Chapter 590
Gwyneth didn’t think much of it. She was certain Hawthorne wouldn’t just abandon her.
“He probably won’t, right? He’s already sent the dowry,” Celia chimed in, just as unconcerned.
Celia really couldn’t believe he’d run off. Her older sister had even picked out a few beautiful dresses for her, ones she absolutely adored. The first time she tried one on, Chris had stared at her, utterly dumbfounded-though he couldn’t resist making a few snarky comments, accusing her of being “bought out” by Hawthorne and calling her shallow.
But then Hawthorne left town and hadn’t shown his face since. Even Chris was starting to get anxious.
He didn’t want Gwyneth to get married at least, not like this-but it would be worse to have her halfway down the aisle and then call it off. Besides, his big sister was clearly fond of the guy, anyone could see that.
Too bad no one in Starfall City seemed to measure up to Hawthorne. The man was reserved and quietly intellectual, never smelled of cigarettes, and looked sharp in a suit—carrying himself with a kind of effortless, old-money poise that screamed “Evermore City elite.” There was a polished refinement about him that no amount of hard work could teach a young man in his twenties, no matter how privileged his background.
He finally realized why Hawthorne’s face seemed so familiar: he looked just like their uncle Stein—same air of quiet authority.
“Hey, sis…brother-in-law-did he say when he’s coming back?” Celia finally dropped the “that man” routine. If Hawthorne really had run off, they’d go hunt him down themselves.
Gwyneth felt a wave of warmth and amusement at their concern. She decided to tease them a little.
“Well, maybe since you two don’t like him, he decided to run away.”
Chris’s expression turned icy. “So if we don’t like him, he’ll just leave you? And what about all those gifts he sent our family?”
Celia was indignant too. “Is it because he’s supposed to move in with us? Sis, if you just come home two or three times a year and stay a month each time, that’s good enough for me.”
Chris snorted. “Men. Not a single decent one among them.”
Celia rolled her eyes. “You realize you’re insulting yourself too, right?”
Chris huffed. “Doesn’t count. But if he’s messing around with us, he’ll regret it.”
Gwyneth could see how serious they were, so she decided to let them off the hook.
“He’ll be back once he’s wrapped things up on his end. We’ve still got a week until Thanksgiving, don’t we?”
She wasn’t worried. Once the marriage certificate was signed, they were as good as husband and wife. Next, there’d be wedding parties in both Starfall City and Greenvale.
Victoria had warned her-she was about to be very busy.
“Will we get to go to Greenvale too?” Celia asked, her curiosity piqued.
Chris glanced at Gwyneth. “He’s got a place in Greenvale, right? It’s not some rundown backwater, is it?”
Gwyneth chuckled and shook her head. “Don’t worry. You haven’t even seen the house my great-grandfather bought us for the wedding-it’s practically identical to Hawthorne’s villa in Greenvale, just half the size.”
Chris nodded, satisfied. “Good. Wouldn’t want you to be shortchanged.”
Celia squeezed Gwyneth’s hand. “Sis, do you actually like him?”
She was still so young, barely a teenager, with no experience of falling in love. Neither Celia nor Chris had ever really caught feelings for anyone; maybe they’d inherited the McNeil family’s rational, levelheaded streak. At school, neither had met anyone who made their heart skip a beat. The whole concept of romance was still a mystery to them.
“I-” Gwyneth started, but couldn’t quite put her feelings into words. Did she like Hawthorne? She didn’t dislike him, that was for sure. In fact, being with him made her feel safe, and she couldn’t deny her heart had been moved.
“Forget it, let’s not talk about this,” Chris interrupted. He didn’t want to hear about
it he hated the thought of her getting married, but he hated the thought of her being alone even more.
Victoria had once confided that
Gwyneth struggled with moderate
depression. Both Chris and Celia had always believed they could help her, until Hawthorne showed up and they saw a side of Gwyneth they’d never seen before—shy, radiant, and so much brighter. For the first time, she seemed truly happy.