Grayson Pierce and Eloise Caldwell novel Chapter 173

Chapter 173 Men Always Said That

Suzanne glanced at her son.

‘Already jumping to defend her?’ she thought.

‘I haven’t even said anything yet, she mused.

“How long have you two been together?” Suzanne asked.

“A few months,” Colton replied.

“Did you go to the company because of Juliette?” Suzanne asked.

“Yeah,” Colton replied.

Hearing this, Suzanne was silent for a long moment.

Colton stood up. “Nothing left to ask, I’m going to make dinner.”

Suzanne was left speechless.

It’s not that she didn’t have questions. There were just some things she couldn’t bring up with Juliette sitting right there.

When she looked up, she saw Colton heading into the kitchen, tying on an apron with practiced ease and getting to work.

She knew her son loved cooking. She knew that.

Whenever she was home with nothing to do, she’d often watch the cooking videos he made.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t posted anything new in ages.

‘Guess he’s been neglecting his hobby because of a woman, Suzanne thought.

Juliette sat there, feeling awkward and stuck. She couldn’t just get up and leave, but sitting in silence was just as uncomfortable.

Suzanne had her hands folded gracefully in her lap, so poised and elegant that Juliette unconsciously straightened her back.

But right now, all Juliette wanted was to kick off her shoes and sprawl out on the couch.

Suzanne looked over at her. “How old are you, Juliette?”

“29,” Juliette answered.

“So you’re actually a year older than Colton,” Suzanne said.

‘Twenty-nine isn’t old at all. I’m still in my prime.’ Juliette thought to herself.

After that, the two of them just looked at each other in awkward silence.

Suzanne’s gaze stayed fixed on the kitchen the whole time.

Colton’s place had an open kitchen, probably because he was such a cooking enthusiast. The whole setup looked super upscale, with all kinds of high-end appliances and some pretty quirky gadgets one’d never expect to find.

Juliette glanced between Colton and Suzanne.

She couldn’t help but wonder if Suzanne’s constant gaze at the kitchen was her way of hinting that Juliette should go help out.

Honestly, there aren’t many moms who’d be happy watching the son they worked so hard to raise cooking for another woman.

Juliette slipped into the kitchen, trying to escape the awkward silence.

“Need a hand with anything?” she asked, a bit uncertain.

Colton turned to her with a smile. “You drowych

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go chill in the room for a bit. I’ll call you

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Chapter 173 Men Always Said That

when dinner’s ready.”

Juliette whispered, “No, let me help! I need to show I’m not useless around the house.”

Colton handed her two tomatoes. “Just wash these.”

Juliette happily took them and got to work rinsing them.

Washing veggies? That was easy for her.

Suzanne hadn’t had her son’s cooking in forever, and even though she usually barely touched dinner, tonight she actually ate quite a lot.

She shot a look at Juliette.

Juliette was really enjoying the food. She even helped herself to another half plate.

Suzanne, on the other hand, usually avoided carbs at night.

After dinner, Juliette didn’t dare sprawl out on the couch like she usually did. Instead, she helped Colton clear the table, trying to look as helpful as possible.

With a dishwasher at home, nobody had to bother with the dishes. Just toss the forks and bowls in, and let the machine handle everything.

Noticing it was already late, Suzanne stood up and got ready to head out.

Colton and Juliette walked her to the door to see her off.

As soon as Suzanne was out the door, Juliette let out a long sigh of relief, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Colton chuckled. “My mom’s really nice, you know. You really don’t have to worry.”

Juliette rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, every guy on earth says that.”

She gave Colton’s cheek a couple of playful pats. “She might be wonderful in your eyes, but what about me? I’ m the woman who ‘stole’ her son. Honestly, there aren’t many mothers-in-law who truly like their daughters-in- law-most of them are just naturally a little hostile.”

Colton frowned.

‘Is it really like that?’ Colton thought, feeling a bit confused.

Juliette added, “But honestly, your mom’s pretty great. At least she didn’t give me any attitude or say anything harsh.”

Juliette thought that was just Suzanne’s class. Even if she didn’t like someone, she’d never show it to their face or make things awkward.

Because of that alone, Juliette actually had a pretty good impression of Suzanne.

As soon as Suzanne got home, she couldn’t wait to tell Robert that Colton was seeing Juliette from work.

