Chapter 1096: Chapter 1099

Meanwhile, Mark assumed that things would be easier since they knew each other, so he slapped his thigh while exclaiming in delight, “It’s great that you know each other! Come, Sophia, Linus! Come closer!

I have some good news to tell you!”

Anne watched on in trepidation while Sophia moved closer to Mark. On the other hand, Michael was explaining their circumstances to Louis. “Sophia and her brother both took on their mother’s surname.”

Linus’s name in the Cethosian language was Sophus Edwards. It was in fact derived from a joke from years ago, but it somehow clung to his memory. Although he was still officially a Michel, he already began using his Cethosian name while in Cethos. Somehow, it felt like an arrangement by fate.

Upon getting a grasp on the situation, Louis was feeling slightly abashed, as a marriage between Cooper and Anne would disrupt the familial hierarchy. Besides, he would be taking advantage of his idol if he married his granddaughter to Michael’s father-in-law, which was totally unacceptable.

On the other hand, Sophia and Linus were informed of the so-called ‘good news’. Linus was speechless after learning it, as no words could adequately describe the shock and unnerved feelings within him. Of course, he could never forget the feisty woman from two days ago who hurled insults at him, accusing him of being a ‘trophy husband’ despite having just recently tried to court him. Leaving her beside Cooper would be akin to keeping a ticking time bomb.

Meanwhile, Sophia’s reaction was even more intense as she stared at Anne glumly. First off, you tried to court my nephew, then my brother. How dare you f*cking try to do the same to my own father?

Anne returned the glare. So Cooper is Sophia’s father! If the marriage works out, won’t I become Sophia’s stepmother?

In the meantime, Louis and Mark were both looking at Sophia in anticipation, all the while asking eagerly, “What do you make of this? Do you like this young stepmother of yours?”

Although silent all this while, Cooper was in fact mentally distressed. Turning down the offer would only humiliate Mark, but if Sophia didn’t agree to it, he would have every reason to walk away. In the meantime, Sophia gazed at Mark and Louis, who were both all smiles, seemingly anticipating the union.

After that, she turned to look at Anne.

At the moment, Anne was already feeling smug. Thinking herself to be pretty, being born into a noble and scholarly family, Anne assumed that Cooper would be overjoyed by the fact that a forty-year-old like him would be marrying someone more than twenty years his junior, so she didn’t think he could possibly reject the offer. Now that the grandparents of both parties as well as the rest of their families had agreed to the marriage, Sophia’s objection wouldn’t do sh*t to overturn the situation. Just wait till I chase you out of the house after I become your stepmother!

With her eyes narrowed, Sophia exchanged a look with Anne while pondering, Don’t you even think of courting my father! Either you or me; there can only be one of us in the family! Instead of giving Mark a direct reply, Sophia tugged on Cooper’s arms while putting on her best puppy-dog eyes. With a soft and adorable voice, she asked, “Dad, are you really planning on finding me a stepmother? Are you going to leave me and Linus behind?”

Seeing her aggrieved expression as if she had suffered some great grievance, Cooper was feeling sorry for her despite knowing she was just putting on an act, so he declared with haste, “No! How could that be possible? They’re just joking, as I only have eyes for your mother! I will never remarry!”

Upon hearing Cooper’s declaration, Sophia smiled sweetly before rubbing her face on his shoulder.

“You’re the best, Daddy! Don’t you ever leave me and Linus!”

The crowd was stunned into silence by the development. While Louis seemed to have something to say, he eventually bit his tongue upon seeing Sophia’s reluctance regarding the matter. Well, we’ll have to scratch that if she doesn’t like the idea. It isn’t like we absolutely need the marriage to happen anyway.

On the other hand, Mark also noticed Cooper’s tactful rejection, so he silenced himself over the matter, figuring that Cooper already had it hard as things were. Not only did he lose his wife early on, but he also spent so many years alone before finally reuniting with his children. It wasn’t until recently that he reunited with Sophia, so he still saw her as a baby. He even went as far as moving into her house, seemingly averse to the idea of leaving her alone at all, so he wouldn’t possibly want to remarry.

