Gwyneth’s cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red.
She kept her head down, quietly focused on her meal.
Hawthorne, too, ate in small, measured bites. The two of them were so strikingly attractive that even the simple act of eating seemed like something out of a painting.
During dinner, apart from the brief conversation about the ring, they barely spoke at all.
Sitting across from Hawthorne, Gwyneth had no idea what to say.
Still, Hawthorne would occasionally break the silence with some light, inconsequential remark—just enough to keep things from getting awkward.
To Violet, the whole meal felt almost dreamily romantic. Gwyneth, on the other hand, was dying of embarrassment, while Hawthorne remained calm and composed from start to finish.
When they returned to the old manor, Gwyneth was startled to find the foyer overflowing with elegantly packaged gift boxes. She thought back—neither her great-grandfather nor her mother were ever the shopping-obsessed type. So where had all these come from?
Victoria and Thorpe, however, were beaming with delight. Out in the courtyard, two neat rows of bodyguards stood at attention. Dozens of luxury cars lined the drive, and overhead, three helicopters were slowly descending onto the grounds.
More boxes kept arriving. Hawthorne took Gwyneth’s hand and led her inside, moving at an unhurried pace.
“Grandfather, Mrs. Fairchild,” he announced, “Gwyn and I have already registered our marriage. Originally, I planned to bring the engagement gifts on Thanksgiving, but I thought—why wait? So I had my assistant send everything ahead.”
“For the Thanksgiving engagement party, you two can look over the guest list and decide who you’d like to invite. I’ll take care of the venue, the menu, the drinks—everything. All you need to do is give your approval.”
Gwyneth was dumbfounded. These were the engagement gifts?
Already?
He must have mobilized a team to fly and drive these here from Greenvale, day and night.
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