This…
Things hadn’t progressed to that point yet, but Felicity’s mother was already planning ahead!
“Mom!” Felicity’s face flushed red. She raised her hand and nudged her mother, glancing nervously at Kayden before hurriedly apologizing, “I’m so sorry, Kayden. My mom is just talking nonsense.”
“Mom, Kayden and I aren’t in that kind of relationship. We’re just… friends! Please don’t make things up.”
The word “friends” came out softly, and as soon as she said it, Felicity’s face turned as red as a ripe apple.
“Ah!” Felicity’s mother was momentarily stunned. Then she smiled warmly and spoke to her daughter with heartfelt sincerity. “Felicity, my child, why hide these things from your mother? Honestly, I could tell from the hospital that your relationship with Kayden isn’t ordinary. It’s rare for someone like him to not mind your situation, and yet you’re reacting like this.”
Her words only made Felicity’s face grow redder, and she became increasingly flustered.
“Kayden,” her mother continued, “please don’t mind my bluntness. Before today, I was always worried sick that my daughter might never get married. But now, after meeting you, I can finally stop worrying. You’ve been a savior to her-no, more than that, a savior of our family. If she served you as a maid for the rest of her life, it would be entirely justified! She can do everything-cooking, cleaning, all the housework. Just say the word, and she’ll do it. Heck, even I, an old woman, would be willing to do whatever you ask.”
Kayden coughed lightly, unsure of how to respond. He was at a loss for words.
But Felicity’s mother wasn’t done yet. She continued, her tone filled with earnestness. “This child has had such a hard life! Ah! It’s our fault as parents for being so useless, unable to give her a bright future. Without you, my daughter might’ve spent her entire life in loneliness.”
She sighed deeply before cutting straight to the point. “I’m old now, and the one thing I can’t stop worrying about is Felicity. Kayden, will you marry my daughter?”
The bluntness of her words almost made Felicity choke.
This was only her second time meeting Kayden! While she didn’t understand why Kayden had been so kind to her, she knew that he was surrounded by plenty of other women. Just the woman who had visited him last time was an absolute stunner.
A man like Kayden-so outstanding-was way out of her league, even if she had become prettier.
For as long as she could remember, Felicity had always felt that her feelings for Kayden were one-sided. Her mother’s words were simply too much.
Embarrassed, she hurriedly pulled her mother aside and said, “Mom, stop talking nonsense! Come with me, come with me.”
She dragged her mother into one of the rooms in the noodle shop.
Once they were inside, she quickly said, “Mom, how can you say things like that? You’ll embarrass him! This is only the second time I’ve met him. Please stop saying such things, okay?”
She was genuinely afraid her mother might scare Kayden away. She didn’t want him to leave-not now.
“Silly child,” her mother said, shaking her head with a knowing smile. “Do you really think I can’t tell that you like Kayden? Ever since you came back from Vernon, you’ve been staring at the clothes he bought you, lost in thought. Do you think I don’t know what’s on your mind?”
Felicity’s face turned even redder. She lowered her head and admitted softly, “I do like him, but he doesn’t like me. Besides, if he rejects me, it’d be so embarrassing.”
Her mother chuckled and pointed at her. “You! You’ve been so insecure since you were little. Look at you now-you’ve changed so much! There’s no need to be afraid anymore. He saved me in the hospital, and he traveled all the way here to find you. Do you really think he did all that just out of kindness?”
These words struck a chord in Felicity’s heart. She had always assumed Kayden’s kindness was just him being polite. But the fact that he had come all this way and even helped remove the birthmark on her face-what did that mean?
Could it be that he liked her from the very first time they met?
No, no, no! Back then, she had been so unattractive that even sixty-year-old men wouldn’t have looked at her. How could someone like Kayden have been interested in her?
Besides, with all the women around him-like the elegant woman who had visited him-why would he ever choose her?
No, it had to be out of pity. He felt sorry for her, so he came all the way here to help. That had to be it.
Convinced of this, she said to her mother, “Mom, just leave it alone. Don’t say anything else. If you scare him away, I’ll never forgive you. I don’t want him to leave just yet.”
Her mother nodded reluctantly. “Fine, fine, I understand. But you need to seize the opportunity, you hear me? A man like him is very sought after. If you’re not careful, someone else will snatch him away.”
“I know!”
Felicity returned to the table, her face full of guilt. She said softly to Kayden, “I’m so sorry, Kayden. My mom didn’t mean what she said.”
Kayden’s eyes were fixed on Felicity’s face. She shook her head and tried to reassure him, “It’s nothing.”
After answering, Kayden found himself studying her face, her features glowing with vitality. A wave of hesitation washed over him.
The reason he had come here was simple: he needed Felicity.
Her unique constitution could heal his body and awaken the Ninefold Dragon-Chi within him, allowing him to fully control its power.
But now, as he faced this pure and innocent girl, he felt conflicted.
What would happen after they became entangled?
Marry her? That thought lingered in his mind. Although he was divorced from Georgia, he couldn’t imagine marrying someone so easily-even if she possessed the Innate Spiritual Core.
Make her his mistress? Impossible. That would be the greatest insult to this girl.
If he were to be honest with her, she would likely give herself to him willingly. But to take her and then leave her behind? That wasn’t something he could bring himself to do.
Kayden was torn.
While he was lost in thought, Felicity’s mother emerged from the room, holding a bank card in her hand.
She handed it to Kayden and said, “Kayden, this is the money you helped Felicity recover last time. We were going to use it for surgery, but since you healed me, the surgery isn’t needed anymore.”
“We spent over twenty thousand dollars setting up this shop. The rest of the money is yours. Consider it payment for my medical expenses.”
As she spoke, she pushed the card toward Kayden.