Chapter 153
Faye's words kept bothering me.
No matter how you looked at it, there was absolutely no possibility between Joseph and me.
I'd just chalk up her words to a child speaking without thinking.
Early the next morning, I got a call from Finn. He asked me to come over to his house, saying I absolutely had to come for Nola's sake.
Of course I'd do Nola that favor. Even without our relationship, when an elder asks to see you, you almost never turn them down.
After arranging things at the company, I headed to Nola's family villa.
I hesitated at the door for a moment, then bit the bullet and rang the doorbell.
This time it wasn't Echo who answered, but Joseph.
Today he wore a simple white shirt paired with gray dress pants.
"You're here, please come in."
If he wasn't intentionally pursuing me, he definitely wouldn't be here opening the door for me.
I glanced toward Nola's room - she wasn't out on the balcony getting fresh air.
"Mm."
I smiled at him, thinking the Skye family was really too anxious about his marriage. Even though he was just a nephew, they treated him like their own son.
We came to the living room, where Finn, Mia, Nola, and John were sitting in a row, all focused on the two of us.
"Blair, you're here."
Nola stood up, supporting her waist, to greet me.
"Yeah, sit down quickly. You're precious cargo right now, don't be formal with me." Seeing the concern in John's eyes, I didn't let her stand on ceremony - we had a good relationship.
"Blair, come sit here." Mia patted the empty seat beside her, inviting me over.
I said, "Everyone sit down."
Joseph sat down next to Finn, with the four of them between us.
Finn felt it was inconvenient to talk, so he switched to sit across from us.
"Blair, you probably know why I asked you here today."
"Uncle Finn, just say what you need to say."
Nola suddenly looked stern - she didn't want her father to continue.
"Yesterday Joseph went to visit Mr. Aiden Morgan. He planned to ask Mr. Aiden Morgan about marriage between you two, but this silly boy didn't dare say much and came back."
"Marriage?"
I leaned forward and looked at Joseph. "Uncle Finn, I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding. We made it very clear yesterday - he and I aren't suitable."
Hearing me say "not suitable," Mia's expression darkened.
Finn was still pushing. "Blair, you're at the right age for marriage. Joseph really likes you, and our whole family likes you too. Don't worry, you'll definitely be happy together. We'll all keep an eye on him and make sure he treats you well."
"Uncle Finn, I know you all like me, but that doesn't mean the two of us are suitable for marriage. Marriage is a big deal - I have to consider my own feelings too."
I was determined to put an end to their idea of getting Joseph and me together once and for all.
"So you have no feelings for him?"
Right after Finn asked, Nola rolled her eyes at him. She knew my heart belonged only to Levi, and that we were already married.
If we didn't need to keep our marriage secret, I wouldn't have to be so awkward - I could just tell them the truth.
"Uncle Finn, Joseph is a great person, but he and I aren't suitable. Plus we don't really know each other - we're not at the point of marriage."
"That's easy to fix. Back in our day, people got married first and developed feelings later. Don't worry, Joseph's character is completely solid."
Sure enough, after years in business, Finn wasn't listening to anything I said - he was just sticking to his own point of view.
I glanced at Nola, then turned back to Finn. He took a sip of water and continued.
"Blair, we've looked into your situation. We've heard about your mother's situation for a while now, and your father passed away recently too, which is really unfortunate. Now it's just you left, so we're talking to you directly."
"We'll treat you like our own child. Plus Joseph's parents will treat you like their own daughter. You can feel completely secure marrying into his family. If you want to work, we'll fully support your company. If you don't want to work, you can focus on taking care of the family."
"And if you have children but don't want to take care of them yourselves, you can either hire help, or his mother can help..."
"Uncle Finn!"
I really couldn't listen anymore. Now I actually felt a bit "despicable" - I already had a husband and child, yet I was sitting here being pressured into this marriage arrangement.
"I'm sorry Uncle Finn, but I think there's a gap between what I'm expressing and what you're understanding. Let me state this one more time - I will not marry him."
I gathered my courage to refuse again. Finn had stopped asking for my opinion and was now blatantly pressuring me into marriage, forcibly trying to pair us up.
Joseph stood up and faced me. "Don't be angry. Uncle Finn was too hasty about this. Seeing Nola get married made him want me to find my own happiness soon too."
"I really do like you, but I'll truly respect your decision. It's okay, I know your answer now. But I can keep liking you one-sidedly. I can wait - who knows, maybe one day you'll come to like me."
His words were touching, but I shouldn't be touched. As someone already married, I had no right to waste someone else's feelings for me. Only by clearly rejecting him would I be fair.
"We had no connection years ago, and I don't think we will in the future either. I don't want to hold you back. Nola is my good friend, and you can be my good friend too."
I was saying polite words from the heart, but if I really cared about him, I should keep my distance rather than saying we'd be good friends and constantly giving him false hope.
"We were too abrupt today. It's mainly my fault for putting you in this difficult position."
Joseph took all the responsibility. Last night at the Morgan mansion, he'd said similar things to today - that he was willing to wait and wouldn't bother me.
Today's setup was entirely Finn's doing. He thought that given my current situation, being with Joseph would be a good choice.
He was just too hasty - it was exactly like forcing a marriage.
"It's okay, I understand. It's good that we've cleared things up - being unclear would only hold you back."
I picked up the tea on the table and took a sip - basic courtesy.
"Dad, I'm not feeling well. Stop making trouble. I'm so angry I could die. Blair doesn't like my brother, so let's stop making things difficult for her, okay?"
Finn glared at her. "I'm not making things difficult for her - I'm doing this for her own good."
"What gives you the right? What makes you qualified to decide what's good for her? Blair has been very respectful to you, but you just keep going on and on. Can we just drop this?"
"What do you know? They're suitable for each other. I don't understand how you young people think."
Nola stamped her foot in frustration. "Dad, you're MY dad, not Blair's dad. We have no right to talk like this, okay? She's my best friend - stop putting her in this position."
"You!"
Joseph smiled. "This is my fault. Nola's right - don't make things difficult for Blair. Let me sincerely apologize to Blair again. I'm sorry about today."