Chapter 296 Marriage Conspiracy
Sophia followed Ruby's plan to the letter, trying to push Lauren out of the picture, but she still couldn't win Quentin's heart. And for now, becoming Mrs. Robinson was out of reach.
Back home, Sophia vented her frustrations to Ruby, who seemed surprisingly unfazed.
"Sophia, you're still young. You'll be Mrs. Robinson eventually. No need to stress about it now," Ruby said with a cheerful smile.
But Sophia wasn't having it. "Mom, I hate dragging things out. The longer this takes, the less likely it is to work. I want to marry Quentin ASAP to avoid any unexpected issues."
"I get it. If you really want to marry Quentin soon, then you need to listen to me. Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices," Ruby said, watching for Sophia's reaction. She knew her daughter was just as ambitious as she was and wouldn't want to wait around.
"Mom, do you have a plan?" Sophia asked eagerly.
Ruby grinned, "You and Quentin had something special. I bet he hasn't forgotten. To win him back, you need a chance to go through something tough together and wipe out the bad memories he has of you."
Sophia frowned. "I love him, so of course, I'd go through anything with him. But Quentin's doing great now; what kind of trouble could he have?"
Ruby, holding back a laugh, patted Sophia's hand. "Sweetie, can't you see? If there are no problems, we make one!"
Ruby leaned in and whispered, "I'll set up a little car accident, just enough to give Quentin some minor injuries. That way, you can be by his side, taking care of him. Men are soft-hearted; he'll be touched. Then, you can naturally become Mrs. Robinson!"
Ruby was so pleased with her plan that she didn't notice Sophia's face growing darker.
"Mom, I can't do this. Forget about fooling Quentin and getting him hurt just right. We can't control how bad his injuries might be. It's too risky; I'm not doing it!" Sophia shot back.
Ruby's smile vanished. "You just said you wouldn't give up. Now there's a way, and you're scared? Have you forgotten why you've stuck with Quentin for the past three years? Trust me, this plan will work. It won't seriously hurt Quentin."
Seeing Ruby's determined look, Sophia felt a bit shaken. She sighed deeply. "Let me think about it."
Ruby smiled, confident Sophia would come around. She was just like Ruby had been, though with a bit more kindness.
Meanwhile, Ethan, who had been giving Lauren the cold shoulder for days, finally couldn't hold out any longer and decided to apologize. He knew he'd been too harsh. No matter what Lauren chose, they could've talked it out instead of him being so mean.
When the doorbell rang, Lauren opened the door to find Ethan standing there with a bouquet of roses. She didn't show any emotion and just turned to let him in.
"Lauren, aren't you even a little surprised? Aren't you curious how I found this place?" Ethan tried to lighten the mood, throwing out some small talk to amuse her.
Lauren looked at him seriously. "My mom probably told you. What's there to be surprised about?"
Ethan kept up his cheerful act. "You're still as sharp as ever. By the way, Aunt Kimberly's beauty salon is opening next week. How about we invite our colleagues from work to support her. The more, the merrier, right?"
Lauren nodded slightly, waiting for him to get to the point.
Ethan kept skirting around it. "This house is really nice. Why don't we buy it? After we get married, we can let Aunt Kimberly live here. We can come back and stay whenever we want."
"Ethan, you should remember what I said that day," Lauren cut in coldly.
Ethan, playing dumb, looked at her blankly. "What did you say? I really forgot. Must not have been important. The most urgent thing now is setting our wedding date."
"Ethan, stop fooling yourself. We're not going to happen," Lauren said, her voice calm but firm.
Ethan's smile faded, replaced by a sad look. "Lauren, how can you be so cold? You say we can't be together, and that's it. You've never respected my feelings!"
"I'm sorry, Ethan. I did think about spending my life with you, but there are too many obstacles. I don't want you to be ostracized because of me, and I don't want you to end up resenting me," Lauren said, knowing she was hurting him deeply.
But she couldn't accept Ethan. She didn't want her future to be filled with arguments with Matthew. Watching Matthew grow up happy and healthy was her only priority. As for her own happiness, she wouldn't rely on anyone else.
Ethan, clearly in pain, continued, "I thought if I played dumb, you'd have some compassion for me. I guess I was wrong. Whether it was the three years in Pariz or the waiting before that, you never liked me, even though I loved you with all my heart."
Lauren was about to respond, but Ethan cut her off. "Lauren, you don't need to say anything. My love for you was my choice. Let me deal with this on my own. I'm leaving; take care."
Ethan turned and left, disappointment written all over his face. Lauren opened her mouth but couldn't find the words.
How could she minimize the hurt to Ethan? She hated her own ruthlessness. The reason she was so firm this time was that she had always been moved by Ethan, not in love with him; she knew it deep down.
Even though Lauren had made everything clear to Ethan, he stubbornly ignored their breakup. At work, they continued to discuss project strategies as usual. After work, Lauren returned to her rented apartment, and Ethan almost daily brought things over to see her and Matthew.
These days seemed to return to their previous peaceful life, but Lauren knew they could never be together again.
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