Freya Pierce furrowed her brow, a fleeting look of displeasure flickering across her face.
But she quickly put on a polite smile: "Mrs. Spencer, perhaps you’ve misunderstood sothing. Our Julian currently doesn’t have a girlfriend, and there’s no way he would be involved with a woman who has dated Ryan before. That would be improper."
Mrs. Spencer widened her eyes, "How could there be a mistake? Your Julian Ford’s girlfriend is even an employee of Veridian. At the Sutton family’s event last ti, they attended openly. Also, Julian Ford..."
Freya paused her stirring of the tea slightly, raising her fine brows, "Oh?"
Mrs. Spencer put on a sowhat cautious expression and said, "Your son is very affectionate toward Scarlett Shaw, treating her like she’s made of delicate china. My husband, Old Shawcross, has tried to plead with him several tis but was turned away each ti. Seeing how highly your son regards his girlfriend, we didn’t dare to be rash. That’s why I had no choice but to bother you."
Though Mrs. Spencer was anxious and couldn’t sit still, rushing to find Freya, she was, after all, from a wealthy household and knew to be cautious with her words.
Coming to see Freya on her own was already overstepping; if she deliberately lied, it would truly be like lifting a stone only to drop it on her own foot.
Every word she spoke was undeniably the truth.
Of course, to stir Freya’s emotions, such truth was far more effective than deceitful gossip.
Freya didn’t tell Mrs. Spencer whether she would help.
Even after returning to the Ford family, life went on as usual. It wasn’t until the family dinner at the end of the month, when, while dining, she seemingly casually asked Ryan:
"Ryan, last year you ntioned bringing your girlfriend over for the family to et. Why hasn’t there been any progress?"
Ryan raised his eyelids slightly and looked at Freya.
With his charming eyes flashing a casual smile, he said, "Mom, you know how many exes I’ve had. How am I supposed to know which one you’re referring to?"
Freya elegantly smiled: "The one you liked the most, the one you dated the longest."
Ryan’s gaze deepened.
His gaze fell on Julian, who was seated opposite, with a calm and cold face.
Rumors about Julian and Scarlett Shaw dating had been circulating wildly recently, and he had naturally already heard about it.
He thought the family would erupt in chaos, but to his surprise, things had remained calm. Now, with Freya suddenly asking him this, Ryan realized she might know sothing else.
The incident involving Liam Spencer, whom his brother had sent to the police station...
If he rembered correctly, on the day Scarlett broke up with him at the KTV, Liam had been present, though they weren’t familiar with each other, as he was in a corner with another group of young n, smoking.
Thinking back now, it seed what they were smoking might have been more than just cigarettes.
A fierce look flashed in Ryan’s eyes, but when he looked back at Freya, his smile remained unchanged, "You’re talking about that girl, aren’t you? When I ntioned her to you and Dad, I lied; she wasn’t interested in . I chased her for years and never succeeded."
Freya smirked ambiguously, "There’s actually a woman you couldn’t win over?"
"Indeed."
Ryan leaned back, speaking frankly and nonchalantly:
"I’m not RMB; of course, I can’t get every woman to like . If she hadn’t kept rejecting , I wouldn’t have pursued her for so long."
"Is that so?" Freya propped her chin with one hand and asked with interest, "Then why suddenly give up the chase?"
Ryan smiled flippantly, "Do I need a reason to stop? But why are you suddenly concerned about my affairs? I’m used to being left alone, and all your questioning makes feel uncomfortable."
"I don’t an anything by it. I just want to confirm sothing."
Freya’s sharp and pretty eyes turned towards Julian.
"I’ve heard that both you and Julian have been involved with the sa woman. I’m just curious to see what kind of woman has the ability to enchant both of our Ford sons."
Ryan frowned slightly.
He wanted to deny it outright but then heard Julian calmly say, "Scarlett Shaw and I are in a normal romantic relationship. There’s no need for you to use such a term as ’involved with.’ It’s disrespectful to others and lowers your own standards."
The air at the table suddenly turned silent.
Dining with them tonight, besides Ezra Ford’s family of four, was Ethan Ford, Julian’s second uncle.
Ethan, only two years younger than Ezra, remained unmarried and childless.
Despite open and subtle competition in business, the two brothers shared the sa blood and were childhood playmates, so Ethan was often invited to these family gatherings.
Ethan had also heard about Julian dating a Veridian employee recently.
However, compared to Ezra and Freya’s strong opposition, Ethan, a lifelong bachelor, was much more open-minded.
Now, Freya’s delicately beautiful face lost all her smile due to Julian’s words, and the hand holding the teacup seed to tremble slightly.
Beside her, Ezra’s expression was serious, showing obvious displeasure in his eyes.
Regarding Freya knowing about Julian and Scarlett’s relationship, Ezra had intended to keep it a secret as long as possible, hoping to find an appropriate ti to tell her without affecting her emotions.
But soone bypassed him and directly inford Freya, even suggesting that their two sons were ’involved with the sa woman,’ which was utterly disregarding him, Ezra Ford.
Ethan glanced at Julian, who appeared unconcerned and clearly had no intention of playing into his parents’ current emotions.
He spoke in a conciliatory tone, "Brother, Sister-in-law, don’t take this too seriously. Julian being in a relationship is a good thing. The child has always been reserved, and it’s rare for him to find soone he likes. As for the rest, I believe there’s no credibility to those words from others."
Ezra scoffed coldly, "Like her? They’re just after his money, offering so emotional value at best. Does he really think that’s love?"
Julian cast a calm glance at Ezra, his expression unchanged, "If you don’t even trust your own son’s basic judgnt, then your words have no credibility either."
"..."
Julian’s words and deanor led everyone at the table, except for Ryan, who already knew, to the sa conclusion:
Julian was truly sincere about Scarlett Shaw.
And it was highly likely that he was considering a long-term commitnt.
Ezra’s usually steady face turned an unpleasant shade of green.
If Julian had straightforwardly told them his feelings were just temporary and that he’d break up once bored, Ezra could turn a blind eye and let it be.
But the reality was quite the opposite.
From the ti Julian had defended Scarlett without sparing any face for his brother, Ezra knew that this relationship needed to end quickly.
Freya, being sensitive and already suffering from severe neurasthenia, was emotionally unstable.
With her voice trembling, she commanded Julian, "I want you to break up with Scarlett Shaw imdiately."
Julian stayed unmoved, "Instead of interfering with whom I date, you might want to learn to control your emotions. After all these years, aren’t you tired, Mom? If you’re not, Dad and I certainly are."
Ezra: "..."
This damned son dared to drag him into this too!
The teacup in Freya’s hand smashed to the ground with a crisp sound.
"Julian, are you disobeying again?! Do you no longer love your mother?"
Freya’s eyes were red with tears streaming down her beautiful cheeks, making her appear quite pitiful.
Julian looked at his mother, his dark eyes flickering, then turned his head away, only replying softly:
"Loving you and obeying you are two different things. You don’t need to mix them up. That way of thinking will only make you feel worse."
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