Chapter 140 Do You Intend to Marry Her?
“Yes.” Courtney hastily nodded, then instructed Tina, “Tina, this is your Grand-Aunt Alicia.”
Alicia murmured the name ‘Tina’ under her breath several times before bringing her focus back to the present. She glanced at Courtney and said, “Why is she calling me ‘Grand-Aunt’? That makes me sound so old.”
“Then, what should she call you?” Courtney asked, feeling slightly nervous. Her childhood impression of Alicia was not a good one. Alicia was always a little mean and sharp-tongued toward her, so she used to be extremely scared of her aunt. Fortunately, her grandfather protected her. Otherwise, she would have been scared silly every time she met Alicia back then.
“Just call me Great-Aunt Alicia.”
Upon hearing those words, Tina used her baby voice to greet Alicia without further prompting from Courtney. “Nice to meet you, Great-Aunt Alicia.”
Alicia’s usual cold and indifferent demeanor seemed to soften for a moment. She leaned down and beckoned to Tina. “Come; come closer for me to see you. I’m getting older, and my eyesight is getting worse.”
Tina glanced at Courtney. After receiving approval from Courtney, she obediently stepped forward and generously lifted her head for Alicia to see her face. “Great-Aunt Alicia, is this close enough for you to see my face?”
Alicia’s eyes lit up with a smile. “What’s this? Are you not scared of me?”
“Why would I be afraid of you, Great-Aunt Alicia? It’s not like you’re a scary beast or a caterpillar.”
“That’s because all the children your age or younger are always scared of me.”
“Is that so?” Tina widened her eyes in surprise; she looked as if she had heard something surprising. Then, she replied seriously, “Then, those children must be very timid. Parents shouldn’t raise their children to be so timid. How will they protect their family in the future?”
“Hahaha! Next time, you’ll have to teach them then.” Alicia suddenly burst into hearty laughter. Throughout her life, Courtney had never seen her laugh so happily before. Alicia laughed for a while, then patted Tina’s hand. Straightening her back, she turned around and looked at Courtney. “I like this girl. In the future, why don’t you leave her in my hands?”
Courtney could not understand the meaning behind the question. “What do you mean by that?”
“I know you went against the Hunter Family’s wishes and secretly went abroad to give birth to this child. At the end of the day, she does not have a legitimate status. I couldn’t care less about who the father of this child is. But, it’s not appropriate to keep her by your side. You’re still only in your twenties; how will you find a husband with her by your side? If I just leave things be, I’ll be too ashamed to face your mother when I die.”
Alicia’s words had always been blunt. However, her words this time frightened Tina so much that she shrank back behind Courtney. “I don’t want to be separated from Mommy! Mommy’s boyfriend likes me a lot! And, I like him too! Great-Aunt Alicia, you don’t need to worry about Mommy’s marriage.”
Alicia glanced at Tina before continuing the conversation. “I heard about you and Alexander. He has a son of unknown origins too. If it wasn’t for the fact that you have a daughter of your own, I would never agree to such a marriage. Still, now that things have come this far, you better think it over carefully. The Duncan Family isn’t as simple as you seem to think. I suggest you wait until after I finish investigating them before considering your options.”
Courtney pursed her lips. She looked like a child listening to an adult scolding her as she obediently listened to her aunt’s advice without any intention of rebelling. Ugh, my nightmare from the past has not gone away despite the years.
While Alicia was talking, two figures—one large and one small—walked in through the cemetery entrance. After listening to the second half of what Alicia said, they paused where they stood. “If you have any questions, you can ask me directly. You don’t need to go to the trouble of investigating me.”
Startled, Courtney gazed in the direction of the voice and saw Alexander walking over while holding Jordan’s hand. As soon as Jordan saw Courtney, he immediately broke free of Alexander and flew toward her. After that, he and Tina happily played together.
Meanwhile, Alicia turned around. She stood in front of Courtney protectively and studied Alexander coolly. “The president of Sunhill Enterprise, Alexander Duncan, right?”
It was rare for Alexander to meet people who thought nothing of him. However, Courtney seemed to be surrounded by people like that. He had met so many of them by now that he was no longer surprised by it. “Yes, that’s me. And, you are?”
“You don’t need to bother about who I am. The meaning behind your words just now… Do you intend to marry Courtney?”
Upon hearing that question, Courtney felt her chest tightening in nervousness. Then, she stared at the man in front of her blankly. On the other hand, Alexander calmly and leisurely answered, “Yes.”
“If that’s the case, I have a few questions for you.” Alicia’s imposing aura was no less than Alexander’s—she had the demeanor of a general.
“Go ahead.” From their conversation, Alexander could tell that Alicia was probably quite a prestigious elder in Courtney’s family.
“Aunt Alicia, forget it. He and I—” Courtney tried to stop the two of them. I’m still in a cold war with Alexander! I haven’t talked to him in several days! What’s going on?!
“Let’s talk somewhere else.” Alicia ignored Courtney. Then, she walked side by side with Alexander, heading toward the cemetery entrance.
Inside the car, a woman’s calm and steady voice rang out. “My first question is related to the mother of your son. Who is she? I need to know about all the possible threats Courtney might face after marriage. If your ex-wife constantly wishes to see her child, it will be difficult to have a good life down the road.”
“I have never been married, so there is no ex-wife.” Alexander did not hide anything as he answered frankly. “As for who the mother of my son is… At present, Courtney is the only one Jordan recognizes as his mother.”
Alicia frowned slightly. From the corner of her eye, she could see both children hugging Courtney from both sides and refusing to let go. It seemed like what he said was true. “Okay. Then, my second question… If you marry Courtney, how are you going to manage your assets?”
Compared to the first question, the second question was far more straightforward. He hesitated slightly. He had yet to consider it so deeply, but it wasn’t too late to start thinking about it now. “Based on Courtney’s personality, she would not wish to be a housewife. Besides, my assets are managed by financial advisers. If she wishes to, I can transfer some of them over to her.”
“What if you divorce one day?”
“I guarantee she will never have to worry about money.”
“When asked this question, most people would tell me that divorce will never happen.” She glanced at him with a lukewarm expression. However, her gaze was sharp. “Why? Do you already plan to divorce her before you even marry her? Don’t you dare think that Courtney has no family supporting her.”
“Things like emotions are not predictable. I cannot guarantee everybody’s feelings. Even if I can guarantee mine, I cannot guarantee hers. Aside from that, I can only promise what I can control, and that is the best materialistic conditions for her.”
Alicia said nothing as she glanced outside the car window. Through the glass, she saw the two children surrounding Courtney as they played happily. Even in this solemn cemetery, they did not look out of place. After that, she continued asking many questions. Toward the end, Alexander asked her one question. “If you care about Courtney so much, why didn’t you take care of her when she was being bullied by the Hunter Family for so many years?”
Alicia did not answer. However, she could tell that Alexander had guessed her answer. This man in his early thirties had a pair of piercing eyes belonging to a mature man. It felt as if he could see through one’s thoughts. Survival of the fittest—that is the law of the jungle.
I did not want Courtney to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Courtney’s mother grew up in a sheltered environment. Whenever she met even the smallest setback, she would try to avoid dealing with it. In the end, she couldn’t escape everything and lost her life as a result.
