Eddison turned back as he heard Amosâ voice. Amos and Jarred happened to come out from the study room.
They had probably overheard his conversation with Eudora just then.
At the thought of that, he no longer beat around the bush as he said candidly, âI wonât accept a forced marriage.â
Jarred burst into a rage right away. He said, âIs this how youâre going to treat me?â
âThe news about Rachel and me is unreal. Nothing has happened between us. If you still have doubts, I can repeat all the details of the matter once again. It would be impossible for me to marry her.â
âDo-donât go too far!â
Jarred couldnât help but cough, and Amos said coldly to his son.
Amos said coldly to his son, âEddison, Mr. Gellert and I have already agreed that the wedding will be held in three days. You canât go anywhere until then.â
Eudora was also shocked by the announcement.
âWhy is this so sudden?â
Amos smiled at Eudora and said, âItâs okay, donât worry.â
Eddison was utterly dumbfounded as he said, âI wonât agree to this. This is your decision and it has nothing to do with me!â
After that, he was about to leave the house.
With a look from Amos, Charlie came out of nowhere and intercepted him.
âIâm sorry to offend you, Young Master Eddison!â
âThe same goes for you, Uncle Charlie!â
The two people quickly got into a fight. Although Eddison had learned some skills about fighting, he hadnât really enjoyed the process, thus he couldnât master the skills properly. Naturally, he was defeated by Charlie.
It didnât take long for him to be vanquished.
âYoung Master Eddison, you should listen to Mr. Grangerâs orders. Donât make trouble!â
âUncle Charlie, I have never begged you for anything before. If you let me go today, I will appreciate it forever.â
Charlie frowned and looked at Amos.
âThe secret guards of the Granger family will only follow orders from the head of the family. Iâm sorry, Young Master Eddison!â
With those words, he walked towards Amos while grabbing Eddisonâs arm.
âMr. Granger.â
âBring him back to the room. Keep an eye on him. He isnât allowed to go out.â
âYes, Mr. Granger!â
The living room then returned into a state of quietness. Upon receiving a satisfactory answer, Jarred decided to leave.
Only then did Eudora step forward and look at Amos. She asked, âWhy donât you listen to Eddisonâs explanation? Perhaps he really has his own difficulties.â
âDifficulties? Just listen to me and everything will be alright.â
Eudora failed to comprehend his actions.
âDidnât we agree that weâll never force our children to do anything? Is there something youâre hiding from me?â
Amos replied, âNo! Iâve already said that I am doing this for his own good. He might not be able to understand my actions now, but he will thank me in the future!â
Obviously, Amos failed to convince Eudora.
However, she knew that she would not be able to obtain any information out of Amos if he didnât want to say it. Hence, she simply pretended that she had been persuaded.
Her pretense, of course, could not escape Amosâs eyes. Consequently, the two of them just played dumb for the time being.
â¦
In the evening, loud noises could be heard from Eddisonâs room from time to time.
He was wreaking havoc inside. Tried as he might, he couldnât change Amosâ decision.
He had even thrown the food out when the dinner was sent into his room.
It was not until his mobile phone rang that he realized Amos had actually forgotten to take it away.
Looking at the number on the mobile screen, which indicated that the call was from Sierra Campbell, he hurriedly pulled himself together, and calmly picked up the call.
âHi, Sierra!â
On the other end of the line was Sierraâs laughter. She said, âEddison, have you been very busy lately? Why havenât you come back to school?â
Hearing Sierraâs voice, whom he had a crush on, he was thrilled.
He tried his best to restrain his glee.
âYeah, Iâm busy with some issues, but Iâll settle them soon.â
Sierra was still as gentle as before. She paused and said, âThatâs great! Take care of yourself! Oh, by the way, Iâm calling you because I want to share a piece of good news with you. Do you remember the competition that I participated in? I took first place.â
Eddisonâs dejection was dispelled in an instant as he asked, âReally?â
At that moment, what was left in his heart was just sheer happiness for Sierra. He told her, âCongratulations, Sierra!â
She smiled and said, âThank you! We all are going out to celebrate tonight. I was thinking that maybe you could join us, so I called you. Itâs a pity that you havenât come back yet.â
To him, her words were so tender that she lifted his spirit, just like an angel.
Eddison pursed his lips and said, âItâs okay. We can have another gathering after I go back.â
âSure! Then, Iâll head out now. Come back earlier!â
After saying that, she was about to hang up on the call. Eddison stopped her, âSierra!â
âWhatâs the matter?â
He wanted to confess his love to her, but the words stuck in his throat, âIâ¦â
He had not dared to say anything about his feelings. As he was being grounded, he suddenly felt that only Sierra could invigorate him.
Sierra seemed to have felt that he was about to say something but stopped on a second thought. So, she asked, âYes?â
âEddie, whatâs wrong? You can be frank with me. I wonât tell the others, okay?â
It was that kind, gentle tone of hers that caused him to be captivated by her.
When he went to that school for the first time, Sierra was the first person to guide him around. Back then, she had also adopted such a gentle tone, saying that he was like a cute little brother.
He didnât want to become like a little brother to anyone, but when she spoke to him in that way with a smile, he felt that he was enlivened.
At that moment, he seemed to have understood why Benedict was so obsessed over Naomi.
Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind.
âSierra, I like you!â
There was a pause of half a second before she gave a chuckle.
âEddie, I like you too!â
Upon hearing that, he was on cloud nine, feeling as if his heart had stopped. Did it mean that Sierra had accepted his confession and liked him back too?
âSilly Eddie, of course I like you a lot! Well, they are urging us to hurry up. I have to hang up now. When youâre back, Iâll treat you to a meal too. Goodbye!â
In sooth, he had failed to hear the rest of her words. âI like you a lot!â was all he had heard.
He couldnât believe his ears.
He felt that he was the happiest person at the moment. He told himself that he must not give in for Sierraâs sake. He resolved to fight against the forced marriage.
â¦
Eudora had fallen asleep when Amos came back to their room.
Even though she had fallen asleep, her brow was still tightly knitted. It was obvious that something was troubling her.
He knew that she had not been convinced of the soundness of his motives in forcing Eddison. She must have a lot of questions to ask him.
However, they knew each other too well after so many years of marriage, and they were not willing to be suspicious of each other, therefore they could suppress their uneasiness.
Nevertheless, he couldnât tell her the truth. In fact, he wanted her to rest, and undergo proper treatment for her illness. He knew that she would not do so unless their children had settled down and had their own families. If she were to find out his actions were all for her sake, she would never agree to them.
She would always behave that way. She would rather sacrifice herself than to allow anyone around her to get hurt.
He stretched his hand out and unknitted her brows. Then, he quietly laid down on the bed, and held her in his arms while closing his eyes.
He said softly and affectionately, âYou mean everything to me, and I will do anything for you.â
He wished to stand by her side for the rest of his life.