"If that's the case, let me ask you: is my Freya in your plans for the future?" Stuart pressed.

"Yes!"

"Good." Stuart took a bite of the cake. "You know our family's situation. Freya is my wife's and my only daughter, and the sole heir to Gonzales Holdings. From the day she was born, she has been the most precious treasure to everyone in the Gonzales family."

"It's a shame that I failed to protect her, letting her wander and suffer for nineteen years. She endured the harsh realities of the world at such a young age, and even went through a failed marriage."

As he spoke, Stuart's eyes reddened slightly.

The pain he felt for his daughter was genuine. Whenever he thought about the dark times Caitlin had been through, his heart ached.

After Carey was found, everyone around them had urged them to have a second child. Even Caitlin had said she wanted a younger sibling. But Stuart and Carey never considered it.

They didn't want to try and make up for their debt to their daughter by having another child. It wouldn't be fair to Caitlin.

For the rest of their lives, having Caitlin was enough; they wouldn't be having another child.

To be honest, Stuart had wanted to have this conversation with Gordon for a long time. He'd held off because he was observing their relationship, worried it might just be a fling. Only now was he certain that his daughter's bond with Gordon was much stronger than he had imagined.

"For the rest of her life, I only want Freya to be happy, free from trouble, with the person she loves, doing what she wants to do." Stuart paused. "As her father, I can see how much she cares about you. Whenever she talks about you to us, her eyes are always smiling. When we first got you wrong, she was always the first to defend you."

"My daughter may not have grown up under my roof, but I know she is kind-hearted, respects her elders, and has an incredibly strong moral compass. She's a wonderful girl, the kind you couldn't find even if you searched with a lantern. To have a daughter like her is a blessing on our family for three lifetimes."

"Whether you two end up getting married or not, I hope you will treat this

relationship with seriousness and not betray her trust."

Stuart's words came from the heart, and Gordon listened intently.

"Getting a girlfriend as wonderful as Catie is the greatest honor of my life. My family must have done something right in a past life."

Gordon carefully picked up his teacup with both hands, stood up, and spoke

earnestly. "I'd like to propose a toast to you. Thank you for giving me this chance."

Stuart also raised his cup, touching

its rim to Gordon's. "Freya may have been married before, but that doesn't mean she is a casual person In this relationship, I expect you to act with propriety and respect. And one more thing. Freya has been betrayed once. She has never hidden anything about her past from you. Since you've chosen to be with her, you don't get to use her divorce as a way to control or put her down. If I ever find out that you've hurt her, I won't let you off easily."

"A father will do anything for his daughter. And remember, Freya doesn't just have

me and her mother. She has eight uncles and thirteen older brothers." The last sentence was both a reminder and a warning.

"Mr. Gonzales, I've never cared that Catie was married before," Gordon said quickly: "She was young, immature, and she ran into a

scumbag. That wasn't her fauel net

me, she is, and always will be irreplaceable. If you ever find that ve failed her, you can do with what you will. If you don't trust my word, I can have my lawyer draw up an agreement."

For a businessman, nothing showed more sincerity than a legally binding contract.

Stuart nodded, satisfied with his answer. "I trust Freya's judgment in men. I have a meeting to get to, so I'll be leaving." He set his teacup down. It seemed like a casual gesture, but the moment the cup touched the table, it shattered into pieces.

The silent gesture spoke louder than words ever could. Looking at the shattered cup, Gordon understood exactly what Stuart meant. If he ever dared to hurt or betray Caitlin, his fate would be the same as that cup.

Smart men always knew when a point had been made.

"Mr. Gonzales, I'll see you out."

Gordon stood and escorted Stuart out of the tea room, personally opening the car door for him. "Please."

Stuart ducked into the car. Gordon waited until the sedan had disappeared down the street before taking out his phone and making a call. Soon, a Maybach pulled up. The driver got out, opened the rear door, and Gordon slid into the back seat.

This entire exchange was witnessed by one of Sylvester Group's executives. He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. "Good heavens! Am I seeing things? Was that... was that Mr. Sylvester?"

It was always others who flattered Gordon and opened car doors for him. When had Gordon ever needed to be so careful around anyone else?

His assistant, standing beside him, was equally stunned. "Mr. Cartwright, you're not seeing things. I saw the license plate. That was definitely him." The Maybach was Gordon's personal, limited-edition car. He owned the only one in The Capital.

"Mr. Sylvester carries himself like

royalty wherever he goes. It must be raining frogs today," Mr. Cartwright seid

vait," he looked at his

assistant, "did you get a look at the person he was personally seeing off?" He was dying of curiosity. Who could command such respect?

The assistant squinted in the direction the car had gone. "If I'm not mistaken, he

looked a bit like President Gonzales from Gonzales Holdings."