Chapter 298: Paradise Opens

Julian Faulkner’s sudden action took Vivian Lowell by surprise. She looked up, giving him a long glance. His eyes were filled with a smile. From his current mood, Vivian could feel his love for her—the kind that was unreserved and directly expressed.

“You’re really…” Vivian pursed her lips into a smile. Perhaps this was just one of those little joys between a married couple.

“I’m really what?” Julian also smiled. He pulled her into a hug, embracing her tightly before whispering, “We haven’t been this close in a long time.

“Vivian, just let me hold you a little longer. Just a little while.”

“Okay.” Vivian agreed, leaning against his chest. It was rare for the two of them to have such quiet time together.

Around six o’clock, Ms. Shaw finished making dinner. Before heading downstairs, Vivian received a reply from Eleanor Rhodes, expressing her immense joy and promising she would definitely be there to witness the amusement park’s grand opening.

“That’s awesome! I’ve heard about this project for a long time, but I never expected the Faulkner Group to be the investors, let alone that we’d get such great perks! Vivian, I love you so much!”

Eleanor sent Vivian a massive heart emoji.

Vivian sent a heart back before heading downstairs to eat.

The day of the amusement park’s opening was bright and sunny.

Vivian and Julian headed over bright and early. An unveiling ceremony was held at the park entrance, attended by several bigwigs from the investment side. Quite a few family members of the various parties also showed up. Most of them were wives bringing their children. Kids loved these kinds of places the most; even if they didn’t fully understand what was going on, it always felt like a carefree haven.

Vivian had also been the type to love fairy tales since she was little. Stories like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Little Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella—the characters in those tales always gave her a profound sense of immersion. It wasn’t that she wanted to be a princess. She just felt that the events that happened to the characters, as well as their emotions, were the purest kind. She loved stories like that.

“The unveiling ceremony is right under the blazing sun. It’s enough for me to go over. You three head to the corridor and wait; there are places to sit and rest over there,” Julian instructed Vivian, Grandma Faulkner, and Ms. Shaw.

Grandma Faulkner had also come today. It wasn’t that she was fond of playing around in amusement parks, but today was a big day, and this project was the hottest topic in all of Aethelburg. Naturally, she wanted to see it for herself. More importantly, she wanted to keep Vivian company!

Vivian nodded in agreement. Just as she was about to take out her phone to text Eleanor and ask what was taking her so long, she heard a voice from behind.

“Vivian!”

Eleanor was here.

When Vivian turned around, she saw not only Eleanor but also Henry Sterling standing beside her. Did it look like Henry had actually tagged along with Eleanor? Vivian was slightly taken aback.

“You two…?” Vivian couldn’t help but ask.

Although Henry’s behavior had been quite good lately, the events of the past couldn’t just be forgotten and wiped away so easily. However, this was Eleanor’s personal matter after all, and Vivian had to respect her friend’s decisions.

“Um… Vivian.” Eleanor looked a bit embarrassed, tracing a circle on the ground with her toe. “Henry said that the Sterling family also has some involvement in this project.

“It’s just that they aren’t major shareholders and investors like the Faulkner family. He said he wanted to come and take a look too. I didn’t have a choice, so I had to bring him along.”

“Alright then.”

After hearing this, Vivian couldn’t shake the feeling that things weren’t that simple. Logically speaking, for an event as major as an amusement park opening, if Henry were truly an investor, he would definitely be standing over by Julian right now. The reason Eleanor was giving sounded more like an excuse Henry had fabricated for himself.

Still, since Eleanor herself had tacitly accepted this excuse, it wasn’t Vivian’s place to say anything. Besides, she remembered that time when they climbed Briarmont; something seemed to have happened between Eleanor and Henry when she wasn’t paying attention.

On the way down, Eleanor had been skipping around. She didn’t take the cable car with Vivian, choosing to walk down instead. Then, she accidentally sprained her ankle, and it was Henry who noticed. He had supported Eleanor, which seemed to be their most intimate contact in years. Even before, when their relationship had been fairly decent, nothing like that had ever occurred.

Girls tended to be nostalgic. The type of person they liked might remain the same for many years, and Henry just happened to be the perfect man in Eleanor’s heart. Their feelings had gradually faded before, but now…

Uncertain about the situation between the two of them, Vivian simply said, “Let’s just wait here for now. Once the unveiling ceremony is over, we can go inside. Eleanor, which exhibition area should we check out first?”

“Let’s go to the Transformers area first!” Eleanor’s eyes lit up at the mention of the sci-fi franchise, and she shouted the iconic catchphrase, “Autobots, roll out!”

