I Forgot I Ever Loved You (Zoe and Hayden) novel Chapter 631

Sylvia and Mr. Kendall Sr. both turned to stare at Arthur in unison.

"Dad, can you stop dreaming?" Mr. Kendall Sr. sighed. "If Beatrice Thorne had any interest in you, she wouldn't have refused to be your girlfriend all these years. Why don't you just move on?"

Arthur slapped the table. "Insolent! Do I look like the kind of man who abandons his true love and chases after every passing skirt?"

Mr. Kendall Sr. methodically placed a piece of Sylvia's favorite garlic butter shrimp onto her plate. "I heard that back in the day, Vivian Kendall was vastly superior to Beatrice Thorne in every way. Looks, capability, family background, she outshone her completely. Yet you fell madly in love with Vivian in just three months."

A heavy silence descended over the room.

Zoe kept her head down, quietly picking at her salad. Lily leaned over and whispered, "Mom, does Great-Grandfather like Great-Grandmother?"

Zoe quickly pressed a finger to her lips, making a shushing motion. Just then, little Ian suddenly sat up in his high chair, clapping his hands and babbling loudly. The sudden noise startled Arthur, making his face flush a deep crimson.

"Nonsense..."

He couldn't even finish his furious retort.

It was the truth. Vivian Kendall truly had outshone Beatrice in her prime.

Born into a prestigious family, she was a brilliant businesswoman who poured her vast fortune into supporting Arthur's endeavors. When Arthur later joined the military, Vivian liquidated her entire life savings to support the nation.

Once he entered politics, she stepped away from her mercantile roots, gracefully adopting the role of a politician's wife.

But she never put on airs. Instead, she became Arthur's greatest pillar of support, elevating the Kendall family to heights that rivaled even the Thorne matriarch.

"From where I sit, you didn't love Beatrice that much," Mr. Kendall Sr. remarked casually. "Your first love was stolen by Alaric Thorne, and you're just bitter about losing."

Struck right in his bruised ego, Arthur snapped, "None of your damn business! Eat your food!"

Sylvia hid a smile behind her napkin, while Zoe bit her lip to keep from laughing. Only little Lily shook her head with innocent gravity.

"Great-Grandfather, you shouldn't try to marry my grandmother's friend anyway. The grandmothers and aunts in her family are super mean. When you get old, they'll definitely throw you in a nursing home and won't even feed you."

Zoe, completely unbothered, popped a cherry tomato into her mouth. "Grandpa is upset that you haven't proposed to me."

Garrett jumped back as if he'd been electrocuted, blabbing without thinking. "What? No way! You're my sister. How could I ever marry you?"

Garrett's blunt honesty made Sylvia and Mr. Kendall Sr. release a collective sigh of relief, though they cast anxious glances at Zoe.

They were terrified the rejection might wound her.

Instead, Zoe's eyes curved into a bright smile. "Since you don't want to marry me, who do you want to marry?"

With the ball firmly in his court, an image of Yara's stoic face flashed through Garrett's mind. He quickly composed himself.

"No one. Mom, Dad, you know I've always prioritized my career. Besides, we already have two kids in the house. You don't need to pressure me into getting married and having babies."

Sylvia chuckled. "You rarely interact with women. If you truly have no romantic interest in Zoe, I think that Officer Quinn is quite a catch."