Filed To Story: Finding the Secret Daddy for My Baby Novel
While she was doing her laundry, she received a call from Connor.
“Ellie, I’ll take you out for lunch today,” Connor said on the other end of the phone.
“Uncle Connor, it’s fine, I…”
“Do you not have any respect for me anymore? It’s just a simple meal. We haven’t seen each other for some time, no?” he pressed, his tone holding a hint of elderly authority.
At that, Ellen had no choice but to agree. “Okay, Uncle Connor.”
“I’ll pick you up at noon.
“It’s fine. Just tell me the address, and I’ll take a cab myself.”
“Fine by me. I’ll send the address to you later.” Upon saying that, Connor hung up.
Ellen let out a sigh. In fact, she preferred to be by herself as eating with her uncle’s family was constraining for her.
At half past ten, Connor sent the address and urged her to be there on time. She agreed, and at eleven o’clock, she went out and took a taxi, heading straight for the restaurant.
Due to the traffic, she arrived a little late and was led into a private room by the waiter soon after. There, she saw three other people that looked like a family at the table in addition to Connor and Olivia.
“Ellie, you’re here. Quick, come and have a seat.” Connor greeted her enthusiastically, pulling out a chair for her.
Ellen was a little bewildered by the sight. Wasn’t she supposed to eat with Connor and his family? Why were there strangers here?
She smiled politely and greeted, “Good to see you, Uncle Connor and Aunt Olivia.”
“Ellie, here, let me introduce you to them.” Connor said to her, “This is my old friend, Murray Fuller, and beside him is his wife, Christina. And this man here is their son, Harvey Fuller.”
Ellen gave the couple a courteous smile before glancing at the young man. “Nice to meet you.”
“Wow, she’s gorgeous!” Christina praised, grinning from ear to ear.
“Of course, she is. All of the girls in our family are pretty,” Olivia immediately replied.
Harvey immediately got up to pour tea for Ellen, and she hurriedly thanked him. Ever since Ellen entered the room, Harvey’s eyes had been glued to her face. He thought his date today would be just an ordinary girl, but he didn’t expect the heavens to give him such a huge surprise.
Ellen was one of the innocent yet pure girls whom he rarely saw. In particular, the sweet way she smiled put him in a better mood at first glance. Moreover, he had been informed about Ellen while he was on his way to the restaurant. She was a relocatee from Lockwood Village, and she even had a small fortune. Who wouldn’t like a beautiful and wealthy woman?
Just then, the dishes were served, and the two families ate while chatting. Ellen only had a few bites when she heard Connor’s voice. “Ellie is beautiful and kind-hearted, but she seems lonely from living alone for a while now.”
Hearing that, Ellen hurriedly explained, “Uncle Connor, I’m doing good. I’m not lonely.”
“Ellie, Connor just wants you to have someone to take care of you and protect you, to give you a shoulder to lean on,” Olivia said.
Ellen’s heart skipped a beat as she had an epiphany. Did Connor invite her for a meal to set her up on a blind date? Was he trying to introduce her to a man?
At that moment, Christina began to praise her son. “Harv really is the ideal man! He has the personality and looks, and he’s capable too. He’s definitely the best candidate as a boyfriend and a husband.”
“Of course. He looks talented to me.” Although Olivia inwardly despised this family, she enthusiastically agreed with them on the surface.
Instantly, Harvey took the initiative and said to Ellen, “Miss Reiss, do you mind if we exchange contacts? I heard that you’re working in Presgrave Group, and it so happens that I work nearby. I’m sure we can meet up for a cup of coffee next time.”
She was about to refuse, but Olivia immediately picked up her phone and said, “Oh! I have Ellie’s phone number here. I’ll give it to you, so write it down!”
Ellie felt helpless but didn’t have the nerves to lose her temper. Hence, she watched as Olivia gave Harvey her phone number, who happily called her afterward. “This is my number.”
Without beating around the bush, Christina said, “Miss Reiss, I heard that you’ve been relocated. You’re so lucky! That place used to be worth nothing, but I heard that many of the relocatees have become millionaires now!”
Ellen gave her an awkward yet courteous smile.
“Well, you’re not wrong about that. Ellie has always been lucky.” Olivia could tell that the Fullers were happy with Ellen, and she quickly added her two cents.
After three glasses of wine, Connor began to speak more bluntly, saying to Ellen, “Look, Ellie, I’m going to be honest with you. Murray has been my colleague for many years, and his son, Harvey, is a good boy, so I want to match you two together. Once you get married, both of our families will become in-laws and will be able to help each other out.”
Ellen’s mind went blank, and she hurriedly waved her hands in disagreement. “Uncle Connor, I’m not looking to get into a relationship any time soon, much less marriage.”
“Oh sweetie, girls have to get married eventually! How nice is it to have someone you can rely on and who would take care of you?” Olivia cajoled from the side.
Ellen’s face flushed red with anger. She deeply regretted showing up for this meal.
“Miss Reiss, as long as you marry our son, we promise to treat you like our own daughter,” Christina added, expressing her sincerity.
Murray nodded as well. “Although our family is not that well off, we’ll definitely treat you well.”
At a glance, Ellen could see that the Fullers were dressed averagely, and that Murray always had a sense of inferiority in front of Connor, as if he was not confident and was constantly trying to please him. While Ellen did not look down on them, there was nothing sincere about their faces. In fact, as they were saying nice things on the surface, their eyes were constantly sizing her up.
“Not bad, Ellie. Our families know each other well, and you shouldn’t be too picky at your age. As a girl, it’s about time for you to get married.” Connor was still a chauvinist in some ways, and he spoke without considering her feelings.
With Ellen’s meek appearance, no one could figure out her emotions and they assumed that she was an easygoing person and that she would even agree to marry someone on a whim. However, while she was indeed an easygoing person, when it came to marriage, she would definitely not be fooled simply.
“Uncle Connor, Aunt Olivia, I’m done with my meal. I have some other matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first. Upon saying that, Ellen picked up her bag and fled the scene without another word.
If she stayed any longer, she might forget about maintaining Connor’s pride and throw a tantrum right then and there.
Connor and Olivia exchanged a glance, and the latter immediately chided, “How dare that girl embarrass us like this!”
Despite Ellen’s actions, Christina laughed benevolently. “Oh, it’s fine. Girls are always shy! I’ll just tell Harv to contact her more in the future.”
From the way Christina was constantly placing food on his plate and urging him to eat, it was clear from a glance that Harvey was a mommy’s boy. Knowing this, Olivia sneered inwardly. If Ellen married into this family, her days would definitely be difficult as Christina didn’t look like she was easy to deal with.
After leaving, Ellen walked some distance before she was suddenly unable to suppress her frustration and her tears flowed out. Why was Connor doing this? Couldn’t she just live a good life alone? Had they ever considered her feelings when they did this?
Once lunch ended, Connor and Olivia had other business and took their leave, while the Fullers still remained seated. Without any outsiders around, the family no longer had any regard for their conversation.
“Harvey, it’s up to you to win Ellen over. Once you do, make her pay half of the down payment, then you can pay your mortgage off together. Since she’s rich, you don’t have to worry about not being able to pay.”
“Mom, I’ll definitely make her your daughter-in-law,” Harvey promised.