CHAPTER 14: CHAPTER 14: DON’T FALL IN LOVE WITH HIM

Beside the man stood a woman in a black evening dress, who looked like a well-educated lady from a prestigious family, and she followed with a greeting, "Hello, Grandpa."

Old Master Warner smiled happily, "Shane, Vincent, it’s been a while since you’ve last met, hasn’t it?"

Hearing this name, Audrey Sutton remembered who this man was.

The Warner family had two young masters, one was Shane Warner, the other was Vincent Warner.

Each was outstanding and had quite a reputation.

There were always rumors that the two were vying for the position of heir, and that they did not get along.

After Old Master Warner asked, Shane Warner did not respond, not even bothering to smile, and he did not glance at Vincent Warner from start to finish.

Audrey Sutton was certain that the rumors of their discord were true.

But she felt it wasn’t as simple as fighting for inheritance; her intuition told her there was more behind it.

Vincent Warner glanced at Shane Warner, smiled lightly, and replied to his grandfather, "Shane’s company is busy going public, so he’s been quite busy recently and we haven’t seen each other for some time."

Old Master Warner looked at Shane Warner earnestly and said, "Business is important, but the family shouldn’t fall apart."

Shane Warner still didn’t speak.

"Shane," Grandpa called out to him, "it’s been so long since your brother’s matter happened. Regardless of the truth, I hope you can let it go. In the future, the Warner family will rely on you and Vincent. An old man like me doesn’t know how many days I have left. Right now, there are many people coveting the Warner family from the outside, so you need to unite to keep the family from falling apart. Do you understand?"

Shane Warner nodded, softly saying "Hmm."

Only then did Audrey Sutton find out that Shane Warner had an older brother.

After greeting his grandfather, Shane Warner took Audrey Sutton with him and walked away, seemingly not wanting to interact more with Vincent Warner.

"Hungry?"

Audrey Sutton snapped back from her thoughts and nodded.

Shane Warner then took her to the dining area. Audrey Sutton glanced at him and then asked, "You have an older brother?"

"I used to, not anymore."

Audrey Sutton paused, understanding what that meant, "I’m sorry."

He smiled at her and said, "Why are you apologizing?"

"I shouldn’t have brought it up."

"Do you think I’m such a fragile person?" he said lightly, then reached out for a plate of snacks from the rack, asking her, "Do you like this?"

Audrey Sutton nodded, "You like sweets too?"

He shook his head, "Just thought you would."

Audrey Sutton thought that made sense; with his fitness regime, he probably wouldn’t eat high-calorie foods.

Sure enough, he only ate a steak and drank half a glass of wine, while the snacks he got were mostly eaten by Audrey Sutton.

Audrey Sutton found them especially delicious. They were just a small portion, and she didn’t get enough, but was too embarrassed to get more.

"Wait here for me, I’ll go handle something and be back soon."

Audrey Sutton nodded, as she also didn’t want to walk around in heels.

After he left, Audrey Sutton went to get more snacks.

"It goes better with some juice." Just as these words were spoken, a glass of juice was placed next to her hand.

Audrey Sutton looked up to see that it was the woman in the black evening dress who was with Vincent Warner earlier, likely his date or wife.

Audrey Sutton leaned towards the latter.

The woman sat down across from her, smiling as she asked, "You are Shane’s wife, right?"

Audrey Sutton scrutinized her, unclear of her intentions, and did not hastily answer her question.

The woman smiled apologetically, "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Chloe Swift, Vincent’s wife. You should call me sister-in-law."

Seeing that Chloe Swift seemed harmless, Audrey Sutton finally asked her, "Is there something you wanted to discuss with me?"

Chloe Swift swirled the glass in her hand, took a sip of the wine, and said, "Just wanted to chat with you. I heard you were a last-minute bride at the wedding, so I was quite interested in you."

Audrey Sutton frowned slightly, unsure of Chloe Swift’s intentions.

"He doesn’t love you, does he?" Chloe Swift asked.

Although Audrey Sutton knew that Shane Warner didn’t love her, hearing someone say it so bluntly made her uncomfortable. She furrowed her brows slightly, wanting to respond with "Mind your own business," but worried it would be rude.

Before she could respond, Chloe Swift finished the rest of the wine in her glass with a slightly bitter smile, and said calmly, "After all, he doesn’t love me either. Their marriage is the same; it’s all about interest, not love."

Audrey Sutton then understood that she was just a woman troubled by love.

"You probably don’t know this, but they chose to marry because Grandpa said only married men are eligible to inherit his estate. So they were eager to find a woman to marry, regardless of who it was."

On Shane Warner’s wedding day, when Audrey Sutton eavesdropped, she heard similar remarks, but didn’t know it was because of Grandpa’s inheritance.

At the time, she didn’t think much about it, she just rushed out impulsively.

Chloe Swift smiled at Audrey Sutton and said, "Maybe once Grandpa passes away, and the heir is settled, they’ll choose to divorce, and we’ll just be pawns."

Audrey Sutton paused and said, "Then why not make him love you?"

Chloe Swift reacted as if she’d heard the joke of the century, "Don’t be naive. People like them can give up love for the sake of interest. Love, to them, is just a hindrance."

Audrey Sutton thought she was too pessimistic, yet felt everything she said made sense.

Chloe Swift stood up, smiled, and advised Audrey Sutton, "Take sister’s advice, don’t fall in love with him, and don’t get too involved, so you can leave cleanly when the time comes."

Audrey Sutton blankly watched Chloe Swift step away in her high heels, then looked again at Shane Warner, who was discussing something with several men in suits.

Leave cleanly?

But why must one choose to leave?

To them, love may be dispensable, but wouldn’t it also be a blessing?

Since she had already taken the most difficult step, she wanted to fight for her love.

No matter why he married her, be it for use or as a pawn, she would work hard to maintain this marriage.

Would he really mention divorce after Grandpa passes away?

"Knock, knock——" The sound of knuckles tapping on the table pulled Audrey Sutton back from her thoughts. Looking up, she saw Shane Warner softly speaking to her, "Let’s go."

Audrey Sutton glanced at the unfinished snacks in front of her, her mood affected and lost her appetite. Holding her dress, she stood up from the chair, looked at his outstretched hand, paused, then reached out to take it.

"What’s the matter? You seem distracted."

Her thoughts were easy to guess, as every emotion was written on her face.

Ordinarily like a quirky little bunny, being silent and absent-minded definitely meant something was up.

Audrey Sutton looked at him, opened her mouth to speak but hesitated.

She didn’t want him to know she was troubled by his affairs, afraid he’d laugh at her.

So she changed her words, "I’m just a bit tired."

"Didn’t you say you usually stay up playing until midnight before going back to the dorm?"

Audrey Sutton replied gloomily, "Today I’m tired."

"Really? I was planning to take you out to have some fun, but it seems unnecessary now."

At this, Audrey Sutton’s spirit was instantly revived, and she asked him eagerly, "Where to have fun?"

Shane Warner glanced down at her, "Not tired anymore?"

Audrey Sutton grumbled, "Just now it was too boring, something fun of course makes me not tired."

Shane Warner smiled and said, "Wait for me by the door, I’ll go get the car."