<b>Chapter </b>537


    No doubt, it was him.


    He just shot me that message, not caring about his status. I bet he never thought that one dinner would get himbeled as a Jennings family elder.


    My parents saw him as an elder too, and with that whole seniority thing between us, there was basically no way we could ever be together.


    I couldn’t help butugh at the thought.


    Isn’t this just Edward getting what he deserves?


    Now he’s flipping it on me, acting like I set all this up just to prove how much I can’t stand him.


    “Mom, let’s go out,” Yvonne said, walking over after washing her hands.


    I handed her a tissue, and we headed out.


    I didn’t reply to Edward’s message. Instead, I took my parents out shopping and bought them a few winter outfits. They kept saying it was too expensive and tried to refuse, but I finally talked them into epting the


    clothes.


    Around five in the afternoon, my dad got a call from Jared, who invited us all to dinner.


    My parents asked what I thought.


    Things between Jared and me had calmed down. Since he sincerely wanted to treat my parents to dinner, I had no reason to refuse. But… I decided not to go myself.


    I let my parents take Yvonne with them, while I made up an excuse to leave early.


    Sitting in the car, I opened up WeChat. Edward’s message was still just sitting there, waiting for me to do something about it.


    Whether he was holding a grudge or just pissed off, it didn’t matter. Our lives just weren’t going to ovep


    anymore.


    I hit up Ryan, and he said he was at home, napping. So I just went straight over to his ce.


    Ryan opened the door, wearing only dress pants, shirtless.


    “I thought you’d be backte tonight…” Ryan looked down at me, a smile ying on his thin lips.


    I told him about Jared inviting my parents to dinner.


    “Why didn’t you join them?” Ryan arched his handsome brow, giving me a curious look.


    His clear eyes–maybe it was just the lighting–suddenly looked deeper, almost impossible to read.


    <b>10:49 </b><b>Fri</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>5 </b>


    Chapter 537.


    I teased, “Wasn’t it because I was afraid you’d get jealous<b>?</b><b>” </b>


    Ryan’s mood instantly brightened. He waved me in, and once the door was shut, he pulled me into a <b>hug </b>from behind. “Honestly, I thought you didn’t care about my feelings.”


    The warmth of his arms seeped into me. I cast my eyes down and whispered, “Why wouldn’t I? Of <b>course </b><b>I </b>care about your feelings.”


    “Thanks,” Ryan murmured. “That really makes me feel safe.”


    With him holding me like that, I felt like my feet were glued to the floor–I couldn’t move at all. Ryan finally let go, pinched my cheek, and said, “You must be tired after shopping all afternoon. Come on, let me get you something tasty.”


    I followed him into the dining room, where the table was loaded with all sorts of snacks and desserts.


    “Had these sent over for you to snack on tonight,” Ryan said.


    I blinked in surprise, thenughed. “That’s really sweet of you, but this is way too much. There’s no way I can finish it all.”


    “Help yourself, no pressure,” Ryan said, picking up a small cake and cing it in my hand.


    I tried a few bites–the sweetness was just right, nothing like those overly sweet, artificial–tasting desserts from the store. You could tell these were handcrafted treats, made with real care.


    Ryan lounged in his chair, his gorgeous eyes catching the light. There was something about him that was just impossible to ignore.


    As I snacked, it hit me–I still hadn’t deleted Edward’s message.


    I excused myself to the bathroom, grabbed my phone, and didn’te out until I’d wiped that message for good. Only then did I finally rx.


    Ryan was lounging on the brown sofa, sipping an ice–cold drink. When he saw mee out, he asked, “So, wanna go out and have some fun tonight?”


    “Where do you want to go?” I asked him.


    “I’ve been told toy lowtely. My grandpa doesn’t want me showing my face too much, so I can’t really go anywhere crowded,” Ryan said, sounding a bit annoyed.


    I was taken aback. At his age, most guys just want to be out and about, but his family was keeping him on a tight leash.


    “Well… how about we just stay in and watch a movie at your ce?” <b>I </b>suggested. Honestly, I wasn’t really in the mood to be around a bunch of people either.


    “Sounds good!” Ryan’s face lit up. “There’s actually a movie I’ve been wanting to watch. Let’s check it out together.”


    <b>10:49 </b>Fri, <b>Sep </b><b>5 </b>


    We snuggled up on the couch, dimmed the lights, and the huge TV screen made it feel like we were right in the middle of the action.


    B