“Hahaha…” Vivian couldn’t help but laugh along.

The unveiling ceremony was very straightforward.

It was just a few investors and the park’s organizers pulling down the drape covering the sign, followed by a group photo. The process was swift. Once it wrapped up, everyone began trickling toward the entrance.

Many wives with their children were telling the kids to calm down. Vivian even spotted a child dressed in a Harry Potter robe, clutching a magic wand and muttering spells from the books. It was incredibly endearing. The kid looked to be about six or seven—the peak age of cuteness.

Perhaps because Vivian’s gaze was exceptionally soft, Eleanor, standing beside her, couldn’t resist teasing, “Vivian, stop staring. I’m sure that the child you and Julian have will be just as adorable.”

“…”

Vivian hadn’t expected Eleanor to say that. She smiled, initially wanting to offer a quick retort, but then she thought about it and realized it was true.

Their child.

Vivian glanced down at her slightly protruding lower abdomen. She was just over four months along, so it wasn’t very obvious yet. However—perhaps it was just her imagination playing tricks on her over the last couple of days—she constantly felt like she could sense the baby kicking.

This made her extremely excited! The baby in her belly was interacting with her. That was a good thing!

Swallowing her thoughts, Vivian said, “Alright. Julian is heading over now. Come on, let’s go inside first.”

The amusement park was enormous.

Since Eleanor wanted the “Autobots to roll out,” they went straight to the Transformers base, where Vivian saw numerous car models.

So cool!

Her favorite, Bumblebee, was there too.

“Bumblebee is so cute. I loved him even back when I was watching the movies.” Looking at the towering Bumblebee model, Vivian excitedly tugged at Julian’s sleeve and asked, “Speaking of which, Julian, you’re a guy.

“Don’t they say mechas are a man’s romance? Do you really like them too?”

Julian laughed when he heard that.

What did she mean by “mechas are a man’s romance”?

Since he was young, he had been busy with either his studies or the family business. Where would he have found the time to play with mechas? As for liking them… he did have a brief phase where he was fond of them, but it was strictly just a superficial interest. He knew exactly what the most important things he needed to do were.

“I like them.” Julian still admitted his true thoughts. He knew that in front of Vivian, he didn’t need to hide his heart. He could just speak his mind.

“I knew it!” Vivian didn’t overthink it. Instead, she affectionately patted Julian’s head, acting like a doting older sister at that moment. “How about this, Julian? Chinese Valentine’s Day is just around the corner anyway. Why don’t I get you some action figures as a gift? How about Bumblebee and Optimus Prime?”

Actually, a full set would work too. There were a few other characters in the series she really liked as well!

“Okay.” Julian couldn’t help but chuckle as he agreed. He got the distinct feeling that Vivian was currently trying to “spoil” him. It was truly hard to refuse her, so he might as well let her fulfill her little whim. Besides, he was more than willing. He hadn’t received this kind of doting in a very long time.

It was just that…

Next to them, Grandma Faulkner shot Julian an astonished look before muttering quietly, “I never knew you liked these things, Julian!

“When I saw you feeding stray dogs on the side of the road as a kid, I knew you had a kind heart and loved puppies. To think you like these toys too! It was my oversight.

“Julian, if there’s anything else you like next time, tell Grandma, and Grandma will buy it for you too!”

Not to be outdone, Grandma Faulkner finished speaking and then, remembering something, added to Vivian, “Vivian, you too! If there’s anything you like, tell Grandma, and I’ll buy it for you both!”

“Hahaha…” Everyone burst into laughter. Eleanor couldn’t resist chiming in, “Grandma, what about me?”

“I’ll buy it, I’ll buy everything!” Grandma Faulkner was so amused she grinned, showing off her teeth. Everyone was in high spirits.

The theme park was massive, with plenty of amusement rides to choose from. After Vivian, Eleanor, and the others finished touring the Transformers theme park, they arrived in front of the Decepticon roller coaster. Vivian really wanted to ride it, but unfortunately, pregnant women weren’t advised to, so she could only give up in disappointment.

“If Vivian can’t ride it, then neither will I!” Showing absolute loyalty, Eleanor chose to stay back with Vivian. She watched the kids on the ride eagerly, looking incredibly envious.

Unable to bear seeing Eleanor so jealous of the others, Vivian consoled her, “It’s fine. There’s bound to be something suitable for us. Come on, let’s keep walking.”

“Okay.” Eleanor nodded.

From the side, Henry spoke up, “If you like it, we can always come back after the official opening. Vivian is busy with work and might not be able to keep you company all the time.

“But I imagine I’ll have the time.”