Chapter 1603 - 1590: Where the Gaze Falls, That Is Eternity – Not Giving Him a Chance to Speak

"Who brought you over?"

Joseph Lancaster suddenly thought of the main question.

Emily Zimmerman pouted. "Uncle Lancaster."

"Your dad and my dad knew each other before?"

Joseph Lancaster frowned. He’d never heard his father mention it.

"They didn’t." Emily answered honestly.

"Then why would my dad go to your place to bring you here?"

"Your big brother used to come to our house a few times before,"

As soon as Emily finished, Joseph went quiet. His phoenix eyes narrowed unconsciously, as if he was calculating something.

So... it was all Daxton’s doing, and as for the reason... it should be for that.

"Joseph, what’s wrong with you? Say something." Emily lightly tugged at Joseph’s shirt.

Joseph snapped back to himself, his face more serious than ever. He reached out, grabbed Emily’s wrist, and walked inside.

"Come on, let’s go in and make things clear!"

"Hey, let go, you’re hurting me," Emily was wearing a white floral dress, and the bare wrist Joseph was gripping was already reddening.

Joseph walked fast, and Emily was in high-heeled sandals, stumbling as she followed Joseph through the banquet hall toward the main hall at the back.

"Grandpa, Dad, Mom, Uncle Zimmerman, Auntie, there’s something I think you’ve misunderstood."

As soon as he stepped into the hall Joseph spoke, unable to wait.

"Misunderstood? Misunderstood what?" Lorelei Howard frowned in confusion. Daxton Lancaster’s phoenix eyes tightened at once, fixing on Joseph, already clear on what he was about to say.

Augustus Zimmerman and his wife were just as puzzled. They looked at the two standing at the door, as if waiting for Joseph to continue.

Emily jerked Joseph’s hand off and rubbed her wrist. "Joseph said we don’t want to get married too early, we’d like to date for two more years."

Joseph Lancaster...

He swung toward Emily, his phoenix eyes full of disbelief.

Emily’s head was lowered, still rubbing the wrist he’d hurt, brow furrowed, lips stuck out, clearly sulking.

"Emily, you..."

Joseph was too angry to speak, and on top of that, some people simply wouldn’t give him the chance.

Lorelei let out a visible sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Anyway, you two are still young. The marriage stuff doesn’t have to be rushed. Dating a few more years is good for building feelings."

"Mm, I agree with Joseph’s idea. Young people should put their careers first. Once their careers are established, then starting a family will be more stable."

Augustus nodded in a practiced way, full-on bureaucratic style.

After speaking, he looked at the old Family Head who had been silent. "Family Head, what do you think?"

The Family Head nodded repeatedly. "People are free to marry now. As long as my grandson likes it, I’ve got no objections."

"All right, it’s settled then." Augustus once again played the leader, hammering down the decision without giving anyone a chance to speak.

He turned to Bodhi Lancaster.

"In-law, since both kids and we parents have no objections, let’s have them engaged this year on Double Ninth. How does that sound to you?"

"Good, good, whatever you say, in-law."

Before Bodhi could speak, Lorelei happily agreed.

She’d always thought her younger son hadn’t grown up yet, and never expected that quietly and without a word he’d already helped her pick out a daughter-in-law: not only good-looking, from a good family, but also a college student, practically perfectly matched with her son.

Listening to the two families’ elders discussing the engagement, Emily sneaked a glance at Joseph. She could tell he was unwilling, but she had confidence she could make him fall for her.

That thing about him already liking someone was just an excuse to reject her. She’d asked around his dorm; no one had ever seen him close with any girl.

Only when the elders finished talking did Joseph get ready to explain. But once again, the right to explain was stripped away.

"Joseph, go see if your sister-in-law has woken up. Little Black died last night, she’s in a bad mood, and she hardly ate anything at lunch today."

Daxton Lancaster was best at hitting people where it hurt, even when that person was his own younger brother.

Initially Joseph had been full of doubt, but now he finally understood the reason.

He met his big brother Daxton’s gaze. The latter looked natural, but that trace of deeper intent in his eyes was something only Joseph understood.

Turning to glance at Emily beside him, Joseph answered, then turned and walked out.

"Emily, come sit over here."

Lorelei waved enthusiastically, and only then did Emily reluctantly pull back her gaze and walk over.

She felt a little secretly pleased. Actually... Joseph still liked her a bit. If he really hated her as much as he said, he wouldn’t have cared about saving her face just now.

On the way to Violet Zimmerman’s place, Joseph walked in a rush. The shirt neatly tucked into his dress pants was pulled loose, and he’d undone two buttons at the collar.

The man who’d been full of swagger just now now carried defeat all over him.

Joseph’s lips twisted in a bitter smile. So his big brother couldn’t tolerate him.

His big brother was the Lancaster Family’s Family Head, holding the fate of everyone in the Lancaster Family in his hands. Since he’d already decided, what use was Joseph’s protest?

Violet Zimmerman was sitting under the big willow tree at the door, cooling off. In front of her was a cage of rabbits. She held a few stalks of grass in her hand, looking low-spirited; she didn’t even notice when Joseph walked up.

Joseph also squatted down in front of the rabbit cage, reaching through the square gaps toward one of them.

Violet fed the rabbits with the grass and muttered, "You can take them back. I don’t want to keep them anymore."

"Why?" Joseph lifted his phoenix eyes. Both of them seemed down.

"Little Black died last night. I feel awful."

"Birth, old age, illness, and death are natural laws. Don’t be too sad, it’s not good for the baby."

Joseph lifted a hand toward Violet’s head, but halfway there he tightened it into a fist.

"I know, but I still feel awful." Violet said gloomily, grabbing a few more blades of grass to feed the rabbits.

Joseph let out a sigh. Before straightening up he helped Violet by her arm. "Come on, let’s go inside, wash your hands, change clothes. We’ve got guests at the house tonight."

Violet used Joseph’s hand to heave herself up with some effort and looked at him, puzzled. "Guests? Are they relatives?"

"No." Joseph sighed again, supporting Violet as they walked into the yard.

"If they’re not relatives, then who are they?"

"Someone completely unimportant."

Hearing Joseph say that, Violet grew even more curious. "Completely unimportant? Have I met them before?"

Joseph was full of impatience, but still answered calmly, "You’ll know when you see them in a bit."

Joseph supported Violet up the stairs. Violet moved very slowly, waiting for one foot to fully land on each step before lifting the other onto it, then continuing to the next. Joseph steadied her patiently, his gaze fixed on her feet, afraid of even the slightest mishap.

The staircase that usually took one minute to climb took Violet a full three minutes.

"You don’t need to hold me, I can manage on my own."

As they stepped onto the corridor, Violet spoke, and the moment they turned the corner Joseph pressed her back against the wall.