The Contract Said No Strings Attached (Charlotte) novel Chapter 25

"Years ago, Hugh Austin owed me a favor. If I ask, the Austin family won’t dare refuse."

The old man grunted again.

"And besides, our Thomson family is no less than theirs—we've just always kept a lower profile. A marriage between our two families would be a powerful alliance. What right do the Austins have to object?"

His words left everyone stunned.

"An arranged marriage?"

Rebecca had never heard anything about being promised to someone as a child.

But the silence in the living room lasted barely a heartbeat.

A chorus of objections erupted almost instantly.

"No way!"

That came from Matthew.

He strode up to his grandfather and spoke respectfully, "Grandpa, this is Becky’s entire future we’re talking about. Isn’t this all a bit hasty? That old promise was nothing more than a gentleman’s agreement—it doesn’t have to mean anything."

The old man faltered, his thick brows drawing together.

Samuel quickly joined in. "Grandpa, our family is already strong. There’s no need to sacrifice Becky’s happiness for some business alliance. It’s completely unnecessary!"

Even William, always the gentle one, couldn’t hold back. "Becky’s still so young. Talking about marriage now is far too early—I don’t agree, either!"

Michael chimed in, "Seriously, who still does arranged marriages these days? People fall in love on their own now—this isn’t the Middle Ages."

"You—You—you ungrateful brats! What do you know? All of you, shut up!"

The old man’s face was turning purple. His glare could have burnt holes through them.

Crystal’s heart leapt—her chance was back! These four brothers were absolute lifesavers.

She shot her hand in the air, desperate to speak up. "Grandpa, I—I—" Mar—

Before she could finish, the old man slapped his knee and thundered, "Not another word out of any of you! You know nothing! Quiet!"

Crystal: "..."

Everyone: "..."

The moment his words dropped, the room fell silent.

The four younger children shrank into themselves, terrified. When adults argued, kids knew better than to speak up.

Off to the side, Sunny was on the verge of panic. She tugged at her husband’s sleeve, frantically signaling George to step in and reason with the old man.

She only had one beloved daughter—no way was she letting Rebecca get married off like this.

George, of course, had no intention of agreeing either. He’d only joked about it earlier, but the minute it became real, the thought of giving away his little girl made his heart ache.

As soon as the old man left, the living room erupted.

Sunny collapsed into George’s arms, sobbing. "Please, you have to talk to Dad. Make him take it back. I don’t want our daughter to get married…"

"I just got her back after all these years apart. She’s already suffered so much out there—how can I bear to see her go through more? It would kill me!"

George was lost for words. His father had never been one to change his mind, and convincing him now would be next to impossible.

He patted his wife’s back, trying to comfort her. "Don’t worry. I’ll try again. We still have two months before the wedding. There’s time—maybe things will change."

Sunny clung to George’s shirt, both furious and heartbroken. "Dylan’s thirty, for heaven’s sake! Why should my only daughter marry a man six years older than her? No—she won’t do it!"

"Exactly! There’s no way we’re letting Becky marry that old guy Dylan!"

The four brothers were fuming, and the moment their grandfather left, they let loose.

"Dylan? He’s not good enough for Becky—he doesn’t even come close!"

"If you ask me, no man on earth is worthy of Becky!"

"Grandpa must be losing his mind. There’s no way I’m letting this happen..."

Crystal listened, barely able to hide her delight. She hardly needed to do anything—her brothers would stop this marriage for her.

She squeezed out a couple of tears and joined the chorus. "Yeah, I can’t bear to see my sister leave, either. I’ve only just gotten home—I haven’t even had time to spend with her yet. I don’t want her to marry into the Austin family!"