Chapter 670 - 666: Just This Once

"Dad."

Faced with his father’s sudden display of emotion, Shawn Lane’s reaction was unexpectedly calm. He looked at his father and said serenely, "Right or wrong, what’s past is past."

Walter Lane was surprised by his son’s composure, and a wave of relief washed over him.

His son really was different now. It was as if he had grown up overnight, and Walter found it strangely hard to get used to.

"You should stay for a few more days this time, right? Spend New Year’s at home. Your grandfather’s been talking about you a lot lately, hoping you’d come back."

"Okay, as long as I head back before school starts," Shawn Lane nodded.

The meal was a relatively relaxed affair for Cecilia Sterling. Although she could occasionally feel Keith Grant’s inexplicable gaze on her, he ultimately didn’t do anything out of line at the dinner table.

Mrs. White was an excellent cook, and Cecilia ate two bowls of rice.

Before they left, Mrs. White suddenly produced a red envelope and tried to press it into Cecilia’s hands. "Take this, Cecilia. It’s from his father and me."

Cecilia was startled and instinctively refused. "No, Mrs. White, I can’t accept this. I’m already so touched that you went to the trouble of cooking this whole meal. How could I possibly take a red envelope from you, too?"

"You should." Mrs. White wouldn’t give up. She went right ahead and stuffed it into Cecilia’s purse, explaining, "Don’t be embarrassed. In Lorcain, it’s a custom for elders to give a red envelope to a girl visiting their home for the first time."

Mr. Grant chimed in cheerfully from the side, "Stop going back and forth with her. It’s not a lot of money, just a small token of our appreciation."

Even Emeric Grant said, "Just take it."

Cecilia couldn’t win against them and reluctantly accepted. "I already received a red envelope at Great-Grandpa’s birthday banquet. Now you’re giving me another one..."

"This is different," Mr. Grant said with a smile. "That was a welcome gift. This is a house-visiting gift. Plus, with the New Year just around the corner, you can think of it as a New Year’s present."

"Thank you, Mr. Grant, Mrs. White." Cecilia had no choice but to smile and express her gratitude, shooting a helpless glance at Emeric.

Emeric smiled dotingly. He knew this was his father and Mrs. White’s way of showing how much they valued Cecilia.

After the two had left, Mr. Grant said cheerfully, "That’s a really nice young woman. Emeric has excellent taste."

Though it was just a simple sentence, his tone was full of unconcealed satisfaction with Cecilia.

Mrs. White felt the same way, chiming in, "Cecilia isn’t very old, but she has such a calm personality. She’s graceful and poised in everything she says and does. And on top of that, she’s beautiful and has a great aura. She’s a real catch. No wonder Emeric likes her."

"You have no idea how on edge I’ve been all these years. I was starting to question Emeric’s sexual orientation."

Mrs. White laughed at that. "So you can finally relax now?"

"Yes, I can finally relax. That kid Emeric not only has high standards for himself, but also for his partner. He’d rather have nothing than settle for less, which is a good thing."

Keith Grant, who had been sitting to the side eating an orange, couldn’t help but sneer upon hearing his parents’ conversation. "You two are overjoyed. Anyone who didn’t know better would think they’re getting married tomorrow."

"Isn’t it just a matter of time? Once Cecilia graduates from university, your brother will be at the perfect age. Marriage will be a natural progression, won’t it?"

Keith Grant pursed his lips and didn’t reply.

It was Mrs. White who offered a reminder. "Emeric has a better handle on this than we do. Don’t push him. Cecilia will have just graduated from university; she might not want to get married so soon."

"I know, I was just saying," Mr. Grant nodded, though he couldn’t help but hope.

On the way back, Emeric Grant held Cecilia’s hand gently while driving and asked, "Since it was the first time, my dad and Mrs. White were a little overeager. They didn’t scare you, did they?"

"Not at all. I just feel bad for making Mrs. White work all day," Cecilia said. She turned her head, her gaze serious as she looked at Emeric. "But Emeric, this was a one-time thing."

Emeric Grant glanced at her with a smile in his eyes and nodded crisply. "Okay, a one-time thing. I won’t let them disturb us again."

A romantic relationship, after all, was about two people.

On this point, Emeric and Cecilia had long since reached a tacit understanding.

「February 16th, New Year’s Eve.」

It had snowed heavily the night before. Early in the morning, Cecilia took her younger brother and sister out to the courtyard to clear the snow, but the chore soon turned into a snowball fight.

The sounds of laughter and screams carried far. Jasmine Sterling, who was in the kitchen preparing breakfast, heard them and walked to the window to watch, a blissful smile spreading across her face.

Before long, Yvonne Sterling’s family also arrived.

"Sis, Brendan made some paste. Have him help you put up the Spring Festival couplets later. I’ve noticed that every household in the north puts them up for the New Year."

In Veridia, there wasn’t such a strict custom; some people put them up, and some didn’t.

Jasmine Sterling smiled and agreed, then told Cecilia to hurry and go pick up Zelda Warner and her two children.

The matriarch of the Yates family would certainly be spending the holiday with her son, so Jasmine had taken the initiative to insist that Zelda, Alex, and Phoebe not spend New Year’s Eve alone.

By noon, the house was completely abuzz with activity.

This year was a rare, relaxing New Year’s. No one had to prepare the big dinner; besides the ingredients for making dumplings that night, the refrigerator was free of any other extra food.

Jasmine and Yvonne were happy to have the leisure time, and the adults gathered on the living room sofa, basking in the sunlight while eating fruit and chatting.

The children were all gathered in a room upstairs. As always, Cecilia had prepared New Year’s gifts for her younger siblings, but this year’s presents were even more extravagant, because she felt they had all grown up.

"Sarah, this is for you!"

Just looking at the orange box made Sarah Harris shriek, "AHHHH! Sis, is this Hermes?"

Cecilia smiled and raised an eyebrow. "I know you like this stuff. Last time I told you to pick one of mine, you refused, so Sis bought you a new one. It’s an exotic leather Birkin, a popular size and color that’s completely sold out in the country."

Sarah impatiently opened the box and was instantly smitten by the bag inside. "Thank you, Sis! I love you so much! I’ll take really good care of it."

Cecilia smiled, then turned and presented a car to Ronald, which scared him so much he didn’t dare accept it. "Sis, I don’t even have a driver’s license yet!"

"Your brother Ethan also bought a car before he got his license." Cecilia placed the certificate for the car in Ronald’s hand. "Weren’t you admiring Ethan’s car the other day? Sis ordered you the same model in a different color. It’ll take about two months to be delivered, which is just enough time for you to get your license."

Ronald stared blankly at the paper in his hand, his nose tingling as he was about to cry again. "Sis, this is so expensive!"

"It’s not expensive. This much money is nothing to me. Since I bought it for you, you should just take it."

Ronald nodded, moved. "Thank you, Sis."

Cecilia then turned to look at Ethan, whose anticipation was already impossible to contain. Seeing his sister look his way, he said eagerly, "Sis, it’s my turn, it’s my turn!"