Chapter 261
Chapter 261 Engagement
Vera entered the room, walking arm in arm with Eric.
“I apologize for the dy. There was some traffic on the road,” Eric exined.
Vera followed Eric timidly, keeping her head low and remaining silent. She avoided looking around,
behaving cautiously and restrained. Finally, she took a seat next to Eric at the long table.
La was thest to arrive, taking her seat at the head of the table alongside Will.
Will stood up to greet her, “La, I’ve heard so much about you. How have you been feelingtely?”
Considering him as the future son-inw of the Smith family, La responded, “Not too bad. I won’t d
just yet. Anyway, I’m sure everyone must be getting hungry by now. Let’s start the feast.”
As La picked up her cutlery, she handed Eileen, who was sitting next to her, a piece of sweet and
sour pork. “You’ve lost weight these past few days. These are all your favorite dishes, so eat up.”
“Thank you, Grandma,” Eileen said gratefully.
La gave her a faint smile. “When I came here, I asked the priest of Tuzbum Church to pick out an
auspicious date for you and Jasper. ording to what Jasper said, the third day after your exams is a
go day. We’ve set the engagement date for then. What do you think?”
Eileen’s left hand clenched tightly under the table, holding onto the hem of her dress.
Even without looking at others, she could feel their gazes on her. “All right. I’ll do as Grandma wishes.”
Jasper gently ran his fingers through Eileen’s hair, his gaze filled with tenderness. At first, Eileen and 1
thought the same. But since Grandma has already made her decision, we’ll follow her lead. What do
you think, Father?”
Willughed, clearly the happiest person in the room. “Eileen is lucky to be valued by the Smith family
and marrying into it. Naturally, I agree.”
La nodded. ‘She will be the futuredy of the house. Following tradition, I will give you the
Freephens Mansion as your engagement gift. The property will be registered under Eileen’s name
alone. What do you think. Jasper?”
“Sure thing Jasper agreed.
Elcen quickly refused. “No, that’s too extravagant of a gift Jasper and I are only engaged, so! cant
ept such an expensive present. I really can’t ept it. Grandma’
The Freephens Mansion was a mansion that Dominik had built for La Its name was also personally
Clica by Dominik tumseif
Mosetseg thai ce had never boru sold to outsaders and held ugtulisant meaning for La
Eileen fachieved that she wall descrrug v? sun bi a gift.
Layle’s face tell “What do
i had originally nned at as your and Jasper s
farm faucar it’s going to be yours sound va bk anyway I makes no difference whether you receive it
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now.”
“Please ept this token of affection from your grandmother, Eileen. In the future, you will own half of
the Smith family’s assets, so this is nothing inparison,” Jasper insisted.
But she had never wanted any of this.
Will spoke with a mix of reluctance and eptance, “La, Freephens Mansion is indeed too luxurious
for Eileen. Besides… She hasn’t even be a part of the household yet. Let’s wait until after the
wedding. There’s no need to rush.”
“Freephens Mansion was originally intended by Old Mrs. Smith to be a gift for the future daughter-in-
law of the Smith family. It also represents the status of thedy of the house. This is something Ms.
Eileen rightfully deserves,” Richard interjected.
“Exactly. Considering your young age, the matter of marrying into the Smith family can be discussed
between you and Jasper after the engagement. After all, it’s a lifelongmitment that requires careful
consideration,” La exined.
After the engagement, Eileen would have firmly established her identity as thedy of the house. La
had only said all that to ease her excessive worries.
Will said, “Eileen, please listen to Old Mrs. Smith’s words and don’t let her good intentions go to waste.”
“All right, then. Thank you, Grandma,” Eileen responded.
Apart from epting, she seemed to have no other choice.
Everyone had their own thoughts during this meal.
After having a little to eat, La excused herself early from the table.
Father and Jasper had quite a bit to drink. Since agreeing, Eileen felt as if a huge weight was pressing
down
on her chest. For some reason, she wasn’t as happy as she had imagined she would be.
She couldn’t figure out why, though. Perhaps everything was just a little too rushed.
Vera put down her fork and said, “I’m full, Eric.”
Eric picked up her te and served her a bowl of soup. “Here, have some more soup. Wouldn’t want
you to go hungryter tonight.”
Vera nodded gently. “All right.”
Eileen wasn’t far from them. After a short while, a hand holding a bowl of soup appeared in her line of
sight. “The soup is good, give it a try.”
Eileen lifted her head to look at him. “Thank you, Eric
“No problem”
Eric’s thin lips curled up slightly, but Eileen saw the turmoil in his eyes.
It made her heart tense up
Perhaps it was because Jasper was in a good mood, he put his arm around Ealeen’s shoulder,
asserting his
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ownership over her. “Doesn’t he know that she doesn’t like sweet soup?”
Just like that, the atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly became hostile.
“You’ve had too much to drink, Jasper. How about I help you back to your room so you can rest?” Eric
suggested.
Eric was a man with a dark and vengeful nature, skilled in underhanded tactics that he preferred to
keep hidden. In her previous life, it was due to Eric’s schemes that the Smith family was destroyed,
allowing him to take control of Smith Corporation. Although Eileen didn’t know exactly how he managed
to do it, she was determined not to let history repeat itself and suffer the same tragedy again.
That big truck fromst time, which almost caused them to have an ident, must have been
orchestrated by Eric himself.
Even if Eric was currently no match for the Smith family, his methods could easily bring someone down
regardless of their position and status.
Eric wore a rxed expression as he softly remarked, “Is that so? It seems like you’ve been away from
home for quite a while, Eileen. I almost forgot your preferences.”
“From a logical standpoint, since Eileen treats you like a brother, I should do the same. However, your
last name isn’t Swan, so this form of address doesn’t seem quite appropriate. Nevertheless,
considering your many years of close rtionship with Eileen, I would like to propose a toast to you,
Mr. Snow.”
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Jasper nced at the housekeeper beside him, and she promptly poured a drink into Eric’s wine ss.
Feeling concerned, Vera grabbed Eric’s arm and said, “You still have to drive, Eric. You can’t consume
alcohol.”
Will observed Vera’s actions, his brow furrowing in dissatisfaction, but he chose not to voice his
thoughts.
Jasper stated, “It’s just one drink. Mr. Snow, if you can’t handle your alcohol, the Smith family has a
private driver who can take you hometer. You could even stay the night here if you wish.”
They locked eyes, equally matched, as the atmosphere of hostility thickened in the air.
Eileen quickly stood up. “You really shouldn’t drink anymore, Jasper. Have you forgotten what the
doctor said? Your wounds haven’t fully healed yet, and they could be infected again. I’ll be
worried.”
Jasper turned towards Eileen, gazing at her for a long moment. His slightly intoxicated eyes were filled
with lingering affection. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Alright… I’ll listen to you.”
There’s one more thing. Regarding the conditions set by Smith Corporation for the merger with
Caerulus Corporation, I believe you should carefully consider it, Mr. Snow. After all. Not everypany
has the opportunity to coborate with Smith Corporation!”