Chapter 691
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Joseph headed straight for his study the moment he got home, picked up his phone, and dialed a number. “Aiden, guess what I saw today?” The call was instantly disconnected.
Joseph, his beard bristling with anger, redialed and got straight to the point. “Aiden, your precious grandson is dating
someone.”
This time, Aiden didn’t hang up. He snorted, “What’s it to you if my grandson is dating someone?”
Joseph snorted coldly, his tone dripping with smug satisfaction. “How could it not be my business? Your precious grandson is dating my granddaughter.”
Aiden, on the other end of the line, visibly paused. “You mean that Silvia girl or something?”
“Silvia?” Joseph frowned. “No, it’s not her. It’s my other granddaughter.”.
Aiden let out a distinct sigh of relief over the phone. “Thank goodness it’s not her.”
Aiden’s tone relaxed a bit. “After all, she’s still your granddaughter. The Shaw family can’t afford to offend the Saxons.”
He had no particular issue with Silvia herself; the girl was simply too docile and felt guilty toward the Saxon family, so she’d likely have trouble refusing the elders’ requests in the future.
‘Marriage is between two families,’ Aiden thought. ‘Too much interference would only complicate things.’
Joseph sprang to his feet, face flushed with anger. “What the hell do you mean?”
Aiden said flatly, “I meant exactly what I said.” Then he hung up on Joseph.
Meanwhile, Owen was about to sit down for dinner.
Wilson swooped in and snatched Owen’s seat before he could sit down. He shot Owen a teasing look and said, “You live right across the hall and get to see Aria every day. Surely you’re not going to fight me for this spot, are you?”
“Go ahead, Wilson.” Owen smiled amiably and calmly moved to sit on the other side.
Knowing they were coming back, Ella had the ingredients prepped ahead of time. With Lily and Pearl pitching in, the three of them whipped up a lavish feast.
Wilson looked around at everyone and sighed, “Aria, where on earth did you manage to recruit so many girls?”
“They’re all so well-behaved and capable. Honestly, I’m a little jealous,” he added with a hint of envy. Wilson thought to himself, ‘Even someone like Black Rose has been ‘tamed’ by her. That’s incredible!’
Wilson’s gaze landed on Silvia, who was cutting fruit in the kitchen. He couldn’t hide his surprise. “Aria, does Silvia come
over here often?”
“Yeah.” Aria nodded, glancing at Pearl as she explained, “Pearl is Silvia’s sister. She’s staying with me now.”
Wilson stared at Silvia’s back, lost in thought. ‘Man, I’ve hated that cousin Silvia since we were kids. She’s so damn phony. Even when she doesn’t want to smile, she still forces one just to suck up to everyone.
‘Sucking up to Grandpa Joseph, Logan, and Zoe is bad enough, but she doesn’t even spare my dad. All these comparisons just make Dad like me less, and honestly, the more I see Silvia, the more she pisses me off.’
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But now, the smile in Silvia’s eyes was genuine and natural. There wasn’t the slightest hint of it being forced.
“Wilson?” Silvia emerged from the kitchen with a fruit platter in hand. The moment her eyes met Wilson’s, her smile froze.
Wilson frowned in annoyance and snapped, “What’s with that look? Do I scare you or something?”
“I’m sorry,” Silvia murmured as she carefully set the fruit platter down.
Aria shot Wilson a sideways glance. “What’s with the attitude?”
Wilson protested, “Me? I wasn’t being harsh. When was I ever harsh?”
Silvia forced a smile. “I’m fine, Aria. Please don’t blame Wilson.”
Aria shot Wilson a warning glare, then turned to Silvia, her tone softening. “Ignore him. Come sit down and eat.”
Silvia forced a smile and nodded. “Sure.”
‘Damn, that brat really hasn’t changed at all, still putting on that innocent act,’ Wilson thought to himself. He could only fume in silence, not daring to say a word.
Owen had just picked up his fork when his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen. “Go ahead without me. I need to take this call,” he said.
Aria said, “Alright.”
Owen stepped out onto the balcony and answered the call. “Grandpa.”
“You’re back in the country already?”
Owen replied respectfully, “Yes, Grandpa.”
“How long has it been since you’ve been home?”
Owen did a quick mental calculation, his voice growing increasingly uncertain. “Well, let’s see… one, two… three… four or five months… give or take.”