Sharon smiled gently. "Alright, let’s go eat."
Donovan Xavier nodded slightly, walked over, and sat down beside Isla Xavier.
Isla picked up a piece of pork rib for him, her young face beaming. "Brother, eat up!"
Just as Donovan was about to lift his chopsticks, his father, Ian Xavier, looked at him, his voice cold and grim. "Rosalind ca back today. Did you know?"
"Yes." Donovan didn’t spare him a glance, his tone flat as he ate his food. "She called last night and asked to pick her up from the airport."
"Did you go?" Ian asked.
"I didn’t."
Ian frowned. "Why not?"
Donovan raised his eyes to et his father’s, retorting, "Why should I?"
Ian’s expression darkened. "She has been engaged to you since childhood. She’s your future Mrs. Xavier. Of course, you should have gone."
"Engagent?" A light scoff escaped Donovan’s lips. "That engagent was sothing you all arranged. I’ve never once acknowledged it."
Ian slamd his chopsticks on the table. "Do you have any idea that because of this engagent, Rosalind has remained single all these years just waiting for you?"
Donovan’s brow furrowed, but his tone remained even. "Her being single has nothing to do with . I never asked her to wait."
"You’re the one to bla for this. When I was three years old, you were the one who insisted on arranging so childhood betrothal with her father. Now you’ve delayed things for her, and you turn around and bla ."
"If you ask , we should take advantage of her being back to annul the engagent. That way, we won’t hold each other back."
"Absolutely not!" Ian rejected it outright. "The engagent cannot be annulled. The Xavier and Rowan Families have been allies for generations, and Rosalind has waited so many years for you. If we annul it, the harmony between our families will be destroyed!"
A headache began to throb in Donovan’s temples. His voice turned icy. "Then let make myself clear: I do not recognize this engagent, and I will certainly not marry her."
"If you’re so afraid of damaging the harmony, why don’t you marry her instead?"
"Donovan Xavier!" Ian roared, slamming his hand on the table.
Donovan remained perfectly composed, calmly eating his food.
The temperature in the room plumted.
Noticing the tense atmosphere, Julian Xavier ca over and sat beside his father, squeezing his shoulders. "Dad, don’t be angry. Let give you a massage."
Ian’s mood instantly improved. "Hah, you’re the sensible one, unlike your brother who does nothing but defy ."
Sharon, sitting nearby, smiled and said, "Your son is ho today, so let’s not talk about all that nonsense. Quick, give your son so food."
Hearing this, Ian actually did serve Donovan so food and soup. "Eat more. Your mother and I cooked everything ourselves today!"
The words reached Donovan’s ears, and his appetite vanished.
He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the three of them. A harmonious couple, a doting father and a filial son—a picture of dostic bliss. Donovan’s lips twitched into a bitter smile. In a scene like this, he was nothing but a misplaced outsider.
When he was four, Ian divorced his biological mother, Wendy Chandler, married Sharon, and had Julian. All these years, Ian and Sharon had been a happy couple, while his own mother, unable to accept the reality, had lost her mind and spent her days seeking death.
"Brother, what’s wrong?" Isla asked softly, noticing his mood had soured.
"Nothing," Donovan replied.
Isla nodded, then got up to hug Julian’s arm, smiling and fussing over him warmly. She was Sharon’s youngest daughter and Julian’s full sister, which made her Donovan’s half-sister. Although she respected Donovan, when it ca down to it, he could never compare to her biological brother, Julian.
Donovan sat in his chair, quietly listening to their cheerful laughter, a sense of desolation filling his heart. He looked up, his frosty gaze landing on Ian.
He harbored a deep resentnt for this father. He felt Ian never should have cheated, ruining Wendy Chandler and condemning her to a lifeti of misery.
Donovan couldn’t stand the atmosphere any longer. He stood up and walked out.
Lost in their joy over Julian’s return, no one else at the table even noticed he was gone.
An unknown amount of ti passed before Isla finally glanced around and scratched her head. "Where’s my big brother?"
「The Xavier Residence.」
Knowing the man wasn’t coming ho, Chloe Preston took a shower and went to bed. She was so exhausted that she fell into a deep sleep almost instantly.
A long, long ti passed.
Sothing warm pressed against her back, rubbing against her.
Sleeping fitfully, Chloe instinctively pushed back with her elbow. It didn’t budge; instead, it pressed even closer. Uncomfortable, she frowned and murmured, "Don’t touch ."
Suddenly, sothing bit down on her shoulder.
Pain.
Chloe was startled awake. She turned over, her eyes eting a pair of dark, intense irises. She froze.
Didn’t he say he wasn’t coming back tonight?
Chloe snuggled closer, resting her beautiful face against his warm chest and wrapping her arms around his firm waist. "Weren’t you supposed to co back tomorrow?"
Her voice was soft and raspy, and the sound made the man’s heart lt.
Donovan Xavier inhaled her faint, sweet scent and lowered his head, his nose brushing against hers. "I was afraid you’d miss , so I ca back."
Chloe let out a soft huff. "I didn’t miss you."
She’d slept perfectly soundly without him, after all.
A slight smile played on Donovan’s lips. "Then I must have missed you. I missed you so terribly that I couldn’t wait to rush back and see you."
A flicker of sweetness ward Chloe’s heart.
Donovan’s eyes were filled with gentle affection. In the dead of night, he held her, his voice low and magnetic. "Chloe Preston, hold tighter, will you?"
Chloe was taken aback for a mont. As she t his dark gaze, she felt that sothing was off about him. He seed... lost.
She didn’t ask why. She just burrowed deeper into his embrace, her arms tightening around him. "Is this tight enough for you?"
Donovan raised an eyebrow. "It’s acceptable. But a kiss would make it even better."
Chloe didn’t move.
Feigning disappointnt, Donovan turned his face toward the window and sighed.
Chloe was helpless. Her cheeks flushed as she leaned over and gave his handso face a light peck. It was as fleeting as a dragonfly skimming the surface of water.
She smiled. "Happy now?"
Donovan’s lips curled up. "It was just okay."
"I’d be even happier if you kissed my Adam’s apple."
"Miss Quinn, want to give it a try?"
Chloe glared at him playfully. "You’re pushing your luck!"
She rolled over, turning her back to him, pulled the blanket up, and prepared to sleep.
"Chloe?" he called out to her.
"I’m asleep, don’t bother ," Chloe mumbled.
Donovan’s eyes narrowed. "How strange. You can talk in your sleep?"
Chloe went silent.
Donovan wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her back into his embrace. "Chloe Preston, am I important to you?"
Chloe didn’t understand why he was suddenly asking this, but she nodded anyway. "Yes."
Of course, he was important. In her heart, he would always hold the most important place.
"Very important?" Donovan pressed.
Chloe was incredibly sleepy. She yawned and nodded again. "Very important."
Donovan was pleased with her answer. He paused for a few seconds before asking again, "The most important? So important that no one else can compare?"
"Yes," she confird.
Donovan smiled.
The night was deep. Moonlight stread in, and the world was quiet. After a long silence, Donovan held her tightly and asked, "Chloe Preston, do you want to get married?"
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