Chapter 507 Like Sitting on Pins and Needles
The man who strolled in looked like he was in his early thirties, average build, with a square face and rocking some gold-rimmed glasses. He had this mix of classy and cool going on, especially with those expressive eyes behind the specs.
He walked in, flashed an apologetic smile at Todd and Carol, who were chilling at the head of the table, and said, "Dad, Mom, my bad. My mentor called, and it took way longer than I thought."
"No biggie, we're all family here. Chill out," Todd waved it off.
Carol, usually all picky with Susan, suddenly got all warm and fuzzy, "Andrew, come on, grab a seat and join us!"
"Seb, congrats, man," Andrew said, nodding at Seb after he sat down.
"Thanks," Seb replied, all friendly-like.
Meanwhile, Susan, sitting next to Seb, felt like she was sitting on a bed of nails.
At first, she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. She kept staring at Andrew, double-checking that he was the same guy she dated five years ago.
Back then, he fell for some rich chick who supposedly fell head over heels for him at first sight. She chased him hard, and he caved pretty quick.
Rumor had it, that Andrew had a quickie marriage with the rich girl, and they both jetted off to study abroad at Averlake, all on her dime.
Susan was crushed back then because Andrew was her first love, and their relationship had been all sweet and innocent. She ended up getting wasted and, in her drunken state, hooked up with some random guy at a bar. That guy turned out to be Seb, and the rest was history.
Susan never thought the rich girl from back then would turn out to be Rylee, who was now her sister-in-law.
Even though Andrew had been a big deal in her life, Susan had long moved on. But she never expected fate to throw him back into her life as her brother-in-law.
How was she supposed to deal with this mess in the future? This was gonna be a real test for her.
Next thing, Andrew's eyes landed on Susan.
He looked shocked for a sec but quickly played it cool and smiled. "And this is?"
"This is Susan, my brother's bride!" Rylee jumped in before Seb could say anything.
Susan looked up and locked eyes with Andrew's complicated gaze.
She did hate Andrew back then because he had hurt her so bad. She wasn't suicidal, but she was heartbroken enough to give her first time to Seb without a second thought.
But time had passed, and after meeting Seb and having Hayden and Spring, she had long forgotten about that old relationship and the guy involved. She felt nothing for him now.
She just never thought she'd run into him again like this and in such a role.
Still, Susan doubted Andrew's character. He had cheated on her with Rylee. She didn't know if he genuinely liked Rylee or was just after her family's money and status. Either way, he wasn't a good guy.
Seeing how innocent and smitten Rylee was with him, Susan couldn't help but worry for her.
But Rylee had her parents' love and her brother's protection, and the Anderson family was a big deal. Andrew probably wouldn't mess with her. Maybe Susan was just overthinking it.
Andrew had already figured out who Susan was, but he still looked a bit thrown off.
Rylee playfully nudged Andrew. "What, you think Susan's prettier than me?"
Andrew quickly turned to Rylee and said, "In my eyes, you're the prettiest. In Seb's eyes, it's his wife. Beauty's all about perspective!"
"Then why were you staring at Susan?" Rylee pouted.
It was clear Rylee was pretty spoiled, saying whatever popped into her head without thinking about others' feelings.
"You said your brother's head over heels for his wife. I just wanted to see what kind of woman could make a guy like Seb so smitten," Andrew explained with a grin.
Hearing this, Susan couldn't help but admire Andrew's smooth-talking skills.
She remembered how he used to sweet-talk her. Now, he was even better at handling Rylee.
Rylee seemed satisfied with his answer and stopped talking, while Seb couldn't help but smile at Andrew's words.
Andrew then smiled at Susan and said, "Susan, it's our first meeting. Hope I didn't make a bad first impression."
Susan knew he wanted in with the Anderson family, so he couldn't acknowledge their past. Admitting to a past fling with his brother-in-law's wife would be a scandal, and Rylee clearly cared a lot about Andrew.
Susan knew she couldn't spill the beans either. Letting the Anderson family know about her history with Andrew would do her no good and just make things messier.
Susan smiled and said, "Seb's mentioned his brilliant brother-in-law a lot. Meeting you today, I see he wasn't exaggerating. Rylee's got good taste!"
"You're too kind, Susan," Andrew replied with a smile, not a hint of awkwardness.
Susan had to give it to him for thinking on his feet.
Just then, the waiter brought the last dish to the table.
Carol glanced at Susan and said, "Let's not be so formal. Let's eat."
Susan knew Carol was tired of her being the center of attention, so she kept her head down and stayed quiet.
Todd was the first to raise his cup and said, "Today, I'll use water instead of wine. Let's toast to our family reunion!"
Everyone raised their cups.
Andrew, being super observant, kept toasting Todd, Carol, and Seb, showing a lot of humility. He also occasionally showed affection towards Rylee, making Carol very proud of him, and Todd and Seb were also pleased with him.
Only Susan sat there, feeling like an outsider. Knowing Carol would likely give her the cold shoulder, she wisely refrained from toasting anyone and just focused on eating.
During the meal, someone suddenly held her hand.
Susan looked up and met Seb's deep gaze, filled with complex emotions—comfort, understanding, encouragement, and reassurance.
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