The Perfect Wife's Perfect Revenge novel Chapter 588

Gwyneth Langford let out a small sigh of resignation. “Chris, Celia, how about we check out that exhibit later?”

She’d promised to spend time with them, but it kept getting pushed back. Celia, still very much a child, had already forgotten about being upset.

“Sure!” Celia beamed, grabbing Gwyneth’s hand and looking to Chris. “Are you coming?”

Chris tried to keep up his aloof act, managing a dismissive huff. It lasted all of three seconds before he obediently trailed after them.

Watching the three kids together, Victoria Turner noticed how much brighter Gwyneth’s smile had become.

“Have you noticed how much Gwyn has changed since coming back with Hawthorne?” she remarked.

Thorpe Langford sat on the sofa, sipping his tea, nostalgia softening his expression. “I have. She’s different, isn’t she?”

Victoria settled beside him. “He’s the one you mentioned—the family friend’s son she was promised to as a child?”

Thorpe nodded, his tone distant. “I wanted to wait until Gwyn was home to talk to her about it. But honestly, I was never sure it would work out. McNeil made some reckless choices when he was younger—almost cost my old friend his family’s entire future. After that, how could I have the nerve to bring up an old engagement? And now my friend’s gone, I didn’t even make it in time to say goodbye… Ah.”

What Thorpe didn’t say was that the villa he gifted Gwyneth and Hawthorne had actually been bought years ago by the old family friend, back when the Langfords were nowhere near as prominent as the Everharts. The old man had taken a shine to young McNeil and Victoria’s daughter, calling her clever and bright. McNeil’s father had scoffed at the idea, saying the man was too ambitious—leading to more than a few arguments between the two patriarchs.

In the end, Thorpe agreed to the arrangement, but never bothered telling Victoria about it. She and McNeil had enough on their plates, and Thorpe had little interest in stirring up more unrest by bringing up childhood engagements.

Times changed. The old guard in Starfall City looked down on such arrangements, but the Everharts were different—a family with deep roots and real substance. Gwyneth, too, needed to face some challenges; the shallow, restless city was never going to be the place for her to settle.