While Lilian fud over the phone call, Morrison couldn’t help but curl his lips into a smug little smile. At first, he had been annoyed that she left without even a word—but now? He found her disappearing act... perfect.
Finally, he had a reason to accelerate things—to bring her ho, properly, as soon as possible.
anwhile, news about both sons deciding to hand over their entire shares to their respective won reached Linda. She nearly fainted on the spot. It took Mos’s gentle coaxing to calm her down just enough to string a sentence together.
"You know what they say—girls grow up, you can’t hold them back," Linda huffed, glaring at her two sons. "But boys? You two are supposed to be sensible! And yet, you’re putting all your wealth into the hands of won? You really—"
She ran out of words, so furious she couldn’t finish the sentence.
Mos quickly stepped in, smoothing her ruffled feathers.
"Mom, children have their own fortunes to manage. They’re doing this for the harmony and happiness of their little families. We should be glad for them."
"Glad?"
Linda whipped her glare toward Mos too.
"What if one day Lilian or... that Marylin kicks them to the curb? They’ll be penniless! No place to cry, no one to help!"
Karl, who didn’t like the lecture, muttered under his breath,
"Mom, why make us sound so miserable?"
"You dare talk back?" Linda snapped. "Your brother is with Lilian again, fine, give her the shares. But Marylin doesn’t even acknowledge you, and you’re throwing your fortune at her? You—"
Her anger escalated. "Are you out of your mind?!"
Karl just grinned cheekily.
"Well, if being out of your mind is enough to get into graduate school, then normal people would need PhDs, right?"
"You—"
Linda’s frustration peaked; she banged the table and stord upright.
"That’s it! I don’t care anymore! Don’t tell anything from now on! Do whatever you want! And if you get dumped, don’t ever co crying to your mother—I won’t help you!"
With that, she stord upstairs, fuming.
Really, she thought, could life get any more exhausting? Either they stayed single and she worried herself sick over nothing, or they had relationships, and each one of them was throwing their fortune at won...
Linda groaned, feeling her sanity slipping away.
After Linda stord off, Karl and Morrison exchanged a glance and let out a long sigh.
"Is that really... Mom?" Karl muttered. "Complaining about us getting dumped, saying she won’t care about us in the future..."
Their father hadn’t left yet. Hearing Karl’s complaint, he replied in a low, amused tone,
"Relax. She is your mother."
Then he turned and followed Linda upstairs.
"...," Morrison and Karl were both speechless for a mont.
Karl couldn’t help yelling after their father’s retreating back,
"Dad! That joke is way too cold!"
Even so, they both knew—this reaction ant that their parents, in their own way, tacitly approved of their actions.
A wave of warmth filled their hearts.
They felt grateful for having such understanding parents, a couple so in love, whose long-lasting affection had given them a healthy and positive mindset. It taught them to seize love bravely when it ca.
Morrison might have taken so detours, but in the end, he had awakened to the truth. There was still ti.
Karl, on the other hand, perfectly embodied his parents’ passion. When he found soone he liked, he acted imdiately. Even if the future wasn’t guaranteed, he would leave no regrets. And with his personality, regrets were simply not allowed.
Marylin, likewise, was decisive and action-oriented—a trait honed by years of work experience. She planned carefully and executed swiftly.
After the Baby Shower at Laurent’s, she stayed in a hotel for a few days, then quickly secured a new apartnt and landed interviews with three or four companies.
The day she moved into her new place, after settling everything, she hosted a small dinner at her apartnt for Laurent and Vivian—her college friends of four years and companions through countless mories. They had nurtured a friendship that spanned years, and now in Burg Eltz., they were all she had left.
She had worried she might feel nostalgic about leaving everything behind in Manchester. Yet with such devoted friends by her side, it no longer felt that way.
n co and go, but girlfriends and best friends last a lifeti.
The three of them enjoyed a simple hotpot dinner at Marylin’s. Marylin provided the apartnt and cookware; Laurent and Vivian brought seafood, at, and vegetables, while Marylin had lugged a whole crate of beer up from the supermarket downstairs.
At ho, Marylin was casual—bare-faced, hair tied up loosely, dressed in simple, comfortable clothes. But her natural beauty and graceful aura needed no embellishnt; she radiated charm effortlessly.
Unbeknownst to her, soone had peeked through the peephole across the hall, watching her struggle up the stairs with the crate of beer, and thought she looked incredibly endearing.
Having worked for several years, Marylin had financial stability, and her rented apartnt reflected that: a spacious, high-end place, tastefully decorated, with only herself living there.
By her age, a woman like Marylin had long outgrown the days of cramped shared apartnts. She now valued comfort and quality—and with her experience, skills, and earnings, she could afford it without trouble.
Originally, she had planned to put down a deposit to buy a place of her own. But since her job situation was still unsettled, renting first made the most sense.
The hotpot bubbled and stead in the center of the table, filling the apartnt with a mouthwatering aroma. The three won rolled up their sleeves, ready to dig in, when the doorbell rang.
Marylin froze for a mont. Who could it be? I just moved in today...
Walking over to the door, she called out,
"Who is it?"
A clear, familiar male voice replied from the other side,
"Your neighbor across the hall."
Surprised, Marylin hurried to open the door. She hadn’t even had a chance to greet her new neighbor yet, so this was as good an opportunity as any.
The mont the door swung open, her breath caught. Standing there, tall and striking, was none other than Karl—the sa man who, just a few days ago at the Baby Shower, had insisted he was determined to pursue her.
Marylin blinked, utterly frozen for a mont, unable to form a coherent thought.
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