Chapter 9
Peter’s thin frame couldn’t withstand Luke’s intimidating presence and trembled slightly.
I instinctively shielded Peter, “It’s just a marriage. Mr. Foster, aren’t you overstepping?”
“Overstepping?” Luke repeated, his eyes darkening like storm clouds.
Just as my heart began to race, his cold gaze shifted to Grandma Foster.
“Mother, Chloe’s parents died while helping father. The Foster family owes her.”
“Let alone raising her for over a decade, even if it were a lifetime, I’d do it willingly.”
“This marriage is invalid.”
With that, he reached out to push Peter away. “Get lost.”
“Chloe, I didn’t consider things thoroughly. Come home with me, your room is still there, just as you left it.”
Luke’s expression was solemn.
I pushed away his outstretched hand, “I agreed to marry him.”
Grandma Foster sighed in relief, adding, “That’s right.”
Luke’s eyes darkened, seeming even more bottomless, “Chloe, are you still upset?”
“If you want to get married, why choose this poor boy to waste yourself on? I… I could too. If you don’t want to marry, I’d like to see who dares force you.”
I suddenly laughed lightly.
“Mr. Foster, with your wedding just around the corner, it’s not appropriate for you to say such things.”
“Besides, my husband and I came today to clarify the manuscript issue, to avoid taking the blame.”
“My past behavior was immature. Now I’ve finally come to my senses. Brother, you’re right, there will only ever be sibling affection between
us.”
I threw back at him, word for word, what he had once said to me.
In an instant, the color drained from Luke’s face.
I lowered my gaze, avoiding his face, “I’ll find other evidence for the manuscript issue. In the future, if there’s nothing else, I won’t come to
12:18 PM
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In an instant, the color drained from Luke’s face.
I lowered my gaze, avoiding his face, “I’ll find other evidence for the manuscript issue. In the future, if there’s nothing else, I won’t come to bother you again.”
“I wish Mr. Foster and Miss Sanders a lifetime of happiness together.”
Peter and I walked out.
As we left, Luke’s figure seemed to sway, but I dismissed it as my imagination.
In just three days, two major events shook the city.
First, Rachel Sanders publicly admitted that the plot points she had shared earlier were from other books she had read.
Second, Mr. Foster called off the wedding, falling out with the Sanders family.
But all this commotion had nothing to do with me anymore.
Peter’s mother’s condition had greatly improved after treatment.
We could finally set off for the south.
To celebrate this good news, Sophia went out to buy some groceries.
At night, we set up a table in the room and poured some wine.
Peter was the first to raise his glass to me, “If you ever need my help in the future, don’t hesitate to ask.”
We drank, chatted, and laughed heartily.
Until the sky turned unfavorable, and a few raindrops fell.
We hurriedly cleared the table and ran back to the room.
Outside, thunder roared.
The rain intensified from a drizzle to a downpour.
Sophia, wearing a raincoat, went to close the courtyard gate. As she approached the gate, she was startled and fell to the ground.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
I held an umbrella and stepped through the rain.
A shadowy figure appeared in the darkness beyond the gate.
The commotion also drew Peter out.
He grabbed a nearby stick and motioned for us to step back.
Then he suddenly pushed open the gate.
“Who’s there? Who is it?”
The figure, like a silent old pine tree, wasn’t intimidated by this aggressive stance.
In the rainy night, he raised his head, revealing half of his pale face.
It was Luke Foster.
