These words were gentle but firm.
Rebecca stiffened a bit but kept her smile and said, “Ashton and I have been close like family all these years. Since he calls you aunt, that makes me close to you as well. Addressing you as aunt is a show of my admiration and love.”
Judging from her ability to use someone else’s words to her own advantage, Rebecca seemed to have advanced a lot since those days when she could only bring up her deceased elder brother, Parker, to arouse sympathy.
In response, Sally merely smiled and did not pursue the matter any further. “Oh, it’s fine then. If Ashton treats you like a younger sister, you can naturally address me as Aunt Sally. My dear, counting those years, you should be about thirty years of age and ripe for marriage. Is there anyone in mind?”
Obviously, she was using this sibling-like relationship between Ashton and her to stress that the two cannot be in a romantic relationship.
Spoken like a true veteran!
I wonder how Rebecca is going to deal with this tricky question since we all know what’s on her mind.
She had just said that Ashton was like family to her, so it would make no sense if she suddenly said that she was interested in Ashton.
Rebecca’s expression stiffened slightly, but she still managed to put on a smile and said, “No, I’m fine with living alone now.”
However, we all knew that those words were merely a lie to console herself.
Sally nodded and said emphatically, “Oh, no. A woman must get married. It doesn’t matter whether you end up getting divorced or living happily ever after. However, a wedding is something you must have if you do not want to end up with regrets.”
After a pause, she continued, “I just recalled that in Ashton’s company, there is a Mr. Quinn who takes good care of you. I think he is caring and motivated. Besides, he’s handsome and comes from a good family too. Why don’t you give him a chance?”
Joe Quinn?
The conversation had drifted to this point, and Rebecca was at a loss for words, so she faked a laugh and said, “Aunt Sally, I hope you won’t pressure me to get married. Since you said that all of us have our own destinies, no one knows how things will turn out eventually, especially when it comes to marriage. If there is no chemistry, we can’t force ourselves to love someone. So we should let nature take its course.”
“Oh! My dear, what do you mean by letting nature take its course?” Sally held Rebecca’s hand as she said in a serious tone, “You are wrong because that would only work if two people are in love. If the love is one-sided, it’s just wishful thinking. Just look at Letty and Ashton. They have been together for seven years, constantly talking about their wedding. If this is not fate, I don’t know what is.”
Sally was, in fact, reminding Rebecca not to wish for things that weren’t meant to be hers. After all, they would not belong to her no matter how hard she tried.
Of course, Rebecca understood what she meant, and it was difficult for her to keep her composure.
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