Reborn From Oblivion

Lincoln's eyelids hung low, giving him a kind of fake, amused look. "Vivian, you've been in the business game for a while now, and you've really nailed the art of keeping everyone happy. It's pretty impressive-winning over your dad without making the guests feel left out. It's a balanced move, and it fits well in today's world."

Nathalie was caught off guard.

Was it just her imagination?

Why did her dad seem a bit off today?

Faced with her dad's roundabout comments, Nathalie decided to cut to the chase. She told him straight-up, "Dad, Nathan and I have been through the wringer together. We've faced some tough times side by side. Even though we're not blood-related, our bond is even stronger than siblings. So please, don't treat him like a guest anymore. If you can, I'd love for you to consider him family and treat him warmly."

Lincoln, who could hardly ever say no to his daughter's requests, nodded without hesitation, "Don't worry, Vivian. Since he's stood by you through thick and thin, he's like a hero to me. I won't mistreat him."

After that, Lincoln was all smiles with Morris, serving him food and chatting him up.

"What's your last name, young man?"

"Nathan," Morris said, skipping the surname.

"Where do you live?"

"Southside."

Lincoln raised an eyebrow, "Southside, huh? Oh, that's the fancy part of town."

Morris stayed quiet.

Lincoln carried on, "What did you major in?"

"Something with computers."

"Oh, IT, huh? That's a solid field, but it's tough on the hair. By the time you hit middle age, most guys have a receding hairline."

Morris' lips twitched a bit.

He wasn't going to live that long, so worrying about losing hair wasn't on his radar.

"Who's in your family?" Lincoln asked, not stopping.

"My dad, mom, and brother. Oh, and my grandpa," Morris replied, cool as a cucumber.

It was the first time he'd leveraged his tricky stepmom and dopey brother. Their presence seemed to only serve this purpose.

"What does your dad do?"

"He's in business."

"How's his annual turnover?"

"He usually makes bad deals," Morris said, not sugarcoating Gavin's failures.

Lincoln gulped. He was a bit taken aback: If a boy really likes a girl, he'd usually try to shine in front of her dad. But this guy seemed to

downplay his strengths and air out his weaknesses?

Lincoln's sharp instinct told him this guy might not be looking to marry Vivian.

Dating without marriage in mind is just playing around.

Lincoln felt pretty ticked off at Morris.

But for his daughter's sake, he kept up a friendly front.

After lunch, Nathalie got a call from a client.

The client wanted to talk business, and Nathalie had no choice but to head out.

Lincoln had never been so eager to hustle his daughter out the door as he was today.

"Vivian, it's getting late. You should get going so your client isn't waiting."

Nathalie,

Ster, couldn't help but

worry

She walked

but

over

and smoothed his hair. Then she stood there, lost in thought.

She headed upstairs, came back with a blanket, and gently laid it over Morris'

legs.noveldrama

"Does your leg still hurt?" She remembered how every time the weather changed, Morris' leg pain would keep him up all night.

Morris hesitated for a moment. "I

can't

Seve you remember

something from so long ago.vel

t hurt anymore," he fibbed.

Nathalie smiled, "Old injuries linger, so keep warm. You don't want it to come back

and haunt you later on."