"It’s delicious," Ophelia cooed, delicately nibbling on a pastry, her every move embodying a charm that Sean found unexpectedly adorable.
"Sean, have a bite yourself," Rosemary interjected, playfully snapping him out of his reverie.
It was impolite to stare at a girl for too long.
Realizing his lapse, Sean quickly diverted his gaze and grabbed a pastry at random, stuffing it into his mouth. "Not bad," he mumbled.
Ophelia’s expression soured at his choice.
"The one thing Ophelia can’t stand is pineapple," Rosemary revealed, making Sean’s chewing co to an awkward halt. The pastry in his mouth had a pineapple filling!
"If you like it, you should have more," Rosemary quipped with a teasing tone, prompting Sean to swallow the pineapple pastry in a hurry. "No, no, on second thought, it’s not as good as that strawberry cupcake we shared last ti. It lacks that certain sothing."
His buddies couldn’t help but smirk at his rapid backpedaling.
"Rose, Hunter, Clark, grab so, will you?" Ophelia offered, extending the plate towards them.
Rosemary picked one, and the other guys followed suit.
Sean watched them with puppy eyes, berating himself for not waiting—what a missed opportunity for a girl to serve him.
"Pastry from Ophelia’s hands tastes even sweeter," Clark comnted light-heartedly, eating his piece and throwing Sean a teasing glance.
"And Ophelia, do you have a special soone yet? If not, I’d be glad to set you up," Chasel chid in with a wink.
"No need, Chasel, I’m focused on my career right now. Love isn’t on the nu at the mont," Ophelia graciously declined.
Conversing with the guys was sohow easier than dealing with Sean.
"What’s your type, though? I know plenty of eligible bachelors. We could keep an eye out for you," Hunter joked, with a tone that was unusually playful for him. "Surely not the self-centered, moody, and flaky type, right?"
Sean thought to himself: Co on, Hunter, you might as well just say my na!
"I’m not sure who I’ll end up with, but I don’t think it’ll be the kind you described," Ophelia replied with a light smile.
Sean could almost hear the sound of his heart cracking.
The brothers chuckled, enjoying the show.
"I agree, that type is unreliable. But Rose’s fiancé is quite the catch—he’s passed our tests with flying colors," Chasel said with a smile.
"And I’d say Rose’s fiancé is beyond reproach: handso, caring, always puts Rose first, and has the strength and capabilities to match her. Such n are rare in this world," Ophelia added, surprising everyone.
"You’ve t Rose’s fiancé?"
"Yes, we greeted each other while Rose was on a video call with him," Ophelia explained, then turned to Rosemary with a twinkle in her eye that Sean found impossible to ignore.
Damn, how can she smile like that?!
"Of course, your brothers are also outstanding talents," Ophelia quickly added, fearing she had praised Rose’s fiancé without equally complinting the others, sincerely listing their attributes.
"Hunter is distinguished, mature, and modest, with superior conversation, cultivation, and insight."
"Chasel is handso and courteous, with a dignified presence and strong leadership qualities."
"Clark is dashing and humorous, with a heart full of love and well-rounded talents."
"Whoever ends up with you guys is sure to be lucky."
"Ophelia, you’re too kind!" Clark burst out laughing. "I’ll go to bed smiling tonight."
"It’s a real joy to receive such high praise from you," Chasel agreed, visibly pleased.
"Ophelia, you’re an absolute catch as well," Hunter said with a light chuckle. "You’re bound to find soone who really gets you, to share the road ahead."
Sean stood to the side, looking visibly down.
Why didn’t he get a complint?
Doesn’t he have any redeeming qualities?
Just as he was about to ask Ophelia, Clark spoke up, "We’ve been nattering on for ages, let’s not hog your ti with Rose. Hunter, Chasel, Sean, let’s make tracks."
Sean hadn’t exchanged a single word with Ophelia before she took Rosemary’s hand and said, "Then show around, will you?"
Rosemary’s lips curled into a smile. "Sure thing."
The two walked off, Ophelia’s hand in Rosemary’s, and Sean’s chance for a chat vanished into thin air.
"Ophelia is just too adorable. Who’d have thought she’d find so many complints for ? I’m very pleased," Clark said with clear mischief in his tone, and then he took a bite of a pastry. "But why does it taste less sweet than it did when Ophelia handed it to ?"
Sean fought the urge to punch him.
"We all got praise, except for Sean..." Chasel said, his eyes twinkling with amusent as he looked at Sean. "Oh, Sean, what does it say about your charm when a sharp-tongued young lady can’t muster a single word of flattery for you?"
Sean clenched his fists even tighter.
"Alright, let’s lay off Sean," Hunter interjected, giving Sean a sliver of comfort. At least Hunter was on his side!
Just as Sean was about to express his gratitude and ntion their earlier teasing, he heard Hunter add,
"Sean really isn’t in the sa league as that girl."
Sean: ?
The laughter from Chasel and Clark was uncontrollable, the proverbial hamr from Hunter striking Sean the hardest blow.
In the garden.
Ophelia was astounded by the exotic flowers and rare plants before her.
"Your family sure knows how to live it up, cultivating all these precious plants."
Even the Almond family, known for their own extravagance, didn’t splurge on such delicate and costly flora for their gardens.
Ophelia couldn’t help but crouch down, "Just these few plants could buy an ordinary Joe a set of wheels, extravagant, truly extravagant."
It was the epito of opulence.
"Like them? I’ll dig a couple up for you to take ho." Rosemary wasn’t just being polite; she genuinely called for a small pot and trowel, ready to get to work.
Ophelia widened her eyes.
"Don’t worry, my parents would be thrilled if I dug up a couple of these plants to give to a friend. Are there anything else you fancy? I’ll dig them up, too."
Ophelia was chard by the gesture and felt truly fortunate to have a friend like Rosemary, who was straightforward and didn’t beat around the bush.
This kind of deanor was refreshing and endearing.
"That’s plenty, these two will keep busy enough. Enjoying your food and taking your plants, I’m already being quite impolite."
After Rosemary finished digging, she had soone place the plants in Ophelia’s car and then washed her hands before they continued their stroll. "What’s there to feel awkward about? What’s mine is yours."
Hearing this, Ophelia felt a lump in her throat. She rembered when Rosemary faced tough tis in the Harris family, how she’d told Rosemary more than once that everything the Ophelia family had was hers too, including her parents, ready to share, if only Rosemary wanted it!
She had repeatedly urged Rosemary to leave the Harris family and had even convinced her own parents to consider adopting Rosemary.
But Rosemary had stayed for Grannie Grace’s sake, never taking up the offer.
Ophelia never imagined that the words she’d once said would be echoed back to her by Rosemary, word for word.
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