Chapter 67
“Oh. Molly nodded slightly. She thought he meant something else, but apparently, she was overthinking it.
The silence between them grew heavy. Noticing her discomfort Remy ser’s go back out.”
“Okay.” She nodded.
There were still guests at home. If she didn’t go back soon, her mother would come looking for her.
“Molly, do you even want to talk to me anymore?” he asked.
Every time she responded, it was with a single word. Remy had expected to find himself in such a situation.
His voice carried a hint of sadness, making Molly feel uneasy. She hurriedly said, “It’s not that.”
She just didn’t know what to say. After what had happened between them, everything felt awkward.
If that night hadn’t occurred, things wouldn’t be like this. Once again, she regretted drinking.
She forced a smile. “I’m going to find my sister–in–law.”
Though Molly smiled, it was obviously strained.
Watching her retreating figure, Remy instinctively reached out but withdrew his hand in the end.
Remy had dated before, though briefly and only to the extent of holding hands. His last girlfriend had broken up with him because he was too focused on work. Despite this, he thought he had some experience, but it amounted to nothing when it came to Molly.
His single friends never seemed to mind being unattached, and neither had he.
But after Coby got married, Remy realized having someone by your side seemed wonderful–especially seeing how even that aloof man was now eager to rush home every day.
He admitted he was envious. He wanted a relationship too.
Molly was the younger sister of his close friend. He had met her as a child and thought she was an adorable little girl.
As an only child, Remy had no siblings. When this cute little girl entered his life, so well–behaved and sweet–tongued, he naturally adored her.
Back then, he saw her only as his friend’s little sister and never thought much about it. But when they reconnected years later, he was drawn to her genuine personality. Over time, his fondness grew into affection and then love. It was a feeling he’d never experienced before.
That desire to protect her, to treasure her, was so intense it even scared him.
As he got to know her better, his possessiveness only grew. Work became secondary. All he wanted was this endearing woman, to marry her, and to relive what had happened that night.
Remy knew his feelings were selfish, even greedy, but he couldn’t help wanting to see her, to see her sweet smile every day. In his work, he could be meticulous and professional, but when it came to love, he couldn’t pretend to be selfless.
He had never pursued anyone before; his ex–girlfriend had pursued him, so his approach might have been lacking.
Remy worried that his thoughts had scared her away and hadn’t dared to speak up, but it seemed that it still scared her off.
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Her rejection of him was the last thing he wanted to see.
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As soon as Molly stepped out, she ran into Lia, who was coming to find her. She sighed in relief and walked over, linking her arm with Lia’s. “Lia.”
“Molly.” Lia noticed Remy standing behind Molly and nodded slightly. “Dr. Walker, you’re here too.
“Yes, Lia.” Remy glanced at Molly, seeming to hesitate.
“Lia, let’s go, Mom and the others have probably been waiting for a while.” Molly pulled Lia upstairs.
“They are in the gar…” Lia’s words were stuck in her throat.
Watching them leave, Remy knew Molly was intentionally avoiding him, but he didn’t stop them. Instead, he called his friend.
“What’s up?” Coby, sitting in his office, wasn’t surprised by his friend’s call.
“Coby, you’re not home?” he asked.
“I’m at the office,” Coby replied.
Normally, neither Coby nor his father would attend gatherings with his mother and her friends. They had endless topics to talk about, and with the men there, it only interfered.
“What’s up?” said Coby.
“Besides cotton candy, what else does Molly like?” asked Remy.
Since she was a kid, the girl had always liked cotton candy. That was the only thing he knew.
“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” Coby had no sympathy for his friend’s predicament. After all, Remy chose to pursue his sister.
“Well… she almost never talks to me.” Remy felt deep frustration at his first attempt at pursuing someone.
“That does match her personality,” Coby said with a slight smile.
“It matches? She didn’t act like that when she was a child. She changed completely when she found out who I was.” Remy kept reflecting on whether he had done something wrong, but when he thought back on their interactions, he didn’t see anything that seemed off.
“Think about it on your own,” said Coby.
Remy went speechless. ‘What a good friend!”
Lia and Molly returned to her room.
“Lia, what should I do? I feel so awkward whenever I see Dr. Walker,” said Molly.
