Chapter 96
James stormed over to Felix, teeth clenched in frustration.
Felix, the older brother, gave James a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Look, David finally found someone he likes, and you went and criticized her right in front of him. If you weren't his brother, he would've decked you. It's time to grow up, man."
James sulked, not saying a word. He mulled it over but still didn't get it. Turning to Felix, he asked, "Felix, would you go for a girl like Alice?"
Felix glanced at the door, a smile playing on his lips. "Of course I would. Why not? She's lively and cute. Way better than boring work, if you ask me."
James looked up, shocked. Among the three brothers, his taste seemed the most unique. He couldn't stand girls who stirred up trouble, especially Alice, who had once gotten him chewed out by David!
Meanwhile, Alice finally heard footsteps coming closer. She rushed out, excited, but her smile froze when she saw Marcus instead of Lucas.
"Alice," Marcus said, oblivious to her discomfort, and gave her a hug. "Behave yourself and don't give David any trouble."
He glanced at the door and lowered his voice. "Next month is your twentieth birthday, and you can register for marriage. Make sure to tell David and get the wedding sorted!"
Marcus was being cautious. A verbal engagement was shaky, but a marriage registration was legally binding.
Alice got what Marcus was hinting at but kept her cool, though she was sneering inside.
"Alright, let's head in. Juniper and Celeste will be a bit late," Marcus said, trying to lead her inside. But Alice replied, "Lucas is on his way. I want to wait for him."
Marcus was a bit taken aback, not expecting Lucas to show up, but he didn't dwell on it. The Tudor Family was close to Lucas, so it made sense to inform him of such an important event.
"Okay, I'll go in first," Marcus said.
Alice leaned against the wall, kicking the ground, looking upset.
David came over and saw her like that. He rubbed her cheek and pulled her into his arms, gently patting her back. "What did Marcus say?"
Alice lazily leaned against him and pouted. "He said once my birthday is over, we should register for marriage to settle it."
It felt awful, like love was just a transaction, and the blessings she got were insincere, full of calculations. Who could be happy about that?
David had a hunch but Marcus's bluntness was still a bit much. He patted her and asked, "So, do you want to register for marriage with me?"
Alice looked up, her chin resting on his chest, and blinked. "Do we have to wait until I'm twenty?"
David was silent.
Alice asked, "If not twenty, would you run away in a few years?"
David sighed, "What kind of logic is that? I just think you can wait, but I can't. I'm 26 this year. By the time you graduate from college, I'll be 30."
He never thought age was an issue before, but after being with Alice, he suddenly felt the gap. A full seven years. When he was seven, she might have just been born.
Alice hugged David and patted his back, trying to comfort him. "Alright, then we'll register for marriage when I'm twenty."
Her boyfriend couldn't wait, and she was afraid of losing him. Although it was a bit early, it was just registering for marriage, so it should be fine.
The two embraced in the hallway as Juniper and Celeste walked out of the elevator. Juniper was reminding Celeste to be mindful of her words to avoid unintentionally offending anyone.
As they turned the corner, they saw David and Alice hugging, and both were stunned.
David heard the footsteps, looked up, and saw Juniper and Celeste. He whispered a few words in Alice's ear, and Alice let go, glancing back.
Celeste clutched her handbag tightly, pressed her red lips together, and lowered her gaze to avoid the scene.
Juniper took a deep breath and walked over with a smile. "David, Alice, sorry we're late. Is everyone here?"
Alice responded indifferently, "Lucas is still on the way."
Juniper's expression stiffened. "Is Lucas coming too?"
Alice glanced at her and asked, "Is there a problem?"
"That's not what I meant." Juniper tried to maintain her smile. "I was just worried about Lucas's health. Traveling back and forth is tiring. But since he's coming, I won't say more. Celeste, let's go inside." Juniper nodded to David and Alice and led Celeste into the private room.
"Mom, did you see how smug Alice looked? She's just like her mother!" Celeste had long forgotten her elegant demeanor.
Seeing Alice and David's intimacy just now, she almost impulsively slapped Alice and called her shameless! It was infuriating!
If it hadn't been for the Bailey Family's protection, how could Alice have had such a privileged life, like a real princess? Not only was Alice ungrateful, but she also came to take what had belonged to Celeste, acting as if it had been hers for granted!
Celeste was so angry that she almost lost control, with a voice in her head constantly urging, 'Don't let her get away with it. Don't let her get away with it.'
Seeing Celeste's state, Juniper's eyes darkened, and she asked coldly, "What do you want to do?"
Celeste snapped back to reality, met Juniper's gaze, and guiltily looked away. "I just..."
Juniper sneered and glanced inside the private room, pulling Celeste aside and warning in a low voice, "I'm telling you, the entire Tudor Family is here today. If you want to cut off your own path, go ahead and make a scene! Will you only be satisfied when the Tudor Family hates you?"
Celeste bit her lip and reluctantly lowered her head.
Juniper continued to persuade, "Stay calm and bear with it. Once I find something on Alice, won't she be at our mercy then?"
"Really?" Celeste's eyes lit up with hope as she looked at Juniper, "Mom, can you do that?"
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