Chapter 86
Getting married.
Marrying Benjamin.
It's not that Evelyn hadn't thought about it, but when it was actually brought up, she felt panicked inside.
She couldn't even have sex with Benjamin. If they were together, would she make him live like a married monk?
Even setting aside Benjamin's sexual needs, he really did need an heir.
Her head started to ache for no reason.
"Mom, Dad, now isn't a good time to get married..."
"Why not?"
Timothy interrupted her, his expression very serious.
"Since you say you don't care about Matthew anymore and just want to live a good life with Benjamin, what's the problem with marrying him sooner?"
"Or are you having other thoughts?"
Other thoughts?
Evelyn looked at Timothy's eyes with some surprise. She understood what he was implying.
He thought she was still thinking about Matthew, that she was with Benjamin just to spite Matthew.
She had done so much, but still couldn't change what they thought. What good would simple explanations do?
But her silence at this moment only made Timothy and Hannah more convinced of their suspicions.
Timothy and Hannah exchanged glances, their eyes sharing the same helplessness.
"Evelyn, we've been through your stage too. We understand young people's passionate feelings."
"But even the hottest feelings have to come back to real life. Benjamin is definitely the one who can give you a stable life."
"As for Matthew..."
Hannah spoke with some difficulty, but still said it: "If you really can't let him go, your father and I will fly to Emerald City right away to talk to the White family about calling off your engagement with Benjamin."
Previously, Hannah and Timothy had disagreed about calling off the engagement because Matthew's attitude toward Evelyn was always cold, and Matthew had no intention of marrying Evelyn at all.
But now that Matthew had made it clear he had feelings for Evelyn, this matter might be possible.
"Mom..."
"I don't agree."
Two completely different voices rang out, causing a noticeable change in the living room atmosphere.
"Why are you back?" Evelyn looked at Benjamin at the entrance, her eyes showing some panic.
When did he come back?
How much did he hear?
Benjamin's eyes were as deep as an abyss, so dark you couldn't see the bottom, yet radiating a cold aura.
"Yesterday, Evelyn was frightened, so I hoped you'd come today to comfort her. But instead you want her to break off the engagement with me..."
He paused, the corners of his lips curving into a smile that held no warmth at all.
"This was arranged by the family elders. If you want to break it off unilaterally without considering others' feelings..."
"Then shouldn't we consider the Thomas family's business?"
His last sentence carried a hint of threat.
Timothy's brow furrowed, his eyes suddenly becoming sharp.
"It was wrong of us to discuss this privately with Evelyn."
"But people can get divorced after marriage, let alone when you're just engaged."
"If it's not suitable, it's better for both sides to separate and find better matches."
His words were still polite, but his tone carried a coldness, clearly annoyed by Benjamin's attitude.
Seeing the situation, Evelyn immediately stood up and quickly stated her position.
"Mom, Dad, Benjamin, and I won't break off the engagement."
She walked quickly toward Benjamin, reached out to tug at his sleeve, and said softly.
"They're my parents, and your elders too. Don't be so rude."
He looked down at her. Unusually, he didn't immediately go along with her words, and various emotions surged in his eyes.
Finally, it turned into a sigh, and he stood there silently.
He neither continued to make things difficult for Hannah and Timothy, nor took back what he'd just said.
His meaning was clear: if the Thomas family insisted on breaking off the engagement, they would have to pay a price.
Who was Timothy?
He'd weathered countless storms and cherished Evelyn in the palm of his hand. How could he use Evelyn as a bargaining chip?
Right then, Timothy's anger flared up.
"In the past, I thought you were good to Evelyn. Now it seems things aren't quite like that."
Timothy looked at Evelyn: "Did he force you to change your mind?"
"Evelyn, with Mom and Dad here, we won't let you suffer!"
"Come on, we're going home today!"
Benjamin's anger, which Evelyn had just calmed down, flared up again.
He raised his hand to wrap around Evelyn's waist, pulling her into his embrace.
But he didn't speak, because she immediately reached out to hug him back.
Evelyn's small gesture showed her attitude and also helped soothe his emotions a bit.
"Mom, Dad, since you're here, why don't we have a meal together? Pearl's cooking is really good. I've even gained weight."
Go home?
Given how tightly Benjamin was holding her, if she dared to nod now, no one would be able to calm him down.
He truly cared about her, and she couldn't bear to see him hurt like this.
"I almost forgot, I haven't gotten you the desserts yet."
She called out to Pearl, who was standing uncertainly at the kitchen door: "Pearl, bring out the red wine Benjamin prepared for my dad, and bring out the bird's nest soup he made for me, let my mom try it."
Pearl responded and turned to go into the kitchen.
Seeing Timothy and Hannah's expressions soften slightly, Evelyn looked up at Benjamin.
Her eyes were dewy, and her pitiful appearance made it impossible for anyone to bear making things difficult for her.
Benjamin's swelling anger slowly dissipated at this moment.
Fine.
As long as she was willing to stay by his side, nothing else mattered.
As for her heart... given enough time, things would change.
He didn't loosen his arm around her, but when he spoke again, his voice returned to its usual mild tone.
"The Martinez family incident yesterday frightened Evelyn. She didn't sleep well last night. Please comfort her."
"Don't worry, we will," Hannah responded. She noticed Timothy standing there coldly without any reaction.
Just then, Pearl came out with water. Hannah took it and handed it to Timothy.
"You must be thirsty after talking for so long."
Timothy looked at the glass of water and realized he had been a bit impulsive.
Over these years, he had seen how Benjamin treated Evelyn and the Thomas family.
Benjamin threatening Evelyn?
Maybe it had happened, but Evelyn only needed to shed a few tears, and Benjamin would probably surrender.
Still, some things needed to be made clear.
Timothy took a sip of water, calming down: "Benjamin, let Evelyn and Hannah have a good talk. Let's go play a few games of chess."
At this moment, Benjamin didn't want to leave Evelyn at all.
Afraid that if he disappeared for even a second, his future wife would be taken away.
Evelyn saw what he was thinking and gently shook his arm: "My dad wants to play chess. Go keep him company for me."
Benjamin could never bear to refuse any request she made.
Looking into her eyes now, he felt that even if she wanted the stars, giving her the moon would still mean she was being shortchanged.
Let alone just playing chess?
He agreed and went to the study with Timothy.
Evelyn sat on the sofa, constantly looking up, genuinely worried they might start arguing again.
"Have you really fallen in love with him?" Hannah looked at Evelyn's distracted appearance and couldn't help asking.