Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike-Chapter 470 - 448: Finishing Blow (10 Updates)

Once a person goes through the worst, they become much more tolerant when facing things that are not as bad.

Ian Grant and Mina Thorne had long since become accustomed to and somehow fond of an imperfect status quo during the dark family conflicts over the past half year.

Mina Thorne withdrew her thoughts and tightly held Ian Grant’s hand under the table.

Ian Grant was originally angry, but seeing her daughter standing by her side at such a critical moment immediately gave her the thought that men, husbands are unreliable, and only her own children are the closest.

This was somewhat an escape from reality, more like self-comforting, a false sense of clarity.

But other than this, what else could Ian Grant do?

She was now just an unremarkable housewife, receiving thousands in retirement pay monthly. Although her elder brother was a high-ranking official and her old father still had considerable social connections, her family influence still couldn’t compare to maintaining a marriage with Quentin Thorne, which allowed her to be respectfully addressed as "Mrs. Director" among friends, much more practical.

Many envy her for marrying a tall, handsome, gentle, and distinguished Quentin Thorne...

Ian Grant quietly glanced at the mingling guests; the bald were bald, the pot-bellied had pot-bellies, the ugly were ugly, the short were short, the fat were fat, while the tall and handsome Quentin Thorne stood out among them...

Ian Grant closed her eyes, shook her head, sighed silently, and half of the anger in her heart dissipated.

.

Quentin Thorne stood up and went to the wine cabinet to bring several bottles of Château Latour, opened two bottles, stood up, and planned to pour wine for the guests one by one.

Sienna reached out to help: "Dad, let me help you."

Quentin Thorne pressed her hand down: "You just sit and eat your meal."

He poured wine for each guest one by one, then returned to his seat and raised his glass: "Come! Here’s to us having days like this every year!"

The guests raised their glasses and wished Quentin Thorne a happy birthday, blessings overlapped, falling back, raising glasses and drinking heartily.

The guests were all uncles who used to drink strong spirits when they were young, but switched to red wine due to health reasons as they grew older. Used to the taste of strong spirits, when drinking the lighter red wine, they would often remark that it was almost like drinking plain water.

But today, no one remarked that way. Each took a sip, their eyes widened, quickly took another sip, relished slowly. As that familiar spicy sensation slid through their throats, they gave thumbs-ups in amazement, "This wine is interesting! Rich and full-bodied! Where did you buy this?"

Quentin Thorne smiled: "My eldest daughter and her friends bought it back from Franland."

The guests suddenly understood: "I wondered why I didn’t see this brand when buying wines usually, turns out it’s brought back from Franland, good wine, good wine!"

After speaking, they enjoyed another sip.

Quentin Thorne then enthusiastically offered: "I have quite a few here, when it’s time to leave later, each one take a few bottles back!"

"How could we accept?"

"No, no way!"

"Thornton, are you planning not to let us come to drink next time, wanting us to enjoy it at home ourselves?"

The guests joked with Quentin Thorne, and he responded considerately.

Sienna felt somewhat strange inside. Quentin Thorne hadn’t wanted his friends to know she found the grandson of the Forrester Group yet, even though she and Simon Forrester were almost married.

.

The group continued with wine and food, discussing domestic and international economic situations, certain policies, and appropriately touched upon topics that Sienna and Ian Grant as mother-daughter could listen to.

Quentin Thorne would ask Sienna’s opinions several times, giving her opportunities to perform before his friends. Luckily, Sienna held her own, despite studying law, she also had insights into finance, economy, politics across different fields, answering smoothly, and could throw out some uniquely angled views.

In contrast, Mina seemed more lacking.

She was quiet and taciturn in nature, less informed outside her specialty, thus unable to keep up with many topics; fortunately, she didn’t speak recklessly for showing off and make embarrassing jokes.

The guests looked at the contrasting sisters and joked with Quentin Thorne: "Thornton, your eldest daughter can completely be treated as a son! No need to find her a husband! Just bring in a talented son-in-law! Your daughter and son-in-law can care for you in your old age, stay by your side!"

Once this was said, topics couldn’t be kept in check.

A guest asked if Sienna had found someone, before she and Quentin Thorne could speak, Ian Grant said sarcastically: "Already found someone long ago, living together for two or three years!"

Guest: "..."

Quentin Thorne’s face instantly turned dark.

Mina remained expressionless.

Sienna looked at Ian Grant’s proud face and just smiled, remaining silent, knowing Quentin Thorne would naturally deal with her later.

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

A guest closest to Quentin Thorne quickly gave him a way out: "Living together before marriage is fine, it tests whether young people’s personalities can match, much better than marrying and finding out you can’t live harmoniously leading to divorce, right? In my view, it’s quite good!"

Another guest agreed: "Children nowadays aren’t as enduring as our generation, if marriage life isn’t smooth, they divorce! Isn’t this all because they didn’t meld well before marriage? So now, it’s about sorting out conflicts before marriage, then living peacefully after marrying!"

Guests were tactfully giving Quentin Thorne an escape, whereas Ian Grant continued to poke: "Living together before marriage, legally speaking, isn’t it called ’de facto marriage’?"

Guests: "..."

They sympathetically looked at Quentin Thorne.

But true comradeship saves the day, another guest spoke for Quentin Thorne: "If young people eventually marry, it’s lawful marriage! If they can’t gel then single again! Two outcomes, two definitions, what’s this talk of de facto marriage? That’s all pre-1994 talk!"

Ian Grant coldly scoffed, didn’t respond further. After all, what she said earlier made Sienna sufficiently embarrassed.

The atmosphere needed to warm up again.

Seeing Quentin Thorne with a bad look and silence, guests took turns livening up the scene for him.

One guest who recognized Sienna as Director Thorne from the Treaty and Law Department asked: "So, what’s the background of Thornton’s eldest son-in-law? Lawyer or attorney?"

Quentin Thorne knowing if he didn’t speak, Ian Grant’s mouth would spill it too, he simply smiled and said: "Forrester Group’s grandson."

"Not bad, Thornton! Your in-laws are quite powerful!" 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The scope of "powerful" covers a lot. By wealth, The Forresters indeed are powerful, but in other realms, hard to say.

Quentin Thorne merely smiled, not expanding more.

Another guest asked: "I heard the Forrester’s old man has entrusted all domestic operations to his grandson?"

"That’s what I’ve heard." A guest from the trade and economics department said, "The Forresters’ businesses spread nationwide, encompassing various industries, many of which are key government-supported projects, and most manufacturing plants are intelligent factories. Going forward, The Forresters will only be richer..."

"The Forresters are already very rich, they earn several hundred or thousands annually, besides not needing financing, they won’t list publicly also afraid of jealousy over too much money, don’t want to disclose financial reports..."