Chapter 571 - 567: A Love Triangle?

"What a good girl, what a good girl!" The moment Great-grandpa heard Cecilia Sterling’s birthday wishes, he grinned from ear to ear. "Emeric was always going on about having a girlfriend, but he never brought her home for me to meet. I was starting to think he was just pulling an old man’s leg."

"Sir, Emeric certainly has high standards. No wonder he turned down everyone we tried to introduce him to. Just look at the girlfriend he brought home! She has the looks, she has the poise," someone nearby chimed in with a compliment.

That one comment prompted everyone at the table to voice their agreement.

Great-grandpa was absolutely delighted. He immediately called for the housekeeper, "Go prepare a large red envelope. Emeric brought his girlfriend home, so we can’t be inhospitable."

Cecilia Sterling was taken aback. She quickly said, "Great-grandpa, today is your big day. As someone of a younger generation, I should be the one wishing you a happy birthday. How could I possibly accept a red envelope from you? I really couldn’t."

But the old man’s whiskers twitched as he shot her a look, saying stubbornly, "That’s a different matter entirely. You’re the first girlfriend our Emeric has ever brought home. I know that boy better than anyone—he wouldn’t bring someone back unless he’s truly set on them. I liked you the moment I saw you, young lady. You must accept this red envelope."

Cecilia Sterling was about to protest again, but Emeric spoke quietly beside her. "Great-grandpa is giving it to you. Just take it."

Cecilia Sterling turned to look at him, giving him a meaningful glance.

But Emeric just smiled, paying her no mind.

The old man, however, grew even more pleased. "That’s right. You must, you must."

The housekeeper moved quickly and returned in a flash, holding a crisp, new red envelope. The old man pressed it into Cecilia Sterling’s hand, patted her affectionately, and murmured, "You and Emeric, be happy together."

For a man of his age, the greatest hope one has for the younger generation is to see them marry soon. He would be even happier if he could hold a great-great-grandchild.

And yet, Great-grandpa was remarkably restrained. He didn’t even say something like, "I hope to see you two get married one day." He only said, "You and Emeric, be happy together."

For some reason, Cecilia Sterling felt a sudden surge of warmth in her heart.

"Don’t worry, Great-grandpa. We will. And you need to take good care of yourself, too."

Emeric watched Cecilia Sterling’s profile. He could sense the genuine sincerity she was showing his great-grandfather, and a soft light crept into his gaze as he looked at her.

"Emeric, take good care of Cecilia. It’s crowded today, so we’ll talk more later."

Emeric nodded. "Okay, Great-grandpa. We’ll go join the others for now. I’ll be back to give you a proper toast later."

He led Cecilia Sterling back to the front courtyard, where their generation was seated.

Seizing a moment when no one was nearby, Cecilia Sterling tried to press the red envelope she’d received back into Emeric’s hands.

"I can’t take this. Quick, put it away before anyone sees."

"Great-grandpa gave it to you, so you should keep it. It’s fine." Emeric refused to take it. Instead, he took Cecilia Sterling’s hand and tucked the red envelope back into her purse.

"I told you I wasn’t doing this for payment. For today, we’re a real couple. A couple for a day."

"I know. But this isn’t payment." Emeric looked at Cecilia Sterling, his expression serious. "You said it yourself—we’re a real couple today. So, isn’t it perfectly normal for my great-grandfather to give his grandson’s girlfriend a red envelope for their first meeting?"

Cecilia Sterling was at a loss for words.

A hint of a smile touched Emeric’s eyes. "You handled that perfectly. Thank you."

"A red envelope!"

Mindy Grant suddenly popped out of nowhere, looking excitedly at Cecilia Sterling. "Sister-in-law! Did Great-grandpa give you a red envelope?"

’Sister-in-law?’

Cecilia Sterling was completely unprepared for that title and blinked, unsure of how to respond for a moment.

Emeric gently chided, "Mindy, don’t just call her whatever you want. It’s a bit too soon to be calling her sister-in-law."

Mindy stuck her tongue out, looking troubled. "Well, what should I call her then?"

"You can just call me Cecilia."

"Okay, that works." Mindy clasped her hands together at her chest and asked curiously, "Great-grandpa’s super generous. Cecilia, hurry up and see how much is in there!"

"Wouldn’t it be a bit rude to open it right now?" Cecilia Sterling said, glancing hesitantly at Emeric.

Emeric had a good idea of his great-grandfather’s personality; the amount in the envelope wouldn’t be small. He was afraid that if Cecilia Sterling opened it then and there, she’d just try to give it back to him again. So, he agreed with her, "Open it when you get home."

Mindy immediately pouted. "Aww, that’s no fun..."

As she spoke, her gaze flickered toward the main gate and instantly lit up. "Cecilia!"

"Bro, you haven’t seen Cecilia in a long time, have you? Let’s go over and say hi!" Mindy grabbed Emeric’s arm, about to pull him along.

But Emeric pulled his hand away. When Mindy looked at him in surprise, he said calmly, "You go ahead. I need to take care of Cecilia."

Normally, this would have been Cecilia Sterling’s cue to say something like, "It’s fine, you can go."

But, sharp as she was, Cecilia Sterling could tell at a glance that Emeric didn’t want to go. So, she immediately took his hand and said, "This is my first time in such a large courtyard home. Will you show me around?"

Mindy didn’t sense anything was wrong. On the contrary, she said breezily, "Okay then, Bro, you show Cecilia around. I’m going to go say hi to Cecilia."

Once Mindy had run off, Cecilia Sterling asked, "So, what’s the story?"

She was direct, and Emeric didn’t play dumb. He hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. It’s complicated."

"First love? A secret crush?"

Emeric shook his head. "Neither."

Cecilia Sterling let out a small sigh. She felt that asking any more would be crossing a line, so she didn’t press him further.

But then Emeric spoke up on his own. "My younger brother likes her. But she likes me."

’A love triangle!’

"Wait a second." Cecilia Sterling seemed to recall something. She looked at Emeric, puzzled. "You mentioned in the file you sent me that your parents divorced before you were old enough to remember, and that you always call your father’s current wife ’Auntie.’ Is the brother you mentioned her son?"

Emeric nodded. "He is."

Cecilia Sterling exhaled in understanding. "Well, that is awkward. So you have no feelings for her?"

She had glanced at the girl, Cecilia, from a distance just now. ’She’s actually quite beautiful,’ she thought.

"None," Emeric said, his tone decisive.

Since that was the case, Cecilia Sterling had nothing more to ask. ’He’s probably keeping his distance on purpose out of consideration for his brother’s feelings,’ she mused.

But it seemed they could run but not hide. Just after Cecilia Sterling sat down at a table with Emeric, Mindy came over and sat down with them, bringing Cecilia Langley along.

"Cecilia, this is my brother’s girlfriend, Cecilia! What do you think? She’s gorgeous, right? I wasn’t lying, was I?" Mindy began excitedly, introducing Cecilia Sterling to Cecilia Langley the moment she sat down.

Cecilia Langley, however, didn’t even glance at Cecilia Sterling. From the moment she saw Emeric, her eyes were fixed on him.

"Emeric, it’s been a long time."

She completely ignored Mindy’s words, greeting Emeric directly.

Emeric, however, slowly turned his head to look at Cecilia Sterling. With a rare gentleness in his voice, he made the introduction to her: "Cecilia, this is a good friend I grew up with, Cecilia Langley."