“I trust you, Liberty.”
Mrs. Lewis’s voice became gentle.
“But Duncan likes you. He’s stubborn. No matter how I advise him, he won’t listen to me and continue to like you.”
Obviously, Mrs. Lewis was trying to tell Liberty that she would not accept Liberty as her daughter-in-law.
After a moment of silence, Liberty replied, “Mrs. Lewis, when Mr. Lewis confessed his love to me, I rejected him. He’s still pursuing me, but I’m not accepting him. His love for me isn’t something that I can control.”
Indeed, there was nothing she could do about it.
She was not interested in Duncan. It was Duncan’s business to fall in love with her.
“Mrs. Lewis, you can try to talk to Mr. Lewis about it. I’m grateful for his feelings for me, but I don’t plan to remarry. Whenever I think of my broken marriage, I’ll shake with fear. Now that I’ve finally gotten over it and my life is back on track, I don’t want to be trapped in the tomb of love again.”
Some people analogized marriage to the tomb of love with women buried inside.
“Mrs. Lewis, you can arrange for Mr. Lewis to meet and interact with other rich young ladies. As Mr. Lewis interacted with more women, he’ll realize that there are a lot more ladies out there who are better than me and suit him more.”
Those from the same circle as Mr. Lewis would match him well.
Mrs. Lewis sighed.
“Liberty, to be frank, I’ve started to worry about Duncan since he turned thirty. I arranged many blind dates for him in a year, but he didn’t want to meet any of the girls. He’s independent and obstinate. I really can’t do anything about it.
“Lily is my best friend’s daughter. Although she’s not from Wiltspoon, the Harmons are considered wealthy. Lily might be slightly younger than Duncan, but they’re well-matched. Also, both our families planned to be related by marriage.
“As you can see, it turned out that Lily had let go of Duncan.”
While speaking, Mrs. Lewis kept moaning and sighing.
She desperately wanted to make Lily her daughter-in-law.
Lily let go of Duncan because she knew that Duncan liked Liberty.
Apparently, she did not even try to hold onto Duncan before letting go of him.
Duncan had a unique taste. Since Lily could not satisfy Duncan, she might as well give up so that Duncan would not hate her. At least the two of them could still be business partners.
“Mrs. Lewis, I’ve helped you advise Mr. Lewis before. I told him that Ms. Harmon is nice. I noticed that he gets along quite well with her too.”
Liberty did advise Duncan.
Nevertheless, the attempt proved futile.
As Mrs. Lewis mentioned, Duncan was an independent and obstinate person. It was almost impossible to change his decision unless he was willing to give up or make changes himself.
“Liberty, I won’t blame this matter on you. The problem lies with Duncan, not you.”
If Liberty had pestered Duncan, Mrs. Lewis would have forcefully driven her away despite the powerful forces backing Liberty.
However, Liberty was not interested in Duncan. There was actually nothing Mrs. Lewis could do to Liberty.
“But Liberty, I need a favor from you.”
“Mrs. Lewis, what favor is that?”
Now that they had brought up this topic, Mrs. Lewis decided not to beat around the bush. She said directly, “Can you stop renting the unit on that street and relocate your business? It’s best that your shop is far away from Lewis & Co.
“Don’t worry. I’ll compensate you for all the losses resulting from your relocation.
“As long as the new shop you rent is far away from Lewis & Co., I’ll cover all your renovation expenses. You don’t need to pay a single cent.”
When Liberty learned that Duncan liked her, she thought about canceling her tenancy agreement and moving out. Nevertheless, she decided to face it calmly in the end.
Duncan was pursuing her. If she canceled her tenancy agreement and moved out, would Duncan stop pursuing her? If so, she would have moved out straight away.
Moreover, she finally had many regular customers in that area, and her business was brisk. This was her first time starting a business. She had put a lot of effort into it. Honestly speaking, she could not bear to give up on it.
“Of course, as long as you’re willing to leave Wiltspoon, I can give you more compensation. I’ll guarantee that you gain a foothold in another city. You won’t suffer any losses.”
