In the summer villa, the Burtons were seated at the dining table for a meal, and Justin came back holding Charlotte in his arms. Seeing his return, Sue stood up and greeted, “Justin, you must be exhausted after the long trip. Here, let me hold you, Charlotte. Don’t cling on to Daddy.”
“No!” Charlotte said, jerking her face away as she tightened her arms around Justin’s neck.
“Take a seat, Aunt Sue. I’ll hold her,” Justin said calmly.
“Forget it, Madam Parham,” Amber said. “This girl wants nobody but Justin.“
“What a spoiled little girl. You’re still so clingy to your daddy. Looks like we’ll need to get you a mommy soon,” Sue said thoughtfully. Then, she held Amber’s hand and added, “It’s about time we fix the date for your wedding with Justin.”
Amber blushed, and Arthur nodded in agreement. “That’s true. We should pick a date for the wedding. After all, Amber has been by your side for so many years. What do you think, Justin?”
Justin was expressionless. “Whatever you say, Grandpa.”
“Me too,” Amber added.
“Then, we’ll ask Amber’s father out for a meal one day and speak about the details of the wedding.”
Right after the words left Arthur’s lips, a scream of surprise echoed from Justin’s arms. “Ah!”
“What happened?” Justin asked, concerned.
“Daddy, my leg hurts! It’s so painful!” Charlotte cried, her face crumpling in pain.
“Why is your leg hurting all of a sudden?” Sue asked and wanted to take a look at her leg, but she covered it firmly and refused to show it to her.
Crying loudly, Charlotte forced out two drops of tears from the corners of her eyes. “Oww! It hurts so much!”
Heartbroken, Justin asked, “Did you fall in the airport earlier? I’m bringing her to the hospital for a checkup.”
“But we haven’t even discussed the wedding yet,” Sue pointed out anxiously, but she quickly changed the topic. “I mean, Justin, you just came back and haven’t even had a bite yet.”
“I can eat anytime,” he answered unhappily as he sprang up from his seat holding Charlotte. “Grandpa, I’m going now.”
As Arthur loved his great-granddaughter to bits, he immediately nodded and urged, “Hurry up and go. Her health is more important.”
After Amber sent him out the door, she stood there watching with an ashen face as the car drove off into the distance and left a trail of smoke behind.
Behind her, Sue came up and said, “This girl is full of ideas. She has used the same trick so many times, and it works every single time.”
“She’s his daughter, after all. It’s only natural that he dotes on her.”
“It’s one thing that he dotes on her, but if even the both of us can see through her trick, what do you think about Justin and the old master?”
The sarcastic tone she was using made Amber’s face freeze. “Madam Parham, what do you mean by that?”
“I don’t have to spell out everything, but it’s been five years, Amber. You have to put in some effort yourself and not just depend on our help. Everything I say is nothing compared to that girl’s cries.” Patting her shoulder gently, Sue said softly, “It’s cold outside. Let’s go in and eat.”
However, Amber continued to stand at the door with a crestfallen look. It had been five years since their engagement, but Justin didn’t seem interested in marrying her at all, which had turned her into the biggest joke amongst the socialites of Riverdale. And now, even Sue was mocking her!
The MPV rolled out of the compound of the summer villa, and Justin instructed the driver, “Go back home.”
Startled, the driver asked, “Aren’t we going to the hospital?”
Peering at Charlotte in his arms, he asked, “Do you want to go to the hospital?”
Immediately, she shook her head and giggled. “No.”
“Why did you lie?”
“If I don’t, Great-grandpa and Great-aunt Sue will make you marry Miss Amber.”
“Is it not a good thing if I marry her?”
“No, it’s not. I don’t like her.”
“Is she mean to you?”
Shaking her head, she answered, “That’s not the reason. There are too many women who want to marry you, and actually, all of them treat me quite well. But are you going to marry all of them because of that?”
The look in Justin’s eyes fell as he hadn’t thought about this before. “But Charlotte, you need a mommy as you grow up, and I can’t be by your side all the time because of my busy schedule.”
As though she hadn’t heard a thing he said, Charlotte burrowed into his embrace, curled up into a comfortable position, and snuggled in it. “I have a mommy, and I want to wait for her return,” she mumbled.
Lowering his head, Justin saw that she had already fallen asleep with her tightly shut eyes. After they reached home, the servant carried her back to the room to rest for the night. Her bedroom was massive with all sorts of dolls in a corner, and even the ceiling was painted pink. The servant carried Charlotte into the canopy bed and put her to sleep.
Before closing the door, Justin couldn’t help but linger to look at her, a warm glow glimmering in his cold eyes. Suddenly, the phone in his pocket vibrated.
“Hello?”
“I heard that you’re back from your business trip. Wanna have a drink? My friend’s club is open tonight.”
As he descended the staircase, Justin asked, “As my family doctor, do you think it’s appropriate to invite your client out for a drink?”
“Dear Mr. Burton, it’s after work now.”
“Send me the address.”
“Sure thing!”
The night was young, and it happened to be the busiest time of the club right now. When Justin arrived, a voice echoed from a booth on the second floor, shouting, “Over here!”
With his charming eyes, Rudy winked, and the girls on the dance floor gushed out loudly.
“Can you please keep it down?” Justin shot him a look of disgust as he took a seat across from him.
After waving at the girls downstairs, Rudy turned back and faced him. “Keep it down? Why? The point of coming to a club is to have fun. So, what do you wanna drink?”
“Anything will do.”
“You don’t seem to be in a good mood today. What’s up?”
“How could you tell?”
Shrugging, Rudy said, “Well, it’s written all over your face. I’ve known you for five years, and there’s only one reason you come out for a drink every time. Your fiancée is rushing you to tie the knot again, isn’t she?”
“You sure talk a lot.”
Rudy sighed. “It’s difficult to be caught between your daughter and fiancée.” Clinking his drink on his glass, he added, “My heart goes out to you, my brother.”
With a frown, Justin replied, “That’s not the reason.”
“What else could it be, then?”
“I can’t put it into words.” The more Justin thought about it, the more frustrated he became. Then, he picked up his glass and took a gulp to suppress his thoughts.
“There you go again. Even though I don’t really like that fiancée of yours, I have to admit that she’s rather unlucky to be stuck with you. I wouldn’t marry you if I were in her shoes. Also, research shows that ninety percent of sexless marriages are miserable.” Judging him with a thoughtful look, Rudy asked, “Are you sure you don’t have any problems in that area?”
Casting him a warning glare, he asked, “Would you like to give it a try?”
Waving his palm in terror, he answered, “Forget it. I’m doing fine in that aspect. But I’m serious, though.
Just annul the engagement if you really don’t like her and try it with another woman. How about if I arrange a little something for you tonight?”
