淑女的欲望

Chapter 495 Family Dinner (1)

He knew more or less about them from recent news and what Scarlett had told him. That family was currently in chaos. 

However, despite that, he wanted to meet Noah Withers, as he was Rosalie's brother, the one who stood by her when the rest of her family was hunting her down.

"Scarlett, about your Uncle Noah, does he have plans to come here?" Roland asked. If Noah were to visit Scarlett, he would have the opportunity to meet him officially.

"Uncle Noah does have plans to come here, but not in the near future. Right now, he's busy restoring the Withers' good name in X, so he can't leave the country yet," Scarlett frowned, looking at her father. "Why do you ask about him?"

"Do I need to see him? What do you think?" He asked seriously.

Scarlett fell silent because, until now, she hadn't even told her uncle, Noah, about her biological father.

"Ugh, Father... Well... I haven't told him about you yet—" She feels bad because she did not talk about him to her mother's family.

"Why?" Roland was surprised to hear that, and he felt slightly disappointed. "Why did you hide the fact that you already found your father?" 

"Father, it's not... I don't want to tell him. But I think... we should wait for Mom. Let her decide about that," Scarlett explained.

Roland, feeling sad upon learning that the Withers didn't know about him, slowly understands Scarlett's reasons. He nods in agreement with her. In the end, they couldn't make any decisions until Rosalie was found.

"Does your Uncle Noah know about the information that you've found a trace of your mother?" Roland asked again.

Scarlett shook her head.

"No. I'm afraid there are still Jude Withers' people around Uncle Noah. So, it's better to keep this a secret until we successfully find Mom..." 

Scarlett trusts her Uncle Noah but doesn't trust the people around him. For now, it would be better to keep her new findings about her mother hidden. She was afraid that what happened on B Island or what happened to Carter would occur to anyone she cared about again.

She would never forgive herself if the people closest to her became victims of the Withers once more.

The two spent a few more minutes talking about various things, and finally, Scarlett stood up from her seat.

"Father, we will go to Norway after Xander's birthday—two weeks from now. I hope you can settle your affairs here before leaving," she excused herself. 

Scarlett joins the others in the living room while Roland stays in his study. He calls his butler and discusses a few things. 

****

Time passed quickly as Scarlett chatted with Simon and Maggie. She felt very grateful that the two of them had sincerely accepted her into the family; there was no trace of feeling that she was their half-sister. 

This made Scarlett feel happy and comfortable chatting with them. It wasn't just her who felt that way; Xander, sitting beside her, also felt the same.

As evening approached, Theodor's family finally arrived. Theodor appeared with his father and mother, adding liveliness to the family gathering. 

The elders gathered on one side of the living room while the younger generation chatted on the other.

Scarlett and Maggie didn't pay much attention to what the boys were discussing; they were busy giggling in a corner, talking about Francis.

"Little sister..." Maggie whispered to Scarlett, "You won't believe what I received earlier."

"What?" Scarlett was curious as she glanced at Maggie, who sat beside her.

"Francis sent me a text message. He asked if I would come to this dinner?" Maggie grinned, pleased. She had previously thought Scarlett's plan had failed because, since she followed Scarlett's suggestion, Francis had never contacted her until today.

Scarlett smiled, looking at Maggie's blushing face. She asked, "Did you reply to his text?"

"Yeah, I replied to his text and told him I would come," She paused. Her beaming eyes gradually turned gloomy. "—But after that, he didn't reply to anything..." She sighed deeply.

"Sis, relax." Scarlett, feeling amused, looked at Maggie. "As long as you follow what I ask... you'll be alright!" She still believed that Francis would be curious about Maggie.

Maggie nodded.

"Hmm, I followed your instructions. And today was the first time he ever contacted me—" Suddenly, Maggie's voice trailed off as her eyes saw someone appear in the living room. Her hand gripped Scarlett's hand tightly as she said. "Heaven!! H-He's here!!"

"Who?" Scarlett asked while following Maggie's line of sight. Like Maggie, Scarlett was shocked when she saw Grandpa Robert entering the room, with Francis following behind.

Scarlett's lips curled into a smile upon seeing Francis attend this dinner. 

'Well... Well... it looks like my plan is going as planned, huh!?' she silently thought to herself.

Scarlett followed the others and stood up to welcome their arrival. However, she didn't immediately approach the two of them. Instead, she turned to face Maggie.

"Alright, keep it that way. Just stay cool. Don't ask him anything before he asks you first," Scarlett reminded Maggie.

Maggie nodded slowly, even though she found it very difficult to ignore Francis. She wanted to approach and talk to him, but Scarlett's strategy was also worth trying.

"I'll heed your advice, little sister," Maggie responded.

"Good!" Scarlett said while gently patting Maggie's hand, reminding her to be patient.

While Scarlett and Maggie were busy chatting, Theodor approached them.

"You both look suspicious... What are you talking about while whispering like this?" Theodor narrowed his eyes at Scarlett and then glanced at Maggie. "Don't tell me... Are you two making any strange plans? Tell me; I'll join in if it's fun..."

The two girls ignored him and rolled their eyes before approaching Robert and Francis.