Chapter 60 The Reason for the Flash Marriage

"How dare you!" Hayden snapped, his face dark with anger. "I'm doing this for your own good!"

"If you were really looking out for me, you wouldn't be trying to come between Valerie and me," Howard shot back without missing a beat.

He could see right through Hayden's nasty intentions, and a wave of anger surged inside him.

Hayden flinched under Howard's intense gaze. He glanced nervously at Raina and forced a laugh. "Can you believe what Howard's saying?"

Nobody responded. Jasper just kept his head down, focused on his meal, and Hayden quickly realized he couldn't keep up the act.

Valerie watched Hayden squirm, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

With Raina and Howard around, Valerie felt pretty comfortable during dinner.

"Valerie."

Valerie was lounging on the couch, engrossed in her phone, when she looked up, puzzled. Raina was reaching out to her.

Instinctively, she took Raina's hand and helped her sit down. "What's up, Grandma?"

Raina smiled, patting Valerie's hand, then glanced at Howard. "You two don't come back often. Why not stay the night? Keep me company."

"Well..."

Valerie looked at Howard, feeling a bit awkward. Seeing him nod, she smiled and agreed.

Later that night.

Valerie lay on the large bed in her pale yellow pajamas, a bright spot in the room's dark gray tones. The thick curtains blocked out almost all light, making the space feel heavy. Her presence was like a ray of sunshine, starkly contrasting with the surroundings.

She turned her head to look at Howard, who was sitting at the edge of the bed. Suddenly, she leaned over and lay on her stomach. "Howard."

Watching his expression, Valerie tentatively asked, "You're not hiding anything else from me, are you?"

Howard's body tensed slightly. He instinctively touched his leg with his right hand, then shook his head gently.

"I'm really curious. With your background, you could easily find a woman with a matching status. Even if—" Her gaze fell on his leg, and she hesitated before continuing, "Even if there's a issue with your leg, there are still plenty of women who would want to marry you."

"So why did you suddenly marry me?"

"Grandma was pushing me," Howard said softly.

Valerie raised an eyebrow. "Are you the type to marry just because Grandma pushed you?"

They looked at each other, and Howard shook his head with a smile. "No, I'm not."

He composed himself a bit, then leaned closer to Valerie, supporting himself with his hand on the bed beside her.

Valerie didn't back away. Instead, she slightly raised her head, staring straight at him.

Howard's voice softened. "Another reason is to make Jasper and his father think I'm easy to manipulate."

"A Carter Group heir who can control the fate of many companies but can't control his own life—that's what they want to see."

Valerie frowned, filled with confusion and concern. She couldn't understand why someone with such a powerful background and abilities would be so controlled and constrained.

"I really don't get it," Valerie said softly, her eyes full of sympathy. "You have so many resources and so much power. Why are you still being oppressed by them?"

Howard was silent for a moment, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. He didn't want to burden Valerie with the complicated secrets of his family relationships.

"Some things are more complicated than they seem," Howard said quietly, then shifted gears. "By the way, what do you think of Philip?"

Valerie looked puzzled. "Do you think there's something wrong with him?"

He nodded, tossing the question back to her. "Since we got back, have you noticed anything off about him?"

Valerie paused, then tilted her head. "I think his personality doesn't match Grandma's. Does that count?"

"Personality mismatch?" Howard frowned, clearly not getting her point.

Seeing his confusion, Valerie blinked and nodded. "With Grandma's temperament, she wouldn't have hired someone like Philip."

A kind and discerning person wouldn't make such a mistake in judgment, let alone bring someone as opportunistic as Philip into the family.

Howard lowered his eyes with a smile, his fingers unconsciously playing with Valerie's hair. "Just keep that in mind. Be careful, and if he gives you any trouble, let me know."

Valerie nodded.

The next morning.

Valerie was the first to leave the room, intending to help in the kitchen, even though a family like the Carters typically didn't require the hosts to do any work.

As she reached the dining table, she saw a man coming out of Raina's room with a medical kit, a strange, cold smile on his face. Valerie instinctively felt something was off about this "doctor."

"Valerie."

Her thoughts were interrupted as Howard appeared beside her, asking curiously, "What are you thinking about?"

She blinked and pointed to Raina's room. "Is Grandma sick?"

Howard's gaze lingered on Raina's room. "It's an old issue. The family doctor comes by every week to check on her."

"I see..." Valerie hesitated, then whispered in Howard's ear, "I just felt something was off about the doctor. Keep an eye on him, okay?"

Howard nodded.

After breakfast, they informed Raina before heading to the office.

At their usual drop-off spot, Valerie was about to get out of the car when Howard suddenly spoke. "Are you working late tonight?"

Valerie replied, "Unless Samuel has something special, I shouldn't be."

Howard smiled and extended his hand to her. "Then would you do me the honor of having dinner with me?"

Valerie playfully slapped his hand and laughed. "Of course!"

This was their first date since reconciling, and Valerie was filled with happiness.

She was in high spirits all day at work. Samuel, noticing her mood, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Possessed by a robot?"

"Efficient work, Mr. Harris. Not satisfied?"

Samuel snorted. "Finish these by the end of the day, then we'll see if I'm satisfied!"

He tossed two files into Valerie's lap and walked away without waiting for a response.

Valerie didn't mind. She had already completed her tasks for the day. With the remaining time, finishing these two documents was a piece of cake.

As soon as work ended, Valerie was the first to rush out of Aurelia Holdings.

She arrived at the Carter Group and found Howard's office empty. "Is he still in a meeting?"

Joseph chuckled nervously and led Valerie to the lounge. "Mr. Carter just started the meeting. It might take a while. Please rest here."

Valerie frowned. "A meeting this late?"

"There's a problem with the project..." Joseph hesitated, then lowered his voice. "Mr. Carter is in trouble."