Chapter 202: Chapter 203: Who Is the Marriage Partner?
Julian Zimmerman had to do some work later, so after discussing this matter with Thea Lynch, he didn’t stay long and left.
After sending off her second brother, Thea sat on the bench where she was for a while longer until the caregiver got off work and came out of the ward and saw her.
"Miss Lynch? Why didn’t you go in when you arrived?"
Thea raised her head, replied without changing her expression, "I just took a phone call."
She stood up and asked while walking, "Did Grandpa wake up this morning?"
"Yes, yes, the old man was awake for a while in the morning. Although he was still stumbling over his words, the logic of his speech seemed much clearer compared to a few days ago."
"Mr. Zimmerman just came over as well, did you come across him?"
Thea nodded slightly, "You go and rest."
Only Thea Lynch and Julian Zimmerman knew about Grandpa mentioning marriage.
Even after being discharged, the old man did not bring up this matter again.
With the approach of the New Year, Thea decided to set aside the matter for the time being and plan to find a suitable opportunity to discuss it with Ian Preston after the New Year.
Once Grandpa was discharged, Thea’s life gradually returned to normal.
She only returned to the company on the second-to-last day of the holiday.
Everyone hadn’t seen her for half a month, and when she suddenly appeared at the company, they truly missed her.
"Foreman Lynch, you’ve finally come back!"
Thea was in much better spirits than the last time she returned, visibly energized.
She wore professional attire, hands in pockets, nodded at them, "Thank you all for your hard work recently."
"I’ve made reservations, let’s all have dinner together tonight."
"Sure!"
Just as Silas Cheney came over, he heard this response.
He knocked on the door frame with a smile, and everyone turned to look at the entrance.
"President Cheney!" Everyone stood up.
Silas waved at Thea, "Come over for a moment."
"Alright."
Thea followed him to one side of the hallway, "What’s the matter?"
"You’re doing well now." Silas raised his chin, pointing in the direction of the R&D department nearby, teasing her: "You’re handling social relations well, Foreman Lynch."
Clearly, he was joking about her inviting everyone to dinner tonight.
Over half a year at Stratus, Thea felt she had changed quite a bit.
But she didn’t engage with his teasing, "What do you need me for? I still have to organize data when I go back."
Tomorrow is the last working day before the New Year, and there’s a meeting; the schedule is quite tight.
"I heard that Grandpa Lynch intends for you to get married?"
"..." Thea raised an eyebrow, chuckled, "Where did you hear that from?"
Silas leaned against the window, and upon hearing this, he didn’t bother to beat around the bush, speaking candidly: "My old man said it yesterday, I don’t know if it’s true or not, but I thought I’d ask you."
"This matter... you wouldn’t happen to be unaware of it, right?"
Thea said nothing.
Silas thought she wasn’t aware, so he continued, "Marriage is a big deal, you can’t make such a decision lightly."
"Especially with someone unfamiliar. We can’t marry just for the sake of marriage."
"What you should consider is your own future, sister."
Seeing that she wasn’t swayed, Silas nudged her arm, "Did you hear me?"
"I heard you." Thea nodded, "Your point is that familiar people are okay, and unfamiliar ones are not."
"... You’re good at summarizing." Silas gave a thumbs-up, "That’s about right, that’s the gist."
"An arranged marriage just doesn’t suit you."
Thea laughed, "Then what do you think suits me?"
"Of course, find someone who you know well and who likes you."
"If you must get married, you have such great choices around you, why go far and pick an outsider?"
Silas was almost about to name Ian Preston.
"So today you’re here to ’sell’ again." Thea pierced through his intentions with one sentence.
"You can interpret it that way."
Silas didn’t try to find an excuse for himself and followed her words, "The reason I’m talking to you about this today is because I am very sure that you will agree to marry for the sake of Grandpa Lynch."
"Even if this matter is not currently in your plans."
He didn’t dare to say he fully understood Thea, but on this matter, he believed he guessed correctly because Thea had no other option.
From her perspective, she definitely wished Grandpa could fulfill his desires.
Because when it comes to what Grandpa cared about most and couldn’t let go of, it’s only Thea.
No one could disrupt Thea’s plans, except for Grandpa Lynch.
"From my point of view, I don’t think this is a bad thing. Marrying your third brother is something that will happen sooner or later; it’s better to get together and adjust earlier."
"Previously, I didn’t quite understand your thoughts. But later, after your third brother talked to me once."
"I slowly came to understand what your concerns were."
"No one thinks there is a considerable gap between you and your third brother. On the contrary, looking across Coronet, you are definitely the best match for your third brother. You are his only choice."
"And even if you get married, your third brother won’t play the ’caged bird’ game. You can still pursue what you want to do. If he only wanted to possess you, he wouldn’t have waited until now."
"Thea, give it a try, maybe things aren’t as complicated as you think."
"If your third brother doesn’t treat you well, we’re all on your side."
——
After officially starting her holiday, Thea did some simple tidying up in her apartment and drove alone to Westmere.
When she arrived at her grandparents’ house, they hadn’t returned yet, and only her "idle" uncle was at home watching TV.
Thea greeted him upon entering and set down the things she had brought.
Her uncle asked if she wanted some fruit, "There’s some in the fridge."
Thea shook her head, "I won’t have any."
"What’s wrong? You seem serious." Her uncle adjusted his posture and directly turned off the TV.
"Let’s talk after Grandpa and Grandma come back."
She teased his curiosity, leaving him eager, "Come on, tell me first."
"You tell me, I’ll help you analyze it first and then teach you how to discuss it with them."
Her uncle was well-versed in the game.
After hesitating for a while, Thea felt it necessary to first discuss with her uncle.
Seeing her starting to speak, her uncle sat attentively with an expression of "I’m all ears": "Go ahead."
Thea placed her hands on her knees, sitting upright: "I’ve decided to get married."
"..." Her uncle’s smile froze on his face. "Get married?"
"Why did you suddenly have this idea?"
"It’s not that marriage is bad, Uncle says, but... You didn’t seem to have a marriage partner, right?"
Thea hadn’t even dated anyone and suddenly told him she was getting married.
Luckily, he heard this first; if the grandparents heard this so abruptly, they’d likely be surprised.
"Have you been dating someone recently?"
"No." Thea gently shook her head, "I’m single."
"...Then who are you marrying?"
"Marriage is doable, but what about the marriage partner?"
"We should at least have a candidate."
"Or do you want to marry yourself? This happened abroad in the past two years."
"No, I intend to marry Ian Preston."
