The moment Xander said it, Gertrude's expression soured.

Unbelievable. It really took all kinds. Elsa's boyfriend certainly had some nerve.

A daughter to marry into the Sylvester family? A son to marry a Sylvester daughter? The sheer audacity was breathtaking.

Caitlin's smile didn't waver. "There are many ways to continue a friendship," she said politely. "Arranging matches for our children is an outdated custom. We're modern people; we can't bind our children's futures with old-fashioned ideas."

Elsa nodded in agreement. "Caitlin's right. Our children should have their own choices. Arranged marriages are a thing of the past, and we should leave them there. Xander, I never realized you were so traditional."

Elsa had a childhood friend, a boy her age. They had grown up together, and all their parents and relatives had teased them about being childhood sweethearts destined for each other. But their feelings were purely platonic, like brother and sister. As they got older, the pressure to get together only intensified, with everyone insisting they were a perfect match. It reached a point where they actively avoided each other to escape the awkwardness.

Because of that experience, Elsa despised the very idea of arranged matches. Just because children grew up together didn't mean they were destined for romance.

Xander set down his fork and looked at Elsa. "I actually think it's a fine idea. Not everything from the past is outdated. Do you know childhood sweethearts? If our children grow up with Miss Kensington's three, they'd be exactly that."

Gertrude frowned. Caitlin had already rejected the idea so clearly, yet this Xander character had the gall to press the issue. An arranged match? His motives couldn't be more transparent. He was hoping to use his future child to climb the social ladder.

Gertrude took a sip of her drink and turned her focus to Elsa. "Elsa, what's with you and your boyfriend? Why are you so fixated on arranging a match with Caitlin? Based on age, our kids would be a much better fit. My husband and I are trying for a baby right now! How come you're not trying to set up a match with me? Or," she paused her tome turning playful, "is it because you two think my family can't compare to Caitlin's money and status?"

She delivered the last line with a half-joking smile.

Her words made Elsa burst out laughing. The three of them had always teased each other like this in their dorm, so Elsa didn't take

fl. nest

Gertrude's comment seriously, xander, think Gertrude has a point. In terms of age, our child and hers would be much more likely to be childhood sweethearts! So, if we're arranging a match with anyone, it should be with Gertrude!"

Caitlin's children were already almost two, and she and Xander weren't even married. The age gap would be too large.

Hearing Elsa's response, Xander's eyes narrowed, a flash of contempt crossing his features.

So this is what they meant about marrying a smart woman. This idiot Elsa had an opportunity land right in her lap, and she didn't have the sense to grab it.

Who was Caitlin? She was not only the head of Apex Game Studios and Gonzales Holdings but also the wife of the CEO of Sylvester Group! Her three children stood to inherit three massive corporations. If theirchild married one of Caitlin's, they would rise with them, bringing glory and status to the Forrester name. Their family could finally break into the upper echelon.

And Gertrude? What was she? A university professor married to a mid-level entrepreneur. Her family was nothing compared to the Gonzaleses and the Sylvesters. When a bigger prize was right in front of him, why would he settle for less?

On top of that, Caitlin and Elsa were close. He had to make his move now, while the timing was perfect, before anyone else beat him to it.