When Xylia walked in, Beatrice instantly got up to greet her. Beatrice said, “Hey Xylia, you made it! Come on, have a seat.”


    Beatrice seemed a bit different from when Xylia had seen her at the


    At thepany, Beatrice had kept up an air of elegance, every move and gesture refined and measured.


    But now, the way she smiled looked like she’d just spotted fresh prey–Xylia couldn’t help but think she was acting like an old brothel madam sizing up a promising new girl.


    Beatrice ushered Xylia over and had her take a seat.


    The man sitting across from Xylia smiled gently at her.


    He was handsome, with refined features and a distinct schrly vibe–someone you could tell was a true bookworm.


    Beatrice gave Xylia an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Ms. Sadler. This is my son, Kevin Jennings. He just got back from overseas for his grandfather’s birthday celebration.”


    “I only remembered tonight to have a wee dinner for him, so I thought I’d just let him join us. I hope you don’t mind?”


    Xylia thought, ‘He’s already here and seated–what good would it do for me to say anything


    now?‘


    Though Xylia felt a bit put off, she made sure her face stayed perfectlyposed.


    “Not at all,” Xylia said with a faint smile. “Just feels a little low–key to have Mr. Jennings‘ wee dinner with me as your only guest–doesn’t that seem a bit bare–bones?”


    As soon as Xylia finished speaking, the looks on Beatrice and Kevin’s faces changed in an instant.


    They’d both assumed Xylia was mild–mannered and quietly sweet, the kind of girl who’d just bottle up any slight and never speak up.


    And yet here she was, tossing out such a cutting remark.


    Xylia was definitely not happy with how Beatrice had handled things.


    She thought, ‘Seriously? Who throws a wee dinner for their own son and just invites some outsider having a quick meal and calling it a celebration?‘


    <b>13:07 </b>Mon<b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>22 </b>


    :


    ‘It’s obvious this mother–son pair isn’t as innocent as they look.”


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    Beatrice put on a smooth act, pretending she hadn’t noticed the jab in Xylia’s words. She chuckled, “Oops, I guess I said that wrong. This isn’t really a wee dinner for Kevin. He just arrived in Norhill, and as his mom, of course I wanted to take him out for a bite.”


    After all, Xylia was her client.


    Xylia let it drop and didn’t say anything else.


    Once the food was served, Xylia just felt sick to her stomach the whole time she was eating.


    All through dinner, Beatrice wouldn’t stop trying to get Kevin and Xylia talking, insisting they were about the same age so they definitely had tons to talk about. She even kept bragging that Kevin knew a thing or two about fashion design himself–and that one of his buddies was some hotshot designer.


    ‘Even if Xylia was slow on the uptake, she couldn’t miss what Beatrice was really angling for,‘ Xylia thought.


    ‘Wait, is she honestly trying to y matchmaker between me and Kevin?‘ Xylia wondered.


    ‘But I’m from the Sadler family, and Beatrice knows that. Is she pulling this stunt just to mess with the Jennings family on purpose?‘ Xylia mused.


    Xylia’s face was turning downright frosty now–she didn’t even bother to hide how annoyed she was.


    She grabbed whatever excuse popped into her head and excused herself to the restroom for a breather.


    Once inside the restroom, Xylia dialed up Joshua.


    “Joshua, swing by and grab me in a little while,” Xylia said.


    “Already on my way,” Joshua answered. “You heading back to the Sadler family’s ce tonight?”


    Joshua sounded a bit cautious, but there was an unmistakable note of anticipation in his voice.


    Xylia didn’t hesitate. “I’m heading back to my apartment.”


    “Wait for me!” Joshua chirped–he sounded truly delighted.


    Xylia could practically hear how thrilled Joshua was.


    After hanging up, Xylia took a moment topose herself before heading back out.


    Just as she stepped out of the restroom, she found herself face to face with Kevin.


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    She really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Kevin or his mom right now–she didn’t even want to bother saying hello.


    Kevin was the first to speak.


    “Ms. Sadler, I apologize for my mother’s rudeness,” Kevin told her, sounding sincere.


    He actually gave her a respectful bow, his posture stiff with embarrassment.


    Xylia frowned. “I really don’t see why you have to drag me into your family’s mess.”


    Kevin was caught off guard–he hadn’t thought Xylia woulde out and say it like that.


    His


    gaze met Xylia’s eyes and caught a hint of disgust there. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment.


