talk.
A few minutes into the conversation, Jacob appeared.
He was initially surprised to see his parents there, but his expression soon returned to calm.
With everyone present, and after ordering their meals, Autumn Fletcher was the first to speak, "Here's the thing. There's been a little misunderstanding between Stellan and Mr. Green. She's too embarrassed to approach Mr. Green directly. Because of this misunderstanding, Stellan, in a moment of impulse, rejected Mr. Green's previous courtship, and she really regrets it. She had a heartfelt conversation with me and her father last night, which is why we arranged for everyone to meet so we can talk things over."
Mr. and Mrs. Green exchanged a glance before smiling.
"It's normal for young girls to feel embarrassed. It's good that the misunderstanding is resolved," Mrs. Green said, casting a meaningful glance at her son to prompt him to speak.
Jacob looked at Stellan, whose eyes quickly darted elsewhere. Despite how fast they evaded, he still saw the repulsion in her eyes.
This wasn't the attitude of someone who realized a misunderstanding.
"I already explained it to you over the phone yesterday, Auntie. Whether or not she believes it or thinks it's really a misunderstanding won't change the actual fact. Such a trivial matter isn't something I dwell on."
Stellan couldn't help but retort, "A trivial matter? To you, it's a trivial matter to beat someone up so badly?"
Mrs. Green was taken aback and asked, "Who got beaten up so badly?"
"Auntie, it was my good friend Grace Hughes. Grace's friend saw Jacob go to a five-star hotel that day and thought he was with a girl, so she took me there in the morning, only for Jacob to retaliate against her, having someone beat her half to death."
Before the Green family could speak, Autumn Fletcher sharply glanced at her daughter and explained with a smile, "It's already said to be a misunderstanding. Mr. Green explained this to me, saying that Stellan's good friend Grace Hughes sent the message to him using Stellan's phone and even drugged him. Fortunately, it was a false alarm. Otherwise..."
At this point, she sighed.