The main point lay in Mrs. Lewis’s last few sentences.
Her real intention was to have Liberty leave Wiltspoon and live in a place where Duncan would not be able to find her.
Liberty could see Mrs. Lewis’s motive. Telling Liberty to cancel her tenancy agreement, move out, and relocate her food business was a prelude to Mrs. Lewis’s plan to make her leave Wiltspoon.
“Mrs. Lewis, I’m used to living in Wiltspoon. My relatives and friends are here as well. I really can’t leave Wiltspoon with Sonny and live somewhere Mr. Lewis isn’t aware of.”
Mrs. Lewis felt a little awkward, but she was seething with anger.
For someone who had been domineering in the family, Mrs. Lewis felt aggrieved in her communication with Liberty at this moment.
If it had been someone else, she would have tossed a check and driven that person away to settle the issue.
She would not care who was at fault.
She would not allow anyone she disliked to appear in front of her son.
Unfortunately, her unfilial son, Duncan, liked Liberty.
Liberty had the Stones and the Yorks backing her, which explained why Mrs. Lewis felt aggrieved and could not intimidate Liberty.
“I can consider canceling my tenancy agreement, moving out of that street, renting a new place on another street, renovating my shop, and starting everything anew. Having said that, do you think this will work, Mrs. Lewis?” Liberty asked.
When Duncan was a teenager, he stayed in other parts of Wiltspoon. Which corner of the city was he unaware of?
Liberty might be able to run away, but she could not hide.
This would not solve the root problem.
“Mrs. Lewis, the best solution is that you talk Mr. Lewis out of it.
I hope you can try harder in persuading him.”
Mrs. Lewis was speechless.
Upon hearing Liberty’s words, Mrs. Lewis felt a slight burning sensation on her face.
Mrs. Lewis wanted Liberty to stay away from Duncan, yet Liberty expected Mrs. Lewis to stop Duncan from pestering her.
After a while, Mrs. Lewis said to Liberty in a pleading tone, ” Liberty, if I had a solution, I wouldn’t have come to meet you. My unfilial son just won’t listen to me, so I had no choice but to ask you for help.
“Liberty, I don’t mean to look down on you. In a marriage, families have to be well–matched in social status. I’m sure you understand this. Now, you’re leading a peaceful life and not planning to remarry. Even if you consider remarrying, you’re not going to feel happy in a relationship with Duncan.
“Both of you have different social ranks and circles. When you’re in the first flush of love, you might think you can overcome everything. Once the honeymoon phase is over, conflicts between the two of you will arise.
“Besides, I can’t accept you as my daughter–in–law. If you really get together with Duncan, I’m not sure what I’ll do to you. I really can’t guarantee that.”
After Mrs. Lewis finished speaking, Liberty said, “I got it.”
“Well, can you sympathize with me for simply wanting the best. for my son? As long as you leave Wiltspoon, I can pay you however much you want as compensation. Name your price and I’ll fulfill your request.
“You can remain in touch with your sister and aunt. Just ask them not to reveal your whereabouts so that Duncan can’t find you.”
Mrs. Lewis held Liberty’s hand and begged her. “Liberty, I hope you sympathize with me. I’ll settle all other matters as long as you promise to leave.”
Liberty withdrew her hand gently
“Mrs. Lewis, I’m sorry but I can’t promise you I’ll leave Wiltspoon. I’m not at fault, so why should I make the sacrifice? Mrs. Lewis, you can move out of Wiltspoon with Mr. Lewis to stay away from me instead.”
Mrs. Lewis choked.
Then she said, “I’m a Wiltspoonian. I grew up here and got married here as well. Almost all my relatives and friends are in Wiltspoon. I’m used to the lifestyle here. If I were to live in another place, I won’t be able to adapt to it. Even if I can adapt to it, I’ll think of Wiltspoon all the time.
“Same here.”
Liberty’s reply made Mrs. Lewis choke again.
Although the Hunts‘ house was in the countryside, it was still under Wiltspoon.
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.