Chapter 248: Rejection Collection

“I’m getting old, and I just can’t wrap my head around what you mean by ‘things I shouldn’t do,’” Carly couldn’t figure out what had prompted Easton’s warning.

“About you trying to set Ellis up with another man to marry,” Easton said slowly, his expression clouding with displeasure.

Carly fell silent. Ellis was her adopted daughter, and Carly felt it was her duty and responsibility to care for her. While Ellis was still young, what was wrong with helping her find a suitable match for remarriage? To Easton, however, this had somehow become an inappropriate action.

“Forgive my bluntness, but whether I help Ellis find another man to marry is really none of your business.”

If not for fear of angering Easton, Carly would have stated this more decisively, telling him to mind his own business.

“Ellis turned down the matchmaking arrangement you set up, didn’t she?” Easton’s tone grew darker. “The kinds of men you’re introducing… you think someone like Edric is unable to be her husband?”

“What’s wrong with Edric?” Carly countered.

Edric was one of the potential suitors she had carefully selected for her adopted daughter. Considering his family background, looks, education, and income, he was more than adequate, though his reputation was a bit tarnished.

“Aunt Carly, are your eyes failing you?”

Easton’s question seemed rhetorical, a prelude to his anger.

Considering Easton’s temper, Carly softened her stance slightly. “Your divorce with Ellis was unpleasant, but you shouldn’t delay her chance at happiness, or doom her to loneliness?”

“Her happiness is not for you to define; it’s for her to decide,” Easton’s lips tightened. “That’s all I have to say, Aunt Carly. Take it as you will.”

Easton’s final words carried a heavy threat, causing Carly’s heart to tremble slightly. “I might stop trying to find her another man to marry, but…”

She paused, then continued. “We live in a modern, open, and tolerant society. There’s no reason a divorced woman should be expected to live like a widow. Even in feudal times, not all dynasties were so harsh on women.”

Easton’s discomfort at seeing his ex-wife well-off might have been the reason he felt he could dictate whether his ex-wife could remarry. Clearly, Carly’s implication was plain.

She might not help her adopted daughter find another man to marry, but remarriage for her was only a matter of time. Easton understood the subtext of Carly’s words, but he disliked seeing her act like a ticking time bomb, constantly trying to rush Ellis into another marriage.

“So, Aunt Carly, you’re sticking to your guns?”

Easton’s chilling demeanor intensified, as cold as the bite of winter, making Carly’s arms break out in goosebumps. Her voice slightly weak, she said, “Can’t I look out for my own adopted daughter?”

Seeing Easton’s expression turn icy, she quickly added, “I’ll stay out of whether Ellis finds another man to marry or not.”

After all her efforts to set up a blind date and introduce Edric to her adopted daughter, scheduling a time and place for them to meet, her daughter stubbornly refused to show up, rendering all her efforts futile.

Pleased with her response, Easton seemed satisfied as he left. Carly didn’t waste a second, borrowing a servant’s phone to call her adopted daughter.

Ellis, uninterested in unknown callers, almost hung up after accidentally accepting the call, but Carly’s voice, tinged with panic, came through.

“Ellis, Easton came to Hudson mansion tonight.”

Hearing this, Ellis was speechless. That jerk, showing up out of nowhere! What did he do to scare Carly like this?

“What did Easton want?” she asked listlessly.

“He warned me not to introduce you to another man to marry! What’s going on with you two? Does he hate you that much… wanting you to end up alone?” Carly, after much thought, concluded that Easton was just too cruel. “Stay away from him!”

“I haven’t provoked him! He’s losing his mind!” Ellis refused to accept this sudden accusation. “Just ignore him.”

“I’m not the one he’s after; he came to me!” Recalling Easton’s sudden, unannounced visit and his dreadful demeanor, Carly felt panicked. “You know, I’m getting on in years; I can’t handle another round of Easton’s torment.”

“Why are you tormenting me then?” Ellis was tired of Carly’s impulsive maneuvers to push her into another marriage.

While Easton’s scare might have inadvertently worked in her favor, she certainly wasn’t grateful. Of course, she wouldn’t appreciate Easton for this. She resented being pushed by Carly to meet men, let alone rush into another marriage.

“I’m looking out for you, and Edric is a good man…” Carly was pleased with every aspect of Edric, merely arranging for her adopted daughter to meet him—whether it developed further was up to her.

Carly’s insistence was maddening, and already in a bad mood, Ellis had no patience for more and bluntly hung up, then blocked Carly’s new number.