She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 194

In the neighboring city, down a narrow dirt road leading to Sylvie Sinclair's home.

Because the road was far too narrow for a car, the Jewell family had been forced to get out and walk the rest of the way.

Although this was the second time Valery and Miles Jewell had been to this town, it was their very first time actually visiting Sylvie's house.

During their previous visit, Herbert Jewell had arranged for a car to take them directly to the nicest hotel in town. So, while they had thought the area was a bit underdeveloped, it had still been somewhat tolerable.

But today was entirely different. They were seeing the real face of the town, far away from the commercial center.

Crumbling, uneven paths and squat, self-built concrete houses lined the route.

These were conditions that a high-society woman like Valery had never been exposed to in her entire life. Wearing her five-inch heels, she stumbled every few steps on the jagged, pothole-riddled ground.

Cora Jewell, who was walking beside her, wasn't faring any better. Swarms of gnats and mosquitoes relentlessly chased her. In just a matter of minutes, she was already covered in angry red bites.

"How much further is it?" Cora finally snapped, scratching at a fresh mosquito welt.

Sylvie, who was carrying Miles in her arms at the front of the group, looked back apologetically. "We're almost there, Cora. Just a little further. Thank you for being so patient."

Cora looked at how gently Sylvie was carrying her nephew, muttered something under her breath, and ultimately swallowed the rest of her complaints.

Sylvie offered a tense smile. Her eyes inevitably darted toward Herbert, and then toward Wade Jewell, who hadn't said a single word since stepping out of the car.

Herbert's expression was mostly unreadable. He had been to Sylvie's home before, so he was already familiar with the unpaved road and didn't seem particularly bothered.

Wade, however, was a different story. Even though he wasn't openly vocalizing his displeasure like Valery and Cora, his deeply furrowed brow and the way he kept checking his watch made it painfully obvious just how irritated he was.

Sylvie secretly gritted her teeth, feeling a knot of unease forming in her stomach.

She had absolutely wanted to lock down her relationship with Herbert as soon as possible, but she never expected things to move *this* fast.

Her original plan had been to arrange a nice dinner at an upscale restaurant where both sets of parents could sit down and properly discuss the engagement. That would have given her time to brief her parents and ensure they were on their best behavior.

Wade glanced around at the rundown environment and silently plotted.

As long as the couple had a good marriage and Sylvie played her part well, Herbert could just throw some money their way to improve their living situation.

Stumbling along the uneven dirt path, the group finally arrived at the Sinclair residence—a modest two-story house with a small, fenced-in yard.

Dante and Elinor Sinclair were already standing in the courtyard waiting for them. Beside them stood a little boy around the same age as Miles.

Seeing the Jewells approach, Elinor plastered on a huge smile and moved to greet them, but Dante roughly pulled her back.

Dante's face was stormy. Clearly, he was still holding a massive grudge over the debacle at the previous wedding.

Ever since that disastrous ceremony, their family had been the laughingstock of the entire town.

People were gossiping that the daughter they had sacrificed so much to send to graduate school was out there playing the mistress, and the humiliation had made it impossible for Dante and Elinor to even show their faces in public.