Chapter 192: Chapter 190: Only I Can Bully Her, Others Shouldn’t Even Think About It (4)

"It’s perfect. Absolutely perfect," she said hurriedly.

Herman Hawthorne closed his eyes. "Go to sleep."

How could she possibly sleep? For Zoe Ellsworth, a surprise like this was both a shock and a delight.

But behind her delight lay a sense of unease and doubt.

The whirlwind of emotions made Zoe Ellsworth feel like she was being tossed between heaven and hell—ecstatic one moment, inexplicably dejected the next.

’She was certain she would lead a comfortable life if she married him; that much was beyond doubt. But he had said he might not be able to give her a heart-pounding romance. Would it be okay to live without that part?’

Zoe Ellsworth didn’t come home all night. When Mrs. Ellsworth called her, no one picked up.

Mrs. Ellsworth barely slept a wink. She could finally understand how Mrs. Grant must have felt.

She muttered under her breath, cursing Zoe Ellsworth over and over.

Her biggest fear wasn’t anything else; it was that Zoe would end up with a man from a poor background looking to marry into wealth.

First thing in the morning, she asked the butler if Zoe was back. The butler shook his head.

Finally, Mrs. Ellsworth exploded. "Send people out to find her! Find her and bring her back! If you can’t, then don’t bother coming back yourselves!"

The butler, trembling, was about to head out when Zoe Ellsworth’s voice drifted in from the doorway. "The Empress Dowager is throwing a tantrum!"

Before she could even step out of the room, Mrs. Ellsworth, seething with uncontrollable anger, yelled, "Where the hell were you last night? What kind of trouble were you getting into?"

But the words had barely left her mouth when she saw her own daughter holding hands with Herman Hawthorne. Mrs. Ellsworth froze.

"You two...?"

Zoe Ellsworth grinned. "Calm yourself, Your Majesty. Allow your humble servant to explain everything."

Mrs. Ellsworth’s anger vanished, and she said sheepishly, "I wasn’t angry."

"Then who was that yelling at me just now? And you say you weren’t angry."

Mrs. Ellsworth flatly denied it. "That wasn’t me. You were hallucinating. How could a dignified lady such as myself lose her temper like a shrew? Now, hurry up and tell me, what’s going on between you two?"

She could tell with a single glance that this was something out of the ordinary.

Zoe Ellsworth looked a bit shy. It was the first time Mrs. Ellsworth had seen such an expression on her face; it had been a long time since her daughter had revealed such a girlish side.

"Mom, Herman is here today to propose."

Mrs. Ellsworth stared at them in utter astonishment. "Propose?"

She’d never imagined such a wonderful surprise. Her voice trembled as she spoke, the words tumbling out. "Herman, is what Zoe said true?"

Herman Hawthorne nodded. "Of course. I’ve already spoken with my parents. They’ll be here soon."

"Oh, that’s wonderful! You two, please, have a seat. I’m just going to run upstairs and change." With that, Mrs. Ellsworth hurried upstairs.

Zoe Ellsworth glanced at Herman Hawthorne. "See? My mom heard I was marrying you and didn’t have a single objection. She’s always said that marrying you would be a great fortune for me, that no one would dare to bully me."

A smile touched Herman Hawthorne’s lips. "On that point, you can be certain."

The moment she got upstairs, Mrs. Ellsworth frantically called Mr. Ellsworth and Ethan Ellsworth, insisting they come home immediately.

After making the calls, she flung open her wardrobe, selected an exceptionally elegant outfit, and changed. Then, she sat at her vanity to do her makeup before finally slipping on her high heels and heading back downstairs.

By this time, Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne had already arrived.

The old friends were especially warm upon seeing each other, and with them about to become family, Mrs. Hawthorne and Mrs. Ellsworth were beaming so widely they could hardly stop.

"Zoe’s Mom, can you believe we’re about to become family? We’ve brought the betrothal gifts—they’re all out in the courtyard. We bought everything we were supposed to, and we even have the bride price for Zoe ready. Let’s pick a date! This boy of mine is finally getting married. I can’t even tell you how happy I am."

Mrs. Ellsworth couldn’t stop laughing. "Herman’s mother, just a short while ago I was so worried. This girl of ours, you know how she is—not very ladylike. But now that she’s joining your family, I can finally rest easy. Our families know each other inside and out. As long as the children are happy, whatever bride price you give, we’ll match it in her dowry. It will all go to them. As long as they have a good life, all we’ll have to do in the future is dote on our grandchildren and enjoy afternoon tea."

Mrs. Hawthorne shot her son a look. "You’ve finally done one thing to make your old mother happy. Let’s set the date today. Skip the engagement and just get married. Even after they’re married, it’ll be a year before we can hold a baby. Just thinking about it feels like too long a wait."

A blush crept up Zoe Ellsworth’s cheeks. She pressed her lips together, saying nothing, but her expression was as sweet as if she’d fallen into a honeypot.

Mr. Hawthorne and Mr. Ellsworth were old friends as well, so they naturally had no objections to the marriage.

"Herman, when would you like to get married? It’s your call."

He paused for a moment before saying, "In a week."

Mrs. Hawthorne covered her mouth with her hand to hide a laugh. "My son is certainly an eager one."

Mr. Hawthorne nudged his wife’s arm, signaling for her to watch her words.

Mrs. Hawthorne brushed it off. "We’re all family here, no need to be so formal. Zoe, Herman said in a week. Is that too soon for you? What do you think?"

"I don’t have any objections. If it were possible, I’d hope to get married tomorrow."

Mrs. Ellsworth gave Zoe a light pat. "This girl is even more eager."

Everyone laughed together.

By the time Ethan Ellsworth got home, the marriage had already been decided.

As Herman Hawthorne’s best friend, he hadn’t heard a single word about it beforehand. Standing there in the living room, Ethan Ellsworth was still in disbelief.

"Young Master Hawthorne, outside." Ethan Ellsworth turned and walked out of the living room.

Herman Hawthorne followed him.

"You’re going to marry Zoe? Why?" As far as he could remember, Herman and his sister hadn’t had much to do with each other since they grew up.

Herman Hawthorne knew he couldn’t hide anything from Ethan Ellsworth, so he told him the truth. "I decided it was time to get married. After thinking it over, it seemed most fitting to find someone from a similar background, someone I know well."

Ethan Ellsworth looked at him. "We’ve known each other a long time, and I’ve always known you’re very private about your personal life. You never talk about the women you date. But, Young Master Hawthorne... my sister might be a little wild, but she’s a simple person. It doesn’t take much to make her happy. With you two together, it’s not just my parents who can rest easy—I can too. I know what kind of man you are. Sometimes I wonder... is stubbornly chasing after romantic love just a gamble with fate, or should we just be trying to live a warm, fulfilling life?"

"I promise you, I’ll be good to Zoe for the rest of our lives. This was a carefully considered decision. I wanted to find a woman who’s easy on the eyes, a daughter-in-law my family would like, an ordinary person to live an ordinary life with."

Hearing this, Ethan Ellsworth broke into a wide grin. "I never thought my best friend would become my brother-in-law. HAHA! Go on, call me ’Big Brother’ just once."

Herman Hawthorne retorted with one word: "Brother-in-law."

Ethan Ellsworth knew Herman had gotten over his own mental hurdle. He waved his hand dismissively. "Whatever. Call me what you want. To be honest, I’m in a great mood. This is an unexpected and pleasant surprise. My little sister is getting married."

"So? Drinks tonight?" Herman Hawthorne raised an eyebrow.

"Absolutely!"

The two men bumped fists, the understanding in their eyes needing no words.