Mr. CEO's Substitute Bride-Chapter 1097 - 1093: What Kind of Wedding Do You Want?

The ringtone went on for a long time before someone answered, seemingly unaware of the caller ID, speaking in an official tone, "Hello, who is this? Please state your business."

"Nicholas, what’s going on between you and Beatrice?" Standing by the window, Henry Hargrave looked out, his brows furrowed with gloom. If it were anyone else whose daughter was proposed to, it would certainly be a joyous occasion. But for the Hargrave Family, it felt more like a disaster.

Nicholas Croft stood in the dressing room, waiting for Beatrice Hargrave to change clothes. Just then, she’d just taken off her stage costume, wearing only a pair of shorts with pasties on top.

Her slender waist and curvy hips, from the side the view of her two peaks was also quite full. Imagining the touch in his palm, Nicholas Croft’s eyes darkened, yet his voice on the phone remained cold.

"Mr. Hargrave, didn’t you watch the live stream? I proposed to Beatrice. Aren’t you happy for her?" Nicholas Croft wasn’t sure if it was just his illusion, but he always felt that in the eyes of the Hargrave family, Hannah seemed to be held in higher regard. As for Beatrice, she seemed to be an inconsequential presence, even missing her first concert, as none of her family attended to show support.

On the other end of the call, Henry Hargrave narrowed his eyes looking into the distance, silent for a while before voicing the doubt within, "Nicholas, have you been with Beatrice for three years already?"

Nicholas Croft chuckled, "If I told you I fell in love with Beatrice at first sight, would you believe me?"

"What about Hannah? Have you been treating her as a backup all this time?" Henry Hargrave asked in displeasure. Nicholas Croft smiled without immediately answering, noticing Beatrice slipping on a knit sweater, he walked back with long strides, wrapping his free arm around her, lowering his eyes to watch Beatrice, who pouted, feigning displeasure at him.

Just hearing Nicholas Croft speak over the phone, "Mr. Hargrave, let’s not make it sound so unpleasant. I’ve never been involved with Hannah. How could she be considered a backup?"

"Nicholas, I’ve always respected your professional capability. But isn’t your approach too excessive? Flirting with Hannah on one hand while proposing to Beatrice on the other," Henry Hargrave coldly questioned, not waiting for Nicholas Croft to explain before continuing, "Since you like Beatrice, why did you get involved with Hannah? What do you take our daughters for!"

"Mr. Hargrave, my apologies, that night was actually a misunderstanding." Nicholas Croft slipped his hand out from Beatrice’s sweater, placing it over her face, gently stroking as he felt the smoothness under his palm.

"A misunderstanding?" Henry Hargrave repeated coldly before suddenly adopting a stern tone to rebuke, "Nicholas Croft, I never thought you would be such an irresponsible man, having your way and then unwilling to take responsibility. Indeed, I must be blind, seeing you wrongly!"

"Mr. Hargrave, do you have anything else? If not, I’ll hang up. I’m quite busy here." Nicholas Croft clearly didn’t want to continue the nagging, sparing the Hargrave family some face regarding Hannah, not explicitly stating it. Yet, unexpectedly, the Hargrave people were twisting the facts, evidently trying to use that event against him.

What a true joke!

Not to mention that he hadn’t touched Hannah—even if he had, he wouldn’t take responsibility because, after all, it was she who schemed against him. How could he possibly feel any empathy towards such a calculated woman!

"Was the call from father?" Nicholas Croft hung up the phone, Beatrice then asked, looking up at him with a pained expression while biting her lip.

"Yes," Nicholas Croft put the phone into his suit pocket, his fingertip rubbed over her lip that had been bitten, soothingly whispered, "Don’t worry, I’m here for everything."

With this promise, warmth filled Beatrice’s heart. In truth, she wasn’t worried; if possible, she’d quite like to see how furious Hannah, that white lotus, was at this moment.

Seeing Beatrice’s silence, Nicholas Croft thought she was worried, pinched her chin, comfortingly pecked her lips, saying, "Stop thinking about it, they’re waiting to celebrate."

With Nicholas Croft seated inside the car, with a dedicated driver in front, Beatrice’s lips were subtly lifted.

Once, enduring all those hardships, today she realized the two biggest dreams of her life: standing on her own stage at a solo concert, and her Uncle Nicholas proposing to her in front of everyone.

"Uncle, have you been planning this for a long time?" Encircled tightly by Nicholas Croft, Beatrice only had to slightly tilt her face to be close to Nicholas Croft’s gentle brows.

"Yes," Nicholas Croft candidly acknowledged before Beatrice’s innocent little face, "I’ve been planning since the first day I made you mine."

"Aren’t you afraid father will make things difficult for you?"

"Why would he make things difficult for me?" Nicholas Croft countered, his drooping brows exuding tenderness.

"Uh... in the past... you and my sister... were ambiguous," Beatrice hesitantly spoke, puffing her cheeks with visible "jealousy" written on her face.

Nicholas Croft chuckled softly. Bending his finger to scrape her nose, "What, jealous?"

With a sigh, Beatrice blinked, her eyes shifting elsewhere, disagreeably saying, "No, just a bit uncomfortable."

Nicholas Croft lifted her chin, letting her look at him, gently saying, "Don’t overthink, Uncle just had a cooperative relationship with your sister, not a romantic one."

In truth, Beatrice knew it was always Hannah trying to inveigle herself. Blinking, the mischievous thoughts at the core of her heart quietly surfaced. She tugged at Nicholas Croft’s shirt near his chest, jokingly said, "Uncle, do all men like excitement?"

Nicholas Croft raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?"

"You see, Uncle Max had his own wife but didn’t sleep with her, rather liked to pursue Aunt Lily, while you, Uncle Nicholas, had a girlfriend but proposed to the little sister,"

"What thoughts are swimming inside that little head of yours?" Nicholas Croft was amusedly helpless, rubbing the corner of Beatrice’s forehead. The little girl truly lived up to what his fourth younger brother said: seemingly simple and obedient on the surface, yet with a mischievous little devil residing inside. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Constantly using such words to remind him, suggesting it’s men who enjoy excitement, he reckoned that it was she, the little girl, who loved excitement.

"Thinking about Uncle Nicholas’ proposal to me just now!" Beatrice playfully snuggled Nicholas Croft’s neck, looking at the fair little face before him, Nicholas Croft’s handsome face gradually gathered into a smile, "Beatrice, what kind of wedding do you like? A traditional or western one?"

"I’ll listen to Uncle Nicholas." Beatrice lifted the corner of her lips, to her wedding was just a ceremony, whatever kind didn’t matter, what mattered was that she could be with Uncle Nicholas for a lifetime, never to part.