“You too,” Warren replied, his tone still reserved.
Joey Bryant was accustomed to his aloofness and didn’t let it bother her. She smiled and said, “I have to thank your mom for this opportunity to have lunch with you.”
Warren apologized, saying, “I’m sorry she’s bothering you.”
Joey Bryant chuckled. “In the past, the old lady wasn’t too pleased with me. But this time, she personally extended the invitation. I think she’s not happy with the person you’re dating.”
“It doesn’t matter whether she likes her or not. What matters is that I like her,” Warren quickly clarified.
Joey smiled awkwardly. “You like her that much? No second thoughts?”
Warren explained, “There’s nothing to regret. I understand that my mom might not accept her right now. But in time, she’ll come around.”
“To accept that your girlfriend is so much younger than you?” Joey Bryant asked with a smile.
Warren replied, “To accept that Penelope Seinfeld is her daughter-in-law.”
“You want to marry her?” Joey Bryant was a bit surprised. She had thought it might be a fleeting infatuation, and she had come to tease him.
“Of course,” Warren replied firmly, not looking at Joey.
“Woo…” a sudden cry from a child interrupted their conversation.
Joey Bryant seemed annoyed by the crying but didn’t pay much attention. Warren, on the other hand, abruptly stood up.
Penelope was holding Chris, trying to prevent him from grabbing a glass on the table. She didn’t want to cover his mouth and potentially hurt him, but if she didn’t, they’d soon be discovered.
Warren walked over and asked, “Why are you here?” He looked at them with a hint of surprise.
Realizing she had been found out, Penelope abandoned her pretense. She explained, “Chris wanted to grab the glass on the table, and he cried when I stopped him. He’s being a bit troublesome.”
Warren glanced at her, picked up Chris, and handed him the glass.
“If he breaks it, you’ll have to pay for it,” Penelope reminded him.
“Shut up,” he quickly silenced her.
Penelope bit her lip and stood up. Then she noticed the source of the female voice she had heard earlier.
Penelope found herself under the intense gaze of the woman sitting there, making her tremble as if the woman could tear her apart with her eyes alone.
“This is…” Penelope hesitated, glancing at the woman before looking back at Warren.
Warren firmly took Penelope’s hand and led her to their table. He introduced her, “This is Penelope Seinfeld, my fiancée.”
Penelope couldn’t help but ask, “Not your wife?” She looked up at him with curiosity.
Warren gave her a brief glance, then gestured for her to sit down. She complied, placing her hands on her knees.
Joey observed Penelope carefully. She was indeed a beautiful woman with a unique aura. What struck her most was that Penelope didn’t seem hostile, which surprised her.
Warren added, “And this is Joey Bryant, my college junior.”
Penelope greeted her with a smile, “Nice to meet you. I hope I’m not interrupting your conversation.”
Joey smiled back and asked, “Miss Seinfeld, do you trust Warren? Are you here to keep an eye on him?”
Penelope paused for a moment before responding, “Not really.”
Warren looked at Penelope with a knowing expression. “You wanted to check if I was dating someone else, didn’t you?”
Penelope hesitated for a moment before finally admitting, “Yeah, I was just checking on you.”
Joey couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re getting married, shouldn’t there be trust?”
Warren remained silent, waiting for Penelope’s response.
Penelope countered, “If you already know he’s getting married, why are you still having lunch with him?”
Joey smiled somewhat condescendingly. “Do you even know who he is? Can you follow him around like ordinary men?”
“I know who Warren is. Apart from being a little stingy, he’s better than me in many other ways.” Penelope patted him on the shoulder and then looked at Chris in his arms. “Oh, and he’s also baby Chris’s father.”
Warren couldn’t resist poking her face. “I’m not stingy.”
“Then you forgive me?” Penelope playfully teased.
“We’ll discuss it later at home,” Warren replied in a typical businessman-like manner.
Joey sat there in a daze. Was this man sitting across from her still the senior she had admired in her life?
With a child in one hand, he pinched the woman’s face with his other hand. His words might be harsh, but his smile was genuine.
A bit puzzled, Penelope looked around and asked, “Aren’t you having lunch? Why haven’t they served the food yet? I’m a bit hungry.”
Warren pressed the bell on the table, and the waiter began to serve the meal.
“Help yourselves. I need to leave because of an emergency,” Joey suddenly stood up, her knees feeling a bit weak.
“Let’s eat together, it’s lunchtime,” Penelope suggested enthusiastically.
But Joey turned and left without joining them. “Warren, see you next time,” she said with a smile before departing.
Penelope couldn’t help but comment, “I don’t hate your ex-girlfriends.”
Warren retorted, “I really hate your ex-boyfriends.”
Penelope clarified, “Just one.”
“I only saw one,” he replied.
Penelope remained silent. Her ex-boyfriend had been the same person from the age of sixteen to twenty-one.
“Why aren’t you talking anymore?” Warren asked, glancing at her.
“Oh, this dish is so salty, it’s making me thirsty,” she complained, reaching for her glass.
Warren patted her head. “Don’t act unruly in the future. Can you promise that?”
“Which aspects?” Penelope quickly put down her glass and leaned against him.
“Every aspect,” he replied.
“Wouldn’t that be too strict?” Penelope hesitated.
He snorted and gave her a wry smile.
“Fine, I promise,” Penelope conceded, unable to endure his persistent questioning.
Then, with a loud crash, the glass fell to the ground.
Penelope shivered and looked at it.
Chris, still in Warren’s arms, was startled by the sound of the falling glass, and then he burst into tears.
“Why are you crying?” Penelope gently stroked his tiny cheek and tried to soothe him.
“He’s probably just startled by the noise,” Warren replied with a smile.
“He’s such a timid little one,” Penelope sighed.
The waiter arrived to clean up the broken glass and offered a colorful lollipop to little Chris to cheer him up.
Chris stared at the lollipop, unsure of what to do, and eventually put the whole thing in his mouth.
“You little troublemaker, you’re licking the wrapper,” Penelope scolded playfully.
Warren couldn’t help but chuckle. “Let’s eat.”
“Okay,” Penelope pouted and picked up her fork.
Warren looked down at Chris, who was happily savoring the taste of the lollipop.