"What!" Vincent Hawthorne demanded, "What do you mean by that?"
Claire North repeated the words she had rehearsed beforehand, tears streaming down her face, "I know Elias likes my sister, and they even got married, so even though Baby is mine, I’ve never had any delusions. All I ever wanted was to live quietly with Baby, but I didn’t expect Elias would go so far to please my sister, disregarding Baby’s safety."
Vincent Hawthorne was furious upon hearing this, "Outrageous! Unbelievable!"
Claire North sobbed, "My sister developed anti-cancer drugs and became very confident. But after all, she is just a newly-appointed pharmacist, and Baby’s situation is so critical. If my sister can’t develop a cure, won’t Baby be in grave danger?"
"Nonsense! My grandson will be fine!" Vincent Hawthorne rebuked, gritting his teeth as he looked at Claire North’s tear-streaked face, "If the North Family must have a daughter marry into the Hawthorne Family, I would rather it be you!"
Claire North was overjoyed upon hearing this, striving to control her inner joy while maintaining a worried appearance, "I only hope Baby can be safe. Aside from that, I don’t want anything else. Uncle, you’re the only one I can rely on now."
"Don’t worry, Baby is my grandson. I will certainly ensure his safety." Vincent Hawthorne placed his teacup heavily on the table, "Let’s go! I’ll go back with you right now to see!"
Without another word to Mrs. Hawthorne, he strode out.
Claire North hurriedly followed.
Mrs. Hawthorne watched their disappearing figures but did not follow.
Rhoda Kensington walked in, "Aunt."
"Yes." Mrs. Hawthorne withdrew her gaze and looked calmly at her young and beautiful niece, "Why did you wake up so early today? Were you woken up?"
"Yes. It was so noisy just now that it woke me up."
"There’s nothing else we can do, the North Family can’t produce a respectable daughter. You need to be more tolerant." Mrs. Hawthorne spoke softly, but her words were sharp.
"I won’t hold it against her." Rhoda replied gently, though her slender eyebrows were knitted in concern.
"Then why is my little Rhoda still so unhappy?"
Rhoda tried to hide it, "What? I’m not unhappy at all."
Mrs. Hawthorne raised an eyebrow, "Still not willing to admit it, but Aunt can tell."
"No one made me unhappy. I’m just worried." Rhoda bit her lip, unable to hold back, "Raina has Elias’s affection, Claire got Uncle’s consideration. But me, Uncle has never noticed, Elias doesn’t even know my full name. Aunt, I’m scared..."
"Are you worried you won’t be able to marry Elias Hawthorne?"
Rhoda nodded vigorously, "Yes, I’m really worried."
At night, she tossed and turned, thinking it over again and again, unable to figure out how to stay with the man she loves under such circumstances.
"I told you, you would end up liking Elias Hawthorne. And you did." Get full chapters from novel⸺fire.net
Faced with Mrs. Hawthorne’s teasing eyes, Rhoda’s face turned a deep red, and she protested, "Aunt!"
"Ah, my little Rhoda is shy." Mrs. Hawthorne laughed heartily, taking Rhoda’s hand, "Don’t worry, if you want that man, Aunt will make sure he becomes yours."
Rhoda blushed even more, her eyes filled with shyness, yet her expression was also full of determination.