Chapter 317: Getting Married Nowadays... Is It This Troublesome?

Charles Lowell and his wife exchanged a look before turning to Old Mr. Lowell, seeking his opinion.

Unfortunately, Old Mr. Lowell just sat there quietly, sipping his tea. He looked at the sky, the ground, the little brothers in their split-crotch pants—at anything but the two of them.

‘They’re the parents; they can figure it out themselves. What are they staring at an old man like me for?’

‘This old man’s eyes are failing him. Everything’s a blur… can’t see a thing…’

‘Fine. The old man is all grown up and starting his rebellious phase.’

Wendy Sutton gently patted the back of Mrs. Grant’s hand, which was resting on her arm. “Rosalind,” she began warmly,

“We’re not saying we object to this marriage. If that were the case, the proposal the day before yesterday wouldn’t have happened, right? Besides, the two children are deeply in love, and Leo is such an outstanding young man. I’m absolutely delighted to have him as a son-in-law. Our main concern is that these gifts are a bit… extravagant…”

“Oh, come on, extravagant? Not at all! Didn’t my father-in-law just say so? All of this was going to belong to the young couple eventually anyway. It’s just a matter of time. Giving it now or giving it later, it’s all the same.”

Mrs. Grant waved her hand dismissively. “In any case, we’ve already brought it all over, so there’s no reason to take anything off the list. If we did that, it would be a slap in the face to our family, wouldn’t it? Alright, alright, that’s enough talk. The matter is settled, okay?”

‘Well, aren’t you just a little dictator…’

Taking the cue from his wife, Charles Lowell cleared his throat and spoke.

“Since our families know each other inside and out, I won’t bother with formalities. All our family wanted was a show of commitment, and Leo has already made his stance clear long ago. Therefore, regarding these gifts, we discussed it from the start and decided we won’t be taking any of it. Everything will go to the young couple. Furthermore, we, as her parents, will add some things of our own. Consider it support from both our families for their new little household.”

‘Falling Valley Mountain Villa: …To be honest, I don’t think I really need the support. What do you think?’

“That works, we’ll do as you say. But don’t you add too much, either. My tiger of a son has hands, feet, and a brain to make money. He can work for my sweet Nola for the rest of his life for free.”

Mrs. Grant clapped her hands happily. “Old Man Grant, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and bring out those auspicious wedding dates you had someone select. Let the Lowells take a good look and pick a date for the marriage registration and the ceremony.”

Everyone felt the corners of their mouths twitch. ‘She sure knows how to press an advantage. Talk about coming prepared…’

“You got it!” Mr. Grant took out a slip of paper with several dates written on it and pushed it toward the Lowells.

“These were all calculated long ago by a master who read their birth charts for compatibility. The earliest date is at the end of this year, and the others are next year. Please, take a good look. We’re completely flexible.”

“Next year?!” Harrison Lowell couldn’t help but exclaim.

Grandma Lowell, sitting beside him, jumped in surprise. She shot him an irritated glare.

“What’s the matter with you? Causing such a racket.”

“I’m just surprised. Isn’t next year a little too soon…”

Harrison Lowell pouted and muttered under his breath.

‘He’d seen people online spend ages preparing for their weddings, hadn’t they?’

‘So, given his sister’s identity and status, shouldn’t her wedding be even grander, more stately, and more magnificent?!’

‘By that calculation, they only just got engaged the day before yesterday. A wedding in three to five years should be about right, shouldn’t it?’

Grandma Lowell hid a smile behind her handkerchief and teased him.

“What’s this? Can’t bear to let your little sister go?”

“As if you’re willing to let her go, either! Besides, look at them—every single one of them has a face as long as a horse’s. You think they’re happy to let her go?”

As he spoke, Harrison Lowell gestured for Grandma Lowell to look at his other brothers.

Sure enough, not one of them looked remotely happy.

Caleb Lowell gave him a light kick and said coldly,

“Get lost. You’re the one who looks like a donkey.”

‘Who was he calling a long-face? He himself might fit the bill for the cold, aloof CEO type, but that was a personal matter. No need to lump all the brothers together.’

Meanwhile, Old Mr. Lowell glanced at the slip of paper before looking toward Charles Lowell and Wendy Sutton. “You two are her parents. What are your thoughts?”

Charles Lowell and Wendy Sutton exchanged a glance, and then Charles spoke.

“Since the auspicious dates have already been selected, let’s allow the children to decide for themselves.”

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to keep her at home longer. The problem was their “little ray of sunshine” was already shining in another direction. They couldn’t hold on to her.

Besides, the Grant family had a point. Coming home was just a short walk away; she could even come over for dinner every day.

Moreover, although the Grant Family was clearly their equal in wealth and status, they had shown the Lowells an immense amount of respect throughout this process.

That being the case, they couldn’t very well play the role of the bad guys, could they?

“Well, Nola, what do you two think?” Old Mr. Lowell asked.

After holding it in for a long moment, Yvonne Lowell finally squeezed out a sentence.

“Is getting married these days… always this complicated?”

‘From the initial proposal to picking a date…’

‘Before the Grant Family came over, she had assumed the proposal and betrothal gifts would just involve some money and jewelry. Isn’t that how it always is on TV?!’

‘But what happened? They ended up stuffing half of the Grants’ enterprise and a pile of other assets into her hands.’

‘Before Mr. Grant took out that little slip of paper, she’d thought any day marked as ‘auspicious for marriage’ on the almanac was a good day. She figured they could just pick a day they were both free, get their license, and then pick another date for the wedding.’

‘But no, it turned out they had to get their birth charts read, and the earliest available date was in the winter.’

‘It was only early July now. She had to wait that long?!’

‘It wasn’t that she was desperate to get married. It was just that she was the kind of person who liked to get things done in one go.’

‘With things dragging on like this, it felt like a sword was hanging over her head, refusing to fall. It left her feeling unsettled.’

Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

Grandma Sutton raised a hand and wagged her finger at her from across the room.

“What did you expect? There are important traditions when it comes to marriage. Back in my day, the process was even more complicated.”

Kai Preston let out a soft huff, trying to mask his reluctance to see her go.

“She’s not finding it complicated, she’s just desperate to get married. I have no idea what kind of love potion that boy made her drink.”

‘So what if he’s handsome and rich.’

‘But that little rascal, for her entire life, has loved nothing more than money and beautiful things. He just happened to hit all the right notes.’

Yvonne Lowell flashed a sweet (and wicked) smile and said softly,

“Uncle Quincy, listen to yourself. I’m just answering your call to action, aren’t I? Ever since I came of age, how many times have you pestered me about giving you a little grandchild to play with? If I don’t follow through, wouldn’t that make me unfilial?”

Huh?!?!?

All eyes from the Lowell and Sutton Families shifted to Kai Preston. ‘Well, well! We never knew you were that kind of person, Kai Preston!!’

‘The Grant Family: That scared the daylights out of us! We almost opened fire on a friendly. Thank goodness we pulled back in time!!’