He couldn't afford to slack off anymore. He needed to get into a top-tier university and use his rugged good looks and sharp intellect to bag a wealthy girlfriend!
Then he could finally return to his glorious life as a rich heir!
Admittedly, young Dexter's ambitions were highly specific.
Claire couldn't be bothered to argue further. It had been an exhausting day, and that evening, Edison set off an extravagant fireworks display that illuminated the entire village.
The spectacular show lasted for nearly a full hour without pause.
It was the perfect, explosive finale to the wedding festivities.
The only person who seemed thoroughly unamused was Patti.
Her foul mood stemmed directly from the fact that her son, Dewitt, had ruthlessly shot down his blind date.
Worse, he had outright forbidden his parents from setting up any more matches.
"Mom, Dad, I have zero interest in Yolanda, so don't even bother looking for a replacement."
"If I meet someone I actually like, I definitely won't let her get away."
"Just like Edison did."
"But until I find someone who catches my eye, no amount of pressure from you two is going to work."
"I absolutely will not compromise."
"Pandora already told me to take a page out of Claire's book and focus on myself for a while."
"So just drop the whole marriage crusade."
Patti glanced at her husband, then back at her son. "Yolanda is a bit on the timid side. If you don't like her, I won't force it."
"But what about Mindy? She's fiercely independent and famous across all the neighboring towns for her sharp personality."
"Her family runs a massive poultry farm, and she's their only daughter. If you marry her, you'd just have to help manage both families' assets."
"I think—" Actually, Patti hadn't initially considered Mindy because she worried Dewitt wouldn't vibe with such an aggressive personality.
After all, a girl holding up her family's legacy was bound to have a domineering streak.
Her own son was a rebellious force of nature, if he married someone equally explosive, she feared they'd tear the house down with their arguments.
"Enough, Mom. Drop it. It's not that I'm against the concept of marriage."
"I just want what Edison has someone who genuinely captures my heart."
Patti, however, completely misinterpreted this, assuming her son wanted to bring home a stunning foreign woman just like Edison did.
"Listen, Dewitt... Edison is a great man, but you don't need to copy every single thing he does."
"Jenny is gorgeous, yes, but she's from a completely different country. There are cultural differences to consider."
"Plus, you work out in Kaston. The women over there... well, we just might not click with them."
Patti tried to phrase it delicately, but Dewitt immediately caught her drift: his mother absolutely did not want a foreign daughter-in-law.
She was terrified they wouldn't get along.
Unlike Edison's grandmother, who
was too elderly to care about clashing with a
granddaughter in law Patti was still, relatively young. She fully expected to help raise her future
grandchildren and care for her
daughter-in-law postpartum.
Wanting a daughter-in-law she could easily communicate with was just human nature.
Dewitt let out a frustrated sigh. "Mom, relax. I have absolutely zero interest in the women in Kaston."
"Besides, the political climate over there is way too volatile. I'd never look for a relationship out there."
One wrong move, and you could end up entangled with a corporate spy or a deadly femme fatale sent by a rival faction.
Dewitt kept his hands impeccably clean while working abroad.
Pearce patted his wife's shoulder.
"Let it go. Stop suffocating the boy. The men in The James Family have a track record of finding theirowIT wives."
"Blind dates clearly aren't working. Let Dewitt hunt for a partner out in the real world."
"If you get along with your future daughter-in-law, great. If you don't, you just keep your distance. Simple as that."
"The kid is wildly successful; you really think he's going to die a bachelor?"