Laurence looked at Noelle, then at the necklace she had placed on his palm. He asked, “Are two days enough? You will give me an answer, right?”
"Sir, I'm never one to back down or run away."
Noelle was flustered and at a loss at first, but her mind had never been clearer now.
With two days to think things through, Noelle believed she would give Laurence the right answer.
"Noelle, the only thing you need to consider is whether you want to marry me and spend the rest of your life with me. Nothing else should carry weight. Don't worry about the opposing voices.
"The Longbottoms are my family, but I don't see them as one. I'm only regaining leadership over the family to stop my enemy from occupying the seat.
"They have no say in my marriage, and the opinions that matter belong to those who have always loved to see us together. Mom, Master, and my family all love you."
Fearing that Noelle would worry about opposition from the Longbottoms, Laurence repeatedly emphasized to her that those people lacked the standing to interfere in his life decisions.
The loved ones Laurence counted as family were highly progressive. Plus, they believed that Laurence and Noelle made a great couple. Instead of stopping them from being together, they blamed Laurence for not telling Noelle how he felt a long
time ago.
Jane had given Laurence a nudge, forcing him to put his heart on the line.
"I understand, sir."
"Get some rest. I'll check what we have for dinner."
Noelle replied, "I should take care of dinner, sir. You should be the one resting."
"Stop fighting me on this. It has been a while since I was in the kitchen. I must be rusty now. My friends and family are going to make fun of me if I can't whip up something good."
The Johnson boys might be born into privilege, but they were taught essential life skills early on. All of them knew how to cook. This was the hallmark of the Johnson family education across generations, ensuring that all their children grew up to be exceptionally remarkable individuals.
That was the reason why the Johnsons remained the richest family in Annenburg.
The Wiltspoon Yorks shared the same value. Laurence grew up with the York children, too, and he was like an older brother to them. Though not bound by blood, they were like a real family.
Noelle chuckled. "You've been cooking since you were little. It's been over a decade. You can give a Michelin chef a run for their money."
"I want to cook like Uncle Austin. Now, that's the stuff. It's a good thing we aren't living with Uncle Austin, or we'd be fussy with food after eating his cooking every day."
Isabella could only accept food made by Austin and no one else. Her delicate palate could not take anything less.
Fortunately, Chase and Chester did not have refined taste like Isabella. Though they grew up with Austin's cooking, they often ate in the cafeteria at boarding school. Of course, cafeteria food was not the fanciest.
From their school years until graduation, Chase dined at home much less frequently, and whenever a long holiday rolled around, they had to head back to Wiltspoon to keep the senior family members company. As a result, neither Chase nor Chester was a fussy eater.
They could cook pretty well, too. Though they could not beat Austin, they were still better than most people.
Noelle pursed her lips before uttering, "You don't have a lot of time like Uncle Austin."
Austin was free from the responsibility of running a household or getting revenge. All Austin needed to do was pursue his hobbies. To Austin, his career was nowhere near as important as Isabella.
"That's true. I'm going to make dinner. Get some rest. Do as I say for once. If you don't want to get some shut-eye, go and check on Mom and Master in the medicine garden. It's likely they aren't resting either."
Jane and Lilian merely walked away to give Laurence some time and space to confess his feelings to Noelle.
After much hesitation, Noelle did not fight Laurence on cooking duty and went to look for the ladies.
The medicinal herb garden was right next to the main grounds. However, it was still quite a walk since the estate was huge.
Noelle reached the entrance to the garden and stopped for a bit. She took her time before pushing open the door and stepping inside.