Mark walked toward us with a kind smile on his face and his hands behind his back. Suddenly, I was at a loss for what to do. It was bad to talk about people behind their backs, and I was caught in the act.
“You’re here,” I mumbled without calling him Dad. That form of address was still too difficult for me.
“Mr. Goldstein.” Christopher stood beside me.
“You’re still unwilling to call me Dad.” Abruptly, Mark sighed and glanced sideways at Christopher. His eyes were cold, and I could feel an invisible pressure exuding from his body as if he would get angry at any time. Immediately, I was intimidated by the intense aura.
Standing next to Christopher, I did not dare to step back. If Mark was angry, I could not let him vent his anger on Christopher.
Nevertheless, Christopher did not give in and looked into Mark’s eyes. Neither of them moved. Abruptly, I felt nervous because if there were any conflicts between them, the consequences would be disastrous.
“Hahaha!” After a while, Mark burst out in laughter and remarked, “As expected of Gordon’s son. Not bad.”
“Thank you, Mr. Goldstein.” Christopher was still standing beside me, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
“You’re patient and calm. These days, there aren’t many young people who can carry themselves well like you. Most of them are impetuous.” Touching his chin, Mark pulled me to his side satisfyingly and said proudly, “As expected of my daughter. You’ve such a good taste in men.”
I was a little embarrassed, for he would praise me at every chance he had. In the past few days, I had heard more compliments than I had heard in the past two decades. Could it be that he’s even making up this aspect for me?
“It’s a pity that today isn’t a good time to chat. Let’s find a time and have a good talk,” remarked Mark.
“Sure. It just so happens that I’ve got a lot of things that I want to ask you too,” replied Christopher. The next moment, he asked casually, “Why didn’t I see Wesley? As your competent assistant, I can’t believe he actually didn’t attend such an important event like this.”
“He’s probably in Anglandur right now. Since he’s in charge of many of my businesses, he doesn’t have time to attend even if he wants to.” At that moment, an indecipherable emotion flickered across Mark’s eyes.
Meanwhile, I did not expect Christopher to mention Wesley out of the blue. After the previous incident, although I was aware that Mark knew about it, we avoided the topic subconsciously because with my identity now, it would be appropriate to pursue the matter further.
“Ms. Tanner, Mrs. Goldstein is looking for you. She asked you to go over quickly and stop hanging out with some riff-raff here.” Just then, a servant hurried over and repeated what Isabelle said. In an instant, I knew that the riff-raff she was talking about referred to Christopher. Obviously, the servant did not expect Mark to be there as well. As soon as she finished speaking, she was struck dumb looking at Mark with a panic expression on her face.
I waved my hand and asked the servant to leave first. When Mark saw that, he did not pursue the matter further. Frowning, he piped up, “Sometimes, your mother can be quite stubborn, and no one can do anything about it. She hasn’t changed at all over the years.”
Upon hearing that, I remained silent while maintaining the polite smile on my face. I just can’t get close to Mark. Is it because my resentment towards him is too intense? Looking at Christopher, I was reluctant to leave because recently, I had fewer opportunities to meet him.
“Chris…” I called out his name. Before I could say anything else, tears began to well up in my eyes. What should I do for us to be together?
“Go ahead. I’ll find a chance and have a good talk with your mother one day. Don’t worry.” Mark patted my head lightly and turned to Christopher. “My daughter is deeply in love with you. Don’t let her down. As long as you don’t give up, I have a way to make Belle agree with your relationship.”
At that instant, Christopher exchanged looks with me while raising his eyebrows. Then, a wicked smile spread across his face. “Mr. Goldstein, even if you object, I’ll never give up.”
