Chapter 962

Keira knew Sasha had no ill intentions, but what about others? In this society, very few genuinely wanted the best for you. Even if they wished you well, they rarely wanted you to do better than them.

Had she been too high-profile lately? Did she provoke envy and jealousy? Actually, she hadn’t done anything to promote herself—not even for this little courtyard. But she couldn’t control the guests who came here and spread the word. Maybe the stalker Hayden mentioned showed up because of this.

Sasha only left in the afternoon, but Nina refused to go no matter what. She insisted on staying with Keira. Since Keira had already promised to take her out to play, she let her stay. Besides, Nina was well-behaved and not mischievous. Her lively energy brought a unique vitality to the courtyard.

When Lena arrived, Nina stood at the entrance and greeted her adorably, “Welcome!”

“Oh my, where did this little beauty come from? Is your boss hiring child laborers now?” Lena teased.

“Pretty lady, I don’t get paid,” Nina replied. Despite her young age, her exposure to Sasha’s business dealings had given her a knack for charming responses.

Lena bent down and tapped Nina on the nose. “What did you just call me?”

“Pretty lady.”

Lena pointed at me, who was lounging in the rocking chair. “And what do you call her?”

“Sister.”

The look Lena gave Keira was as if she had been dealt a heavy blow. She pinched Nina’s cheek and said, “I’m younger than her, and I’m not pregnant. I should be the sister.”

Nina glanced at me and then at Lena. “You look like a lady. But if you don’t like it, I’ll call you Pretty Sister.”

Although Nina adjusted her term of address, Lena was still hurt. She sat across from Keira and asked, “Am I older than you? How do I look like a lady?”

“If you stay single for a few more years, someone might call you Grandma,” Keira said, rubbing salt into the wound.

Lena picked up a fallen leaf and twirled it in her fingers. “Don’t start. I know you’re just trying to push me to get married.”

“Exactly. You’ve got real admirers and fake boyfriends chasing you. You’re not short of options—it’s just a matter of whether you want to get married or not,” Keira said, glancing toward the house.

Chapter 962

What Lena didn’t know was that Aaron had arrived an hour earlier and was inside chatting with Hayden. Seeing Lena so conflicted, Keira wanted to help her express her true feelings so Aaron could better understand her. The two of them dragging things out like this weren’t getting anywhere.

“Ron was just someone I hired to play a part. There’s no way anything could happen between us, so stop joking around—it’s embarrassing,” Lena reminded Keira.

“Oh,” Keira said with feigned understanding. “What about your ‘uncle’?”

Lena tilted her head, deep in thought for two seconds, before saying, “He’s like the moon reflected in water or a flower in a mirror—beautiful but untouchable.” As she spoke, she shook her head. “As long as the Earth doesn’t explode, there’s absolutely no way anything could happen between me and him.”

“Forget about explosions for now. I just want to know, do you like him? Have you ever had romantic feelings for him?” Keira asked. Although she’d already asked her in private, this time she was asking for Aaron’s sake.

Before Lena arrived, Keira had spoken with Aaron. He said he had already thought through all of Lena’s concerns and would make sure her parents and the Ace family accepted them. But now, it was Lena who refused to take that step.

With Aaron’s promise, she decided to help him test Lena.

Lena, tired from tilting her head, slumped onto the table and rested her chin on it. “Honestly, back when I was a teenager and first experiencing those budding feelings, I liked him. But he’s my uncle! I have morals and boundaries, so I buried those feelings and just saw him as my uncle.”

“And now? Now that you know there’s no blood relation, have those feelings reignited?” Keira pressed.