Chapter 198 Kieran Marries into Her Family

Chapter 198 Kieran Marries into Her Family

Kieran stared at his phone, stunned. Gwyneth was heading out on a mission, and he still had to go grovel before her father. How had his life sunk this low?

He let out a bitter laugh, eyes drifting to the slate-gray sky beyond the window, thumb tracing the edge of his phone without thinking. Missions meant danger, and Gwyneth never told him the details. He had to get everything settled before she came back, or the wedding would be pushed off again.

Drawing a sharp breath, he dialed his mother. "Mom, I need you to meet my future in-laws."

There was a pause, then her voice came through, low but steady. "All right. I'll go."

His father was half-paralyzed, so the Schmidt family was effectively run by his mother now. Even though she had once tolerated that ridiculous arranged engagement, she had long since taken Kieran's side.

Lyanna never did things halfway. She hung up and went straight to Gwyneth's parents. She didn't bow or beg—she put every ounce of sincerity on the table.

"These are the Schmidt family's assets. Kieran is our only child, so all of this will be theirs. This... is our gift to Gwyneth."

Violette flipped through the documents, brows knitting. "You think we'll marry off our daughter just because of this?"

Lyanna shook her head. "Of course not. We owe Gwyneth. Even if she never marries Kieran, she deserves compensation from us. My son truly cares for her. All his life, he's obeyed his father in everything—except when it came to marriage. Even when he was beaten half to death, he never backed down. That's on us... his parents."

Her eyes glistened, but her spine stayed straight. "From now on, we won't interfere in their work or their life. If they choose not to return to the Schmidt family, that's fine."

Violette's lips curved. "So you wouldn't object if Kieran married into our family?"

Lyanna blinked, then smiled. "No objection. He's long since stopped wanting to go back. If you'll have him, it's his good fortune."

Lyanna had shouldered the entire Schmidt family alone. The others had been pressuring her relentlessly—demanding that Kieran return, marry according to their plans, or hand over the estate. She knew exactly what kind of pit that was. She'd jumped in herself, but she would never let her son do the same.

And Gwyneth's parents... they were good people. That was fortune enough for Kieran.

"We still need to ask Gwyneth. You should take these back. She doesn't need the Schmidt family's scraps."

Violette's wealth dwarfed what Lyanna had offered a hundredfold. Lyanna felt the sting of shame. She knew Gwyneth's family truly didn't need the money, and she couldn't fathom why her husband had once thrown away such a match for someone else.

"I'll wait for Gwyneth's answer. These belong to Kieran—he'll decide what to do. And rest assured, his father has no say in it."

Before leaving, Lyanna found Kieran and tossed him the envelope.

"Go marry into her family, you useless boy. Gwyneth's a good girl, and you've let her suffer. If you can't manage this, you might as well give up."

Kieran scratched his head. "So... you want me to marry into her family?"

"What else? Gwyneth's become an international cop, and look at you. Even I wouldn't marry you off to her if I were her."

Kieran had no comeback. He was everyone's punching bag these days.

"Wait for her to come back. If she still says no, you can stay single for life."

Lyanna left without telling anyone in the Schmidt family about the wedding. She went to Wayne's room instead.

"Wayne, you'd never have guessed, would you? That girl you looked down on is now an international cop. You didn't want her before—now she doesn't want your son. And you know why he's like this. If you hadn't forced that marriage, he'd be a rising star in the force by now."

Wayne's mind was clear, though his body was useless. Her words made his eyes go dull, his fingers twitching. He knew she was right. His stubbornness had wrecked Kieran's career.

"But regret doesn't fix anything. Now Kieran's a joke, Gwyneth's a star, and you're stuck in bed listening to me rub salt in the wound.

"And that precious girl you favored? She married someone else, took Schmidt family resources and assets, and never looked back. You schemed and schemed, and ended up half-paralyzed, with Kieran's future in ruins and the estate gone. You brought it on yourself."

Lyanna walked out, leaving Wayne in tears, his mouth working to form words he couldn't speak, the sound escaping as a broken breath.

Olivia had no time for Kieran's drama. She was fighting her own battle—violent morning sickness. She'd only been back at work a few days before she was bedridden.

Autumn was frantic. They'd gone to the hospital, but nothing helped.

"What do we do? She hasn't kept a meal down in days. Everything comes back up. The doctor says we just have to wait it out, but watching her waste away... it's killing me. Seven or eight times today alone. She's so pale, her hands are shaking, and she still says she's fine..."

Autumn's eyes filled with tears. Olivia wouldn't let her tell Henry—he was away on assignment, and she didn't want him distracted.

Olivia felt hollow, her head spinning, vision darkening. This couldn't go on. She called Parker.

The professor came himself, gave her an injection, and the nausea eased. He handed her a prescription.

"Medicine always carries risk. Stop when you improve. Food is better."

Autumn nodded. With Parker's help, Olivia felt better, but from then on she craved sour food.

"Sour is fine. As long as it makes you happy."

Autumn's relief was obvious, and Bobby laughed, joining them.

"Autumn's up at dawn every day now, hitting the market. Half her dishes are swimming in vinegar. I've been eating at the precinct cafeteria for two weeks straight."

Olivia laughed. Bobby's words were teasing, but his eyes were warm.

Then he slid a card across the table. "A gift for my future nephew. You take it."

Olivia frowned, not touching it. "Bobby... what are you up to?"