Chapter 107 Warning, Caspian's Panic
Just as she hung up the phone, someone knocked on Caspian's office door.
Caspian had just pressed pause when a tall man walked in—someone who looked somewhat like him.
Caspian stood up, spine straight, turned off his tablet screen, and respectfully said, "Father."
"Perfect timing that you're back. Let's have lunch together." Andrew Rivers glanced at his watch. "It's about time. Let's go."
"Father, I..." Caspian was about to make an excuse when Andrew's sharp gaze landed on his face.
Although Andrew was over fifty, he worked out regularly and loved extreme sports. He maintained a perfect physique and his face looked great, with only some wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.
A man who had spent years in the business world carried natural authority. When he looked at Caspian, an invisible pressure came over him, and Caspian had to swallow his excuse.
He could still make it back to Silverlake Springs after lunch—as long as he got there by evening, it would be fine.
He obediently said, "Yes, Father."
"Linda came back from abroad specially. I'm not forcing you to date her, but at least meet her. We can't be rude."
Following behind Andrew, Caspian said calmly, "Father, does my wife have to be from a family of equal status?"
Andrew paused and turned to look at him, his deep gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny. "What do you mean? Are you already dating someone?"
"No, I just want to know what your minimum requirements are."
Andrew looked away, his voice heavy: "You know the family situation. Your two uncles are still unmarried. Your eldest brother isn't my biological son. Your second brother... died young. You're the only one in the family who will inherit the Rivers family. If your second brother were still alive, I wouldn't interfere with your choice of wife. But you carry the responsibility of the Rivers family. Your future wife doesn't have to be beautiful, but she must be well-educated, dignified, graceful, and from an equally wealthy family."
At this point, he emphasized: "I know you've been obedient and hardworking since childhood, a sensible good child who won't do anything to disappoint me and your grandfather."
Caspian's heart sank.
Seeing his son's heavy expression, Andrew added, "You don't need to feel too burdened. If you don't like Linda, that's fine. You're only twenty-four this year. You can keep looking. If you don't like the girls from Crystalbrook, we'll select daughters from other wealthy families."
"Yes."
After lunch, Caspian's composure suddenly disappeared once he got in the car. He looked at his watch—it was already past two.
Leaving at this time, he wouldn't arrive at Silverlake Springs until seven or eight in the evening.
"Hurry."
"Yes, but Mr. Rivers, Silverlake Springs has issued a thunderstorm warning today. I'm guessing the flight will be delayed."
The driver glanced at the man's unpleasant expression in the rearview mirror. "Mr. Rivers, there's actually nothing urgent at Silverlake Springs. Going tomorrow morning would work too."
Caspian kept his eyes tightly closed, constantly fidgeting with his black bracelet, but it couldn't calm his restless mood.
Tonight's thunderstorm made him feel uneasy.
As if some voice in the dark was calling him to hurry to Gloria's side.
"Don't change the plan. Fly as scheduled."
Silverlake Springs.
This live-streamed reality show had only been online for half a day but was already dominating all social media platforms, with Gloria single-handedly taking over the trending topics.
Gloria just wanted to do her job to the best of her ability.
She forgot that she was also pregnant. After being busy in the kitchen for half the day, she was about to rest when everything went black and her body collapsed without warning.
James had just come downstairs and saw this scene, panicking.
Without thinking, he rushed over and caught her, his low voice spreading by her ear: "Are you okay?"
Gloria wasn't just dizzy—her vision was also dark. If she pushed James away now, she would definitely fall again.
She could only grip James's wrist, steadying herself for a moment. When the dizziness improved slightly, she let go.
James asked with concern, "Should I get a doctor to come check on you?"
He wasn't an entertainer and couldn't treat Gloria like a stranger in front of the camera.
But no one connected the two of them as husband and wife.
Gloria pushed James away. "Thank you, Mr. Williams. I'm fine, no need to go to that trouble."
Despite her words, James still pulled out a candy from his pocket. Knowing Gloria would refuse, he forcefully pressed it into her hand.
"Take it, so you don't get dizzy again."
Gloria accepted the candy but didn't eat it or throw it away, worried others would read too much into it. "Thank you, Mr. Williams."
Hearing her distant words, James's heart ached. He could have announced on this show that Gloria was his wife, and they could have shown their affection openly.
Because of one mistake, everything went wrong step by step.
At dinner, James surprisingly sat at their table, ignoring Maria's eager looks and sitting next to Gloria, even cutting her steak for her.
Maria had bought online trolls to specifically magnify the moment James caught Gloria, and public opinion overwhelmingly accused Gloria of seducing James.
Gloria didn't yet know that heated discussions had erupted online.
She took off her microphone during a bathroom break and found a spot without cameras to wait. Soon James came over.
She grabbed his collar, unable to suppress the anger on her face, and said viciously, "James, are you insane?"
"Gloria, I just got off the plane. I didn't know you were filming."
"James, I just want to finish filming this show properly. Since you've already made your choice, don't act like we're close in front of the camera! The way you're acting now really makes me sick."
James looked at her with infinite tenderness. "Gloria, I'll resolve all these obstacles soon. You can hate me, despise me—it's all fine. Once our divorce decree goes through, I'll pursue you again, okay?"