Herman stood outside the door, holding a beautifully wrapped box of assorted fruits. Sandy opened the door with a bright smile. "George, you made it! Come on in, I''ll introduce you to my mom."
She called up the stairs, "Mom, George is here!"
Ashley heard from upstairs and immediately felt her palms grow sweaty with nerves. She called back, "Coming,ing!"
Taking a deep breath, she wiped her hands on her apron and gathered the courage toe downstairs. Her heart raced as she saw Herman standing in the living room, still holding the box of fruits. Her legs felt a bit wobbly. Before knowing Herman''s true identity, she might have joked around. But now, knowing he was the head of Elysian Technologies, she feltpletely out of her depth.
Herman''s expression was unreadable, making him all the more intimidating.
"Ah, George, you''re here! Come, have a seat," Ashley greeted him with a smile. "Last time I saw you, Nichs brought you over, and that was years ago. You''ve grown even more handsome since then."
These pleasantries, half-truths, were something Ashley and Sandy had practiced beforehand. Nichs was the Morton family''s butler, so pretending not to recognize George would have been too far-fetched.
Herman responded politely, "Hello, Mrs. Morton. Sorry to intrude. I brought you some fruit as a small token."
"Oh, it''s no bother at all. We''re practically family. Please, sit down," Ashley said, epting the fruit box. "Sandy mentioned you two were dating, but I thought she was joking. Turns out it''s true! First time I saw you, I thought you and Sandy were a perfect match. Sandy, too, said so right off the bat."
This was actually true; Ashley had always hoped to see Sandy marry into the Salstrom family, but Anastasia had beaten her to it.
Sandy was delighted with her mother''s performance. She gave a shy smile, casting a nce at Herman. "Mom, don''t embarrass me."
"I was your age once too, you know," Ashley chuckled, turning to Herman. "George, you and Sandy have been together for quite some time now. I say we go ahead and n the wedding. I''m open-minded and don''t care about social standings. No need for dowry or anything, as long as you both are happy."
Sandy''s heart soared. Her mom was being the ultimate wingwoman.
Herman, understanding this was Sandy''s doing, crossed his arms and replied with calm politeness, "Mrs. Morton, there''s a misunderstanding. I''m here to express my gratitude for the Morton family''s support to my father. With him in the hospital, now isn''t the right time to discuss marriage. Besides, I''m not in a position to offer Sandy the life she deserves."
Sandy quickly interjected, "George, I don''t need all that. I just need you. You''re naturally gifted in business. You could join the Morton Group, and I''d happily be the woman behind the man."
Such words would have swayed many men, offering a shortcut to sess with Sandy. Yet Herman remained unmoved; he doubted Sandy''s im of wanting to stay in the background. He''d observed her ambition in the Morton Group''s ventures.
Ashley, sensing the conversation slip, piped up, "Every man needs to find his own path. I believe George can carve out his own sess."
Herman gave a knowing nce at Sandy, choosing not toment further.
Sandy shot her mother a look, signaling that if Herman agreed to marry her, the Morton Group would still be within her control.
Ashley, however, was focused on her son Sean, believing he was the rightful heir.
Sandy chimed in, "George has such potential. His future is boundless."
Herman didn''t respond, instead asking, "Where''s the restroom?"
Sandy pointed, "Just over there, to the left."
Herman nodded and headed to the restroom.
Outside, the sound of a car pulling into the driveway caught their attention. Sandy whispered to her mother, "Mom, don''t give him a hard time. Work on getting him to agree to the marriage. That should be Sean with the takeout; I''ll go help."
Sandy stepped outside and froze when she saw Tavon stepping out of a taxi.