She turned around and found that Adrian Grant hadn’t followed her inside.

He was leaning against the wall in the entryway, car keys in hand, quietly watching her wander around the house.

The look in his eyes behind his glasses was softened by the refracted light of the crystal chandelier, and a faint smile played on his lips.

“I’ve seen it all.” Caroline Whitman walked up to him and looked up at him. “All four places are great. But I like Brocade Bay the best.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s where we first lived together, and it’s also where you proposed to me,” she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“I’m honored you feel that way.”

Adrian Grant lowered his head and placed a kiss on her lips, then put the car keys on the entryway cabinet and bent down to scoop her up in his arms.

What happened next… went without saying.

The flowers in the living room were still blooming quietly. The night was still long.

The next day, after dropping Caroline Whitman off at work in the morning, Adrian Grant was summoned back to the Grant Ancestral Home by a phone call from Gavin Grant.

When he arrived, Gavin Grant was sitting in the study, wearing his reading glasses. A menu and several venue proposals were spread out on the desk in front of him.

Adrian Grant sat down across from him, glanced at the stack of papers, and said nothing.

Gavin Grant got straight to the point. “About that dinner on Wednesday… I’ve been thinking. It’s my great-grandson’s first birthday here. If word gets out that it was just a simple meal between our two families, what will people think?”

“Word won’t get out.”

“That’s not good enough. My, Gavin Grant’s, great-grandson, having a birthday in secret? I can’t stomach it.” Gavin Grant pushed his reading glasses down his nose and looked at him. “I have an idea. We’ll still hold it on Wednesday, but we’ll tell everyone it’s your birthday.”

Adrian Grant fell silent. “…”

‘The moment the old man opened his mouth, he knew he was up to no good.’

‘He’s even come up with the excuse of it being my birthday.’

‘Was it really necessary?’

Adrian Grant spoke. “Grandpa, my birthday isn’t on that day.”

“Who remembers when your birthday is? If I say your birthday is on that day, then it’s on that day. Who would dare to question it?”

“…”

“So you mean, celebrate Ryan’s birthday in my name?”

“Exactly.”

“Then for a birthday party held in my name, will the cake have my name on it or Ryan’s?”

Gavin Grant’s expression didn’t change. “It can have your name.”

“…If it’s my birthday in name, and I’m the one receiving gifts, what’s the difference between that and it actually being my birthday?”

Gavin Grant was momentarily speechless. He took off his reading glasses, slapped them on the desk, and decided to pull the age card.

“Don’t you start splitting hairs with me, you brat. Do you know how old your grandpa is? Almost a hundred! Who knows how many days these old bones have left? I just want everyone to come and celebrate Ryan’s birthday. Is that too much to ask?”

Adrian Grant was unmoved. “It’s not. But you know the child’s situation. We’re not sure if this will affect his future timeline. Besides, I saw your last medical report. All your vitals are normal. Living to be a hundred shouldn’t be a problem.”

“…”

Gavin Grant was stumped. He couldn’t very well refute that statement, could he?

‘Who would curse themselves to die?’

So, he decided to change his approach.

Gavin Grant sighed, his tone shifting from the full-throated vigor of moments before to that of a helpless old man. “Adrian, you’re not getting any younger. I only have one wish left in life: to see you married and to hold my great-grandson. Now I have a great-grandson, but your marriage is still up in the air. When are you and Caroline planning to get it done? Your grandmother didn’t live to see it, so I have to see it for her. That way, when I’m dead and gone, I can tell her all about your wedding.”

“…”

‘Here we go again.’

Adrian Grant was silent for a moment before saying:

“I proposed to Caroline last night.”

Gavin Grant froze for a second, then slapped his thigh. “Really?!”

“Mm-hmm.”

“And she said yes?”

“She said yes.”

Gavin Grant was overjoyed, his entire demeanor instantly switching from frail and helpless back to hale and hearty.

His voice instantly became loud and full of energy. “That’s wonderful news! A double blessing! We have to celebrate them together! Talk to Caroline about holding an engagement party, and you can celebrate Ryan’s birthday at the same time. An engagement party and the child’s birthday on the same day—that’s what you call a double blessing! How meaningful!”

“…”

‘It would be meaningful, but the engagement wasn’t something he could decide on his own.’

‘Caroline would have to agree to it.’

Adrian Grant leaned back in his chair. “I need to discuss it with Caroline.”

“Didn’t you just successfully propose last night?”

“A successful proposal and deciding to get engaged on Wednesday are two different things.”

“Then you two should talk it over. The way I see it, you should just go register your marriage.”

Gavin Grant’s view was simple: since the two of them loved each other and already had a child, they should just get registered and have the wedding.

But Adrian Grant disagreed. “Grandpa, the child is the child, and the marriage is the marriage. I don’t want my wedding with Caroline to be tied to the child.”

Gavin Grant half-closed one eye, looking at his grandson’s sanctimonious expression, and said coolly, “I was talking about an engagement party. I never said your wedding had to be on the same day as the child’s birthday.”

“Besides, you act like I’m trying to harm you by suggesting you register your marriage. I’m not telling you to rush and have the wedding on Wednesday.”

He snorted inwardly. ‘As if I don’t know my own arrogant grandson.’

‘Proposing so quickly… he’s definitely more eager than anyone to register the marriage and make their status as husband and wife official. The boy must have run into a love rival and developed a sense of crisis.’

‘Putting on this holier-than-thou act is just because he’s afraid Caroline will feel like she’s being rushed.’

Adrian Grant: “…”

—

When Caroline Whitman got out of the elevator at work, she happened to see Franklin Whitman wandering around the office area with a thermos, looking like he had nothing to do.

Franklin Whitman casually turned his head, glanced at his daughter, and his eyes landed precisely on the ring on her hand.

There was a new ring on her ring finger.

Recalling that Adrian Grant had just returned from a business trip and that the child had been sent back to the Grant Ancestral Home, he had a flash of insight and followed her.

Caroline Whitman watched Franklin Whitman trailing behind her, speechless for a moment. “Chairman, what can I do for you?”

“Did Adrian Grant propose to you?”

“…”

Caroline Whitman gave him a suspicious look. “How did you know?”

‘Did the news reach his ears that quickly?’

Franklin Whitman said smugly, “I’ve been dealing with those old foxes for so many years. You can’t get by without a sharp eye.”

After speaking, he gestured with his chin and eyes toward the ring on Caroline Whitman’s hand.

Only then did Caroline Whitman raise the back of her hand and look at the new engagement ring she had just put on last night. “You really do have sharp eyes.”

“Yes, he proposed to me last night.” At this point, there was nothing to hide.

In her view, with their families interacting like this, it was already no different from being married.

They just hadn’t had a formal dinner together yet.

Franklin Whitman nodded, sat down on the sofa, and placed his thermos on the coffee table. He didn’t press for details, but simply asked, “Are you truly happy with this?”

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