Jenna could understand the situation roughly up till then. She thought for a while before saying, “Sabrina, is that what you really want? Everything is possible in the name of love. Norton did hurt you before, and I’d support you if you really have no feelings for him anymore, but if you still have feelings, then I’d advise you to just look past that. He has turned over a new leaf, and I can tell that he’s serious about you and that he loves you. No one is flawless, and I believe if one was determined to turn over a new leaf, then they’d only be a better person. If your only concern is with your father, that shouldn’t be your concern at all. Trust me, Norton will become more mature in time, and your father will have second thoughts about him.”
Jenna said that after much consideration. Norton was a much better candidate than Hansen to be in the business sector with his calculating and shady tactics. Jenna believed that Norton was guaranteed to achieve success after a while, especially with the Richards Group backing him up.
The N&S Group was already growing steadily under Norton’s lead. If he was hardworking and earnest enough, then he would eventually stand out.
It was understandable that General Delia couldn’t notice how much Norton had changed, but not Sabrina. She saw that he had changed. She knew he had changed. If she gave him more time, then things between them could still work.
Sabrina looked a little lost.
“Sabrina, just wait for a little longer. Perhaps it will take him less than a year to be a successful businessman. By then, your father will definitely see him in a new light. However, the only condition for this to work is that you have to be there for Norton within this year. You have to support him and believe in him. You have to encourage him, and you can’t break his heart. Can you do that?” Jenna held her hand in hers as she persuaded with a firm tone.
Tears welled up in Sabrina’s eyes as she stared at Jenna.
Jenna smiled at her and said, “Don’t worry, General Delia is not an unreasonable person. He has already agreed for you to marry Norton from the beginning. So, he won’t be against it all the time. All it takes is for Norton to be dedicated to turning over a new leaf, making himself a successful person. By that time, there’s no longer any reason for General Delia to oppose your marriage. You and Norton have to stay in love and be strong together. I believe everything is possible as long as you two are in love.”
The Richards family was a noble family, to begin with. If General Delia approved of the Richards family in the first place, it just meant that he acknowledged the Richards family more than the Xanthe family. Assuming that he had no choice but to choose the latter, the Richards family might still have a shot at that. All they had to do was to put themselves back in an advantageous position. Jenna was confident that General Delia would definitely think twice before finalizing his decision, especially when Norton and Sabrina were in love with each other.
“Jenna, will this work?” Sabrina asked weakly.
“Of course.” Jenna put an arm around her shoulders and said sweetly, “Did you forget who I am? I’m now the head of the household of the Richards family, and Hansen is the head of the family. We will visit General Delia when the time is right and propose the idea to him. We will give you and Norton a grand wedding that will satisfy the Delia family. Trust me.”
Sabrina’s eyes lit up with a bright glint, but it dimmed again. The light in her eyes was shining with uncertainty, insecurity, and hesitation.
“Jenna, Yadriel is still too powerful, especially now when he’s still posing a threat to the Richards Group with the accusations. I don’t know about this. Also, the Newton family visited today with the wedding in mind. Things are more serious than we think. I don’t want the Richards family to be making enemies because of me. I will feel terrible if that happens.” Sabrina shook her head in concern after she was reminded of their current situation. She was not foolish to oversee that.
Jenna’s heart skipped a beat.
“Sabrina, you’re so kind. Norton and the Richards family will be lucky to have you. I’m willing to defend Richards Manor’s honor alongside you. Let’s work harder and not give up easily, shall we? I believe we can still turn the tables around. With Hansen being in Capital City now, it seems like we are already making progress. Things will be better,” Jenna said emotionally with a determined expression, as she held onto Sabrina’s hand.
Sabrina squeezed her hand and smiled. She might be affected by Jenna’s emotions, but understanding their current situation, she said nothing more.
“Sabrina, I want you to be my family more than anyone else does. So, I’ll try my best to help you,” Jenna said firmly while holding Sabrina’s hand, which was getting slightly colder.
“Jenna, that’s what I want too, but things won’t happen the way we want them to. In fact, Carmella seems like a great woman, and the Newton family is a prestigious family too. She’s smart, she has a career, and she has feelings for Norton. She’s willing to marry him. It will be great if Norton marries her,” Sabrina said with her head lowered. She was having mixed feelings about that.
“Sabrina, don’t be silly. Do you think Norton will be happy if that happens? He loves you. So, how can he marry Carmella? He will never do that, and I know him that well to say it,” Jenna said with a sigh.
Sabrina lowered her head and twisted the sheets in her hand. She didn’t speak for a long time.
Jenna could see her previous self in Sabrina. She wrapped her arms around Sabrina as she muttered, “Sabrina, trust me. I will do everything I can to help you two.”
Sabrina looked a little lost as she fell silent.
“Mom, were you looking for me?” Norton asked as he slowly walked into another room. He looked a little exhausted. Maria was sitting on the couch with a fashion magazine in hand.
“Norton, you’re here.” Maria looked up and said in a loving tone upon hearing her son’s voice.
