Not responding right away, Laurence quietly stared at Noelle.
It was as if he was checking to see whether Noelle was lying.
Noelle stood there, a face of composure. Jane and Lilian did talk about Laurence settling down, so technically, she was not lying.
"What did you say?"
Laurence knew that Noelle had lied through her teeth. Even though she was convincing, he saw through her, especially since she gripped her pants in secret. That was a telltale sign that she was not truthful.
Not calling her out on the lie, Laurence let her spin the story.
He trusted that Jane and Lilian were on his side to push the two of them together. The hard part was not telling Noelle how he felt. He had no problems doing that. His concern was Noelle's attitude. She might not accept his feelings.
Laurence could tell that Noelle felt something for him, but the real hurdle was her fixation on their social standing.
If Noelle could not let go of that obsession, Noelle would only push him away, even when he showed how much he loved her. Heck, their relationship would not be more than physical.
They could only have a future together when she released her inhibitions.
Laurence had no desire to force Noelle's hand, nor could he bring himself to do so. This was the woman he wanted to cherish above all else for the rest of his days. He did not want to put that kind of pressure on her.
Still, Jane and Lilian might be the bad guys and push Noelle to make a decision.
"I told them that you have a lot of admirers, even though they have not seen your face. Roxy has been all over you for some time, but her feelings for you aren't genuine. We all know what she's after.
"I let Mom know that once you unmask yourself, the socialites of Havenmill will be swept off their feet. There's no need to worry about you staying single. A line of women is waiting to be your bride if that's what you want."
Laurence responded, "Oh, I knew they'd be nagging about marriage. I never hear the end of it during our calls."
Noelle fell silent for a bit before saying, "You're thirty-two now. It's time for you to consider getting married. Since the time is right for you to announce who you really are to take back what's yours, you should show your face.
"The top guns in Havenmill have great respect for you. Since they don't know what you look like, they have not proposed a partnership through marriage."
Laurence replied, "I don't want a marriage alliance. I have more than enough leverage to build Longtail Group and Longbottom Corporation up. I don't need handouts.
"I doubt there are many businesses in Havenmill that can be of any help to me. Since they can't bring anything to the table, why should I sacrifice my marriage for nothing?
"I'll only marry that one who has my heart, regardless of her upbringing and social status. I love her exactly as she is. She's one of a kind and the most wonderful girl in the world.
"Life is too short to spend it with the wrong person. I want to spend the rest of my life with the woman I love. I don't want a marriage of convenience. It's hard for two people to go on without love."
Noelle asked, "Are you in love with someone?"
"You've been with me for years. Wouldn't you know if my heart belongs to anyone?" Laurence asked.
Noelle was lost for words. Before long, she probed, "Do you have feelings for Callie?"
Laurence adored Chloe and Callia. Chloe was Laurence's sister, even though they were not related by blood. Still, Laurence saw her as nothing more than family.
Callia was a lot younger than Laurence, so she would likely mind the age gap.
She was the Yorks' darling. The Yorks would never agree to let Callia move across the country for love. Besides, Xavier had always been there for Callia.