As soon as we stepped back into the drawing room, the conversations gradually came to a halt. Not because the atmosphere had turned awkward. Rather, both families seemed to shift their attention toward us at the same time. My mother smiled first. "You're back." I nodded as I returned to my seat. "Yes, Mom." Claire glanced at her son before looking at me "So? The garden wasn't too boring, was it?" I shook my head "Not at all. It's beautiful." Leaning back against the sofa with a satisfied smile, Claire said "I told you, Adrian. People would much rather spend time in the garden than in your study." Adrian chuckled "My study isn't exactly a place for enjoying the afternoon." "That's because it's filled with nothing but books and paperwork." "They're necessities." "That's your excuse." The two of them slipped into another lighthearted argument. My father simply laughed and shook his head "I'm starting to feel a little jealous." Everyone turned to him at once. "Jealous?" Adrian asked. "Yes." answer my father. "Of what?" "Of the two of you." Claire smiled. "What about us?" "You've known each other for so long. It shows." Adrian nodded "We attended the same university." I turned to Lucien. "So your parents met in college?" He nodded "My mother tells that story quite often." Claire immediately laughed "Don't believe everything your mother says." "Why not?" my mother asked curiously. Claire covered her face with one hand "Because most of those stories are embarrassing." Adrian answered before she could continue. "She was the one who chased after me first." Claire immediately swatted his arm "Adrian!" "I'm only telling the truth." "That's not how you're supposed to tell the story." My father laughed out loud "Well, this is the first time I've ever seen Claire Ashford embarrassed." Claire let out a dramatic sigh before laughing as well "Fine. I was the one who talked to him first." "And then?" I asked without thinking. Everyone turned to look at me. My cheeks immediately warmed "I'm sorry... I got curious." Claire smiled warmly "That's perfectly all right." She glanced at her husband. "Lucien's father used to be incredibly quiet." Without realizing it, I looked at Lucien. Adrian noticed and laughed "Looks like that trait was inherited." "Father." "Hm?" "Please don't talk about me as though I'm not sitting here." The room erupted in laughter again. Claire nodded in agreement. "He's right. Adrian used to be exactly like that. You could ask him ten questions and he'd answer only two." My father smiled at Lucien. "Then you've improved quite a bit." "I hope so." Lucien's answer was as calm as ever. But this time, I noticed something. He didn't speak much. Yet he always answered politely. He never made the other person feel ignored. Claire refilled my teacup. "Evelyn." "Yes, Aunt Claire?" "What was your first impression of Lucien?" I nearly choked on the tea I'd just taken a sip of. "Mother..." Lucien let out a quiet sigh. Claire's smile only widened "What? I'm just asking." I carefully set my teacup down. Everyone seemed to be waiting for my answer. Even my parents simply smiled, making no attempt to rescue me. I took a small breath "He's..." I glanced at Lucien. He was looking at me with the same calm expression as always "...different from what I expected." "In what way?" Adrian asked. "I thought he'd be very difficult to talk to, but it turns out he isn't." Claire turned proudly toward her son. "Did you hear that?" Lucien simply rubbed his temple. "I don't talk much." "But you still make an effort to keep the conversation going," I added softly. Lucien looked at me for a few seconds before giving a slight nod "Thank you." I smiled back. Now it was Adrian's turn to look at his son. "And what about you?" This time, everyone's attention shifted to Lucien. He was silent for a moment, as though genuinely considering his answer "Evelyn has a way of making people feel comfortable." I froze. I hadn't expected him to answer so honestly. "She's also a very good listener." I lowered my head, trying to hide the warmth spreading across my face. Claire looked at me with an amused smile. My mother, meanwhile, was clearly trying not to grin. My father cleared his throat "In that case..." He looked toward Adrian "I think I've become a little less worried." "So have I." Adrian nodded firmly. "The most important thing for us is that they can talk to each other comfortably." "I couldn't agree more." Before long, the conversation drifted back to family, work, and plans for the coming months. I didn't speak very much. For the most part, I simply listened. Every now and then, I stole a glance at Lucien. He was answering my father's questions about the future of Ashford Financial Group. He spoke the same way he always did. Calm. Organized. Never raising his voice. Yet everyone listened to every word without interrupting. For some reason I was beginning to understand why so many people said an Ashford was born to lead. The conversation about business gradually came to an end when a maid entered the drawing room carrying a tray of desserts. Lemon cake, strawberry tarts, and butter cookies were arranged neatly on white porcelain plates. Claire smiled as she gestured toward them. "Please, help yourselves. I made some of them." I looked at her in surprise. "You baked them yourself, Aunt Claire?" "Not all of them." She laughed softly, "The lemon cake is mine." I took a small slice. It was light, moist, and perfectly balanced with a refreshing