Chapter 2121


    Noah had many friends, and in previous years, she used to stick close to him. Whenever Noah was


    roped into a new group chat, E was inevitably there as well.


    Take, for instance, the old neighborhood crew—friends from way back when, the sort who grew up


    on the same block and trudged to school together. As time marched on, they''d all spun off in their


    own orbits, somending in different cities, others hustling through the same ol’ town, but whenever


    a reunion cropped up, E would be there, mingling and melding with the crew as if she''d never


    been anything but one of the gang.


    This particr group was a bit looser with their banter than most.


    It was a Thursday night when E, fresh from a shower and cozied up in bed, noticed her phone


    buzzing with a barrage of messages from the gang. Amidst the chaos of notifications, her name was


    shing in a bold, beckoning red.


    Driven by curiosity, she tapped into the thread, only to be greeted by a chorus of congrattions for


    Noah.


    She clicked on the message that had tagged her: [@PrincessE, spill the beans! Who''s the lucky


    lady Noah''s snagged? Pics or it didn''t happen.]d2


    E blinked in disbelief. Noah''s got a girlfriend?


    Instinctively, she scrolled through the chat history and discovered that someone had shared their


    uing nuptials with a celebratory digital toast. After the initial wave of well-wishes, talk turned to


    the dwindling number of bachelors in the group, and naturally, all fingers pointed to Noah.


    Bombarded with tags and probably fed up, Noah had blurted out a bombshell: [Not single. Don’t


    bother sending me wedding gifts under a hundred grand.]


    [Damn!]


    [Holy smokes!]


    [The big shot at Visionary Productions keeping his love life under wraps?]


    [Which girl has he charmed?]


    [@PrincessE,e on, give us the deets on your new auntie-inw! Pics, please.]


    The chat erupted with further tagging, congrattions, and a burning curiosity that only intensified


    with E''s cryptic response. Her fingers hovered over the screen for an eternity before she finally


    tapped out a message, forcing a smile through the digital divide, her fingertips trembling above the


    keys. [Noment, folks. But let''s just say she is quite the looker.]


    Her yful deflection only stoked the group''s curiosity. In no time t, Noah added someone new to


    the chat: [Any questions? Ask her yourself.]


    A brief silence fell before the chat exploded again.


    [Damn, thedy herself?]


    [Really?]


    [The Mrs.?]


    [Hello everyone, I''m Reba.]


    [Wee to the family.]


    [Pics or it didn''t happen.]


    E quietly exited the chat, her mind reying the image of the woman she''d seen at the mansion.


    Noah and Reba truly seemed well-matched.


    The next day, Noah went public with the engagement.


    News outlets were all over the story, digging into Reba''s background. The Mintons—owners of P


    City''srgest private hospital, with their heiress Reba apparent holding a PhD and serving as a


    resident physician in their own medical facility.


    In theory, she could''ve snagged a senior position straightaway, but she chose to start from the


    ground up. Her actions were beyond reproach. Even as her identity became fodder for the inte,


    criticism was scarce. The public was too enamored with the match.


    Indeed, she was the woman E had encountered that fateful night. Apparently, Noah and Reba


    had known each other for ages—a fact that had entirely escaped E''s notice.


    Back at school, the engagement was all anyone could talk about. Some even approached E with


    cryptic congrattions on gaining such a stunning aunt-inw. She found it all quite amusing.


    Armed with her textbooks, E settled into a seat in the multimedia ssroom. Paul joined her


    shortly after. "You okay?"


    E nced at him, a wry smile ying on her lips, and nodded before diving into her book. "Is it


    that obvious?"


    "What is?"


    "My crush on my uncle."


    After a pause, Paul replied, "Very obvious."


    E simply nodded, her expression serene.


    Paul watched her for a moment. "What''s on your mind?"


    With a bitterugh, E said, "I am wondering, if he is so smart, how did he never see my tant


    attempts? And why did he let me stay close to him?"


    Paul furrowed his brow.


    *


    On Friday afternoon, Noah phoned E to pick her up for a trip back to the family home.


    Driving himself, he parked outside the school, catching sight of E through the car window. She


    was dressed in a simple blue and white striped sundress that entuated her delicate corbone,


    adorned with a red pendant ne that set off her fairplexion. Her hair cascaded over her


    shoulders, flowing with each step.


    At the school gate, E waved goodbye to her ssmates with a smile, then turned her gaze to his


    car. The smile on her face faded slightly, yet she still walked over.


    E thought she was doing quite well, although it was somewhat deliberate. However, when she


    instinctively put her hand on the handle of the passenger seat, the beautiful familiar face revealed


    by the slowly retracting car window still made her smile stiff for a moment. She instinctively looked


    at the driver''s seat, but all she could see was the well-defined hand resting on the steering wheel.


    After a few seconds, she quickly adjusted her emotions, greeted Reba with a smile. "Hey,


    Reba."


    Reba returned the smile warmly. "Hi there."


    E moved to the backseat, and as soon as she was in, Reba turned around to chat. They


    talked about E''s major, her life at school, and then the conversation naturally drifted to whether


    E had a boyfriend.


    E, no longer ying games to make Noah jealous, shook her head. "Not yet."


    "College is the best time for romance—such a wonderful age. With your smarts and looks, E, I bet


    you have plenty of suitors, right?"


    E smiled modestly. "A few." That was an understatement.


    Reba wasn''t surprised. "Then you have plenty of choices."


    "Right now, she''s focused on her studies. Romance can wait," Noah chimed in.


