Chapter 431: 425 A Phone Call
Chapter 431: 425 A Phone Call
Hearing Norton James’ words, the people around couldn’t help but discuss amongst themselves, softly praising Norton James for his generous gift. The praise from the crowd immediately flattered Norton James and he couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows towards Finn Lewis before unabashedly speaking, “Grandfather Davis, actually, I have another purpose for my visit today, and I hope you can fulfill it.”
“Oh? Do tell.” The old man looked at Norton James curiously.
“Grandfather Davis, before I came here, my grandfather told me that he and you had an agreement for a childhood marriage. If one of you had a son and the other a daughter, they would become in-laws. If each of you had sons or daughters, then this agreement would be passed onto the grandchildren. I understand that in this day and age, such an agreement may not mean much, as our generation values free love. But, I really like Kay Lee. Ever since I found out about the engagement agreement between my grandfather and you, I’ve taken it seriously.” Norton James said earnestly.
Upon hearing Norton’s words, all present instantly fell silent, and everyone’s gaze was focused on Kay Lee and Norton James. Some young girls looked at Kay Lee with envy, given that she was about to marry into a wealthy family. Although Kay Lee is a top-tier celebrity now, many female celebrities in the past, whether in Pearl Island City or nationally, have always strived to marry into a rich family.
On hearing Norton James’ declaration, Kay Lee became flustered. As she was about to speak, Finn Lewis, who was standing by her side, gently tugged at her hand to discourage her. Kay looked back at Finn, saw him shake his head slightly, and calmed down, choosing not to respond. This interaction was fully taken in by Norton, who instantly burned with jealousy.
“Grandfather Davis, I understand that these matters of parental arrangement and matchmakers’ words are regarded as child’s play now. I am not expecting anything from you. I am only hoping you will grant me a chance to pursue Kay. Whether or not I am successful is up to Kay to decide. What do you think?” Norton James added.
The old man was put in a difficult position. Kay had already informed him of her relationship with Finn before they returned. He understood what it meant when she brought Finn home. But now, the grandson of an old war buddy appeared and reminded him of a decades-old agreement. As a matter of fact, his group of friends had all made similar promises back in the day.
Also, Norton was only asking for a chance to win his granddaughter’s affection, with the final decision still resting on his granddaughter. He didn’t want to say no to that. But if he agreed, how would that affect Finn, a fine young man who had come to wish him a healthy life? Wouldn’t it be adding to his troubles?
The old man felt conflicted. Finn naturally didn’t want him to agonize over the decision and walked forward from the crowd with a light smile before speaking, “The pithy saying goes ‘an elegant girl attracts a gentleman’, feel free to pursue her if you wish. However, shouldn’t we let the birthday celebration carry on?”
If it wasn’t a crucial moment in the life-blessing ceremony for the old gentleman, and if Finn didn’t care about the old man’s feelings on his 75th birthday, he would slap Norton right across the face. Some people are just destined not to read the room until they’ve been knocked into a coffin.
Ignoring Norton James, Finn instantly said, “Grandfather, although this is my first visit to you, I hope to bring you well wishes every year from now on, wishing a never-ending flow of blessings as vast as the eastern sea, and longevity such as the evergreens in the South Mountain. I don’t have a grand gift to present, but brought with me two boxes of tea. Kay mentioned that you enjoy tea, so I thought to bring some for you.”
After Finn finished speaking, he handed over the two boxes of tea in his hand. The old man’s eyes lit up a little as he received the gift. As the saying goes, ‘One old man, a living treasure’. At his age, the old man had seen everything there is to see. If nothing else, Finn’s composure already outshone Norton James’ own.
“Two boxes of tea, aren’t you being a little too stingy?” Norton James couldn’t resist interjecting from the side.
“The blessings are what matter when giving birthday gifts. If it all comes down to the price, then it’s meaningless.” Finn tossed a glance at Norton James before replying.
“Yes, yes, it’s the thought that counts. I do love drinking tea, thank you, Little Lewis.” The old man hurriedly spoke up. He didn’t want Finn and Norton to start arguing.
Norton James wanted to say something more, but Finn’s phone suddenly rang. Finn was slightly taken aback. His phone could be controlled by Olivia Thatcher, and she’d been instructed to forward only important calls while he was attending the celebration. Now that a call had come through, it meant that it was highly important.
“I apologize.” Finn first apologized to the old man before taking out his phone. Seeing the contact name on the incoming call, he was somewhat surprised. The caller was the military representative who’d negotiated the charity auction for the middle-aged men’s vehicle with him last time. If Finn remembered correctly, the man was a major from the General Armament Department, wasn’t he?
Seeing that the call was from Harris Yoder, Finn promptly excused himself to take the call. Upon noticing Finn’s movements, Norton James immediately became agitated. He had just been thinking about exposing Finn’s true colors in front of the old man. If Finn were to leave now, Norton would lose his opportunity. His plan was to bring up the conversation he had with Finn in the afternoon about spending money on Kay, in order to expose Finn’s true intentions. To achieve this, Norton had even gone as far as to involve Thunder Davis.
“What kind of a call can’t be taken in front of all of us? We don’t mind you know.” Upon seeing Finn move to step outside, Norton James quickly spoke.
Finn turned back and gave Norton James a cold stare. The thought, ‘I don’t want to cause trouble today, it’s Kay’s grandfather’s birthday, but you seem intent on making a big deal out of everything,’ crossed his mind. The look in Finn’s eyes made Norton James’ heart skip a beat. Just as he was about to speak, he saw that Finn had already answered the call, “Hello?”
“Is this Mr. Lewis?” The voice of the major came from the other end of the line.
“It’s me, what can I do for you, Major Harris?” Finn responded calmly. But his words caused everyone to freeze. A major? The person on the phone with Finn was a major? Norton James was also stunned for a moment, but he quickly looked disdainful. ‘Go on, keep pretending. Let’s see how far you can take this pretense.’