Robert was stunned. “No way, really?”

Suzanne replied, “Of course it’s true. I just got back from Colton’s place. They’re already living together. And he even admitted he went to the company because of Juliette.”

Robert had no idea Colton brought Juliette over just because he wanted to date her.

He was under the impression his son was finally getting serious about work.

He paused, then said, “Young people dating is totally normal. It’s not like he hasn’t had girlfriends before. Just let him be.”

Suzanne shook her head. “Trust me, I can tell Colton’s really serious about Juliette this time. He’s never cared this much about any girl before.”

Robert frowned. “Juliette’s actually pretty good. She’s diligent, reliable, and talented. That’s why I had her work as Colton’s secretary.”

Suzanne said, “So now they’re seeing each other every day? With all that youthful energy, how are they

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supposed to focus on work?”

Robert was left speechless.

Suzanne sighed, looking worried. “Honey, do you think Colton might actually want to marry Juliette? Honestly, I don’t mind them dating, but marriage is a whole different story. Her family’s nothing special, she’s not from around here, and she’s even a year older than Colton.”

Robert said, “Just let it be. Nobody can predict the future, so don’t overthink it.”

Suzanne muttered to herself, “What are we supposed to do if they end up having a baby?”

Robert raised an eyebrow. “Honestly, that wouldn’t be so bad. If they have a kid, we’ll just get them married right away.”

Suzanne asked, “So you’re not against Juliette marrying into our family?”

Robert replied, “Would it even matter if I were? When has Colton ever listened to me? I told him what major to pick, but he ignored me. I told him to join the company, but he refused. You really think he’ll listen to me about who he marries?”

He added, “Instead of trying to stop him, I might as well just let him do what he wants. That way, we can all have some peace. I’ve argued with him enough over the years. I’m done fighting. Let him do whatever he wants.”

He continued, “He doesn’t want to run the company anyway, so maybe he’ll just give me a reliable grandson. That way, while I still have the energy, I can raise him right.”

Suzanne pursed her lips, choosing not to say anything.

Since her husband was on board, she figured she might as well go along with it.

The next day, Juliette bumped into Robert in the elevator, feeling super nervous.

‘Suzanne definitely spilled the beans, Juliette thought, her stomach twisting with anxiety.

“Mr. Morley,” Juliette greeted him, trying to sound casual.

Robert glanced over and nodded. “There’s a meeting in a bit. Let Colton know.”

“Okay,” Juliette replied, a little surprised.

‘Is that all?’ Juliette thought, still a bit stunned.

‘He’s really not angry?’ she wondered, feeling a little lost.

‘He’s not going to fire me?’ Juliette thought, a wave of relief flooding through her.

Juliette hurried back to the office, closed the door, and draped herself over Colton, who had arrived a little earlier than her.

“I just ran into your dad,” Juliette said, her voice a little shaky.

“My dad? What did he say?” Colton asked, looking a bit surprised. “He said you need to attend a meeting soon,” Juliette replied.

“That’s it?” Colton asked, sounding just as surprised as she was.

“Yeah, isn’t it weird? Your dad didn’t even say a word to me. We literally started dating right under his nose. Shouldn’t he be pissed or something? It’s just so strange! Or maybe your parents are just super well-mannered and keeping all their feelings bottled up?” Juliette said, still feeling totally confused.

Colton was left speechless.

He pursed his lips and said, “Honestly, my parents pretty much let me do whatever I want. Don’t stress yourself out for no reason.”

Juliette got up and slid into her seat at her desk.

She shrugged, “Well, whatever they’re thinking, I’ll just assume they’re cool with us dating for now.”

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Chapter 173 Men Always Said That

When lunchtime rolled around, Juliette and Colton left the office one after the other.

Colton wasn’t the first to leave today.

The receptionist from downstairs came up carrying a bouquet, walked right up to Juliette, and said, “Juliette, someone sent you these flowers.”

Juliette blinked in surprise. “Who are they from?”

Someone joked, “Juliette, looks like you’ve got a secret admirer!”

But someone nudged him, “Hey, watch it. Don’t go spreading rumors.”

The guy caught sight of Colton behind him and went silent real quick.

Either way, nobody should be gossiping about Juliette and Colton’s business.

The receptionist said, “A guy named Mr. Carter sent these. He’s waiting for you downstairs.”

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