Her and Richard? They barely counted as friends-more like acquaintances, really.


    "We''ve met before," she said.


    Richard arched an eyebrow, a faint smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, we kind of grew up together, but we never really hung out. I was a handful as a kid and ended up in military school. Scarlette was always the good girl-the type parents love to brag about. Super well-behaved."


    He wasn''t wrong. In their circle, everyone saw Scarlette as the model child— polite, always striving to be the best. Whether it was tests or anything else, she pushed herself to be number one. That was the only way she felt she belonged in the Greenard family.


    And beyond all the hard work, her biggest role was keeping Nichs happy.


    Even when she was little, she''d known what she had to do to survive in that house. She did everything she could to please Nichs.


    Nichs only grew more attached to her, but for Scarlette, it was just a way to get by.


    She lowered her eyes, not wanting to think about the Greenards anymore. It was all just a cage.


    She''d always dreamed of getting out, but the choices she made as a kid hade back to haunt her. Who would''ve thought Nichs would end up having those kinds of feelings for her?


    She''d spent years catering to him, always putting her little brother first and never daring to see him any other way.


    Everyone knew Nichs was the family''s golden boy. For Scarlette, her only worth was making sure Nichs liked her enough to let her stay. She never let herself hope for anything more.


    Drawing a deep breath, she pushed thoughts of Nichs aside.


    The medicine she''d given himst night should keep him asleep until the afternoon. As long as she was back before three, everything would be fine.


    Otherwise, he''d start up again, and it''d never end.


    Carrie chatted for a while before turning to Morgan. "So, have you two thought about getting married? Morgan, you''re not getting any younger, you know. At your age, some people''s second kid is already running around. What have you been doing all these years—not even dating? Now that you''re finally with Scarlette, don''t you dare let little thingse between you. Scarlette, if he ever gives you trouble, youe straight to me."


    Scarlette felt her face heat up, especially with Richard right there. These kinds of questions always made things awkward.


    She forced a smile. "I''ll go with whatever Morgan wants."


    Morgan squeezed her hand, then gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a smile ying at his lips. "Aunt Carrie, let''s not rush it. Things are busy with my work, and Scarlette''s career is really taking off. Maybe after this year, we''ll see where things stand."


    Carrie looked worried. Scarlette was almost thirty-if they waited much longer, she''d be an older mom, which made everything harder.


    "Scarlette, if you''re even thinking about it, try to get married before next year. Having kids gets tougher the older you get, and every woman wants to be able to bounce back. Morgan''s the only son-he can''t just skip having children. Think about it, both of you. I can tell Morgan really cares about you-he''s always saying good things about you to me. He means it."


    Scarlette nced at Morgan. From the beginning, their rtionship had been straightforward—they both knew what they were getting into.


    But Morgan really did treat her well. He was understanding, gave her space, and she liked that about him. She''d always been drawn to men who acted like grown- ups. The only problem was Nichs, always in the background, making thingsplicated.


    She didn''t want Morgan to end up in Nichs''s crosshairs too.


    Her expression softened. "I know."


    Morgan squeezed her hand again and poured her a ss of water. "Here, drink some."


    Carrie''s sharp eyes caught a faint mark behind Scarlette''s ear, and she broke into a wide, knowing smile. "Looks like you two are still in the honeymoon phase. Alright, I''ll stop meddling. You''re both smart enough to know what you want. If you ever need anything, you know where to find me."


    Morganughed. "Thank you, Aunt Carrie. Just let Scarlette''spany get a little piece of the action this time, okay? She works so hard-you can''t bear to say no again, right?"<fn6127> The rightful source is f?ndnovel</fn6127>