Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike-Chapter 498 - 474: Walking the Birds Together

Simon Forrester, on hearing this, was not surprised but truly angry. He threw down the newspaper in his hand and said sternly, "This is a company to company action! If you don’t want to pay, then don’t use someone else’s patent! If you want to use it and don’t want to pay, are you getting all the benefits for free? Who are you trying to embarrass? Aren’t you ashamed?"

After saying this, he felt it was pointless and wasn’t in the mood to say more, so he returned to his own room.

Zane Forrester was enraged, pointing in the direction of The East Wing and shouted, "Dad, this is the grandson you raised!"

Seeing his son who ignored his grandson back then now turning around to blame him for not raising the child right, Old Master Forrester was so angry that his eyes widened, and he spoke up for Simon Forrester, "Jules is right! If you’re using someone else’s patent, why not pay for it? Are you that short on money? Do you think saving on these expenses will make it safe? Don’t end up causing The Forresters in the United States to be under investigation!"

Zane Forrester was just about to retort when he suddenly heard Old Master Grant shouting from the outer courtyard, "Fletcher, want to go for a bird walk?"

Old Master Forrester, peeved at his son, promptly got up and dressed, grabbed the birdcage from under the eaves, and went out to find his friend.

.

Outside the door, Old Master Grant was dressed in a maroon floral cotton jacket, carrying a birdcage in one hand, and occasionally cupping his hand near his mouth to breathe warmth into it.

When Old Master Forrester saw him, his smile froze for a second. After closing the courtyard door, he turned around and put on his usual smile again.

"Grant," Old Master Forrester looked up at the rather unpleasant weather, "It’s quite cold today, why are you thinking of going for a bird walk?"

Old Master Grant smiled, "Isn’t staying at home boring? Taking a walk is nice."

"Then let’s go quickly!" Old Master Forrester called out, carrying the birdcage and patting Old Master Grant on the back, and the two old men slowly walked towards Serene Lake Park.

As usual, they chatted while strolling, talking about their birds, but Old Master Forrester felt a little uneasy today, not as relaxed as usual.

Old Master Grant inviting him out for a bird walk on such a cold day had nothing to do with actually walking birds, but rather to inquire about what kind of dowry Quentin Thorne gave to Sienna Thornton.

Old Master Grant didn’t ask directly, so Old Master Forrester didn’t mention it either. The two friends, who usually got along, had their own concerns along the way.

After some small talk, Old Master Grant finally asked the question. The elder pretended to be casual, "Yesterday you went to that lawyer’s countryside home to finalize the marriage proposal, how did it go?"

Old Master Forrester, upon hearing this, felt a bit displeased and said seriously, "You can just call her ’Annie’s Mom’ or ’your in-laws’, I know who you’re talking about!"

Old Master Grant, who rarely heard Old Master Forrester mentioning the bride’s family, was a bit surprised and a little displeased, but such emotions were fleeting. He quickly gathered himself, put on a smiling face again, and feigned apology, "Yes, yes, I wasn’t considerate enough, don’t mind me, Fletcher."

Since his friend put it this way, Old Master Forrester couldn’t make things difficult. He cleared his throat and turned his head to tease his bird, momentarily forgetting to answer Old Master Grant’s question.

After walking a bit more, Old Master Grant asked again, "So did the engagement ceremony go smoothly yesterday?"

Old Master Forrester replied indifferently, "Of course, it went smoothly. The bride’s family was easy to talk to. Whatever we sent, they accepted, there were no other troublesome issues."

Old Master Grant just smiled upon hearing this. At first, Old Master Forrester didn’t quite understand the smile, thinking there was some meaning behind it. Just as he was about to ask Old Master Grant what he meant, he heard him say slowly, "It really was difficult for Quentin this time around."

The more Old Master Forrester listened, the more confused he became, clicking his tongue, "Grant, what do you mean?"

"Quentin is an honest official, earning a dead salary all his life. Ian Grant used to work in a bank, and all the money in the family was managed by Ian. Quentin didn’t have much money in his pocket, I suppose he couldn’t provide much dowry for that illegitimate daughter, could he?"

Old Master Forrester finally understood what Old Master Grant was getting at.

Originally, the old man didn’t intend to talk much about this matter, just wanting to avoid it if possible, or defuse it with nonchalance. But hearing Old Master Grant’s words, Old Master Forrester felt quite angry, considering Sienna Thornton as part of the family, so even if his friend talked like this, it was unacceptable!

"Well, your daughter is quite unfair then. Thorne has to socialize with friends in society, and your daughter keeps a tight grip on the finances, isn’t that just hindering his future?" Old Master Forrester cut straight to the point, "Moreover, you may call her an illegitimate daughter, but Thorne doesn’t see it that way. He introduces her abroad as his eldest daughter who studied overseas."

He deliberately emphasized the word "eldest", which made Old Master Grant, well aware of the truth from back then, choke on his words briefly. After a moment, with a hint of emotion, he replied, "That’s what they say, but who doesn’t know that child wasn’t born from the first marriage? If that’s the case, then what is she if not an illegitimate daughter?"

"The only thing she doesn’t share with your daughter is the birth mother, everything else isn’t lacking. In terms of education, career, ability, partner, is there anything missing?"

Old Master Grant snorted disdainfully, "Still just a concubine’s child!"

"Grant, you must still be living in a feudal society?" Being looked down upon by a neighbor like this about his own daughter-in-law left Old Master Forrester unhappy, unwilling to engage further, he carried the birdcage towards the pavilion by the lake.

Old Master Grant caught up quickly, no longer holding back, and asked directly, "So, what dowry did Quentin give yesterday?"

Old Master Forrester turned to look at his friend, contemplating whether to divulge the truth.

If he did, it might trigger a family feud; if not, he couldn’t bear the contempt. The Grant Family now clearly looks down on Sienna Thornton, and by extension, the Forrester Family too.

Old Master Forrester weighed in his mind, recalling the words spoken by the Thorne Family yesterday when presenting the dowry. Lawyer Caldwell did explicitly instruct not to disclose Quentin’s decision to transfer his shares in the law firm being managed temporarily to Sienna, but didn’t mention about other aspects of the dowry.

The Thorne Family, sharp and shrewd, wouldn’t display what they didn’t want others to know. If they displayed it, they weren’t afraid of it being known.

With this thought, Old Master Forrester felt a bit more at ease, and just as he was about to subtly mention that the Thorne Family did provide a dowry for their eldest daughter, Old Master Grant said scornfully, "That illegitimate daughter must have put in a lot of effort to acknowledge Quentin, perhaps thinking she’d gain some benefit from becoming a Thorne descendant, must be quite disillusioned now? Our Mina is different, when she gets married, Ian will give her all the family assets, letting her marry off gracefully, as befits the legitimate eldest daughter of the Thorne Family."

Old Master Forrester was speechless for a moment, then retorted, "Didn’t you just say your son-in-law earned a dead salary? With a dead salary, how much property can be given to let your second daughter marry off gloriously?"

Old Master Grant was immediately stumped, awkwardly silent for a moment, he emphasized, "At least it would include all of Quentin’s savings!"

Old Master Forrester only chuckled, saying nothing further, placed the birdcage on the pavilion table, and started stretching his muscles.

Seeing his friend unwilling to divulge anything about Sienna Thornton’s dowry, Old Master Grant leaned in and switched to asking, "So what dowry did the Forrester Family give?"