"Mr. Woods, I will be the person in charge of all communication from now on," the man said. "You can call me Anson." "You are older than me, right?" Lucas asked. "I'm twenty-five this year." "I'm twenty-three," Lucas said. Anson chuckled. "All right. You can call me Mr. Orpwood, then. I'll stay here for half a year and leave after that." "I'm sorry, but I haven't decided if I want to accept this investment." Anson froze. "This is a lot of money, and you are unsure if you want it?" He had never met anyone who would refuse money. "I never thought your boss would invest so much in my company." Lucas put down the contract. "I haven't met your boss in person, so I don't understand why he trusts me so much." Anson smiled. "To ordinary people, this is indeed a significant amount of money, but this is nothing from my boss's perspective. Don't overthink it." "There are other shareholders in my company, so it's not just up to me," Lucas countered. "You mean Caspian? When he
"Her family might, indeed, oppose, but she'll probably insist on being with you. Can't you see that she's quite determined? She came all the way here just to find you. That alone proves she's no ordinary girl," Caspian said. "She's definitely not an ordinary girl, but I'm quite ordinary." Caspian clicked his tongue. "What's wrong? Are you feeling inferior now? Lucas, from what I remember, you're not that kind of person. Besides, we have a major investment now, so we're not poor anymore! Once this investment comes through, you'll be a rather accomplished entrepreneur. Even if Ivy's family is wealthy, they won't look down on you." Lucas picked up the contract. "This investment has something to do with Ivy." Caspian was stunned. "What are you talking about? That's impossible!" "Why? Do you really think we're impressive enough to attract this big foreign investment?" Caspian's expression changed drastically. "What makes you think Ivy's family is that wealthy? She seems pretty d
Ivy was at a loss for words and protested, "Mom, you may not know this, but Hayden arranged for a gorgeous woman to seduce Lucas. Luckily, Lucas didn't fall for it." Avery flashed her a faint smile. "I was the one who picked that woman." Ivy was utterly stunned. "You did?" "Your brother gave me some women's photos and asked me to help him choose one. So I chose Missy. She is truly very attractive! Her features seem innocent, but her gaze is quite captivating..." Ivy countered, "Mom, Lucas might prefer someone more down-to-earth. Extremely beautiful women might be too intimidating." "I think you are even more attractive than Missy! I suspect he might have lost all interest in other women after seeing you," Avery said. "... Mom, you're exaggerating. I might be moderately attractive, but Missy is still more beautiful." "You two aren't even the same type. You are not only beautiful but also intelligent and vibrant. Missy doesn't possess your vitality," Avery said. "All righ
Ivy followed her parents into the room where the dresses were placed and chose a pink gown. "Mom, I think I'll wear this one for the event!" Ivy was quite fond of the dress. "You can choose a few more outfits! The wedding will last two days, so you can wear a few different dresses each day!" Avery enjoyed dressing her daughter. Ivy laughed. "That's too much! It's not my wedding, so I'm just going to stick to one dress per day!" She did not want to steal the spotlight from the bride. Ivy picked up a light blue outfit. "This one will be great for the second day." "All right! Do you want to look at the room where your brother will spend his wedding night?" Ivy could not help but chuckle. "Of course! I'm curious about how you've decorated the room." "We didn't decorate their bedroom. That was Shelly's mother," Avery explained. Avery respected her in-laws; though Shelly's family tended to tiptoe around the Fosters and allowed the Fosters to make most of the decisions, the ro
"Darling, I'm not talking about you." "Lucas is someone's baby, too. If his mom learns that someone is looking down on him, she'll be devastated." "I'm sorry for being so prejudiced," Avery said guiltily. "I don't blame you for it, Mom. You guys haven't met Lucas in person yet, so being prejudiced is normal. If some guy came along one day wanting to take my daughter away from me, I would also be on guard." Ivy swiftly regained her composure. Avery smiled. "Indeed. It's quite hard for me to be fair with him." "If he refuses to come to Aryadelle with me, I won't be with him," Ivy promised. "Don't worry. I will never leave you and Dad." Avery nodded with a beaming smile. After checking the room, she took Ivy's hand and said, "Let me show you where we store the gifts." "Gifts?" "The gifts for guests," Avery explained. "The gifts this time are quite creative." "I saw the pictures. There's a picture of my brother, Shelly, and their two kids in the souvenir box. The design
"Ivy, you're such a good girl. Your big brother was worried you might be going through a rebellious phase. After all, you've only been home three years. Although you usually appear obedient, he's concerned that it might all be an act." Ivy could not help but burst into laughter. "I'm not that good of an actor. I was just as well-behaved before I came home. It's just my personality; it's in my genes." "If that's the case, then the guy you like, Lucas, is probably a decent young man." Frowning, Ivy considered Shelly's words. "His flaws are quite obvious. My parents and siblings don't think he's anything special. He's not good at communication, quite reserved, and even though he's started his own business, he hasn't achieved much." "Personality issues are manageable so long as they're not matters of character. Look at your big brother; he's not much of a talker either. If you want to be with Lucas, the main issue is his capability. Your family would probably find it hard to accept
Ivy gazed at Caspian's reply and immediately messaged back. [Caspian, how's Lucas doing lately? Is he okay?] [He's fine! The investment party sent a guy over recently, and he's been bugging him daily.] [Huh? Do you mean what I think you mean?] Ivy asked. [What are you thinking?] [Didn't you say that guy's been bothering Lucas every day? Does that guy like him?] [Haha! I don't think so! The guy isn't very familiar with our area, so he clings to Lucas wherever he goes. Lucas doesn't like going out, so I said I could accompany him, but he didn't want that.] [So, where have they been going?] Ivy typed. [Bars, nightclubs... Those places guys tend to like!] [...] [Haha, I feel like both the people sent by this investor aren't taking this very seriously. Ivy, I'll tell you everything when you return. Are you having fun being back home?] [Yeah, it's been fun!] [It's no wonder you've been away for so long. I thought you weren't planning on returning to Taronia!] Caspian co
"Hayden sent a pretty woman to seduce him, which didn't work, so now he's sent a guy to take Lucas to clubs and bars. I don't think that's going to work. Not all men like those places," Ivy said. Layla tapped her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. Hayden will come up with new ways." "Yeah. I trust him." Two days later, Ivy arrived at Taronia alone. Avery wanted Archer to follow her, but Ivy objected to it, and since Hayden had stationed his man by Lucas' side, Avery did not insist. As Ivy stepped out of the airport, she spotted Caspian and Lucas. Caspian was beaming, but Lucas seemed gloomy and looked as though he had been dragged there. Ivy was pleasantly surprised by their presence. "You two came to pick me up?" "Yes! Feel like a big shot, don't you?" Caspian said, taking her suitcase from her. Ivy smiled and asked Lucas, "Mr. Woods, aren't you working today?" "It's the weekend, Ivy! If he didn't come with me to pick you up, he'd have to accompany that man, Anson, so