After Divorce I Married a Tycoon-Chapter 142: On Tenterhooks

Down in the audience, the two cousins were staging their own little court drama.

Onstage, Claire Mercer finished serving the ceremonial tea and completed the entire family recognition ceremony. Then, the banquet officially began.

After Claire came down from the stage, Mrs. Sutton quickly beckoned for her to sit by her side.

Meeting Mrs. Sutton’s affectionate gaze, she responded with a sweet and gentle smile.

"Quick, let your grandmother get a good look at you..."

The old woman was in high spirits, having finally met the granddaughter-in-law she had been so eager to see.

She kept hold of Claire’s hand, looking her over from every angle.

Adrian knew his grandmother was impatient.

He hadn’t even started the formal introductions before she jumped the gun.

"This is my grandmother."

"Grandmother," Claire said, her voice polite and respectful.

"Yes..." Mrs. Sutton’s smile grew even wider.

"My granddaughter-in-law is just gorgeous! Look at that youthful face, those big eyes..."

"My future great-grandsons and great-granddaughters will definitely be handsome boys and beautiful girls."

At this, Adrian couldn’t help but clear his throat.

As for Claire, a hint of awkwardness crept into her smile.

’Her marriage to Adrian was one of convenience.’

’So, to suddenly hear his grandmother talking about great-grandchildren naturally made her a little uncomfortable.’

Mr. Sutton was no ordinary man; he was an excellent judge of character.

He naturally caught the flicker of awkwardness on Claire’s face.

Seeing his wife getting a bit carried away, he quickly interjected.

"Don’t go scaring our granddaughter-in-law."

Adrian introduced him to Claire. "This is my grandfather."

"Grandfather," Claire said, again with a polite and respectful smile.

Seeing her poise and gentle courtesy, the old couple couldn’t have been more pleased.

After fussing over Claire for a while, Mrs. Sutton shot Adrian a reproachful glance.

"A while ago, we told that boy Adrian to bring you home to visit."

"He readily agreed, but he still hadn’t brought you home, making our family look terribly impolite."

Mr. Sutton then joined in, piling on Adrian.

"This rascal didn’t even prepare a bride price for you."

Adrian explained, "She hasn’t found her birth parents yet..."

The implication being that the bride price is given to the bride’s parents.

The Mercer family, her adoptive parents, had mistreated her, to say the least.

And now, Claire had completely cut ties with them.

Naturally, they weren’t qualified to receive a bride price.

So, for the time being, he didn’t know who to give it to.

Claire understood what Adrian was getting at. ’Besides, their marriage wasn’t supposed to involve such things.’

She quickly added, "Grandfather, Grandmother, I don’t really care about the bride price."

’The two of them were getting on in years, and from what she knew, Adrian wasn’t particularly well-off.’

’Wouldn’t asking them for a bride price be like taking advantage of the elderly? She couldn’t bring herself to do something like that.’

’Besides, her marriage to Adrian was just to appease them.’

’She had never once thought about things like a bride price or jewelry.’

But Mrs. Sutton shot Adrian a look.

"If she hasn’t found her birth parents, then she can have the bride price for herself."

"We can’t just have you marry a girl without spending a cent. If word of that got out, I’d be mortified."

With that, she changed the subject and turned to Claire.

"Oh, by the way, granddaughter-in-law, when are you two planning to have the wedding? We’ll need to start preparing."

Claire felt a fresh wave of embarrassment at the question.

’They were only in a fake marriage; a wedding was something they had never discussed.’

’After all, she was doing this to escape a forced marriage arranged by the Mercer family.’

’And he was doing it to give his grandparents some peace of mind.’

’She had never, ever considered holding a wedding with Adrian.’

So when his grandmother suddenly brought it up, she was stunned for a moment before replying.

"Well... we’re not in a hurry to have a wedding."

Adrian knew this would happen the moment his grandparents met Claire.

’He knew they were desperate for him to get married and settle down.’

’So he also knew that once he was married, they would be incredibly enthusiastic.’

’And here they were... He’d only been married a short time, and they were already hinting about having children.’

’Now they were even pushing for a wedding.’

Adrian knew he couldn’t let them ask any more questions.

He quickly changed the subject. "Claire, you’ve been busy with guests all morning. You must be starving."

He quickly peeled a shrimp for her. "Hurry and eat something before your blood sugar drops."

Claire knew he was getting her out of a tight spot and gave him a faint smile. "Okay. Thank you."

Mrs. Sutton asked, "Why are you two so formal with each other?"

Adrian quickly explained, "Grandmother, it’s called mutual respect."

"Here, you should try some of Rhonia’s signature dishes too."

Mrs. Sutton shot him a look. "It’s not like I’ve never had them before."

Watching from the sidelines, Silas Rowan’s mood instantly lifted as he saw Adrian on pins and needles.

’Just a moment ago, it was Adrian’s fault that he’d been forced to spend ages explaining things to their grandparents until his mouth was dry.’

’Now, seeing Adrian so terrified of his identity being exposed, some of the frustration bottled up inside him finally began to fade.’

’He decided to let Adrian dangle in suspense a little longer.’

So, he ladled a bowl of seafood soup for Mrs. Sutton.

"Grandmother, you should try this seafood soup."

Hearing Silas call Adrian’s grandmother "Grandmother," a flicker of confusion passed through Claire’s eyes.

Adrian’s heart leaped into his throat. He shot Silas a glare before quickly explaining to Claire.

"Silas and I grew up together, so my grandparents watched him grow up, too."

"That’s why he calls them Grandfather and Grandmother, just like I do."

Claire nodded. "Oh, I see."

Just then, Mrs. Rowan finished greeting some other distinguished guests and came over to sit with them.

Mrs. Sutton immediately waved to her beloved youngest daughter.

"Quick, sit down and eat. You’ve been busy all morning."

’Seeing how familiar Mrs. Sutton and Mrs. Rowan seemed with each other...’

Claire was a little baffled, her eyes filled with confusion.

’But then she remembered something Adrian had once told her.’

’His grandparents and Silas’s grandparents were from the same town.’

’So it made sense that his grandparents would be familiar with Mrs. Rowan.’

’Still, she felt incredibly grateful to Mrs. Rowan for having even invited Adrian’s grandparents.’

’It was clear they truly thought of her as a daughter, being so considerate in every detail.’

"Mom... Oh, I really am starving."

Mrs. Rowan quickly picked up her utensils, ready to eat.

"Godmother, you’ve worked so hard," Claire said, thoughtfully ladling a bowl of seafood soup for her.

Mrs. Rowan beamed at her. "It’s no trouble. Thank you, my dear, sweet daughter."

After that, everyone ate in silence.

In truth, Mrs. Rowan and Mrs. Sutton had a great deal to talk about.

Mrs. Sutton also had many questions for Adrian.

But then they remembered that Adrian had hidden his true identity from the poor girl.

They were afraid that the more they spoke, the more likely they were to let the cat out of the bag.

So, they decided to just eat in silence. It wouldn’t be too late to talk after the meal.

Adrian spent the entire meal on pins and needles, terrified that his identity would be exposed.