While the two men chatted inside the house, Noelle accompanied Serenity and the others on a walk.
Jane asked her, "Laurence took over Longbottom Corp today. Did everything go smoothly?"
"Yes. Ever since Mr. Laurence came to Havenmill, he's been keeping an eye on Longbottom Corporation. He understands all the industries the company is involved in, so taking over wasn't a problem for him.
"As for Manny, he did try to make things difficult for Mr. Laurence. He tried to use an important client to pressure Mr. Laurence, but it was easily resolved. The client didn't dare to say anything either.”
Jane finally relaxed. "That's good. We weren't that worried about him, but if things really become difficult, you have to tell us. Laurence sometimes refuses to ask us for help."
Laurence was the eldest among the children. It might also be because he had no biological parents or siblings, which caused him to develop such an independent personality. Other than matters of the heart, where he had sought everyone's help, he rarely asked the others for assistance.
Sometimes, Jane felt sorry for her adopted son. All of them supported Laurence. They were his elders. Although they were not related by blood and she was not his biological mother, in Jane's heart, she had always treated and loved Laurence as her own child.
Whatever Connor and Chloe had, Laurence had as well. She never treated him unfairly.
Yet, Laurence refused to rely on them. Of course, as parents, seeing their children standing on their own was something to be proud of. It was just that they worried about the pressure their children carried.
“Mom, Mr. Laurence won't ask for help if it's something he can handle himself. If he truly can't handle it, he's never been shy about asking everyone for help."
Noelle did not think Laurence was unwilling to seek help from his elders. Rather, he could handle everything himself, so there was no need to ask them for assistance. Lilian said to Jane, "Let's trust Laurence. My master and I trained him so he won't be lacking."
Perhaps because she was his master, her thoughts differed from Jane's, who was a mother.
Jane worried about him and always wanted to do whatever she could to support her children.
On the other hand, Lilian expected her disciple to be capable of standing on his own without needing the support of his elders.
Everyone would become tired from work. Laurence was a man. There was no need for him to be overly delicate about it.
Jane said, "I do believe in him. I'm just afraid that he insists on carrying everything alone. We old folks can still help him, so we naturally want to help when we can."
Serenity chimed in, "We're not that old. I haven't become a grandmother yet." Everyone laughed.
Being in their
ir fifties or sixties was
not considered old in modern society. Besides, all of them took good care of themselves. Although they were in their fifties, they looked as though were oply in their early forties making them appear even younger.
the
"None of us have become grandmothers yet. I actually want to be one too. Noelle, your thoughts on kids? Whether I get to hold a grandchild depends on you."
Jane's teasing immediately made Noelle's face turn red.
Serenity and the others looked at her in surprise, then could not help but laugh. A rare sight indeed.
Noelle had always been cool and composed. Even if the sky fell, it probably would not frighten her, nor would it frighten Laurence. Although they watched her grow up, they rarely ever saw her blush so deeply.
"Our Noelle is actually blushing."
Serenity laughed. "Noelle is shy. That's such a rare sight. There are no outsiders here, and we've all been in your shoes before If you have any thoughts you can tell us we'll give you some advice."
Noelle was still flushed. "Mr. Laurence and I are..."
"Noelle, drop the title and just call him Laurence. You two are going to get married in the future. You can't still call him Mr. Laurence after becoming husband and wife, right? Start changing the way you address him now. Get used to it first before thinking about anything else."
Serenity suggested that Noelle change how she addressed Laurence.