Waking up in Phillip''s bed the next morning, Tina found that he had already left for the office.


    Stretchingnguidly, she rolled around in bed for a bit before grabbing her phone to call her best friend.


    Her bestie had been upte rehearsing for a y and was groggy and grumpy from being woken up. Nheless, she perked up when Tina mentioned she had finally confronted Phillip.


    "Ah, you slutty lovebirds!" she eximed, hitting her bed with excitement.


    "Your tone sounds like you''re congratting us, so I''ll let it slide."


    Her friend teased, "Where did you get that from?"


    As best friends do, she was worried for Tina. "How are you going to deal with your dad, though? Last time, Weston took the heat for you. He got the brunt of it, so your dad was a bit calmer by the time he got to you."


    That reminded Tina of Weston, the unwitting scapegoat. "Right, where''s Weston when you need him to take another beating out of the blue?"Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Despite her jokes, Tina knew she had to face this challenge on her own.


    She dreaded what awaited her back home. Her father, Hamilton, might lock her up in her room again in a fit of anger. She nned to wait for Phillip toe home that evening, tell him about her ns, and then book a flight back to Capital City the next day.


    Comete afternoon, she received a message from Phillip.


    "I''m on a business trip, wait for me at home."


    It seemed she wouldn''t get to see him before leaving after all.


    Tina replied, "Work hard, big bro. Love you, muah muah"


    As she was about to book her flight, Phillip responded: "Love you, muah muah"


    Staring at her phone, Tina confirmed the message several times, imagining Phillip typing those words with a straight face. Sheughed so hard on the couch that she couldn''t sit straight.


    Meanwhile, in a Capital City restaurant.


    The decor was elegant and ssic, with several famous paintings on the walls.


    Phillip, unfazed, tucked away his phone and looked across the table at hispany.


    Besides Hamilton, the Watson elders were also present.


    Despite the cancelled engagement, Phillip still treated them with utmost respect. Each visit to Capital City included a courtesy call to them, his manners impable.


    Such formal gatherings usually had a purpose, and Hamilton, with decades of experience, sensed Phillip had something important to discuss.


    Hamilton''s first thought was his troublesome daughter causing more problems.


    "We should be treating you, not the other way around," Hamilton started, maintaining a charitable demeanor "Tina was sick recently and must have been a bother while staying with you. She hasn''t caused any


    trouble, has she?" Content belongs


    "She''s been good," Phillip said. "She''s been working on a documentary for the TV station. It''ll be broadcast soon, and you''ll be able to see her work."


    "That sounds wonderful. I''ll definitely watch it," Tina''s grandmother said, pleased.


    Sipping his wine, her grandfathermented, "That child really knows how to keep busy."


    Hamilton added, "As long as she''s


    not in trouble. I was nning to call her back soon. She''s been away for a while; it''s time she came back to settle down and prepare for her


    ement to Alfred." Content


    Phillip paused for a few seconds before speaking calmly, "Mr. Watson, I came here to seek your and your parents'' blessing."


    Hamilton felt a sense of unease at Phillip''s words. "What do you need our blessing for?" he wondered, as Tina''s grandmother encouraged Phillip to speak his mind directly.