Chapter 62 Family Dinner\u00a0<\/p>\n
54\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Clara came running through the house, shouting at the top of her lungs, \u201cGrandpa! Grandma! Dad! Mom! Auntie brought home a super handsome man!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Witnessing Clara\u2019s enthusiastic announcement, Scarlett turned to Nolan with an apologetic look. \u201cI\u2019m sorry about that. She\u2019s always this excitable. Please don\u2019t mind her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan, who had been steadily supporting Scarlett\u2019s arm, didn\u2019t let go. He smiled warmly at her. \u201cShe\u2019s absolutely delightful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s head inside,\u201d Scarlett suggested. \u201cPlease stay for dinner before you leave.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan had no intention of refusing. With a smile, he readily agreed, \u201cOf course.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thanks to Clara\u2019s loud proclamations, Henry and Diana came to the entrance to greet them. Violet appeared as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing Nolan, their faces broke into welcoming smiles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During dinner, Henry insisted Nolan join him for drinks. Scarlett tried to intervene, but Nolan gently cut her off. \u201cIt\u2019s quite alright, just a small amount.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Diana added her support, leaving Scarlett with no further room to object.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nathan didn\u2019t intervene in the drinking, but he remained largely quiet, not engaging much in conversation with Nolan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Throughout the meal, however, Nathan kept stealing discreet glances at their guest.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His first impression? Though Nolan had arrived empty-handed, his demeanor and conversation seemed respectful and sincere.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nathan couldn\u2019t help comparing him to Vincent, thinking this man\/seemed far superior to that arrogant jerk.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If Scarlett were to end up with someone like Nolan, her life might actually turn out well.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett could easily guess what her family was thinking. She kept her head down, focusing on her food, trying not to pay attention to the conversation flowing between Henry and Nolan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Still, she couldn\u2019t help overhearing snippets of Henry recounting stories from her childhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan listened intently, occasionally glancing toward Scarlett with a soft expression, and even thoughtfully picked out dishes to place in her bowl.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing that Nolan seemed to be enjoying himself, and knowing she couldn\u2019t realistically stop the proceedings, Scarlett resigned herself to letting her family have their way.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The dinner stretched on. Eventually, Clara grew sleepy, but Henry and Nolan were still deeply engaged in their drinks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Noticing Clara\u2019s tiredness, Nathan stood and scooped her up. He didn\u2019t want to lecture his father, but felt\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:05 Thu, Jan 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 62 Family Dinner\u00a0<\/p>\n
compelled to remind him, \u201cDad, that\u2019s enough. You\u2019ve had plenty for tonight.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Henry waved a dismissive hand. \u201cI know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nathan said nothing more, simply carrying a drowsy Clara upstairs, with Violet following close behind.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With Nolan still present as a guest, Scarlett felt obligated to remain at the table to keep him company.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It was nearly 10:30 PM when Diana finally succeeded in persuading Henry to stop.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The two men had finished two bottles of liquor, roughly a pound between them. Nolan appeared to be holding his alcohol well, but Henry, being older, became unwell. After being sick, he was assisted back to his room by one of the housemaids.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Concerned about Nolan, Scarlett poured him a cup of water. \u201cHere, drink this,\u201d she offered.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan accepted the cup with a grateful smile. \u201cListening to your father\u2026 it sounds like you\u2019ve had your share of hardships.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett neither confirmed nor denied this, deftly avoiding the topic\u00a0<\/p>\n
After a few drinks, Henry had begun pouring his heart out, lamenting Scarlett\u2019s difficult life and unhappy marriage.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett had repeatedly tried to quiet him, but once Henry was tipsy, he wouldn\u2019t be stopped, continuing his emotional outpouring about her struggles.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sensing Scarlett\u2019s reluctance to discuss it, Nolan didn\u2019t press further. He took a sip of water and said, \u201cI should probably be heading home now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett stood up immediately. \u201cLet me see you out.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan smiled gently. \u201cIt\u2019s really not necessary. I\u2019ll just call a car.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett still felt responsible. \u201cI\u2019ll walk you to the gate and wait with you until your ride arrives.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan glanced down at her injured ankle, about to protest, but she cut him off firmly, \u201cPlease.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing her determination, he didn\u2019t argue further.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They walked outside and stood by the roadside. A cool night breeze brushed against their faces. Nolan turned to look at Scarlett.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her makeup was subtle and light, and the wind had tousled her long hair slightly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After hearing all those stories from Henry, Nolan couldn\u2019t help but feel a profound sense of compassion and protectiveness toward her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cScarlett, actually, I\u2026\u201d Nolan began.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He had consumed a significant amount of liquor, but he possessed a strong tolerance. He wasn\u2019t drunk; his\u00a0<\/p>\n
mind remained clear.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps the alcohol provided a bit of liquid courage, because he suddenly felt a strong urge to confess\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:05 Thu, Jan 8\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 62 Family Dinner\u00a0<\/p>\n
something to Scarlett.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But before he could finish his sentence, Scarlett\u2019s phone rang.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The timing was almost too perfect, and Scarlett felt an undeniable sense of relief.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t know exactly what Nolan intended to say, but she could make an educated guess.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Their relationship was close, certainly. But for a man to consistently take her side so unreservedly\u2026 there had to be deeper feelings involved.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Some things, she felt, were better left unspoken.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She glanced at her screen-it was a call from Spencer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett didn\u2019t answer it, as Nolan\u2019s ride had just pulled up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
5 5 5 2\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet in safely,\u201d she said. \u201cPlease let me know when you arrive home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan looked intently at Scarlett, the unspoken words still hanging between them. But after a moment\u2019s reflection, he decided that tonight was not the right time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He swallowed his confession, keeping the words locked inside for now\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.0K\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\u00a0<\/p>\n
18:05\u00a0<\/p>\n
Awakened Housewife: Ignore Betrayer\u2019s Begs\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silent Dreams Never Die \u2014 Author: John Miller 62 Chapter 62 Family Dinner\u00a0 54\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 Clara came running through the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27426","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-impossible-condition-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27426\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}