Chapter 550

Joanna was utterly confused by this.

What car?

As she was pondering, Susan Langley spoke softly, "My mind was completely filled with you at that moment. People can always summon extraordinary strength in critical situations~"

Preston Valentine was deeply moved upon hearing this.

He instinctively wanted to take Susan's hand, but as soon as he raised his arm, he realized both his hands were full of shopping bags.

Preston could only withdraw his hand resentfully and, carrying all the bags, followed Susan into the bridal shop.

...

Meanwhile, Evelyn Ross had also arrived at the Castillo family's temporary residence in New York.

Though called temporary, it was an impressive estate with exquisite decor, clearly meticulously maintained long-term.

Judging by the demeanor of the butler at the entrance, this was unmistakably a Castillo property.

As Evelyn followed the butler inside, Anthony Castillo and Natalie Castillo hurried out to meet her.

Anthony couldn't hide the smile on his face. "Her willingness to visit me proactively shows she has some favorable impression of me."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Brother, you're overthinking. I think she's more interested in me than in you."

Anthony: "...Nonsense. She doesn't like women."

Natalie added, "But why do I feel like she's here for our cousin? Didn't she specifically ask if Cousin was here before coming?"

Anthony: "That's her being polite. She knows I want to avoid the arranged marriage, so she deliberately chose to come when Nicole is here..."

Natalie: "..."

As they spoke, they reached the entrance and immediately saw Evelyn—and Alexander Vance beside her.

The smile on Anthony's face instantly froze.

The corner of his mouth twitched, but he still stepped forward and extended his hand to Evelyn. "Miss Ross, welcome."

Just as Evelyn was about to shake hands out of courtesy, Alexander suddenly stepped forward, blocking her, and firmly grasped Anthony's hand. "Mr. Castillo, pardon our uninvited visit. Today, I'm merely... Miss Ross's driver."

After saying this, he deliberately glanced sideways at Evelyn.

Evelyn: "..."

That was an incredibly fast declaration of sovereignty.

She shifted her gaze to Natalie.

Natalie immediately warmly linked arms with her. "Sister Grace, you're finally here! Come in and sit~ By the way..."

She asked casually, "Didn't Spencer Valentine come with you?"

Evelyn replied, "He's still in university. He has classes today."

Natalie said, "Oh," and then asked, "Which university is he at?"

"Cambridge."

Natalie's eyes lit up. "That impressive? Did he get in on his own merit, or did the family pull some strings?"

Evelyn answered truthfully, "On his own merit."

The Valentine family had a unique approach to their children's education. Mr. Valentine never spoiled the kids.

Among the children, those who wanted to study abroad did so, those who wanted to take the college entrance exams did that. But wherever they were, they had to rely on their own abilities.

Spencer might appear gullible and easily deceived on the surface, but that was because he poured all his focus into chemistry research and was completely clueless about social intricacies.

Natalie's eyes shone even brighter. "So, his IQ is very high?"

"Fairly high."

Natalie secretly smiled. "That's good. Our future children's IQ will definitely be high too..."

Evelyn: ??

Wait, didn't you two just have dinner that night? Nothing else happened, right? How are we already talking about children??

She glanced hesitantly at Natalie, seeing her satisfied expression, and suddenly felt the weight on her shoulders increase.

Should she find time to have a serious talk with Spencer?

Boys need to learn to protect themselves too!

This thought surfaced, and Evelyn herself was momentarily stunned.

She had never been one to meddle in others' affairs. Now, her instinctive concern for Spencer showed she truly regarded him as a younger brother...

She lowered her gaze and followed the two into the living room.

As soon as she entered, she saw an elderly man in his sixties or seventies sitting upright on the sofa.

The man had silver hair, a straight back, and few wrinkles on his face, still bearing traces of his handsome youth.

A girl sat beside him.

Evelyn's gaze fell on the girl—she had Euro-American features, stunning and bold, with deep-set double eyelids that were openly scrutinizing Evelyn, filled with hostility and wariness.

