You should attend regardless.” Hannah glanced at her hesitant friend with curiosity.
“Is the issue that Alick is going to be there?”
“You’ve always been good at reading me. You’ve got it exactly right.”
Resting back into her chair, Lydia sighed and averted her eyes.
“The moment we meet, the Phillips and Shaw families will dredge up the past. I can’t avoid it! That Alick really annoys me, and he won’t even discuss breaking off the engagement. The thought of him fooling around with other women disgusts me!”
Hannah’s gaze softened as she looked at Lydia, her thoughts drifting.
Lydia was naturally daring and cheerful, hailing from one of Valmere’s most prominent families. Being a woman, her only path to solidifying her family’s status was through marriage.
Traditionally, the Shaws and the Phillips had been friends for many years, making a marital alliance between the two families seemingly perfect.
However, Alick was a notorious playboy, and Lydia could barely stand him. Numerous attempts to bring them together had failed spectacularly.
Fiercely independent, Lydia had left her family home in a huff and had been living on her own since then.
“Hannah, quick, think of a solution for me. You’re always so wily.
You must have some idea.”
“Wily, you say?” Hannah shot her a look but then said earnestly, “You’ve got the skills to run the family business. If you could make the Phillips name more prosperous on your own, your parents might stop pressuring you into marriage.”
“Easy for you to say. Lydia rested her chin on her hand and released a deep sigh.
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“I’ve been away from the family business for years, and my older brother has assumed control…” Lydia’s voice trailed off.
‘s
She pondered, “I’ve heard that the business isn’t doing well and several of my brother’s investments have stalled. My dad’s insistence on me attending this banquet clearly means he’s set on marrying me off to the Shaw family. I can’t let that happen. You have to back me up!”
Hannah reassured her.
“How will you know you can’t handle it if you never try? I recall you were pretty competent when you were involved in the business. People evolve. I mean, look at me. I reconsidered things and ended up divorced. Surely, you stepping in can’t make things worse than they already are.”
Heartened by Hannah’s encouragement, Lydia contemplated for a second before nodding.
“You have a point. If my dad can endure my brother despite his inability to keep the company afloat, who’s to say I can’t have a try?”
Seeming resolute, Lydia took a deep breath.
“I’ll follow your advice.
I’m going to have a serious talk with my dad. If things don’t improve, then maybe I’ll consider the marriage alliance.”
After waving goodbye to her spirited friend, Hannah finally settled down to enjoy her breakfast and opened her laptop to gear up for the next semester.