The man behaved courteously. He tilted his head to greet Zachary, then cast a warm smile my way before striding over.
“Ms. Stanhope.” My name rolled off his tongue as he politely extended his arm over. “I’m Elliot Jacobson.”
Elliot?
As in the trader who disappeared into thin air after he single-handedly swiped billions from many capitalists at the stock trade in M Country? That Elliot?
Back when Pitcoin first blew up, Emma often shared juicy tidbits about the stock-investing world. She also mentioned that Elliot was considered a celebrity in that realm. Hence, I couldn’t help but freeze at the legendary Elliot who now stood before me.
Recalling how Emma fangirled after Elliot, I civilly reached out to shake his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Oh Elliot, you’re here.” Cameron had somehow heard us chatting and trotted downstairs in a blink of an eye. Delight beamed on her face as she ushered, “No need to stand around, please sit. I heard that you’ve just returned from M Country?”
“That’s right.” Elliot flashed a neutral smile as he continued, “Father wants to return to his roots, so he moved our business back here.”
Many of the wealthy who kept a low profile owned an abundance of companies under their very names. Sure enough, Elliot was no exception to this.
“That’s a good thing,” Zachary nodded. ”There’s no place like home. And I happen to be looking for potential collaborators for my company’s new projects. You should come over someday, and we can discuss if there’s a possibility for us to collaborate.”
“Sure,” Elliot responded accordingly.
A maid’s voice then sounded from upstairs, “There’s a phone call for you, Mr. Moore.”
“Okay,” Zachary replied whilst standing to head upstairs. With one foot up the stairs, his gaze turned over to us. “I have some matters to attend to, but I’ll be back in a bit. You guys continue chatting.”
Right as he stepped foot onto the second floor, Cameron bounced onto her feet. She moved towards the kitchen as she announced, “Letty, why don’t you keep Elliot company while I go prepare some dishes?”
My cheeks puckered after seeing those two put on such a shameless show.
I couldn’t help but squint my eyes in embarrassment. Literally, anyone can tell that you guys are setting me up with this guy.
Although I haven’t gotten around to telling Zachary and Cameron about the fake divorce, it was pretty obvious that I was still hung up on Anthony. Plus, there was a huge fuss in K City about how I stalked Anthony. Almost everyone could tell that I still had feelings for him, yet they still arranged this blind date without me knowing?
Twisting my lips to one side, I recomposed my emotions before shrugging apologetically at Elliot. “Sorry, I apologize on behalf of my parents. It looks like you came over for nothing.”
Elliot lowered his head, smiling amusedly. “No, it’s alright. I should be the one to apologize for showing up so suddenly. It is a bit too soon, but I promise I won’t disappoint if you give me a chance.”
This man was certainly worth giving a chance as he was devilishly handsome and possessed immense wealth.He was the kind of man that every woman dreamed of—except me.
I shook my head and smiled, not wanting to make things difficult for my parents. “There seems to be a misunderstanding, Mr. Moore. I haven’t moved on from my previous marriage, nor do I plan to start a new relationship soon. I apologize as I’m not the woman you’re looking for.”
Although I spoke humbly, we both knew that I was more than worthy of having men flock before me, given both the Moore family and the Stanhope family’s support for me, as well as the assets under my name. Me being highly sought after was a fact, regardless of my divorce and my three children.
Ever since Thora started pestering Anthony, I knew that this day would come; but what I hadn’t expected was that my parents would be the ones to set me up.
How disappointing.
Emery once said that my parents were ruthless in setting Rylee up with Anthony. She explained that they wanted to grow their influential power through securing the Featherstone family.
Remembering Emery’s words, I can imagine why my parents would set up this embarrassing date.
My gaze subconsciously darted over to the kitchen. I felt a tightness in my stomach as I had completely lost my appetite.
Elliot stood silently for the longest time beside me. I turned to look at him and saw nothing but a firm calmness on his face. He didn’t seem to care about my rejection.
So I spun on my heels and headed for the kitchen.
