"Mr. Holden, Ms. Walker, sorry you had to see that. The three of us got a little emotional and couldn''t quite hold it in," Jonathan said with an embarrassed chuckle.
He turned toward Marcus and Natalie with a drink in hand. "Come, let me raise a ss to the both of you."
"Of course," Marcus and Natalie replied at the same time, lifting their sses and gently clinking them against Jonathan''s.
Jonathan downed the entire drink in one go. "I''m feeling good today, so I''ll finish this one. You two can take it easy."
"Dad, Mom, you guys aren''t in the best health. Go easy on the drinks," Samuel gently reminded them.
Samuel and Sierra were already married when they were abroad. Now that they were back and Sierra had reconnected with her family, Samuel naturally started calling her parents Mom and Dad too.
He had no intention of ever acknowledging Ivan as his father, especially not after what he did. As for Samantha, she sent them overseas when they were young, so Samuel never felt close to her.
Even the bond with Sophia, his own sister, was thin. Sure, they kept in touch, but they did not grow up together, and their connection was honestly weaker than the ones he had with some of his close friends.
"Samuel, you already know Mr. Holden. Go spend some time with him, have a few more drinks, and catch up as guys. Cee, you should hang out with Ms. Walker. You''re both women, and you''ll definitely have more inmon to talk about."
Jonathan took a breath to calm himself down. He knew he had been overly emotional, and it was not the right energy for hosting guests.
"Mr. Holden, I hope I''m not being too long-winded here. I''m just... really overwhelmed and happy right now," Jonathan said, raising his ss again.
"But I''m getting older, and with everything that''s happened over the years, my health''s taken a hit. So I''ll drink thisst one with you, and then I''m done for the night."
"One more for the road," he said, lifting his ss again.
Marcus and Natalie both raised theirs, and the three of them took one final sip together before Jonathan set down his drink and waved for everyone to start eating.
"Actually, there''s one more important thing I need to announce," he dered suddenly, setting down his utensils with a serious expression.
"When Cee and Samuel got married, it was overseas. As their parents, we didn''t get to attend the ceremony, and we didn''t even give them a proper wedding gift. So, after talking it over with Melissa, we''ve decided to throw them a wedding here in Amberton.
"And while we''re at it, we want to make it official to everyone that I have found my biological daughter... and she''s brought us such an outstanding son-inw. So, to those who''ve been eyeing our estate, they can give up now."
He turned toward Marcus and Natalie, his eyes full of hope. "Mr. Holden, Ms. Walker, would you two be willing to stand in as the witnesses at Cee''s wedding?"
Of course, Jonathan had his reasons for asking them specifically. He had already looked into Samuel''s background the moment they returned.
The Sinirs used to be considered one of the top families in Dithoria State. However, after Ivan''s scandal with his mistress, the entire family lost their status and slipped into obscurity.
Now, Sophia was the one calling the shots for the Sinirs, with Zachary-eldest son of the powerful Holt family-supporting her from behind the scenes. Then again, their rtionship was not public yet, and the media had not picked up on anything official.
On the other hand, the Holdens and Walkers were a different story. The Holdens were the wealthiest family in the world, and the Walkers were the richest in the country.
The fact that Sierra had be friends with Marcus and Natalie meant that anyone thinking about messing with the Remington family would definitely think twice.
Marcus and Natalie exchanged a quick nce. Marcus did not say anything, but Natalie nodded with a smile. "Of course! We''d be honored."
Sheughed and added, "Come to think of it, I''ve never been a witness at a wedding before."
"How about you, Mr. Holden?" Jonathan asked, looking at him with hopeful eyes.
Marcus gave a small nod. "Count me in too."
Since Natalie had already said yes, there was no way he would turn it down. Besides, it was not every day you got to be a wedding witness with your girlfriend.
"Great! Then it''s settled! Come, let''s eat now." Jonathan beamed with joy.
Jonathan was lively and warm, while Melissa was quiet and gentle. Sierra had clearly inherited her mother''s grace and softness. As dinner went on, Samuel kept Marcuspany while asionally chatting with Natalie too, making the atmosphere feelfortable and easy.
Once dinner wrapped up, Sierra invited Natalie to the sitting room for tea and dessert, while Marcus stayed back with Samuel and Jonathan for more conversation.
Shortly after, Sierra brought in a tray with tea, fresh fruit, and some light desserts. Then, she set it down in front of Natalie with a gentle smile and asked, "Ms. Walker, do you mind if I call you Nat?"
Her voice and expression reminded Natalie so much of Melissa-calm, kind, and quietly elegant.
Natalie smiled politely. "Of course not. And can I call you Cee? You really do look a lot like Mrs. Remington. I take after my mom too. I''m not sure how much you''ve heard about me."
Natalie took the initiative to make small talk, sensing that both Sierra and Melissa were naturally introverted. After dinner, it was clear to her that this mother- daughter pair was not the type to dominate a conversation.
"I''ve heard a bit," Sierra replied, pressing her lips together in a slightly shy manner. "I know the Langley family mistreated you... You were treated like some kind of human blood bank, andter, you finally found your real parents."
She continued, "I was a little luckier. I went through some rough times early on, but once I met Ms. ir, she sent me abroad to start over-together with Samuel. "He''s been so good to me, and Ms. ir gave me a second chance at life. Now that I''m back, I n to reconnect with my birth parents first, then I''m going to visit Ms. ir in Dithoria State."
Natalie''s gaze softened. "So, you''re aware of what happened to the Sinirs?"
Sierra nodded gently. "I didn''t know at first, but Sophia reached out to me. And after that, I learned everything. My mom''sing with me to Dithoria too. We both want to thank Ms. ir in person."
Hearing Sierra mention her, Melissa quickly joined in with a warm smile. "Yes, I''m nning to go with Cee. We owe Ms. ir everything. If it weren''t for her, who knows if Cee would even be alive today? This kind of kindness is something our family will never forget.
"Once Cee and Samuel have their ceremony here in Amberton, Cee will officially start calling Ms. ir ''Mom''. For now, we''ve asked her to still call her ''Ms. ir''— that was a decision Jon and I made together. The past is the past. Now is what matters."
Melissa''s voice softened with guilt. "Ms. Walker, do you think I''m being selfish?"
Natalie only smiled and shook her head gently. It was understandable how regretful Melissa felt as a mother for not being there for her own daughter''s wedding and not witnessing her grow up. It reminded Natalie of Laura, and how she too had missed so much of Marcus'' life.
But unlike Laura''s loss, which could never be undone, Melissa had found Sierra again. With Sierra back in her life, there was a spark in Melissa''s eyes again, a new energy. It was the best possible oue after years of heartache. They were truly grateful to Samantha and wanted to formally honor her.
Melissa said with a sheepish smile, "I spoke with Ms. ir on the phone, and shepletely understood and supported our decision. She even apologized, saying she should''ve been there too-as a mother and a mother-inw, she missed something truly important.
"She regretted not being there for
their wedding, so when we suggested doing it properly this time, she said yes right away. She also insisted we go through the full tradition. Once Samuel wraps things here, he''ll head to Dithoria to formally ask for Cee''s hand. Then, they''lle to officially ask for the marriage."