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Chapter 282
Chapter 282
"How did you handle that pretty boy?"
Rachel was at a loss for words. "Pretty boy?" she thought, unsure if it was because of Everard's reputation or his intimidating presence. As Everard left, he glanced back, his gaze so commanding that Rachel felt a chill run down her spine.
She stuttered, unable to form a coherent sentence.
Belinda leaned in, whispering, "Why the silence? We're practically family now. What's there to hide?"
The Delaney family wasn't exactly on par with the Fosters, which had always made Belinda somewhat skeptical about Juliana's engagement to them.
She continued, a bit louder now, "Is it because you didn't want to make a scene in front of everyone? If it's bothering you, you could always show that pretty boy who's boss. It's just a bar, Midnight Scent, right...?"
Confront the founder of Fortuna Group?
She must have a death wish!
Worried about the Fosters possibly retaliating, Rachel blurted out, "Please don't! That guy... he's not just some pretty boy. He's the founder of Fortuna Group! Even Bill treats him with the utmost respect, calling him 'boss'!"
Silence fell upon them.
It took a moment for Belinda to recover before she laughed, "You're joking, right?"
Rachel sighed, "I'm dead serious. This is no joke."
Belinda was speechless.
Unaware of the Delaney family's shock, Cordelia sat in the car on the way home, lost in thought with a vocabulary book in her lap.
Lorna and Sanderson were still reeling from the news, both staring at Cordelia.
Seeing her usually composed daughter a bit off, Lorna finally broke the silence, "Lia, what's on your mind?"
Cordelia responded, "Italian."
Following the thread, Lorna said, "Right, I mean, who knew Everard... It's okay to call him Everard, right? Who knew he spoke Italian so well? He doesn't seem like the type to not take things seriously. To think he's actually that accomplished."
Cordelia blinked, "I'm thinking of learning Italian. It seems fun."
Lorna and Sanderson exchanged bewildered looks.
Sanderson, still in shock, asked, "You want to learn Italian? That's all you're thinking about?"
Cordelia tilted her head, "Yeah, and maybe other languages too. Japanese, Korean, French... What else?"
Sanderson was at a loss for words.
He and Lorna exchanged glances again as they quietly returned home.
Once inside, as Cordelia made to go upstairs as usual, Sanderson couldn't help but call out, "Lia, we need to talk." "Okay."
Sitting on the couch, Cordelia faced her parents.
Lorna, choosing her words carefully, decided it was best to be direct. "Lia, how did you really meet Everard? What's your relationship with him? You're still young and naive, and we're worried you might be getting taken advantage of."
Everard's status was intimidating, and the Delaneys felt they couldn't protect her.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.
They had initially accepted Everard, thinking he was just a bar owner, someone they could influence to ensure Cordelia's well-being.
But now-
If Cordelia were to be wronged, they doubted they could even stand up for her against Everard.
Seeing their concern, Cordelia earnestly replied, "I went to his bar, Midnight Scent, to buy a drink. It was love at first sight."
Cordelia sensed her parents' unease. Everard's powerful identity made it even more crucial not to reveal the "die if not in love" predicament, to avoid worrying them further.
Lorna then asked, "Do you love him more, or does he love you more?"
After a moment of thought, Cordelia honestly answered, "I don't know."
Everard was peculiar, occasionally speaking to her in strange tones, but she genuinely didn't understand what love meant.
Lorna was at a loss.
About to ask more, Sanderson coughed, signaling, "That's enough, Lia. You can go back to your books."
Cordelia nodded and headed upstairs.
Once she was gone, Lorna turned to Sanderson, "Why did you stop me?"
Sanderson furrowed his brow and
finally spoke up, "I think we're
making a mountain out of a molehill here. Lia's calmness is actually the right attitude towards love. If we make to big of a deal about it, we're putting Lia in an unequal position right from the start. That's not going to do their relationship any favors down the line. Let's just see how things play out. But, we need to keep an eye on this son-in-law. We can't just give our blessing yet. If he turns out to be bad news for Lia, worst comes to worst, we'll just pack up and head back to our family farm!"
Lorna was speechless.
Rough around the edges, but Sanderson had a point. They really did lose their cool just because they found out Everard was the founder of Fortuna Group. That wasn't right!
"What's going on?"
Hearing the commotion, Mathilda came out from the bedroom, looking puzzled.
Lorna exchanged a glance with Sanderson before turning to Mathilda, "Mom, it's about today. We found out about Everard's real identity."
Mathilda blinked in confusion, "What identity?"
Lorna sighed, "The founder of Fortuna Group. They say he's worth billions. With someone like that, I'm just worried Lia might end up getting the short end of the stick."
Mathilda was shocked, "What? The founder?"
Just as Lorna was about to nod, a series of crashing noises came from the bedroom!
Mathilda and Lorna jumped, rushing
down to the ground floor bedroom,
only to find Lacy had fallen out of bed. He seemed startled, staring at the doorway, eyes wide and mouth quivering: