Someone found that there was something wrong with the atmosphere and changed the topic. "If I'm not mistaken, Daniel has been gone for over ten years. Now that she is paying us a visit, I'm wondering what she's up to."
"What else but to send her well-wishes to the Old Master?" Someone said.
"I don't think so. Ever since Daniel passed away, our family has been sending invitations to the Lin family whenever we host parties. However, the Lins haven't attended any of our parties over the years. Instead, they have sent well-wishes through a phone call or delivered gifts over to us."
"For over ten years, we haven't been particularly close. Aside from the occasional exchange of greetings over the phone, Daniel's daughter has not paid us a visit at all. Why the sudden visit now though?"
"Erm..." For a moment, everyone was at a loss and a little befuddled.
At this moment, Holden suddenly exclaimed, as if he had thought of something, "Could this be the reason?" "What's the reason?" Everyone's attention was fixated on him.
Holden looked at Taegan and said, "Dad, do you remember the last time Daniel came over to our home before he passed away? That night, the both of you drank a lot. Soren had just returned from school."
"At that time, you talked about Soren. Daniel said he had a daughter whose age was about the same as Soren. He suggested matchmaking the both of them if compatibility wasn't an issue."
"Dad, you were all tipsy and mellow after some drinks. Hence, you agreed to his suggestion immediately. You said the Zhous and the Lins would be closer through this marriage."
All members of the Zhou family were astounded. Taegan was deep in thought too.
A straight shooter herself, Annie remarked, "Dad, I think you' re trying to say that Quin is aware of Soren's marriage and that her intention of coming over now is to mess things up so that the wedding will be called off and she can marry Soren thereafter."
Just as she uttered these words, many members of the Zhou family were taken aback.
Samantha protested, "I'll be the first to oppose it if she has the guts to do so. Eudora is good enough for Soren."
"That Lin family from Bay City only owns a smalltime cosmetics company. Though they can be considered a business owner, the level of their wealth and social status is a far cry from that of the Tao family's!"
"It goes beyond a simple mismatch. Truth be told, the Lin family is not worthy enough to be placed alongside the Tao family to begin with!"
"The way I see it, Quin Lin is after our family's social influence."
"We don't condone this kind of behaviour. I think we need to ask her to make a move. As for the invitation to the birthday party, we'd like her to pass on it too."
HHH
The members of the Zhou family got into a frenzy of heated discussion. At this moment, Taegan snorted and exclaimed, "Silence."
Everybody quietened down and looked at him.
He said, "Those are merely suppositions. How can you claim it with such assurance? I know Daniel well enough. His daughter shouldn't be that bad of a girl."
"What’s more, we aren't sure that she's here because of the prearranged marriage. We can't just turf her out of the house as we please." "But Dad, that's clearly the reason she's here,"
Samantha objected. "Daniel's dead. Surely his company isn't doing well. The girl got wind of Soren's marriage, hence she came all the way here."
Taegan snorted and said, "What do you mean? Those are merely your assumptions."
As they were eating and chatting, the place was buzzing with excitement.
Suddenly, a cold voice came from the side, "Are you Quin Lin?"
Quin turned her head and looked in the direction of the voice. An 18-year-old girl stood before her. Decked out in designer labels and flanked by two strong men who looked like bodyguards, she was unquestionably a rich man's daughter.
"You are..." Quin looked at the woman and asked.
The girl replied, "My name is Annie. Soren is my brother."
"Annie and Soren?" Quin could not recall. She furrowed her brows and thought about it for a while before she managed to jog her memory. "You're Taegan Zhou's granddaughter, aren't you?"
"Yes, that's right." Annie's face was aglow with pride.
Then, she glanced sideways at the food that Quin and Fade were eating. She sneered and said, "No doubt about it, your company is in such bad shape that you can’t even afford a proper meal. It's not surprising then that you came all the way to East Stream City to meet my brother. Naha!"
"Miss Zhou, I don't get what you're trying to say,"
Quin frowned as she asked.
"Feigning innocence, huh?" Annie snorted coldly and slammed the table. With a face aglow with haughtiness, she scowled at Quin and said, "I'll stop beating around the bush then and get straight to the point. I’m here for the simple reason of asking you to give up and stop scheming to pursue my brother. He's about to get engaged. You don't stand a chance. Get out of East Stream City as soon as possible."
"Miss Zhou, I don't get you," Quin explained. "I’m here in East Stream City to send my well wishes to Old Master Zhou. I have no other intentions."
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