Chapter 8
998 Words
Mr. Ryan was clearly delighted to see the two of them holding hands, his laughter full of vitality. "I thought this beautiful girl looked familiar. Turns out she's my granddaughter-in-law."
Emily knew Mr. Ryan was deliberately teasing her and smiled, "Mr. Ryan, I also bought you a gift. Close your eyes first."
Mr. Ryan straightened his chest and lifted his chin, saying, "Alright, I'm closing my eyes. What gift is Emily giving me?"
Emily took the opportunity to release Frank’s hand, retrieved the large bouquet of lilies from the car, and said, "Mr. Ryan, guess what I’m holding."
Mr. Ryan, in all seriousness, replied, "Alright, let me guess. It's lilies."
Emily paused mid-step, "Wow, Mr. Ryan, you're amazing! You guessed it right away. It is lilies. Do you like them?"
"I like anything Emily gives me," Mr. Ryan said with a chuckle.
Emily handed the lilies to Mr. Ryan and added, "I picked the flowers, but Frank paid for them."
Hearing her ingratiate herself with Mr. Ryan while still with him, Frank, looked down at her. She just happened to look up at him too, a sweet smile on her face.
Their eyes met, and Emily quickly averted her gaze, turning back to Mr. Ryan. "How did you guess they were lilies, Mr. Ryan?"
Mr. Ryan scoffed, "Did I even need to guess?"
Emily assumed he would say he could smell the lilies, but Mr. Ryan adjusted his sunglasses and remarked, "I saw it. I didn’t actually close my eyes. You didn’t notice, did you?"
Emily was speechless.
Of course, she didn’t notice. How could she see whether his eyes were closed behind sunglasses? She believed him when he said they were closed. Who would have thought he’d cheat? Amused and exasperated, Emily supported Mr. Ryan and said, "Mr. Ryan, it's windy out here. Let’s head inside."
Mr. Ryan nodded. "Alright, let’s go in. Lunch is already prepared. I had Chef Lin make beef and lobster. Your favorite, Emily. Make sure you eat plenty."
Frank and Emily supported Mr. Ryan as they walked inside, where a servant came to take the flowers from Mr. Ryan’s hands. Mr. Ryan specifically instructed them to use the newly acquired enameled porcelain vase with bamboo and chrysanthemum designs to hold the flowers and place it by his bedside.
The Ryan family’s estate covered a vast area. Each of the three branches of the Ryan family had their own villa in the back garden, while Mr. Ryan lived alone in the central courtyard. Only during holidays would he gather the entire family; otherwise, they took turns visiting for meals. Since Frank and Emily were visiting today, Mr. Ryan hadn’t invited anyone else.
The dining table was laden with food. Emily sat beside Mr. Ryan. Frank intended to sit on Mr. Ryan’s other side but was told by Mr. Ryan to sit next to Emily instead, "Go sit by Emily, so you can serve her some food."
Frank sat down to Emily's left, and Mr. Ryan looked at her kindly, "Go ahead and eat."
Emily placed a piece of beef in Mr. Ryan’s bowl, which he happily ate before beginning to ask Frank and Emily about their recent work. Emily, who worked as a small employee at one of her family’s subsidiaries, didn’t have much to say. Frank, however, managed the entire SY Group, and as SY’s former head, Mr. Ryan, though retired, was still somewhat involved.
"Everything’s been fine at the company lately, right? Have your uncles been giving you any trouble?"
Mr. Ryan didn’t avoid discussing family matters in front of Emily. In his mind, she was already part of the Ryan family, and there was no need to keep things from her. Nor could they hide anything from her.
"Don’t worry, Mr. Ryan. I can handle the company’s affairs."
Mr. Ryan then asked about a few of SY’s latest projects, one of which was a collaboration with the Ryan family’s business. Emily didn’t understand much about these projects, so she focused on eating, occasionally using her serving chopsticks to place food in Mr. Ryan and Frank’s bowls.
When she had eaten her fill, Emily put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Suddenly, she heard Mr. Ryan instructed Frank, "When you’ve arranged your work, make some time to take Emily on a honeymoon. Don’t let her feel neglected."
Frank responded with a nod, and Emily quickly said, "Mr. Ryan, although Frank is usually busy with work, he comes home to accompany me as soon as he’s free. Going on a honeymoon would be a waste of time. It’s better to stay home. Anywhere we’re together feels like a honeymoon."
Mr. Ryan looked at Emily with satisfaction. He had initially been worried that a commercial marriage, with Frank’s busy schedule, would leave the pampered Emily feeling lonely, leading to a strained relationship. But seeing how understanding and sweet she was, and that Frank no longer seemed as impatient with marriage as he had been at the beginning, he felt reassured.
With a kind smile, Mr. Ryan tentatively asked, "You two have been married for three months now. When do you plan on having a child? Frank is busy with work, so a child would bring some life to the house."
"....."
Emily hadn’t expected the question of children to come up so soon. She and Frank hadn’t even discussed how to handle this topic. Unsure of how to respond, she turned to Frank, who showed no particular expression, acting as though the matter didn’t concern him.
Under Mr. Ryan’s expectant gaze, Emily began to feel a bit panicked. She nudged Frank under the table with her foot, signaling him with her eyes.
Frank lifted his gaze slightly and said, "Emily and I are already working on that."
Emily choked, staring at Frank in disbelief.
What did he mean by "working on that"???
Mr. Ryan asked about having a child! How could he make up something like that so casually?
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