“Mom, what’s wrong?” Norton asked with a faint smile.
“My child, I just want to talk about the next big thing in your life with you,” Maria said as she pulled Norton’s arm and let him sit down beside her.
Norton felt a slight headache as he heard that. He knew what Maria was about to tell him. So, he replied in an annoyed tone, “Mum, this is about me. So, you don’t have to worry much. You should just focus on enjoying your life. I still have things to attend to. I’ll get going,” Norton stammered as he stood up to leave.
“Come back.” Maria frowned and shouted at him. She was not pleased with his superficial attitude.
Norton had no choice but to turn around to face her.
“Norton, you should be more concerned about this. You’re not young anymore, don’t you know?” Maria was no longer smiling as she said with a stern tone, “Let me tell you this. Carmella has extended her stay in the manor for the next few days. You’d better start building a romance with her during her stay. We can’t miss out on such a good opportunity. You can’t take this lightly.”
It sounded almost like an order to Norton.
The headache Norton had grew worse. He started raising his voice. “Mom, are you serious? How can you allow that without even asking for my opinion first? How can you rush things like this?”
“Me? Rushing things? If I don’t do this for you, then just how long are you planning to stay single? You’re already in your thirties, yet you’re still looking all gloomy around a girl, as if every woman out there annoys you. If you continue to be like this, then can I even live to see my grandchild?” Maria berated with a pained expression.
Norton was greatly irritated. For the past year, Maria had been nagging about that every time they met. He was annoyed to the extent that he no longer wanted to see her.
“Mom, marriage is a huge life event. I can’t find myself a random woman off the streets just because I’m at the right age to get married, can I? If I do that, then I will not only be irresponsible to the woman, but also to my life. Don’t you understand?” Norton hurriedly protested.
“Stop telling me all that nonsense. I’ve been through this. You can always fall in love after getting married. What matters is whether she suits you or not. As long as you find yourself a decent woman, then it’s fine for me, but you keep making excuses, and it’s as if you don’t want to settle down. I’ve had enough of this. I won’t allow you to be stubborn anymore,” Maria said with a determined tone, putting on a straight face.
Norton was anxious and annoyed upon hearing that.
“Mom, Carmella doesn’t suit me at all. I will not do this with her. You’d better get rid of this thought and be clear with her. Stop giving her false hope. We can’t afford to offend the Newton family. Listen to me. Don’t bring this upon yourself and the Richards family. After all, my marriage should be my concern, not yours. I will have to agree to it no matter what. Don’t blame me for anything if you insist on making this decision for me.” Norton rejected in a firm tone.
Maria’s expression darkened, and she immediately stood up.
“Norton, don’t think that I don’t know what’s on your mind. I know it well. You’re in love with Sabrina, aren’t you? General Delia had already broken off your engagement with Sabrina. So, how will he allow you to marry her again? On top of that, he has been looking down on you ever since your incident. Even if Sabrina agrees to be with you, even if you two really get married, have you ever wondered how the Delia family will take this? They will only give you a hard time. You won’t be respected over there. So, how will you be happy in your marriage?” Maria lectured. She saw him carefully holding Sabrina in his arms earlier that day. She learnt about his feelings right at that moment. It wasn’t that he had no interest in women, but he was already in love with Sabrina. This made Maria anxious, and she immediately called him over to teach him a lesson.
“Norton, I know that you love her, but it doesn’t seem to me that she’d reciprocate your feelings. As your Mom, I hope that you can stop this one-sided love, and spend some time with Carmella. For their family to visit us today, it shows how much they like and appreciate you. I can tell that you will be highly respected in their family. Moreover, Carmella is amazing too. She’s smart, intelligent, sophisticated, and she can be a great partner in your career. If you marry her, then she will help boost your career, and you will be outstanding. I’m even confident that you’ll be doing much better than Hansen. I will be able to hold my head up high by then as well. Take a look at the crisis the Richards Group has now. We don’t even know if we can go through this. So, please stop living in your fantasies and be more realistic. Sabrina is great, but she’s just a girl. She’s immature and not ambitious at all. She follows Jenna everywhere she goes. She may be a good girlfriend, but definitely not a great wife. She won’t be able to aid you in any aspect. People of my age can easily tell who’s the better wife between Carmella and Sabrina. Trust me. I only have your best interests in mind. You can’t miss out on this opportunity, or you will regret this for your whole life,” Maria said sternly.
She then grabbed the fashion magazine and waved it in front of him as she said, “Norton, look at this. These famous brands, they’re all designed by Carmella herself. She’s such a smart woman with an amazing career. How can you miss out on her? Norton, think about it. I will never harm you.”
Norton stood there solemnly. He was reminded of Sabrina’s cold expression and her telling him, “Norton, things will never work out between us. Please just give up.”
His headache worsened, and his chest felt stuffy. He stood there for a while. His head was rumbling loudly. He didn’t know if he had heard everything Maria had said. He didn’t even know how he left Maria’s room.
He only remembered walking out blankly in a daze.