Chapter 102- keep going

Chapter 102: Chapter 102- keep going Later, Linda found herself confiding in Tiffany about the whole situation—how her eldest son Morrison had publicly announced he had a girlfriend, yet stubbornly refused to reveal who she was. Tiffany comforted her gently, "Morrison went public this time, saying he’s seriously thinking about marriage. That shows he really wants to settle down. Even we outsiders feel relieved by that. You should be happy, not obsessing over who he’s fallen for." Tiffany and Daniel, of course, had seen the news of Morrison’s interview too. In their eyes, Morrison—the eldest son of the Mos family—was as outstanding in business as his younger brother. But when it came to love life, he had always seemed unreliable. The image of a playboy who could dump a woman at any time stuck with him, and even now, well into his thirties, he’d never had a steady, dependable girlfriend. So this public declaration of a serious relationship and plans for marriage was a big image boost. Almost everyone told Linda to take heart. But no matter how much reassurance she got, Linda’s heart still felt heavy. On Tuesday night, Morrison and Lilian arrived at A.T. They headed straight to the new home of Dave and Laurent—a simple but elegant three-story villa. Laurent had prepared dinner for them. Originally, Jacob and his team had heard Morrison was coming to A.T. to hold a banquet in his honor. After all, Morrison was a well-known figure in the business world. The young talents had met several times and felt a mutual respect. Now that Dave was collaborating with them in A.T., and Morrison had been Dave’s former partner, Jacob and the others were eager to get to know Morrison better. But Dave politely declined the invitation. After a two-hour drive, they all wanted to rest first. A big banquet felt too tiring. It was better to just enjoy a casual home-cooked meal together. They weren’t strangers—Lilian was Dave’s sister, and Laurent was a longtime close friend. There was no need for formality. Though called a "home-cooked meal," Laurent had put a lot of effort into preparing it. She had deliberately skipped going to the company that afternoon to focus on cooking. While Dave usually handled the family meals, his cooking wasn’t quite up to par when hosting guests, so Laurent took the lead. Lilian was delighted to see Laurent and her sweet, well-behaved niece Emma. The two women chatted happily. Dave and Morrison, on the other hand, were a bit less sentimental—though they were also glad to see each other and quietly chatted in the living room. Because Laurent had nearly finished the meal before they arrived, dinner started shortly after Morrison and Lilian got there. The five of them sat around the table, eating and talking. Laurent shared that the branch office had officially begun operations, and every day was busy. As the saying goes, "The first step is the hardest." The early days weren’t easy, but Dave encouraged her constantly, giving her strength to keep going. As for Dave, his collaboration with Seven hadn’t started yet—by his own choice. He needed to be there for Laurent during these toughest days first, to support her through the rough patch. Only then could he focus on developing his own career. Throughout the meal, Lilian kept her eyes firmly on Morrison, as if he were a complete stranger—just the Morrison from before, when they had no relationship at all. She worked hard to hide any sign of their connection, hoping Dave and Laurent wouldn’t notice anything unusual. Dave and Morrison shared drinks, while Laurent casually joined in with Lilian for a few sips. Squinting slightly, Dave asked Morrison, "I heard you publicly admitted you have a girlfriend now. What’s the story? Who’s the lucky girl?" Laurent, equally curious, chimed in, "Yeah, we’re all dying to know. Who is she?" Lilian jumped in surprise, her chopsticks trembling as she reached for a dish. The food slipped and fell back to the plate. She awkwardly chuckled and tried again, then lowered her head and ate quietly. "Who is this girl?" Dave repeated. Morrison lifted his glass and took a sip. Dave and Laurent leaned in, expecting him to answer. Instead, he smiled and said, "Not now. I’m afraid if I say, it’ll scare you off." Lilian let out a quiet sigh of relief inside, but Laurent looked clearly disappointed. "Hey, Lord Mos, you can’t say things like that and then leave us hanging!" Dave laughed as well. "What, are you keeping secrets from me now?" He was genuinely curious to know which woman had finally caught Morrison’s heart—enough to make him consider marriage. From Dave’s years of knowing Morrison, this was no small thing. Morrison had remained unmarried all these years—not because he’d been hurt or had emotional scars. On the contrary, he’d never really faced heartbreak, which oddly made him take love less seriously. Perhaps it was because he’d always been so successful in romance that he no longer had high expectations for love or marriage. Naturally, marriage hadn’t interested him. Morrison, of course, wasn’t about to reveal the girl’s identity. He just smiled and said, "Now’s not the time. When the time’s right, I’ll tell you." During the meal, Dave’s phone buzzed. It was Jacob calling. Jacob asked if Morrison and Lilian had arrived safely, then mentioned there was a banquet planned that evening to honor Morrison. Of course, Lilian was invited too—to enjoy some of A.T.’s finest cuisine. Dave chuckled and replied, "No need for fancy food. Just introduce a few of A.T.’s young talents to my sister, and that’ll do." Lilian blushed in embarrassment. Her big brother was usually so cool and aloof—when did he turn into such a meddling matchmaker? Asking Jacob to set her up with guys like some neighborhood committee auntie! Laurent leaned over with a soft smile, whispering, "Your brother’s just worried you won’t get over Karl anytime soon. That’s why he asked Director Jacob to help find you some good men." The day Lilian broke up with Karl, she’d turned off her phone all day. That made Dave think she was seriously hurt by the breakup. Though he never said it out loud, he cared more than anyone. If it weren’t for being here in A.T., Dave would’ve gone back to give Karl a piece of his mind. Lilian felt even more awkward. Only Morrison, sitting right beside her, truly knew the reason she’d shut down her phone that day. She hadn’t been heartbroken—she’d simply been exhausted and fallen asleep... and he had turned off her phone for her. When Morrison heard that Dave had Jacob set Lilian up with potential suitors, the sip of wine he just took nearly choked him. This Dave... But there was nothing he could do. So, he quietly took another sip.