At this moment, a fierce gaze was directed toward them, making Leon feel even less like staying. Since it happened every time the family gathered, he was sensing that his cousin would very soon come and cause trouble for him. There was no way this time would be an exception.
Unfortunately, Heather failed to understand and only advised him patiently, “It doesn’t seem appropriate for us to leave so early. Why are you so eager to rush home?”
“There are some things I can’t explain to you right here,” he answered uneasily. While he didn’t care if his cousin caused trouble for him alone, he didn’t want to drag her into things.
The fact that his cousin had left him alone for so long this time was likely solely because of her presence. No doubt, the man was observing them for now so that he could attack them after he had a general understanding of her personality. Leon was loath to imagine what that man had to be thinking, for his cousin’s gaze was growing more and more unfriendly and even strayed to Heather from time to time.
“Alright,” she relented after seeing the anxious look on his face. “If you think that’s for the best, we’ll do as you say.” After all, she didn’t know his family well and had no reason to insist they stay behind.
Instantly, he let out a gratified smile. It soothed his heart to be so well-understood by her. And so, Heather pulled him to his feet and they both walked toward Dave.
Meanwhile, the cousin noticed their actions and immediately rushed off the dance floor to reach Dave’s side. With great interest, the former stared at Leon.
It was a provocation in Leon’s eyes but despite knowing that was no good news, the cousin persisted in walking forward. Many times, he wished he could hire someone to murder this troublesome man. It was only logic that stayed his hand.
Acting as if he only just noticed Leon and Heather approaching him, Dave looked toward them with an expression that suggested he knew what they were there for.
“Grandpa—” Leon started, but Dave quickly interrupted him, “Ah! Good, you’re here. Come with me to the study.”
The sentence thwarted whatever Leon’s cousin had been about to do, and he remained at a loss even as they left the room. He never even got the chance to say a single word.
Dave always did whatever he wanted to and right now, no one was providing a different suggestion. Originally, the cousin was about to wait for Leon to say something stupid before he jumped in to fan the flames of the discord between Leon and their grandfather, but the present situation didn’t play out that way at all.
For the whole night, he had looked for opportunities and finally found one, but it turned out to be fruitless, anyway.
Meanwhile, the study was silent, as Dave had summoned only Heather and Leon. Even the butler and servants were forbidden from entering.
Heather was immensely familiar with studies, for it was the part of the house that Robert summoned her to whenever he had something important to discuss with her. It seemed Dave and Robert behaved in largely similar ways.
However, their studies were very different. Heather found herself looking at a study so luxuriously decorated in a European style that she had to wonder if it was overly opulent.
“You don’t have to stand. Sit down on the couch,” Dave told them now before sitting down in his own chair.
Naturally, Heather and Leon gave each other a questioning glance before sitting down on the couch close to each other. The latter was feeling somewhat nervous but Heather, who was used to having such discussions in the study, was relaxed and at ease.
“I heard Leon has pursued you for a long time, Miss Langston,” Dave said abruptly, startling her so much that she was slow to react.
Here she was thinking he had some other important matter to address, but it turned out he was curious about their relationship. As she didn’t like it when her elders interfered in her love affairs, all thoughts of a more intelligent answer fled her mind as she said somewhat awkwardly and unnaturally, “Uh—he has.”
Next to her, Leon contributed, “I fell in love with her the moment I saw her. She’s always been a goddess to me.”
Of course, that only made Heather feel even more awkward. How could he possibly seize this opportunity to speak from his heart? She had no idea what to say next.
“Are you sure of your relationship?” Dave asked, dropping another bomb on them.
Instantly, she felt guilty, but Leon helpfully stepped in and answered, “We only just got together, Grandpa.” It was a lie that fooled even himself.
“Yes,” Heather quickly added. “We don’t have any plans to announce our relationship yet.” She assumed Dave wanted to know when they intended to announce their relationship to the public.
In truth, that wasn’t his intention; what he wanted to determine was whether they were actually a couple. And so, he dismissed them by saying, “There’s nothing to announce. It’s not necessarily a bad thing for you young people to keep your personal lives private.”
“But of course, Grandpa,” Leon answered smoothly. He couldn’t believe he was so slow to catch on. All of a sudden, he sensed where this conversation was going.
Ironically, this was the moment Heather lost the ability to think on her feet and could only nod along dumbly with Leon.
“When are you going to get engaged?” Truly, Dave’s questions were only becoming more and more pointed. They couldn’t believe he was already thinking of engagements, to say the least.
“We’re not in a rush to get engaged,” Leon answered so naturally that it was as if he had already come up with solutions to these questions.