    Noah had been driving in silence when he suddenly cut Reba off with a cold voice.


    "When exactly do you n on dating if not in college?"


    "Young love can''t withstand the test of time. When graduationes, everyone would go their


    separate ways. It is a waste of emotions and time, and it is unnecessary."


    "So what if they go their separate ways? If they truly love each other, the girl will follow the boy


    wherever he goes, isn’t that right, E?"


    Ironically, while the conversation revolved around her, it was Reba and Noah who ended up in a


    heated debate, but then Reba swiftly brought E back into the fold.


    Caught off-guard, E took a moment to ponder before responding earnestly, "Sure."


    Reba shot a smug look at Noah. Noah''s expression, however, turned sharply grim, his lips


    pressed into a thin line. He remained silent for the rest of the journey. E, too, just passively


    chatted with Reba.


    It seemed Noah had given his family a heads-up because they showed no surprise at Reba''s


    arrival.


    Clutching her books, E stepped out of the car, trailing behind Reba, who had already looped


    her arm through Noah''s, heading towards the front door.


    Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Following at a slower pace, E couldn''t help but admire the picture they made.


    As she reached the entrance, the robustughter of Jon filled her ears. "Have a seat. Make yourself


    at home."


    "Thank you, Jon," Reba said, her ease and grace clearly winning Jon''s favor.


    Noah shed his coat and took a seat on the couch first. At Jon''s gesture, Reba settled beside


    him.


    E drew her gaze away and stepped through the foyer into the living room, "Grandpa, I''m home."


    Jon looked up with a warm smile, gesturing her over. "Met your future aunt-inw yet?"


    "Yep, I have."


    Jon’s sharp eyes stayed fixed on E’s face, searching for any sign of distress before pulling her to


    sit next to him. "I saw in the news, the engagement is set for July 17th, right?"


    Noah nodded, "Yeah, during the summer break. E will be free then, and she can even bring her


    friends along for fun."


    E forced a smile, wondering just how many times they intended to remind her of this event, even


    timing it with her vacation.


    "Hmm, do I need to pitch in for a gift?"


    The question might have sounded silly, but it earned her a burst ofughter from Jon. "You little


    rascal, you''re the younger generation. Of course, you don''t need to chip in. What''s going on in that


    little head of yours?"


    "So I''m just in charge of having fun?"


    "Exactly."


    Suddenly, Reba chimed in with a smile, "E could consider being my bridesmaid."


    The suggestion pulled Jon''s smile into a tight line. "Bridesmaid''s for the wedding ceremony. We''ll


    talk about that when the timees."


    E stood up, "Grandpa, I''m going upstairs to change. Just have Marina call me for dinner."


    Jon responded with a face full of indulgence."Alright, my dear."


    Dinner passed without incident, and Reba didn’t indulge in the sort of affectionate table-side


    exchanges seen with other women.


    However, Noah wasn''t staying the night at home. He was on his way, driving Reba back to the


    city. E wasn''t sure if they were headed to the Minton family home or his apartment. Just thinking


    about these things pricked at her heart.


    After dinner, taking advantage of Reba''s absence in the restroom, Jon addressed Noah with a


    stern look in front of E. "Have you really decided? Marriage is no joke, especially an alliance like


    this. If you ever want to back out, it won''t just be up to you. Noah, I''m asking you onest time, are


    you sure you want this marriage?"


    Noah''s face darkened, "I know what I''m doing. If I didn''t take marriage seriously, I wouldn''t have


    waited until now to make this decision."


    E understood his words. He was serious. He had respected marriage, which was why he had not


    rushed into it. He saw marriage as significant, and his decision to marry was a considered choice.


    E sat upright, her smile now seeming etched onto her face. "Uncle Noah," she finally couldn''t hold


    back, turning to face him under Grandpa''s and Noah''s watchful eyes, "do you love her?"


    Noah''s eyes clouded over with a dense fog, imprable. "It''s merely a carefully considered


    exchange of value."


    E stared at him, her expression one of shock and alienation. After a while, E chuckled lightly, as


    if she had just realized something.


    Jon pressed his lips together, saying nothing more.


    "It seems this is the difference between men and women. I don''t know what other women think, but


    to me, love is the food for the soul, and I must live for love at least once in my life. Although you''re


    my uncle, I can''t agree with you."


    She stood up and headed upstairs.


    Noah watched her retreating back, his eyes churning with tumultuous waves. Live for love, even


    once?


    Jon sighed, "Since you''ve made up your mind, I won''t meddle in your affairs. I''ve also talked to E


    about this, and her willingness to change is clear. By the way, she missed school on Monday, and


    that Reeves kid came to visit her. The kid is a decent fellow, with good grades and doesn''t hide his


    fondness for E. We have a good rtionship with the Reeves family, and I''ve been thinking,


    there''s no better match for E around here. I''m thinking of ying matchmaker when the time is


    right."


    Noah''s gaze lifted slowly to meet Jon''s, his voice deep, "E should focus on her studies right now.


    She''s not suited for a rtionship."


    "E''s so bright, what''s wrong with the two of them dating? They''re both outstanding kids, and they


    can grow together. Plus, I don''t have to worry about her choosing someone else and marrying far


    away where it''s hard for me to even see her.


    "I''ve checked; E gets along with him at school. This means she has a good impression of him,


    and with more time spent together, affection will naturally develop.


    "E''s affairs are not your concern. Your priority is your own engagement and future marriage, and


    then, your own children."