Chapter 6. Fancy Her

Pearl gasped and instantly put on a pleading, innocent expression toward her father. Thus, Sandra glared at her. Luckily, Pearl quickly hid her cell phone behind her back.

"Nothing, Dad. I just," Pearl paused and thought quickly. Her eyes rolled, looking for an acceptable reason to elude.

"Oh, look at this exquisite carpet. I'm looking at it," said Pearl, continuing her reason. She grinned widely, trying to hide the anxiousness.

"What for?" Sandra held back a grunt of annoyance at Pearl, who was acting strangely.

"I'm an interior designer, Mom. Of course, I have to pay attention to the carpet design. Hmm?" Sandra frowned, not liking her excuse. Quickly, she grabbed Pearl's arm to force her to shove her forward. Sandra also cleared her throat to allow John to speak. John then stepped closer and whispered a little to Pearl.

"Pearl, he is your future husband. His name is Taggart Kellent," said John, introducing Pearl to the man standing not far before her.

Pearl glanced at Taggart, who was also looking at her. Pearl's brow furrowed when she saw the man. Meanwhile, Taggart appeared uninterested despite his genuine shock. How could the girl he saw at his factory be at his house? Isn't that an impossible coincidence?

Pearl then murmured, "But he is." The man was very similar to the one he saw at Excellor's factory this morning. However, Pearl remained uncertain due to the stark differences in their appearances. After all, Pearl only saw the man once and didn't see him again at Excellor the whole day.

"He's handsome, right?" Sandra interjected to express her opinion. "I told you that you are a lucky dog." Pearl was still stunned and confused. She glanced at Sandra but then looked back at her. Taggart walked a few steps and stood in front of him. Pearl's eyes widened even more as Taggart stared at her with a cold, suspicious expression.

"Mr. Taggart Kellent," John said, greeting Taggart with a friendly smile. Unfortunately, Taggart frowned instead. It was like he was looking at a peculiar person. Hence, Pearl didn't enjoy seeing Taggart's arrogant attitude towards her parents.

"Taggart!"

Taggart turned his head slightly to the side as Bruce approached him. Bruce smiled at the Rosenthal family. Sandra turned out to be friendlier than she wasn't before.

"Welcome, Mr. Rosenthal," said Bruce, showing his hospitality as a host to John and Sandra. John smiled and shook his hand.

"Thank you for inviting me. Let me introduce you to my wife, Sandra, and my daughter, Pearl."

With a big smile, Sandra welcomed a handshake from a good-looking man like Bruce. Bruce even bent slightly and kissed Sandra's hand. Sandra was stunned to receive aristocratic treatment, like in a fairy tale.

"Welcome to my humble home, Mr. and Mrs. Rosenthal," Bruce said again, smiling broadly. Sandra grinned more and nodded.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you, Mr. Kellent."

"Just call me Bruce. It doesn't matter." Sandra turned more cheerful and seemed to forget that John was looking at her in disbelief. His wife acted strangely to a man like Bruce. Although, at first, she had always criticized the Kellent family as cruel people and monsters. Bruce's gaze quickly shifted to Pearl, and he still held out his hand to shake hers.

"So your name is Pearl? You are as beautiful as your name," Bruce complimented with a smile. Pearl was still stunned, though, so she reached for Bruce's hand to shake it.

"Thank you, Mr. Kellent."

"The introductions will begin shortly. Let's go to the dining table," said Bruce, asking the Rosenthals to sit in their chairs immediately. Taggart was still examining Pearl. He had said nothing yet, but his eyes followed Pearl anywhere. Pearl got uncomfortable now. As she sat down, Pearl grabbed her father's arm and whispered something.

"Dad, are you sure he is the person who will be my future husband?" Pearl asked worriedly. John turned around and frowned. He nodded, then took one of Pearl's hands.

"Do not worry. Maybe," John then glanced at all the guests present briefly.

"He wouldn't choose you. There are many beautiful girls here. Maybe he will choose one of them." John responded to the whisper with a smile. Pearl was stunned and then smiled, too. Her father had the same thoughts as her. Pearl nodded quickly, then sat next to her father.

"Don't cause any trouble." Bruce leaned slightly closer to Taggart and whispered his message. This time, Taggart was silent as he glanced at his father, who had sat down first.

From the corner, Everest looked worriedly at Taggart. Taggart turned to him and then raised both eyebrows simultaneously like a code. Taggart left to see Pearl and did not move from her. Pearl, who had glanced at him, quickly looked away.

The maids then brought the dinner menu to all the guests. The dinner was indeed a luxurious banquet that pampered all the guests. Thus, Sandra, who initially didn't like The Kellent, was now happy. The menu had luxurious food that the famous chef had served for a special occasion.

"This is amazing," muttered Sandra, admiring the menu. Bruce then stood up and raised his glass to the front.

"I would like to welcome all guests. Before we start dinner, I would like to introduce my son." Taggart suddenly stood up and interrupted.

"There's no need to linger. Let's cut these bushes. I have chosen my future bride." Taggart immediately interrupted his father's unfinished words. Bruce was surprised to see how Taggart didn't give up on causing trouble.

"Taggart, what are you doing?" Bruce scolds Taggart for deliberately ruining dinner.

"I've chosen my mate, Dad. Isn't that what you want?" Taggart replied as if he were challenging his father. Bruce was annoyed and angry. He was tired of Taggart's rebellious act.

"I told you that I disagree with it." Bruce hissed his warning at Taggart. However, Taggart didn't care.

"I haven't spoken yet, Dad."

Some men entered the dining room and interrupted the escalating argument between Taggart and Bruce.

"How could you kick off this fancy dinner without me, my dear cousin?"