Chapter 1081
“Mom.” Taking a deep breath, Marcel glanced at Katie in exasperation before turning to Garrett with worry. It had taken him a long time to earn Anika’s acceptance for marriage, and he did not want to ruin his chances again.
When Elena arrived and saw Katie, she was immediately displeased. She felt that if Anika wanted to marry Marcel, then accepting Katie wouldn’t be difficult, but she had not expected Katie to speak so harshly. Elena became indignant at once and frowned. “What do you mean by that? Anika is also heartbroken about Marcel’s accident. If she hadn’t called Chayce…”
“Mom, stop it…” Anika quickly intervened, anxious that Elena might pick a fight with Katie.
“Stop it,” Garrett echoed firmly.
Pursing his lips, Bowen glanced at Katie and said in a low voice, “You too, stop it. Since Anika and Marcel want to get married, we should respect their decision as their parents. Besides, Anika is a good girl. You used to be so harsh on her until recently. We’re going to be a family in the future. You need to treat her well.”
“Gee.” Katie sighed helplessly after hearing her husband’s words, but when she saw Marcel’s expression, she had no choice but to relent. “Alright, I promise. If Anika marries Marcel, I will treat her like my daughter and won’t give her a hard time. If I’m not good to her, you can take her home anytime.”
Only after hearing that did Garrett and Elena feel relieved, and the conflict was settled.
Anika let out a quiet breath. At least they hadn’t ended up fighting.
There were still a few days left before the design competition. Annabel and Rupert were in France, and most of the time they went out searching for inspiration. Annabel wanted to make more design sketches. After all, she needed to prepare several designs beyond the one for the competition.
“Annabel, I’ll take you to meet someone tomorrow.”
“Who is it?”
Rupert and Annabel were lying on the bed. They had just come back, and Annabel had finished restocking the fridge. Hearing her question, Rupert turned toward her with a smile.
𝕄ØЯE 𝕌PĐΛTΞŞ IИ GΛŁИØVΞŁŞ.ᑕØᗰ
“Well, he’s a friend of mine from here, and he’s the prince. He’s a nice guy and very well-spoken. I’ll take you to meet him tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
The next afternoon, Rupert drove to a villa in the most luxurious residential area of Paris. He walked over to the security guard and spoke in fluent French. The guard nodded with a smile and let them in.
As the door opened, Annabel followed Rupert inside. The decor was nothing like she had imagined. Everything was simple and monochromatic, yet the space felt carefully curated, with unique artifacts adding character and quiet charm.
“Oh, Rupert, what a pleasure to see you again!” A casually dressed, middle-aged man came down from the second floor. He looked to be around fifty, but he was clearly fit and well-kept.
When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he opened his arms wide and pulled Rupert into a warm hug. Then he turned to Annabel with a curious glance and teased, “And who is this beautiful lady, Rupert? The last time you came to see me, you didn’t bring such a lovely woman with you.”