Anne was taken aback by the sudden appearance of Sophiaâs family, while Stanleyâs presence was especially disconcerting. After listening to what Sandra told her, she assumed that the Fletchers were but a degenerate bunch of people after Mark Fletcherâs death. It was also why she assumed that Stanley wouldnât be a good match for her, but upon witnessing that Mark was in fact aliveâ¦
Puffing herself up, Anne replied confidently, âOf course I was invited!â After that, she brushed past them with her head raised, even going as far as threatening Stanley. âI donât like you, so I wonât marry you! You should give up on the thought of it!â
As soon as she left, Stanley muttered to himself in confusion, âWhy is she here? Could Louis Osborne be the VIP who the old man invited?â All of a sudden, a devastating possibility came to mind. âSh*t! Might this be another blind date for me? What if they decided on the date of the wedding behind my back? I need to know for certain!â
Sophia agreed that it might be possible, as both his parents seemed to have taken a liking to Anne after the blind date that Michael set up for them a few days ago. Therefore, Louis might very well have brought Anne along for a meetup between the Osbornes and the Fletchers.
Thereâs no way in hell thatâll happen! Anne tried to hook up with Linus, but belittled him as a man without morals soon after, so she isnât someone who would deserve Stanley my boy! Sophia also hurried away in search of answers.
Meanwhile, Anne was taking a break from the stuffiness in the building. Today, Louis brought the entire family along to meet Mark, and they seemed to be affectionate toward each other throughout their conversation. Neither the Osbornes nor the Yards associated themselves with the Fletchers prior to that, whereas the only link between them was the prospect of Anne and Stanleyâs marriage, so that had to be the reason for meeting up.
That wonât happen! I only have eyes for Cooper! Iâll definitely find a way to prevent the marriage from happening! However, Anne was stunned upon turning the cornerâshe saw the man of her dreams hurrying in her direction alongside Michael. The sight of Cooper made her burst with joy as she walked up to him shamelessly, all the while trying to conceal her elation by asking, âItâs such a coincidence to meet you here, Mr. Fletcher, Mr. Mitchell!â Upon noticing that Cooper was looking her way, Anneâs heart drummed as she wore a coy look on her face.
The sight of Anne acting so shyly upon her sudden appearance reminded Michael of her possible wedding with Stanley. So is Louis Osborne the VIP who my grandfather invited? Did Stanleyâs parents invite Louis over to discuss Stanley and Anneâs marriage? If thatâs the case, Iâll be required to be present during the occasion as their matchmaker.
Michael couldnât think of another reason aside from that. Coupled by Anneâs shyness, he figured his assumptions should be correct, so he exclaimed, âMy grandfather told me we would have some VIPs today, but I didnât know he was referring to you and Master Osborne!â
To be honest, Michael didnât know a lot about Anne, but from her looks, he assumed that she was an innocent girl and wasnât as terrible as Sophia perceived her to be. After spending the last night listening to Sophia ranting about how Anne looked down on both Stanley and Linus, he came to the conclusion that Anne was at most a vain but naive girl who Stanley should be able to handle. Therefore, he determined that the two were a good match.
Meanwhile, Anne stole a glance at Michael. âMr. Fletcher, do you know Mr. Mitchell?â
Michael frowned upon hearing her question. Without a doubt, Michael knew Cooper as the latter was his young father-in-law, but it was embarrassing for him to admit to an outsider that someone who looked even younger than him was in fact his father-in-law, so he muttered a vague response. âHe is my grandfatherâs godson.â Simultaneously, he introduced her to Cooper. âShe is Anne Osborne, Master Osborneâs granddaughter. I was the one who played matchmaker for Stanley and her.â
As soon as Anne heard Michaelâs words, her face blanched. So are we really here to talk about marrying me to Stanley? No! I donât want to marry him! Not even if it would cost me my life! I want to marry Cooper!
Glancing at her, Cooper recalled Sophia mentioning to him that Michael had introduced Silly Stanley to a prospective partner. He tutted upon remembering that he was the one who first approached Stanley as a prospective partner for Sophia, but Stanley ruined the opportunity by his own hands. He wouldnât have had to bear with a son-in-law who was only five years his junior otherwise. However, on the flip side, he figured that Stanley wouldnât be as caring as Michael. His age aside, Michael had in fact ticked all the boxes.
âI see.â After giving an unenthusiastic response, he took the lead and headed toward Mark. Right away, Anne followed him while attempting to strike a conversation with him, but he maintained a cool facade, not uttering a single word.
After Michael arrived at where Mark was, he realized they did have a few VIPs around. Much to his surprise, aside from Louis, Xena, and her husband, the Yard twins were also present for the occasion.
The fact that the Yards were there caught Michael unawares. He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him, as both the Fletchers and Yards were sworn enemies after each killing off multiple of the otherâs members. Therefore, it was a miracle that the twins were present, which was something that he was determined to get to the bottom of.
In the meantime, both the Osbornes and Yards were focused on Cooper. As soon as he got in, a few people were already observing him.
Wow, itâs Cooper Mitchell! Heâs even more handsome in real life!
Both him and Anne look so charming together, so much so that the age gap between them can be gladly ignored!
Whatâs going on? Why is Cooper Mitchell here?
Upon entering the room, Cooper greeted his godfather politely. âHello, Dad.â
Louis was stunned by the revelation. âMr. Mark, is he yourâ¦â
Proudly, Mark looked at Cooper. âHeâs my godson, Cooper Mitchell, the only son of my dear friend, Woody Mitchell!â Of course, he was also the father to his granddaughter-in-law, but he decided they could go into the complicated relationship at a later time.
Meanwhile, Louis was elated while shaking Cooperâs hands. âSo youâre Mr. Markâs godson! No wonder you look so extraordinary!â
Both Xena and her husband were also delighted to learn that Cooper was Markâs godson, as it meant that he would be a good match for Anne. Therefore, they agreed immediately to the match, seeing that Mark was behind it. However, Cooper was a little weirded out by Louisâ enthusiastic attitude toward him.
Even Michael noticed that Xena seemed to regard Cooper as one would their own son. Besides, Louis was bombarding Mark with questions regarding Cooper incessantly.
Mark was extremely proud of his godson, so he was keen to show him off to the others. âMy godson is such an outstanding person! He already had many achievements even during his younger years! He got a double doctorate when he was eighteen! By the way, do you know about the USB drive? He was the one who invented it! However, my godson suffered a lot of misfortune throughout his life. He lost his wife early on, and later his children went missing. It took a lot from him to find them, which finally allowed him to reunite with his family.â
He lost his spouse early on, so heâs single indeed! The Osbornes were elated, while Louis quickly followed up with an inquiry. âDid you find another wife for him, then?â
Upon hearing that, Mark shook his head in remorse. âNot yet. He was busy building his career back then, so now that his career is established, his children had been asking him to find another spouse as he was still young and single. You can introduce someone to him if you have a suitable candidate.â
The Osbornes were ecstasized, while Anne was utterly overjoyed to hear that Cooper was a man who lost his wife early on and had an established career, which made him the perfect candidate as her partner. On the other hand, Cooper maintained a stoic expression that masked his embarrassment, as he was hoping that his daughter would come save the day so that he could leave.