Married at First Sight (Serenity and Zachary) novel Chapter 4521

Chapter 4521 
“No matter who she’s dressing up for, we don’t need to stress over it,” Mrs. Lafond said. “Our daughter’s almost thirty. She knows what she’s doing—what she should and shouldn’t do. We’ve stopped worrying about her since she was a teenager.” 
She believed fretting over her children’s relationships was bad for her health, and frankly, she was tired of overthinking it. 
Anyway, their kids were grown. They could handle themselves. 
“Honey, how about we take a trip to Wiltspoon in a few days?” she suggested. “I’ve heard it has a lot of great tourist spots.” 
Mr. Lafond immediately agreed. “I was thinking the same thing.” 
Even though they claimed not to worry about Romina, the real reason behind the trip was to learn more about River’s background. 
A family that could raise someone as outstanding as River had to be something special. 
They weren’t the type to obsess over class or wealth in marriage. They valued character and capability. In their minds, a person with good values and ability could overcome any background, even poverty. 
After all, many rich families today started from nothing. They just got lucky that their ancestors laid the foundation. 
Mr. and Mrs. Lafond were open-minded parents. They didn’t interfere in their kids’ personal lives or demand a “perfect match.” They also had confidence in their children’s judgment. 
If someone could earn their child’s admiration, they had to be decent. 
For them, it was more about having things in common. People who didn’t live in the same world usually didn’t share the same mindset. 
Romina had no idea her parents were planning a trip to Wiltspoon. 
She and Maddox didn’t take his car—they left it at her house and had her driver take them in hers to the Lacroix family residence. 
On the way, she was unusually quiet and seemed a little tense. 

Maddox noticed and looked over at her. “Are you nervous?” 
This wasn’t her first formal event, so it seemed unlikely. 
“Nervous? No way,” Romina replied quickly. “This isn’t my first banquet. I just feel a little uncomfortable in this dress. I’m more used to suits.” 
Maddox chuckled. “Yeah, suits are definitely more comfortable than evening gowns.” 
Maybe he was just overthinking it. 
Romina was no rookie. She had been in business for years and had handled plenty of highstakes situations. 
He figured he must’ve misread her. 
Trying to shift the mood, Romina asked, “You’ve been pretty busy lately, right?” 
Since he was her date for the evening, it made sense to keep the conversation going. 
“Yeah, very busy,” Maddox said. “But so are you. The Lafond family is thriving.” 
Romina smiled. “My parents think highly of you. They really like you.” 
Maddox’s family saw Romina as the ideal partner—strong family, capable, refined, and someone who could handle both business and home life. 
He did have some feelings for Romina, though mostly because his family liked her. When she’d reached out for dinner, he didn’t hesitate. 
If sparks flew tonight, great. If not, they could still stay friends. 
Their families had business ties, so maintaining a good relationship was still valuable. 
Truthfully, Maddox’s ideal partner was more soft-spoken, graceful, and family-oriented— someone who didn’t need to be a powerhouse, just someone who would care for the home, share life with him, and be there with a hot meal at the end of a long day.