Carey felt that as long as Gordon was reliable and could overcome his supposed cheapness, he would be a fine match for her daughter.

What pleased Carey more was that Gordon, for all his early success, carried no airs. He was humble, sincere, and refreshingly open-minded.

And Carey saw a reflection of her daughter in the young man.

In that instant, she finally understood why her daughter had fallen for him.

Exceptional people are always drawn to one another.

With that in mind, Carey smiled and nodded, her tone pleasant. "Hello, Mr. Sylvester."

Stuart was already stern enough; if she were also severe, they might scare the poor boy off.

Seeing his future mother-in-law's kindness, Gordon quietly breathed a sigh of relief. He replied respectfully, "You're too kind, Mrs. Gonzales. Please, call me Vest."

"Vest," Carey said, testing the name.

"Yes," Gordon replied. Carey was about to say more.

"Hmph!" Stuart snorted coldly and took Caitlin by the arm. "Freya, let's go."

Throughout the entire exchange, he didn't spare Gordon so much as a glance, treating him as if he were a plague to be avoided.

The little bit of confidence Gordon had managed to scrape together was instantly shattered by Stuart.

Caitlin was pulled away by her father.

She looked back over her shoulder at Gordon. "Drive safe..."

Her last two words were mouthed silently.

But Gordon could read her lips clearly: 'Love you.'

He felt a warmth spread through him, his confidence instantly restored. He mouthed back, 'Love you, too.'

"Stop looking, Freya," Stuart said, raising a hand to block his daughter's view. "We're going home."

As she was being led away, Caitlin said, "Dad, can you slow down? I can barely keep up. It's not like Gordon is going to eat me!"

Stuart felt a pang of sorrow.

His little girl was all grown up and already taking a stranger's side.

Carey chimed in, "Exactly, slow down. I think that Vest boy seems perfectly fine. He doesn't look like a bad person at all."

Caitlin shot her mother a thumbs-up. "Mom, you have excellent taste."

Stuart's expression soured even further. First his daughter was defending an outsider, and now his wife was siding with them too. "FineWhat's so fine about him? 21 think he's just so so! Besides that handsome face, what else does he have going for him?"

No matter what, Stuart just didn't like Gordon.

Not one bit.

Especially when he thought about how this man would very likely steal his daughter eway frombim someday. The thought alone was depressing.

"I think a handsome face is more than enough, Carey countered. "After all, someone being nice to you could be an act, and thoughtfulness can be faked, but being handsome is realf she finds a handsome man, then fchildren will be beautiful too. We can pass on the excellent genes."

Besides, her daughter wanted for nothing.

She had both money and power.

In Carey's view, as long as her daughter was happy, that was all that mattered.

She just wanted to see her daughter joyful and content.

Furthermore, Gordon's looks, height, and commanding presence were a perfect match for Caitlin's.