It would have been fine if she hadn’t known who he was, but now that she did, she remembered following him and her brother around when they were kids. She had always seen him as a big brother, and now things were different.
Lia gently comforted her. “Molly, what kind of awkwardness is it? Is it shyness or something else?”
“I can’t quite explain. We’ve already… done that, how can we pretend like nothing happened? And he’s also my brother’s good friend,” said Molly.
Molly had never been in a relationship before, but she had secretly liked a boy when she was younger. It was just a simple
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crush, and over time, it faded away.
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She could have many friends, but she was very sensitive about turning male friends into boyfriends, especially considering her brother’s relationship with Remy.
Molly admired her parents‘ beautiful love story and envied her Brother’s devotion to his wife. With both her father and brother as role models, no other man seemed as appealing.
She knew she didn’t dislike Dr. Walker; it was just that the situation felt so strange now.
“Molly, try to stop seeing Remy as your brother’s friend. Just treat him as a male friend.” Lia recognized the issue. In Molly’s mind, Remy had always been her brother’s friend, and she had seen him as a brother.
When they became more than just friends, Molly subconsciously pulled away, not because she disliked him, but because she felt it was wrong for them to have such a close relationship. But the situation had already happened.
“But he’s the Remy I knew as a child.” That was something she couldn’t change.
She didn’t even remember him at first, but she had asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend, had asked for his help taking magazine photos, and had even gotten drunk and slept with him. Despite being bold, Molly still felt unsure, and she knew it was her mistake.
“Molly, you need to figure this out for yourself. Before your brother and I expressed our feelings for each other, I only saw him as a boss. I didn’t dare overstep. But later, I realized that some things had already happened without us knowing,” said
Lia.
When they realized it, they were already in love. Lia didn’t explain too much, as those involved often couldn’t see things clearly, but the onlookers could.
Molly was usually carefree, but when it came to matters like this, she was still inexperienced. “So, what should I do now, Lia?”
“Try treating him as a friend. Don’t avoid him. Maybe then you’ll know what to do.” Lia didn’t have any better advice.
“I’ll try my best, Lia. But how did you know you liked my brother?” asked Molly.
Lia’s face flushed slightly, and after a moment of hesitation, she said, “I liked hearing your brother say sweet things.”
His sweet words were always different, and she didn’t know where he had learned so many.
At first, she hadn’t felt anything. She thought he was just trying to lighten the mood, but later…
“Oh,” Molly said, dragging out the word with a teasing tone. “Wow, I didn’t know Coby was such a talker.”
In the sprawling garden, five women were chatting casually, with one man looking completely out of place.
Remy knew staying there was a mistake, especially surrounded by elders. But the only time the little troublemaker would sit quietly was in situations like this.
Quinn glanced at the two silent individuals. It seemed only she could step in.
“Bri, Remy is so impressive–he’s a hospital director at such a young age,” Quinn said with a smile.
-Bri returned the compliment warmly. “Quinn, he’s nothing compared to Molly. She’s already a renowned designer.”
The two women continued to exchange praise, each becoming more satisfied with the other’s child.
“Molly, why are you so quiet? You’re usually so chatty,” Quinn asked her daughter.
“Remy, why aren’t you saying anything either?” Bri nudged her son subtly.
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“I think you two quiet ones should go over there.” Quinn suggested, beginning to shoo them away.
“Mom.” Molly tugged on her mother’s sleeve, her meaning clear she wasn’t oblivious to what was happening.
“Molly, let’s go over there and have a look.” Remy quickly seized the opportunity and stood up.
“Go on, go on.” Quinn urged, even winking at her daughter.
Molly was exasperated. She couldn’t make a scene in front of everyone, so she reluctantly played along.
“Mom, Mrs. Walker, Mrs. Yeats, we’re going to look at the flowers over there. Lia, why don’t you join us?” Molly suggested.
Before Lia could respond, Quinn jumped in. “We’re short one player for cards. You all go ahead without her.”
“Exactly, we’re going to play cards.” Bri echoed.
Lia could only give Molly a helpless look. Although she didn’t know how to play, she had no excuse.
“Dr. Walker, let’s go then,” Molly said.
