Looking at Tammy who opened the door for her, Florence knew that Tammy must have got permission from Stanford and then get the key.
Without a pause, Florence rushed out in a hurry.
She wanted to find Ernest to see him as soon as possible.
When she rushed to the living room in front, she was stopped by Stanford.
Her brother’s tall and strong figure blocked her way like a mountain. “Where are you going?”
“I was locked up for a whole afternoon. I want to have a walk,” Florence made an excuse at random as perfunctory to him. She was quite upset that Stanford had locked her up, so she didn’t show any friendliness to him.
Noticing that Florence disliked him, Stanford felt that his heart was tightened, a bit upset.
It seemed that he had offended his younger sister.
Immediately, his tone became more tender and he said like coaxing her, “Flory, I didn’t mean to lock you up. Please don’t be so mad at me.”
Florence pressed her lips and didn’t speak.
She wasn’t pissed. She just wasn’t happy or in the mood to talk to him.
Stanford was a bit helpless. He continued, “Dinner is ready. Let’s have dinner first. Dad and Mom are waiting for you.”
Florence wasn’t in the mood to have dinner at all. Besides, Stanford didn’t agree that she could go out. She couldn’t help being anxious.
Shaking her head, she said, “I’m not hungry yet. Please go ahead with your dinner. I want to have a walk outside.”
After finishing her words, Florence bypassed Stanford and wanted to go out.
Stanford, however, acted faster. He grabbed her wrist to stop her.
“Flory, you should have dinner even if you are not hungry. Health always comes first. By the way, we have a guest today. As the hostess, you should meet him as well.”
Florence frowned. She had been lying prone on the window the whole afternoon today. She had only seen Benjamin come in without leaving. Of course, she had known who the so-called guest was.
She didn’t like Benjamin much now, and she even hated him. If it weren’t that Benjamin came here after Ernest, Ernest and she wouldn’t have to face the obstruction and dilemma now.
Florence refused immediately, “I don’t want to meet him.”
Stanford felt helpless. “But… he’s at the dining table now…” Should they send Benjamin away and ask him to have dinner in the kitchen?
Stanford thought it worked.
The sister-addicted man was about to do so, but he heard Florence continue, “I don’t have any appetite in an outsider’s presence. I’ll skip dinner tonight.”
As she spoke, she shook off Stanford’s hand. She wondered if she could succeed by running out at a speed when running the 100m race.
Right then, three figures walked over from the direction of the dining room.
A man’s friendly and gentle voice was heard. “I’m sorry for visiting you so suddenly. Please excuse me, Flory. If you are not used to it, I will not have dinner with you on the same table.”
He was so gentlemanly that Florence felt she was way too willful and didn’t save the guest’s dignity.
But she had never expected that they would come over at this moment.
Florence stiffed. She forced a polite smile at the mouth corners. “Mr. Turner, please stop saying that. I didn’t mean anything. I just wanted to skip dinner and made an excuse to my brother at random.”
“It turns out to be this way. Flory, you didn’t feel bothered by my sudden visit, then. I’m glad.”
Florence was speechless. She was just being polite and considering his dignity. Look how he had flattered himself!
She disgusted so much about his sudden visit.
Florence ignored him completely. Then she walked to Victoria and took her arm dearly.
She said in a coquettish tone, “Mom, Stanford locked me up in my room for the whole afternoon. I’m so bored. I don’t have any appetite for dinner. I want to have a walk outside. OK?”
Since Stanford didn’t want her to go out, she wanted to beg her mother instead.
Victoria doted Florence the most. She enjoyed it when her daughter played at being cute. Immediately, she glared at Stanford and said, “You can lock up your brother in his room for a whole day and vent your anger the other day.”
Stanford’s mouth corners twitched. He stared at Florence with a complicated expression, wondering if he had truly offended his sister. She wanted to go out and she even complained about him to their mother.
Thinking that she did that for a man, he felt a bit disappointed.
“OK. I’ll lock him up for a whole day.”
Florence nodded while smiling. However, she hadn’t forgotten her purpose. “Mom, I’ll go out for a while. I’ll be back later.”
As she spoke, Florence wanted to trot out, but Victoria grabbed her hand.
Victoria looked at Florence with a complicated expression. She heaved a sigh, quite gently but determinedly.
“Don’t try to find Ernest Hawkins.”
Since her thought was exposed, Florence was startled. Then she went panicked.
In the past few weeks, Victoria doted her a lot. She never refused her request. However, Victoria asked her not to find Ernest so seriously.
She wondered if Victoria also had disagreed to let Ernest and her be together.
Florence shook her head. “Mom, I know what I’m doing. Please don’t stop me, OK?”
“Flory, this is the decision made by your father, Stanny, and me. You are not calmed down, so you couldn’t think rationally. We can’t afford to let you made the wrong decision and get hurt again. Ernest has used such despicable means to deceive you. I wouldn’t agree to let him marry you.”
Victoria sounded quite gentle but she was quite aggressive.
She was the hostess of the Fraser family, a superior woman who always gave orders. With her temperament, she clearly showed Florence that she wouldn’t change her mind.
Florence gaped at her, her face becoming pale.
How could they be all against Ernest and her? She wondered what she should do to change their minds and accept Ernest.
“Flory, I know what you are thinking. However, I must be responsible for your future. I can’t watch you jump into the fire. Please don’t blame me. You should stay home for the following days and not go out.”
Florence widened her eyes in shock. “Mom, will you also lock me up?”
Victoria pitied her daughter slightly. “Just for a few days. Please endure it.”
For a few days? Florence wondered what they were planning to do in the few days.
Florence felt her hair standing on end. “Mom, what are you going to do? You can’t hurt Ernest!”
“No worries. We won’t hurt him. Your parents are not so unreasonable. We’ll use some means to force him to leave here,” answered Victoria indifferently.
Florence was choked. If they had forced Ernest to leave, she wouldn’t be able to meet him again.
Then in the future, she even didn’t know where to find him.
Florence was so panicked. “Mom, could you guys stop doing it please? Ernest wasn’t the man that you’ve imagined.”
“Flory, Uncle and Aunt are doing it for your own good. They just didn’t want you to be deceived by someone with an evil intention.”
Benjamin walked up and looked at Florence tenderly. He tried to convince her, “I’m also one of the Turner family. I’m not hiding my purpose. This time I came here for my marriage with you, and so did my uncle. We’re competing with each other fairly.
“Flory, although I want to marry you because of family interests, I can promise you that I would never deceive you. I’ll treat you sincerely in the future.”
He promised that he wouldn’t deceive her, implicating how despicable Ernest was because he had deceived her.