There, Cameron leaned leisurely against the wall with a hot cup of tea in her hands as she threw sharp gazes on the maids who were cooking.
It was obvious that she had lied about preparing dinner to force Elliot and me to spend time together.
She sipped on her tea for some time before jolting nervously, realizing that I had entered the kitchen. “What are you doing here? I can manage the kitchen just fine, now shoo! How could you leave our guest alone?”
I crossed my arms, sighing at Cameron before looking over at the maids. “Why don’t you guys turn off the stove and head out, so Mrs. Moore and I can talk privately.”
“Yes, Ms. Stanhope.”
The maids understood that I still possessed a significantly high status in this household. Hence, they stopped what they were doing and left without forgetting to close the glass door for us.
They walked out, leaving Cameron and myself in the enclosed kitchen.
“Why did you invite Elliot?” My gaze pierced at her in an unflinching manner.
“What are you talking about?” Cameron held a straight face as she approached me and leaned against the white oak cabinetry. A smile crept onto her face. “The Jacobson family and us Moores are old family friends. Elliot is simply visiting your Dad on behalf of his father. Now, why on earth would we invite him over for no reason?”
“Is that so? Then why didn’t you inform me beforehand that there would be a guest tonight?”
“He just called to tell us right after he got off the plane.”
How bold of her to continue making excuses!
“Alright then. Since I’m not that well-acquainted with him, I suppose it won’t matter if I’m absent while you guys catch up about old times. Summer and I will head home now.”
Anger came to a roaring boil in my chest. I hated being set up by others, who assumed they knew what was best. On top of that, I hated having to guess the motives of those I called my family.
I understood that an heir was needed to pass on the family name and inherit properties and assets. I also understood that a marriage alliance between two families was, indeed, the easiest path to achieve that. However, that didn’t mean that I supported my parents, nor was I willing to be some chess piece in their plan to unite the two families.
As I turned to leave, Cameron’s hand darted and clasped around my wrist. “Letty, what are you doing? The guest is still outside… he’ll feel unwelcomed by us Moores if you leave with your child now. How will our families continue to stay friends after this?”
My face darkened to a hideous brownish-red with no intention of compromising.
She eventually gave in after seeing my unwavering frown. A long and weary sigh escaped her lips as she nagged. ”Fine, I’ll admit it. Your Dad and I planned tonight’s dinner because we want what’s best for you. Everything between Anthony and Thora is stirring up such a storm right now, so you should consider an alternative.
Now, I know Elliot is slightly older than Anthony, but he’s better when it comes to respecting his parents and being a considerate man. Granted, he may have been too devoted to his family and preoccupied with his booming career to dabble in relationships, but a husband like him would be hard to come by. You…”
Endless nags sprung out of her like a burst pipe. While I didn’t care for most of the things she said, she blurted out something that spiked my anger—I had three children, yet Elliot had never even been intimate with a woman.
Her condescending words made my toes curl in annoyance. I snapped at her, “Don’t you think it’s weird for someone his age to be unmarried?”
“What nonsense are you spewing! Why would your Dad and I intentionally cause you harm? We’ve already run a private investigation on Elliot, and it’s been cleared. He’s healthy as can be, so he won’t have any issues with taking care of you and your children!”
“The Stanhope and Moore family’s assets are enough to ensure a comfortable life for my children and me. Are you really doing what’s best for me? Or are you just using me to secure a son-in-law’s financial investment into the companies under your and Zachary’s name? You’re using me as a chess piece to expand your business territory, aren’t you?”
The reality of things was often ugly. However, I had to accept my reality and face my family’s true nature, regardless of how rotten they were.
Cameron froze at my sudden retort. Her lips parted, but no words were able to form.
I held her gaze as disappointment twisted inside me. Turning on my heel, I shrugged her grip off my arm. “If you insist on using me as a business opportunity, then I’d rather us be strangers.”
My feet stepped with an unyielding force, marching out the glass door and past Elliot in the living room. I stormed upstairs to collect Summer, then we left without so much as a goodbye.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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