I’ll just let it go, since forcing this will only bring more trouble to Anne. After all, she is only just over twenty years old. Mark took it as an opening to switch the topic. “Callum, why is your mother not here yet?”

The man who Mark spoke to replied, “Mr. Mark, I am Cade. Mom gathered up a bunch of previously lost artefacts that she would like to return to the ancient Imperial Palace museum, so the other party insisted on holding a ceremony to commemorate the donation. Meanwhile, Cethos Central Television arranged for an impromptu interview with my mother, so she got held up, but she will soon be here.”

The explanation seemed to amuse Mark. “That’s great.” Then, he seized the opportunity to tell Michael and Cooper, “Throughout the years, Mrs. Yard had been collecting artefacts that were lost to foreign countries, which she donated to the ancient Imperial Palace museum. She sure is a benevolent woman!”

Mrs. Yard? Does he mean Anna Yard? Sophia was curious about it, but she quickly caught on to what happened upon relating it to what the security told her. It was just that the Yards’ charity came as a surprise to her.

With that, the topic was changed, and none of them mentioned the arranged marriage between Cooper and Anne again. Hanging her head low, Anne was trembling with anger while stealing a baleful glance at Sophia. This is disgusting! Why would she even pretend to be a baby when she’s almost thirty?! She’s already an old woman with her own daughter, so how dare she forbid Cooper from remarrying, especially when Cooper already agreed to this! She was on the verge of tears, so she left in a hurry after excusing herself.

On the other hand, Cooper could no longer stand the awkwardness hanging thick in the air, so he was ready to leave as well, but Mark insisted that he stay. “Cooper, wait till after lunch! You aren’t allowed to leave since we have some important guests! You’re all staying here, and none of you are allowed to leave!” Then, Mark added in a mysterious tone, “I have a story to tell later on. We aren’t allowed to pen anything down on paper, so we can only pass them down orally. I will be passing it down to you all today, and you will have to make sure that you etch the story into your minds from now on.”

Nodding, Cooper stood to leave for the washroom after excusing himself, whereas Sophia followed behind him. Michael did the same, while Stanley literally fled the scene as he feared that the Osbornes might turn their attention to him after missing out on Cooper.

Back then, Michael had lived in Mark’s house for the past eighteen years. After his departure, the room was left empty, so Sophia would occasionally stay over with Nathan and with Carmen later on. As soon as she got into Michael’s room, Sophia flared up. “Anne Osborne is acting way out of line! How dare she court my father after courting both Stanley and Linus?”

Michael quickly soothed her temper. “Alright, it’s all over now. As long as I am with you, I will never allow Anne to leave with our father.”

Sophia was disgruntled at the mere thought of Anne marrying her father, so she began to bad mouth Anne unabashedly. “Dad, you should be wary of Anne! She derided Linus as a ‘trophy husband’ that day!”

However, Cooper merely kept his silence while glancing out of the window, only to see a lady in an exquisite white gown and a quaint-looking umbrella walking through the entrance. With the security showing her the way, she was walking toward Mark’s house. Cooper was looking out of the window from the second floor, so all he could see was half of her face. She had a pointed chin and rosy lips, while her nose had an elegant curve, but her eyes were obscured by the umbrella. As soon as Cooper saw the woman, his heart began to flutter.

Meanwhile, Linus was holding Carmen in his arms while standing at the side. Witnessing Sophia fretting over what happened, the little girl asked, “Uncle Linus, what does ‘trophy husband’ mean?”

Linus was a person who followed the trends, so he was up to date with a lot of the latest trending terms.

“Well, I suppose it can mean a man who married into riches by utilizing his own good looks.”

Nodding, Carmen announced, “Dad is definitely a trophy husband!” The fact that Michael always went shirtless and wound up marrying into a rich family might indeed make him ‘trophy husband’ material, as per Carmen’s definition, but to Michael’s credit, he did work hard for it.

Abruptly, Cooper turned to go downstairs in a hurry without a word, which startled Sophia before she ran behind him. “Dad, what are you doing?”

Michael shot up from his seat to look out of the window, only to see the woman with the umbrella walking toward the house, which he surmised to be none other that Anna Yard.