Mark was rendered speechless.
Zoey was struck with shock.
Grabbing the walking stick in her hand, she hurled it at her son. “Tell me, is it true? Is it true? I sensed that something was amiss. You always put on airs in front of Waylen, yet today you remained silent. It turns out you’ve committed something so disgraceful… Today, I shall beat you to death as an apology to her parents.” @
Zoey struck Mark forcefully.
A sharp pain coursing through his back.
Always filial, Mark dared not provoke Zoey’s ire further. Thus, he knelt before her and pleaded, “It is my fault. I failed to control myself. However… I am not the right person for her.”
Zoey stood in stunned silence, unprepared for her son’s admission.
After a prolonged silence, she said in a hushed voice, “You claim a lack of self-control, yet you were with her for half a year. What does it mean? Mark, you are well aware of your own capabilities and charm. It is effortless for a young innocent girl to develop feelings for you. But how can you simply abandon her after toying her feelings? What is she to do… in the days to come?”
Zoey’s disappointment weighed heavily upon her. She rose, intending to depart.
Waylen hurriedly came to her aid.
Zoey gazed at him, her voice filled with tenderness. “Tomorrow, I shall personally travel to Duefron to offer my apologies to your parents and to your sister. This fault lies with Mark. I shall provide your family with an explanation.”
Waylen arrived consumed by anger.
Yet, in this moment, he couldn’t help but relent. Taking the initiative, he spoke up, his voice tinged with regret. “I acted impulsively.”
Zoey shook her head. “What is wrong with you standing up for your sister?”
Waylen’s voice grew softer. “I do not wish to force anything. I merely desire for Mark to make his intentions clear. If he does not harbor genuine feelings for Cecilia, I shall arrange blind dates for her in the future.”
Mark’s heart skipped a beat.
Blind dates…
These two words disrupted his once calm heart.
And what Waylen uttered shattered him.
Waylen composed himself, standing before Mark, delivering his words with conviction. “She may not have spoken but I can sense her profound affection for you, as well as the deep wounds she bears. If you were to see her now, you might not even recognize her… Cecilia spent her childhood as the cherished princess of the Fowler family. She has never washed a dish or performed any household chores, yet she… Yet she…”
Waylen choked with sobs.
Waylen endeavored to regain his composure, his voice barely above a whisper, as he implored, “If you have no desire for her, refrain from disturbing her any further.”
Mark found himself in a tumultuous state of mind.
There was a time… a time when he cherished that unassuming girl.