hint of citrus "It's delicious." Claire looked genuinely pleased. "I'm glad you like it." She then turned toward Lucien "What do you think?" After taking a small bite, Lucien gave a slight nod "It tastes the same." Claire frowned "Is that supposed to be a compliment or criticism?" "A compliment." "Couldn't you make your compliments a little clearer?" Lucien thought for a few seconds. "The lemon flavor is well balanced." "That's better." The room filled with laughter once again. Quietly, I watched their interaction. It wasn't difficult to see how close the Ashford family truly was. Their warmth didn't come from saying affectionate words all the time. It came from how naturally they understood one another. Adrian took a sip of his tea before turning to my father. "Damien." "Yes?" "Before we move on to the formal discussion, there's something I'd like to say." My father set down his teacup. "Please." "I know meetings like this often feel like business negotiations for families like ours." His voice remained calm. "But that's not what Claire and I want." Claire nodded in agreement "Our children are the ones who will build this life together." "Not us," Adrian continued "If either of them has any reservations, this meeting ends here." I looked toward my father. He smiled immediately. "That's exactly why we came because I knew the Ashford family would never force them." Claire let out a relieved breath. "Thank you." My father then turned to me. "Evelyn." "Yes, Dad?" "What do you think?" I didn't answer right away. Once again, everyone's attention shifted to me. I took a quiet breath "To be honest..." I folded my hands together on my lap "...I came here carrying a lot of worries." Claire listened without interrupting. "I imagined the Ashford family would be very different." "And now?" Adrian asked. A small smile appeared on my face "Now I feel much more at ease." My mother looked at me warmly. "That's exactly what we hoped to hear." My father then turned to Lucien. "What about you?" Lucien sat as straight as ever "I feel the same." Adrian raised an eyebrow. "The same?" "Before today, I only knew the Laurent family through stories." "And?" "After meeting you in person..." He paused briefly "...I understand why Father holds your family in such high regard." My father looked genuinely surprised. "That's high praise." "It's simply the truth." I stole another glance at Lucien. He had said it with exactly the same tone he'd used earlier when talking about the weather. Matter-of-fact. Without embellishment. Yet somehow, that made it sound even more sincere. After that, the atmosphere became even more relaxed. The conversation shifted to lighter topics. Claire told us about Adrian's habit of constantly forgetting his reading glasses. Adrian retaliated by telling everyone how Claire had once gotten lost inside their own mansion after the renovations. "That only happened once," Claire protested. "Twice," Adrian corrected. "Once." "Twice." Claire turned to me "Don't believe him." "I have witnesses." "Witnesses you bribed?" "Claire." "Yes?" "The children are watching us." Claire looked toward us. Lucien, my parents, and I were all trying our best not to laugh. Finally, Claire surrendered "Fine." She raised both hands. "Maybe it happened twice." "Now that's my wife." "Adrian." "Yes?" "You're enjoying teasing me far too much today." "I'm simply being honest." I covered my mouth to keep from laughing too loudly. Beside me, I heard a sound so quiet it was almost a breath. I turned my head. Lucien. He was smiling faintly as he watched his parents, gently shaking his head. I found myself smiling too. "They're like this often, aren't they?" "Yes." "Are you used to it?" "Since I was a child." "Doesn't it get tiring?" "No." He watched his parents for a moment. "It makes the house feel alive." I nodded softly. "My parents are the same." Lucien looked at me. "They seem to respect each other." "They do." "I like that." It was such a simple sentence. Yet somehow it warmed my heart. Not long afterward, the head butler entered the room once again. "Sir." Adrian looked up. "Yes, Bernard?" "The Laurent family's car is ready whenever they wish to depart." I glanced at the clock. Without realizing it, the afternoon had slipped into early evening. The sunlight streaming through the windows had turned a soft golden hue. "Oh, i didn't realize it had gotten so late" my mother murmured. Claire looked outside as well "We really did spend the whole afternoon talking." "A sign of a pleasant meeting," my father said with a smile. Adrian nodded in agreement. "I think this is a good place to end for today." He looked warmly at my father. "How about next week we have dinner with both of our extended families?" My father nodded without hesitation. "We were thinking the same thing." "Then we'll begin discussing the engagement date and the wedding plans officially." My heartbeat quickened once more. The engagement. The wedding. So this was truly moving forward. Without thinking, I looked toward Lucien. Our eyes met for a brief moment. He didn't say a word. He simply gave me a small nod. As if to say it's all right. That small nod alone was enough to make me feel at ease. Not because they spoke the loudest, but because they had a way of making an entire room fall silent the moment they began to speak. I found myself wondering what kind of person Lucien Ashford was when he wasn't surrounded by his family.

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