    “I’m really sorry. My mom can be a little much sometimes, but I promise, I had no intention of dragging you into this or trying to set you up. I sincerely apologize again for what happened today,” Kevin said, soundingpletely earnest.


    Kevin’s eyes were sincere.


    Xylia felt her frustration melting away, no matter how much she wanted to stay angry.


    ‘I just hope you and your mother can realize there are still old grudges between our families- it’s best not to let things go any further,‘ Xylia said.


    ‘You’ve


    got my word, Ms. Sadler. I’ll make sure to talk to my mom about this,‘ Kevin replied earnestly.


    Seeing he’d understood her meaning, Xylia chose not to say anything more.


    Xylia grabbed her bag from Kevin, didn’t say another word, and headed straight out of the restaurant without looking back.


    Xylia stood waiting at the entrance for about ten minutes until Joshua finally pulled up.


    When Joshua saw Xylia standing at the entrance with a stormy look on her face, he instantly frowned and hurried out of the car, heading straight for her.


    “What’s wrong?” Joshua asked, concern etched in his tone.


    Xylia scrunched her lips and threw her arms around him. “Turns out, Beatrice only invited me to dinner to y matchmaker with her son. Can you believe that?”


    :


    As soon as Xylia finished speaking, she felt the air around Joshua go icy cold.


    Xylia nced up and saw that his expression had turned downright murderous.


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    “Rx, Kevin wasn’t interested either. I bailed, saying I needed the bathroom, and got out of there,” Xylia said.


    “Let me go see for myself,” Joshua growled, his anger barely contained.


    Joshua released Xylia and was about to storm back inside, but she quickly grabbed his arm to stop him.


    “Forget it, Joshua. Beatrice is my client now–no need to make a scene. I already told her son straight up this won’t happen again,” Xylia said.


    Joshua was still fuming, his anger nowhere near fading.


    He thought, ‘Seriously? I step away from Xylia for just a moment and somebody’s already trying to move in on my girl?‘


    After much convincing, Xylia finally managed to coax Joshua back toward the car.


    Just then, Beatrice and Kevin came out of the restaurant, having finished their meal.


    Kevin trailed behind Beatrice, his head hanging low, while Beatrice walked ahead, her face set in a scowl.


    Joshua caught sight of them out of the corner of his eye, then smoothly reached back and took Xylia’s hand, pulling her along right toward Beatrice and Kevin.


    It wasn’t like Xylia could do anything to stop a jealous guy anyway.


    Plus, she figured, why not use this chance to shut down Beatrice’s matchmaking nonsense once and for all? So she just went along with Joshua, barely resisting.


    Beatrice was still pissed, nagging Kevin all the way about how he just didn’t appreciate all the stuff she’d done for him.


    She was mid–rant when, out of nowhere, two people suddenly appeared right in front of her.


    It was Xylia–who she thought had left–and Joshua, the privileged golden boy from the Garcia family.


    When Beatrice spotted the two of them holding hands, acting obviously close, her face darkened even more.


    She was sure Joshua hade to settle the score, so she was ready to talk her way out of it.


    But to her surprise, Joshua just smiled and said,


    35 vouchers


    “You must be Beatrice, right? Xylia talks about you all the time–says you’re the most worry- free client she’s ever had, and someone who really cares about her family. I heard you picked out only the finest fabrics for George Jennings‘ birthday gift. Clearly, you put a lot of heart into it. It’s truly my honor to finally meet you.”


    Beatrice was momentarily stunned, staring in surprise.


    ‘Well, who could stay upset after hearing such ttering words?’ she thought to herself.


    All the witty retorts she’d lined up in her mind scattered in an instant.


    Beatrice shed a courteous smile at Joshua. “You’re ttering me, Joshua. As the Garcia family’s only son, I bet you pull out all the stops for your parents‘ birthdays–anything I do can’tpare.”


    Joshua nodded, grinning. “Honestly? I never used to get my parents anything special for their birthdays. If I’d met Xylia back then, she would’ve totally designed my picky mom the perfect dress. After all, if it’s made by her own daughter–inw, my mom would be over the moon.”


    Beatrice instantly caught on to what Joshua was really hinting at.


    Xylia was part of the Garcia family now–anyone trying to set her up was just asking for trouble.


    Her smile stiffened awkwardly at the corners.


    Kevin’s shame was written all over his face as he dropped his head, not daring to look up.


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