It’s a good thing he’s being so reliable right now, Heather thought, for they would be in a very embarrassing situation otherwise. Never had it occurred to her that they would have to face the topic of marriage eventually.
“If you’re confident in your relationship, the responsible step would be to get engaged,” Dave persisted.
At that moment, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Meanwhile, Leon felt similarly awkward. All of a sudden, he was remembering what Dave said to him previously, and it seemed Dave was no longer holding back.
“We haven’t been together that long, Grandpa. It really wouldn’t do to rush the engagement,” Leon continued to explain while Heather fervently wished that she could find a corner to hide in alone.
“You’ve both known each other for so long. For you to be together now means it’s a well-thought decision. That means engagement wouldn’t be rushed but rather something that is a natural conclusion,” Dave pointed out sensibly.
All of a sudden, Heather felt like the situation would end badly if she didn’t make some things clear. With no other choice, she brought up whatever leverage she had. “I still have to discuss the matter of getting engaged with my family, Grandpa.”
With a smile and a nod, Dave merely answered, “That’s quite fair, Miss Langston. Perhaps I shall drop by the Langston Residence tomorrow.”
The first sentence lightened her heart, but the second sentence made her feel infinitely tenser. Everything was spiraling out of control too quickly, and it seemed like Dave was truly the kind of person to do exactly as he wanted to.
Uncomfortably, she informed him, “I haven’t explained things to my family yet. I’m afraid it won’t be appropriate for you to drop by tomorrow.”
Upon hearing that, Leon quickly stepped in as well, saying, “Don’t rush things, Grandpa. You’re going to scare my future wife away.” While his tone was deliberately light, he was actually feeling incredibly nervous.
“Ha!” Dave roared with laughter before telling them directly, “It’s clear to me that you aren’t sure of each other’s intentions yet.” His knowing gaze made them feel immensely guilty.
“We just want to take things slow, Grandpa,” Leon continued to lie. Yet, at this moment, the more he said, the more the truth would be revealed.
“You have been taking things slow. Haven’t all these years been enough?” Dave asked in the tone of someone who had been through similar situations before.
Meanwhile, Heather kept her silence. There was no point in continuing to argue; they had played right into Dave’s hand. If she kept talking, she would have no more secrets left.
“It’s decided, then,” Dave said without further ceremony. “Before I leave Bradfort City, I want to see it done.”
His announcement made them both feel a bit like jumping off a cliff to their deaths. They were in for it now. Only now did they understand that some lies couldn’t be told without major repercussions, but it was already too late for them to come clean.
Impulsively, Leon asked, “When are you leaving Bradfort City, Grandpa?” He couldn’t give up just yet.
“It could be weeks or it could be two to three months. I wouldn’t feel good about leaving without seeing you both engaged,” Dave answered gleefully, sending chills down their spines.
Once more, they exchanged glances. They didn’t say anything else and Dave took their silence as acquiescence. In truth, he had long taken measure of Heather and found her to be an excellent potential addition to their family. That was why, even if he knew they were acting right now, he was determined to have his grandson marry her.
There was no way he would be able to find someone better suited to Leon than her, and he could feel his body deteriorating day by day. His only wish now was to see Leon a husband and a father.
No longer could they delay things. He could tell that Leon did want Heather as a wife, and while he could also tell that Heather wasn’t in love with Leon, such petty matters as feelings no longer mattered. All Dave wanted was to see them united, so he would be wilful for one more time to ensure that their marriage happened as soon as possible.
“You may leave now. I want to be alone,” he informed them without giving them any more opportunities to protest. By having them leave, he could plot his next step in peace.
One after the other, the pair left the study. At this moment, Heather didn’t know what to say, nor did Leon know how to explain things to her.
“I’m sorry things turned out this way, Hat,” Leon took the initiative to say. Other than apologizing, he couldn’t do anything else.
“It’s not your fault,” she comforted him. “I should have thought of this possibility when I agreed to your request.” The most important thing right now was for them to figure out how to resolve the situation.
“What are we going to do now?” For however much he hoped for them to spend the rest of their lives together, he had no wish to force her to marry him.
“We’ll figure it out. For now, let’s go home.” She felt weary and emotionally exhausted and no longer had any wish to stay there.
“Alright.” Similarly, he didn’t want to stay and only wished they could be home sooner.
Just like that, they passed through the hall directly and left without saying their goodbyes to anyone. While it was a little rude, Heather was no longer in the mood to care about such etiquette.
“Wait for me, Hat!” Leon exclaimed as he hurried behind her. It was evident from how quickly she walked, even in heels, that she was in a terrible mood.
