Mrs. Reeves had the servants tidying up the house early in the morning and instructed the chef to prepare a meal. After a busy morning, she finally had a moment to sit on the sofa and sip some hot tea.
Knowing that Leland was coming over made Mrs. Reeves anxious. The Reeves family project had encountered some issues recently, requiring a significant amount of money to resolve. It was Leland who suddenly contacted her, asking her to lure Winifred to him on her birthday, promising to help solve the Reeves family’s predicament.
She felt guilty and uneasy about Winifred, but she did it anyway. She even comforted herself by thinking that just one night with Leland could save the Reeves family billions, making it a worthwhile trade.
Moreover, Winifred and Leland had known each other for a long time. Leland used to be Winifred’s servant, and they grew up together. She believed Leland wouldn’t harm Winifred.
With this wishful thinking, Mrs. Reeves went through with it. Only she and her husband knew about it; their son was kept in the dark.
Winifred always called her Mrs. Reeves. Last year, Winifred came with them here. She was often hospitalized due to poor health, always accompanied by Garrison. Mrs. Reeves treated her well, often having the chef make soup and personally delivering it to the hospital.
Mrs. Reeves liked Winifred and had even considered having Garrison marry her before the Dawson family fell apart.
Now… with the Dawson family gone, Winifred was just a fallen lady despite having money but no power to help the Reeves family, as evidenced by this situation.
Yesterday, Garrison was excited about celebrating Winifred’s 19th birthday. The hotel was decorated, and he personally selected all of Winifred’s favorite dishes.
Unexpectedly, his mother handed him a glass of milk in the morning, which put him to sleep until evening. By the time he thought about celebrating Winifred’s birthday again, it was too late.
He wasn’t stupid; waking up groggy, he quickly realized that his mother had drugged his milk.
Why would she drug him?
Garrison couldn’t understand why his mother would stop him from celebrating Winifred’s birthday when everything was ready.
Garrison couldn’t figure out what his mother was thinking. Reflecting on recent days, he noticed Mrs. Reeves had been acting unusually emotional. He had been so focused on Winifred that he neglected his mother. Now that he thought about it, he realized how serious things were.
Winifred might be in trouble.
No matter how Garrison questioned her about Winifred’s whereabouts, Mrs. Reeves wouldn’t say anything except repeat one sentence:
“You and Winifred are not meant to be together; forget about her.”
Garrison didn’t believe his mother’s words. What did “not meant to be” mean? If fate brought him and Winifred together, they were meant to be together. He could feel that Winifred liked him too; mutual affection should lead to being together.
He had spent so much time getting close to Winifred and opening up to her. Just when they were about to take the most crucial step, why did his mother push Winifred away?
Mrs. Reeves couldn’t stop Garrison from looking for Winifred. He searched all night without finding any trace of her in all the places she might go.
He reported it to the police, but Midlands’ police response was slow and inefficient. By eleven o’clock in the morning, Garrison returned home with bloodshot eyes from lack of sleep.
Seeing Garrison like this pained Mrs. Reeves deeply. If she had seen Garrison care so much for Winifred a week ago, she might have agreed to them being together out of compassion.
But now… no way. Her intuition told her that if Garrison got too close to Winifred, trouble would follow because Leland wanted Winifred.
Leland was no longer just a servant of the Dawson family; he now wielded significant power and wealth in Numbat. The Reeves family couldn’t afford to offend someone like him and needed his help to overcome their current crisis.
She hoped Garrison could prioritize the bigger picture and understand her intentions, hoping he would become more sensible regarding Winifred.
But Garrison knelt before her and begged.
Facing her son whom she had loved for twenty years without ever scolding or hitting him, seeing him kneel for a woman pained Mrs. Reeves deeply but she couldn’t ignore him either.
Knowing that Leland would bring Winifred here today, Mrs. Reeves initially wanted to send Garrison away to spare him from heartbreak but seeing his attachment made her harden her heart instead. It would be better for him to see Winifred with Leland and give up on her completely.
“I’ve contacted Winifred; she’ll be here soon. Stay at home with your father and me while we wait for her.”
Hearing that she had contacted Winifred, Garrison immediately tried calling her but found her phone still turned off.
“You won’t reach her now; all you can do is wait quietly at home for her arrival today.”
With no other choice, Garrison reluctantly trusted his mother and waited with his parents in the living room after a simple lunch.
Suddenly, they heard a car engine outside. Assuming it was Winifred arriving, Garrison stood up only to find Mrs. Reeves moving even faster than him.
“Garrison, remember: stay calm no matter what you see later.”
Garrison looked anxious: “Is something wrong with Winifred?”
Seeing Garrison lose his composure even before seeing anyone worried Mrs. Reeves greatly but fortunately Mr. Reeves was there beside them both.
Mr. Reeves placed a reassuring hand on Garrison’s shoulder: “Listen carefully; you’re old enough now not just focus on romance alone-we’re facing some difficulties as a family right now-I don’t expect you solve them but staying calm would help immensely.”
Garrison paused before nodding-compared other young men his age-he was mature enough-barely twenty years old-their expectations weren’t high-but encountering someone like Leland-also twenty-the difference became starkly apparent-
Mr. Reeves didn’t oppose Garrison pursuing Winifred-but against someone like Leland-even he couldn’t compete-better let go unrealistic hopes-
Seeing Garrison calm down-the couple led him outside-to meet their visitors-at door-they saw luxury car parked outside-the driver stepped out-opened rear door…