The Riverbend situation had be Eden''s leverage over the Walker family.


    Vincent''s face was dark as he stared coldly at him.


    Eden, however, just smiled. "Ynda and I may not have been dating for long, but we''re a good match in every way. Besides, we''re not getting any younger. We should settle our marriage ns soon."


    "A marriage between our families is a major event. nning a wedding takes time," Vincent said.


    "Then let''s get engaged first. Once Ynda and I are engaged, we''ll be family. Don''t you agree, Mr. Walker?" Eden finished, then drained his tea and set the cup back on the table.


    "I have other matters to attend to, so I won''t disturb you any further today... I''ll be waiting for your answer."


    After Eden left, Mrs. Walker came down from upstairs.


    Vincent''s face was grim, but he didn''t take his anger out on his wife. Instead, he asked in a low voice, "Where''s Ynda?"


    "In her room. I tried talking to her, but she wouldn''t listen. I don''t think she truly likes Eden," Mrs. Walker sighed.


    Vincent replied, "With a gem like Bet as aparison, of course Eden doesn''t measure up in her eyes. But he''s in the same boat as us now; we need to make him one of our own. Talk to Ynda and tell her to stop being so willful. Eden is the eldest son of the Thompson family. He''s a barely eptable match for her."


    Mrs. Walker nodded. "Yes, I understand."


    ...


    Yvonne and Bet went on their date.


    They first saw a newly released romance movie and then found an upscale restaurant nearby for dinner.


    The food at the Thompson family dinner had beenvish, but thepany had ruined their appetites, so neither of them had eaten much.


    Bet ordered a table full of Yvonne''s favorite dishes. Yvonne tried to restrain herself, but she still ended up eating too much.


    "If Sandra finds out, she''ll kill me. I have an audition next week. Eating so much tonight is going to make me gain weight What if floob b?d on camera?"


    "Bad? Let me see." Bet gently took her chin in his hand, his deep eyes gazing


    at her as he chuckled. "You don''t look bad. I like it."


    He then closed his eyes slightly and leaned in to kiss her lips.


    After leaving the restaurant, Bet drove Yvonne back to Cherry Bay.


    He didn''t spend the night, instead driving straight back to the military base.


    He was busy for the entire week. The one day of leave he got, he had to spend apanying Emma to meet an old friend.


    Nelly Zade was Emma''s best friend from their younger days. Nelly had married and moved abroad with her husband, and the two hadn''t seen each other in years.  fo


    Now that Nelly was back in the country, Emma naturally had to host a wee- back dinner for her.


    Emma chose a century-old restaurant in Istra, an upscale establishment favored by the city''s elite.


    Bet followed Emma through a corridor toward their reserved room.


    Inside the private room, Nelly had already arrived. She wasn''t alone; she had brought her daughter, Mignon Powell.


    "So sorry, the traffic was terrible. We''rete," Emma said as she and Bet entered.


    Nelly stood up from her seat, smiling and opening her arms to embrace Emma. "Emma, it''s been so many years!"


    "It has. After all this time, how do


    ''el


    you still look the same? So young and beautiful. You must be an enchantress in disguise," Nelly teased with augh.


    ет


    "Oh, stop it, don''t make fun of me," Emma said, then pulled Bet forward to introduce him.


    "This is your godson, Bet."


    "Bet has grown so much! What a handsome young man," Nelly said with a smile, her eyes subtly sizing him up.