"How exactly do you expect me to help Caroline? Shove her into Noah''s bed?" Yvonne let out a derisiveugh. "What century are we in? Sleeping with someone doesn''t mean you have to marry them anymore."


    "That''s not what we meant," Mrs. James said quickly. "We were thinking you could introduce them. Let them get to know each other, build a connection. Once they have feelings for each other, marriage will naturally follow."


    Like most parents, they thought their child was the best.


    Caroline was in-looking, so they insisted she had a beautiful soul. In reality, she was dull, not particrly bright, and certainly not well-read.


    Yvonne thought that if they truly loved their daughter, they''d find her an ordinary man. The James family might be fading among the elite, but to a regr person, they were still wealthy.


    As a James, Caroline would be marrying down, and her husband would dote on her, giving her the emotional validation she needed for a happy life.


    But her parents wanted it all, and in doing so, they were wasting Caroline''s best years.


    "Noah and Cynthia Scott were childhood sweethearts. They have over twenty years of history," Yvonne said slowly. "If your daughter wants to build that kind of connection with him, she should probably start now. In another twenty years, they might be ready for marriage."


    "What does the Scott family have to do with this?" Mrs. James asked, confused.


    "You don''t know? Noah got divorced for Cynthia. She''s his childhood sweetheart, his first love, the one who got away. You want Caroline topete with the heiress of the Scott family for a man? Does she have a death wish?" Yvonne scoffed.


    Caroline was simple and naive, even more so than Karina. If she fell into Cynthia''s clutches, she wouldn''t survive the first episode.


    Cynthia was the type who wanted to have her cake and eat it too—she wanted the man, but also a pristine reputation. That was why no one in their social circle knew she was the one who had pushed for Noah''s divorce.


    Realizing their daughter stood no chance against Cynthia, Jerome and his wife looked dejected.


    Just then, Jeffrey returned.


    He frowned instinctively when he saw his aunt and uncle hovering around the bed.


    "Uncle, Aunt, what are you doing in here?"


    "We were worried, so we came to check on your mother," Mrs. James replied.


    "My mother isn''t going to wake up anytime soon. You should both leave," Jeffrey said coldly, dismissing them.


    Teresa was weak after her surgery, and too many people in the room wouldpromise the sterile environment.


    Having failed in their mission, the couple left in a sour mood.


    "They came to see you, didn''t they?" Jeffrey asked, looking at Yvonne.


    "Yes. They want me to set Caroline up with Noah," Yvonne replied.


    Jeffrey frowned. "Don''t get involved with the James family''s affairs. If Caroline fails to marry into the Thompson family, they won''t me their daughter; they''ll me you for not trying hard enough. And even if she seeds and ends up unhapay, they''ll still me you. It''s a no-win situation."


    Yvonne was surprised Jeffrey


    understood them so well. A smal smile touched her lips. "I already turned them down."


    "Good," he said, nodding. "Don''t you have a shoot tomorrow? You should go home work at the hospital, soz it''s easy for me to look after Mom. We can hire a nurse to help. If if she doesn''t make it through this I'' calf you for the funeral."