Chapter 457
Tiffany blushed slightly at Lucinda''s teasing, but quickly turned to her and spoke of Liam with
affection, "Stefan is even better to you. My Liam, bless him, he''s a bit clueless, but he''s all attentive
and caring now because there''s a little one of his on the way."
Lucinda chuckled, "You''re being too harsh on poor Liam. In his heart, you''re the one that matters
most. He''s just a typical guy, not great at showing his feelings, that''s all."
"Hey, Tiffany, Lucinda."
Liam approached them, an umbre in hand, and after greeting Lucinda, he turned to his wife with a
tender look. They had recently gotten their marriage license and were set to have their wedding
ceremony the following Saturday.
"Tiffany, this rain''sing down too hard. I''m here to take you home."
After saying this, he stepped forward to help her up, but Tiffany stood on her own, not needing his
assistance.
"Lucinda, I''m going to take Tiffany back now."
"Alright, take care. And when you get a chance, take Tiffany out for a little walk. It''ll do her good,
boost her spirits and her appetite."
Lucinda remembered how Tiffany used to eat so well when she first got pregnant. Now, she wasn''t
eating as much due to morning sickness, which to Liam meant her appetite was poor.
"Lucinda, I''ll take care of it."
Liam had even taken time off from the office, delegating his work to focus on the wedding ns and
to be with Tiffany.
"Lucy, I''m off to get some breakfast."
Tiffany didn''t ask Liam to drop Lucinda off at the main house because she saw Stefan, making his
way towards them holding arge umbre.
Stefan hadn''t driven over, probably wanting to enjoy a romantic walk in the rain with Lucinda.
Tiffany thought her older brother was so much more romantic than Liam.
As Liam led Tiffany away, Lucinda watched them leave and soon saw her own man approaching
with the umbre.
Standing at the entrance of the gazebo, she smiled as Stefan drew closer.
Even in the pouring rain, he was the picture of calm, his suit impable.
The servants discreetly left the gazebo as Stefan entered.
"You didn''t have toe all this way. Someone already brought me an umbre," Lucinda said with
a smile.
"Well, if Liam can pick up Tiffany, I can''t be outdone," Stefan replied, holding the umbre over both
their heads. "I wanted to share this walk with you, under one umbre, with me holding it for you.
From now on, I''ll be the one to shield you from the storms."
His words were as sweet as honey, love dripping from every syble.
Lucindaughed, "I was thinking this rain was a bit much, but now I kind of hope itsts a little
longer. Makes for a nice romantic scene."
Stefan nced at the diminishing rain, "Sadly, it seems Mother Nature is jealous of our love. Just
like that time we hiked in the rain, this downpour is letting up."
True to his word, the rain was easing off.
"It''s a rainy season, sure, but these showerse and go in the blink of an eye."
"Let''s head back for breakfast, love. You''ve got work soon, and once the weekend hits, you''ll need
to y hostess, weing our guests. You are thedy of the Anderson household, after all."
With a tender kiss on her cheek, the two shared a moment before exiting the gazebo.
Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.
Under the bigger, less threatening sky, the couple walked home, unhurried, therge umbre
keeping them dry.
Whenever they encountered puddles, Stefan would simply lift Lucinda up, ensuring not a drop of
muddy water reached her.
His love was in the details.
The Martinez household.
Olina, still cozy in bed, listened to the raindrops against the window and turned to her husband,
"Honey, I''m worried about Owen and Cecilia''spatibility. Just look, your dad wants us to bring a
generous gift to the Yates family today, to formally ask for Cecilia''s hand, and it''s pouring rain at
dawn."
"We''re not leaving right this second, the rain might stop by the time we do."
Shane wasn''t concerned, "Even if it doesn''t, it won''t affect us. We''ll drive there, not walk. The gifts
will be safe in the car. The rain can''t touch us."
"Besides, showing up in this storm shows our sincerity. The Yates family might appreciate our effort
and agree to the marriage. It''ll be a good thing for Owen."
Shane didn''t entirely approve of Cecilia, but since his father did, and his son truly loved her aside
from Ruby, he figured let the boy marry who he wants. If Owen regretted itter, that would be his
problem.
After a moment of silence, Olina conceded, "Of course, I want Owen to be happy. If he loves Cecilia
that much, and Dad approves, what more can I say? Worst case, I''ll just keep my distance from my
daughter-inw."
"Honey, that''s the spirit. Our kids are grown, their life partners will be the ones by their side, not us.
As long as they''re happy, we should step back and let them be. We don''t want to ruin our
rtionship with them."
“You see, the Anderson elders, they mind their own business, right? Why don’t we take a leaf out of
their book?”
Olina hummed in agreement, then prodded her husband, “Well then, get a move on! Let’s prepare a
generous gift and pay a visit to the Yates. It’s high time we discussed Owen’s engagement. I’ve got
this hunch that the Yates are going to y hard to get. We might have to go the extra mile to seal
the deal.”
Despite her initial disdain for Cecilia’s background, and her suspicions that Cecilia was after the
Martinez fortune, Olina’s perspective shifted after Hudson returned an extravagant car and Cecilia
initiated the split with their son. It became clear to Olina that the Yates weren’t after their money or
trying to climb the socialdder.
She was simply caught up in Megan’s maniptions, fixating on giving Cecilia a hard time.
Shane chuckled, “Olina, after decades of marriage, this is the first time I’ve heard you speak with
such insight.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than Olina grabbed a pillow and lobbed it at him.