She didn’t want to make things awkward in front of the elders. Besides, like Lia said, just treat him as a friend.
“Sure.” Remy agreed.
Molly walked ahead, with Remy following behind. They stopped by the flower garden near the swing.
“Want to sit on the swing?” Remy asked as he saw her pause.
“Dr. Walker, would you like to join me?” she replied, gesturing to the swing beside hers. As the host, she couldn’t just leave him standing.
“No need. I’ll push you.” Remy offered, stepping closer.
“It’s fine. I can swing myself,” she said, her tone polite.
He noticed her sudden formality. “Just sit. I don’t have anything else to do.”
Molly glanced at him, clicked her tongue, and eventually gave in without further protest.
She sat on the swing, and he gently pushed her. Feeling slightly awkward, she searched for something to say, only for his voice to break the silence.
“Don’t feel burdened by what the elders say. Love isn’t something you can force,” he said casually, not wanting to see her vibrant personality dimmed by the situation.
Molly wasn’t the type to follow her elders‘ wishes blindly, but she couldn’t help feeling guilty for involving him.
“Okay,” she murmured.
That single word sent a chill through him. It was clear Molly didn’t feel anything for him.
“If you don’t want to see me, I won’t bother you anymore,” Remy said, already planning to seek advice from more experienced friends before trying again.
Her chest tightened, a pang of discomfort rising unexpectedly. That’s not what I meant. You’re my brother’s friend and also like an older brother to me.”
While leaving aside his connection to her brother, she genuinely thought he was a kind and helpful person.
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Remy felt an even deeper disappointment. The last thing he wanted was to be her “brother.” That was worse than being
friend–zoned.
There had been a time when he loved being her “brother“, but now it grated on him.
When she noticed his silence, she thought he might still be upset about that night. “That night will remain our secret. Don’t worry, I won’t say anything.” She assured him.
She didn’t want him to feel obligated to her over something like that. Molly wasn’t hung up on those things. Sharing a bed didn’t mean they had to define it.
Remy’s heart sank further. He wished Molly would use that night to make him take responsibility.
The way she spoke made it sound like he was the victim.
God knew how excited he’d been when she came to him that night.
Remy stopped the swing and crouched in front of her, his intense gaze locking onto her uncertain eyes.
“Dr. Walker,” Molly stammered, her heart skipping a beat. ‘What is he about to do?‘
“Molly,” he said softly, ”
I stop being your brother?”
Under the sunlight, she seemed to see a flicker of light in his eyes, something elusive.
Molly’s breath caught, staring blankly at him. ‘Stop being a brother?‘
On the other side, the four people playing cards were all distracted.
Lia didn’t know how to play, so she was already slow in making her moves and had to also keep an eye on Molly and Dr. Walker.
“What do you think those two kids are talking about?” Quinn looked in the direction of her daughter.
Something seemed off. With her sharp eye, it was clear that these two couldn’t be just talking.
“My son is almost becoming a bookworm. Based on this situation, Molly’s probably upset and he is kneeling to beg for forgiveness.” Bri was frustrated with her son and felt she might as well handle it herself.
Lia looked at the situation, feeling it wasn’t quite what it seemed
“I envy you guys. I want to worry about my kids too, but my son doesn’t even have a partner.” Sierra sighed.
“Sierra, don’t overthink it. Maybe one day your son will bring his wife home.” Quinn smiled to comfort her.
“I really hope so, but my son is nowhere to be found right now.” She realized she had said too much and quickly stopped herself.
“Don’t worry. Edward is handsome and capable, so many girls must like him. I just don’t know who he has his eye on.” Bri added.
When it was Lia’s turn to play, she overheard their conversation and thought to herself, ‘This name sounds so familiar.‘
“Edward? Does Mrs. Yeats’s son’s name really happen to be Edward?”
“Yes, Lia, I forgot to introduce. My son’s name is Edward Howard If you get the chance, I’ll introduce him to you.” Sierra felt a certain warmth towards Lia, probably because she could see how caring she was, volunteering at the orphanage to help the children.
‘Edward Howard? Isn’t he the current CEO of K&H? Lia was shocked.
So, Mrs. Yeats is Edward’s mother!