Without introduction, Evelyn knew this must be Anthony's cousin, Natalie's cousin—Nicole Sterling.

A member of the Sterling Family.

In other words, she was very likely the "Fox."

Evelyn withdrew her gaze and looked at the elderly Mr. Castillo.

The old man was also scrutinizing her with a stern expression. As she approached, just as Evelyn was about to greet him, she heard him ask directly, "Grace Valentine?"

Evelyn was slightly taken aback and nodded.

The old man lowered his eyes. "Are you going to marry my grandson?"

Anthony's face instantly flushed red, and he hurriedly spoke, "Grandfather, don't say such things! Miss Ross is just a guest today."

But the old man ignored him, still staring at Evelyn. "Are you going to marry my grandson?"

The old man's expression was stubborn, carrying an inexplicable air of self-righteousness, yet it gave Evelyn a sense of relief—this person seemed to dislike beating around the bush.

He spoke his mind directly.

Evelyn looked at Alexander again, expecting him to declare sovereignty once more, but he suddenly fell silent.

Evelyn was puzzled.

Alexander glanced at her, his eyes conveying a "you decide for yourself" message.

Evelyn immediately understood.

Alexander also recognized that this old man disliked circumlocution, so he didn't want to make the decision for her.

Her mother, Sophia Ashcroft, was still with the Sterling Family. If she didn't complete the task and return quickly, could her mother's safety be guaranteed indefinitely?

The fastest way to complete the task was through the arranged marriage.

Evelyn lowered her eyes and answered directly, "No, I won't marry him."

The old man immediately said, "Then why are you here?"

Evelyn glanced at Nicole beside her, who sneered. "Grace, the old man knows about the Sterling Family. So, no need to beat around the bush. Just say it directly."

The Sterling Family!

Evelyn's pupils constricted sharply—she hadn't expected Nicole to admit her identity so openly!

Her gaze turned cold as she looked at Nicole, thinking of the repeated accidents her loved ones had faced, a fierce glint flashing in her eyes.

She sneered, but before she could speak, Natalie interjected, "Cousin Nicole, why the rush? I know your Sterling Family wants an arranged marriage with ours, but that has nothing to do with Miss Ross. Though I think you don't like my brother either. What's the point of an arranged marriage? Wouldn't it be better to find someone you actually like?"

"No, it wouldn't."

Nicole answered directly, "My purpose in coming to the States is to marry your brother."

Natalie: "But my brother doesn't like you!"

"That's fine. Feelings can develop slowly after marriage."

"What if they never develop?"

"Then we'll work on it for a lifetime."

"..."

Natalie was speechless. "Why are you so stubborn? My brother really doesn't like you. He has someone he likes..."

Nicole looked at Evelyn. "Then that's Grace's problem. Are you going to marry Anthony Castillo or Alexander Vance?"

After saying this, Nicole's gaze fell on Alexander. "Mr. Vance, is it? Are you willing to step aside and let her marry Anthony?"

Alexander pressed his lips together and remained silent.

Hearing this, the old man glanced at Alexander, frowned slightly, but said nothing and shifted his gaze away.

Anthony hurriedly spoke, "Nicole, Miss Ross is just a guest today. Don't talk about irrelevant things here!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the elderly Mr. Castillo said sternly, "Anthony, you said you have someone you like. I can grant you that. That's why we have this meeting today."

The old man looked directly at Evelyn. "Since my grandson likes you, I'll ask you one question—do you want to marry him?"

Evelyn said helplessly, "Sir, I came today to discuss whether there's any possibility of cooperation between our two families."

"No possibility. The Castillo family has always been independent. We don't collaborate with any corporations."

The elderly Mr. Castillo refused directly, then slowly said, "I'll ask you one question—will you marry my grandson or not? I need to choose a girl from your Sterling Family as my grandson's wife. Who I choose makes no difference to me. If you won't marry him, then tomorrow I'll hold an engagement banquet for Nicole and Anthony! As long as you won't regret it."

Evelyn: ??