A Night of Desire-Chapter 46: I Do Have a Way

"Marrying into the Grant family isn’t some terrible thing, and Chloe Grant isn’t some kind of monster. Besides, Miles, she’s an actor just like you. I think you two are a good match..."

Miles Quinn interrupted Theodore Quinn before he could finish. "Dad, I’m in the prime of my life. I don’t want to get married so young. Besides, getting married this early will affect my career."

"No one said you have to get married right now. An engagement first would be fine..."

The corner of Miles Quinn’s mouth twitched. He stopped trying to argue and instead tugged on Seth Quinn’s sleeve. "Big Brother, I’m going to be late. Let’s go. Didn’t you promise to take me to school?"

’Even though he really wanted to catch up with the big sister he hadn’t seen in five years, beating a strategic retreat was his best option right now.’

Seth Quinn nodded slightly and looked at Jenna Quinn. "Big Sister, I’ll take Miles to school first. We’ll talk later."

Miles Quinn also called out to her, "See you tonight, Big Sister!" Then, ignoring his father’s murderous glare, he dragged Seth Quinn straight out the living room door.

Watching his two sons escape from right under his nose, Theodore Quinn was fuming. He glared daggers at their retreating backs, and when he turned around, he shot his daughter a glare for good measure.

Jenna Quinn fell silent. ’I got dragged into this, didn’t I?’

"Dad, don’t be angry. Miles is right, he’s still young. Why should he get married so early?"

"Young? Weren’t you about his age when you got married? You didn’t think it was too early then, did you?"

Jenna Quinn was speechless. Seeing this, Sienna Hale took her hand, pulled her down to sit on the sofa, and shot a glare at Theodore Quinn. "Why are you taking your anger out on Jenna? Honestly!"

"Mom," Jenna Quinn asked, confused, "with our family’s power and status in Novaria, we shouldn’t need to use something like a marriage alliance for growth and stability, right? So why the sudden talk of an arranged marriage? And besides, even if we were going to do that, it wouldn’t be with the Grant family, would it? So why is Dad so insistent on a union with them?"

"Sigh..." Sienna Hale let out a soft sigh before continuing. "Do you remember that incident many years ago, back when your father was younger, and someone saved his life? We only recently found out that the person who saved him was Cedric Grant. The Grant family has done alright for themselves in Novaria, but they’re still a relatively minor household. You know your father—he believes in repaying his debts. Naturally, he wants to do something to help the man who saved his life. And if he wants to help them in a truly meaningful way, a marriage alliance is the best method."

"To be honest, we didn’t think of a marriage alliance at first. It was the current lady of the Grant family, Jean Jarvis, who casually mentioned it a few times. She said their Chloe is fond of Miles, and that it would be wonderful if our families could be joined by marriage. Since the request came from his savior’s family, your father naturally agreed."

’So that’s what this is all about.’ Jenna Quinn nodded in understanding.

"But Mom, I’ve done some digging on Chloe Grant, and from what I’ve found, she’s not an easy person to get along with. Miles doesn’t even like her. Are you and Dad really willing to sacrifice his happiness and force him to marry her, just to repay a debt?"

"Of course I’m not willing, but..." Sienna Hale trailed off, turning to look at Theodore Quinn. He pretended not to notice her gaze and turned his head away.

’If there were any other way,’ he thought, ’of course I wouldn’t force my youngest son to marry a woman he doesn’t love.’

’But Cedric Grant saved my life. It’s no exaggeration to say that without him, I wouldn’t be where I am today.’

’And even though I despise Cedric Grant’s cunning and opportunism in business, I can’t just be ungrateful, can I?’

Jenna Quinn noted her mother’s reaction, and seeing that her father—though his expression hadn’t softened—had fallen silent, she could guess what was on his mind.

So, she smiled and said, "Mom, if you and Dad genuinely don’t want to sacrifice Miles’s happiness, I might have an idea."