The next second, Adrian Grant froze, clearly not expecting Caroline Whitman to agree so quickly.

He quickly composed himself, afraid she might change her mind. “Perfect. I have my ID with me.”

Caroline had actually been about to add, ‘Isn’t this a little too fast?’ to her ‘right now,’ but the words died before she could say them.

She looked at Adrian Grant and fell silent for a moment.

She had given her word. Taking it back now and raining on his parade just wasn’t her style.

“…Fine.”

Since she had already accepted his proposal, getting the license was merely the legal formalization of it all.

Caroline Whitman grabbed her bag, tossed her phone and car keys inside, and stood up to walk around her desk.

Adrian Grant stood where he was, as if still trying to confirm if she was serious.

Caroline was already at the door when she looked back at him. “What are you standing there for? Let’s go. The Civil Affairs Bureau is going to close for lunch soon.”

From the looks of it, she seemed even more eager than he was.

Adrian Grant followed, and they left the office one after the other.

As they passed Secretary Lynch’s desk, Caroline didn’t break her stride, just tossed out, “Postpone this morning’s meeting to the afternoon.”

Secretary Lynch looked up, her gaze following her boss and Adrian Grant’s retreating backs. Her mouth opened, but she only managed to utter a single, “Okay,” before the two of them stepped into the elevator.

As the elevator descended, Caroline Whitman leaned against the car wall, watching the floor numbers drop. She suddenly felt like things were moving too fast.

It had been less than twenty-four hours since last night. In that time, she had accepted a proposal and was now in an elevator on her way to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get married.

She glanced over at Adrian Grant. He had his hands in his pockets, looking perfectly calm and composed.

—

「On the way back from the Civil Affairs Bureau.」

Caroline Whitman stared at the little red booklet in her hand, at the ID photos of the two of them inside.

‘Mission accomplished!’

Caroline suddenly had the distinct feeling that she was living out the saying, ‘The best hunters often disguise themselves as prey.’

‘Mhm.’

‘That’s right.’

‘Hehe, she was that master hunter.’

The corners of Caroline’s mouth curled up unconsciously. Feeling it was too obvious, she quickly wiped the smile off her face.

She looked up at Adrian Grant and found that the man was doing the exact same thing.

Seeming to notice her gaze, Adrian quickly reined in his own extremely obvious, joyful expression. He turned his head to look at her, extended a hand, and said with a suppressed smile, “Hello, Mrs. Grant.”

That “Mrs. Grant” from him made the tips of Caroline’s ears turn slightly red.

She shook his hand. “Hello, Mr. Grant.”

—

Neither of them hid the fact that they’d gotten married from their families.

That very evening, the two families gathered for dinner.

Although Caroline had met Adrian’s parents and Gavin Grant before, gathering together today as in-laws made her a little nervous.

However, of all the people there, Zoe Grant was the only one she hadn’t met.

No.

Actually, they had met once before.

“Hello, sister-in-law,” Zoe Grant said, formally greeting Caroline for the first time after she arrived.

Caroline was a little surprised. “You’re the one who helped me with the flowers at the office the other day?”

“Haha, you have a great memory, sister-in-law! I thought you would’ve forgotten me. I’ve been wanting to properly introduce myself, but unfortunately, my brother…” Zoe glanced at Adrian. “…he guards against me like I’m a thief, terrified I’ll say something bad about him to you.”

Adrian simply shot her a cool look. Zoe immediately tilted her head and said, “See? Look at that. My brother is so stuffy and old-fashioned. I have no idea how he managed to win you over.”

Caroline found this amusing, thinking back to how they had pursued each other. Just then, Adrian interjected, “I only succeeded because your sister-in-law was kind enough to let me.”

Hearing this, she blinked.

At that moment, Jonathan Grant walked in, holding the child.

When Ryan Grant came in and saw all the familiar faces, he was pleasantly surprised.

It felt like it had been a long time since he’d seen his grandpa, grandma, other grandpa, other grandma, and his mommy and daddy all gathered together.

But the moment he entered, Ryan’s attention was immediately fixed on Caroline and Adrian.

“Mommy, Daddy.”

He opened his arms and ran toward them, wanting to be held.

By the time Caroline turned her head at the sound of his voice, Adrian had already walked over and picked the child up.

Gavin Grant also walked over from behind, leaning on his cane.

Franklin Whitman and Yolanda Young followed close behind.

Both families were now present.

Gavin Grant sat in the seat of honor, turning the marriage certificate over and over in his hands several times before nodding in satisfaction.

He knew that grandson of his wouldn’t be able to sit still.

He just hadn’t expected the boy to act so quickly.

“Caroline, my dear, Adrian is a stuffy person. You’ll have to be patient with him in the future,” Gavin Grant said kindly.

Before Caroline could speak, Jonathan Grant added, “Sometimes, the things he says can make you choke. You’ll have to put up with a lot.”

Grace Lawson chimed in, “Adrian is excellent in every other way, but sometimes he blurts out things people don’t want to hear. Caroline, if he ever says something that makes you angry, just come to us. We’ll set him straight for you.”

Zoe Grant: “Yes, yes! My brother can be so manipulative with his words sometimes. You have to be careful not to fall for his act.”

Adrian Grant: “…”

He knew he’d been right not to let them meddle in his love life. Were these people here to tear him down or to support him?

Caroline’s lips twitched. ‘So his whole family knows exactly what he’s like,’ she thought.

Fortunately, Yolanda Young skillfully changed the subject. The elders from both families started discussing the arrangements for Wednesday, and the topic finally shifted away from Adrian.

For once, Franklin Whitman wasn’t exercising his usual “no-filter” skill. This was mainly because he was seated next to Gavin Grant, and soon after they sat down, the conversation shifted from Wednesday’s arrangements to bickering over the wedding venue.

Gavin Grant said it should be held at his manor, but Franklin Whitman said it was too small and wouldn’t be lively enough. On the spot, Gavin had his butler pull up the manor’s floor plan, put on his reading glasses, and began arguing with Franklin inch by inch. In the end, Yolanda Young and Jonathan Grant had to join forces to restrain them.

Ryan sat in his little chair, listening to the adults’ conversation. He tilted his small head, blinking his curious eyes as he watched them.

Everyone at the table was laughing. Although their words sounded a bit disconnected to him, he knew they weren’t talking about anything bad. So, he raised his little water cup and chirped, “Cheers!” which made the whole table laugh even harder.

Both families felt that since the marriage license was already signed, holding a separate engagement party would be redundant. They would pick a different date for the wedding; the venue, wedding dress, and other details all required long-term planning and shouldn’t be rushed just to make it by Wednesday.

Instead, they would organize a gathering on Wednesday under the pretext of it being Adrian’s birthday, and they would announce the marriage alliance between the two families during the dinner. This would serve as a different kind of engagement party in itself.

This would also satisfy Gavin Grant’s desire to give his grandson a “proper” birthday celebration.

Once everything was settled, the meal was more or less finished.

By the time the dinner ended, Ryan was so sleepy he was dozing off on Adrian’s shoulder. Caroline exchanged a few words with Yolanda Young, and when she turned back, she saw Adrian holding the child securely with one arm. The little one’s face was buried in the crook of his neck, fast asleep.

She walked over and said softly, “Let’s go home.”

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