Chapter 461
Orion didn’t need to check his phone to know who was calling. The two exchanged a glance and spoke at the same time. “You go ahead and take the call.” Orion stepped aside with his phone, while Lemira returned to her room and booted up her laptop.
She quickly attempted to hack into Evelina’s phone, but discovered that the malware she had planted was gone. What’s going on? Did Evelina catch on? As Lemira tried to implant the malware again, she was met with a firewall counterattack. Evelina’s phone had antivirus software installed. Lemira didn’t linger, withdrawing immediately. Had she just tipped off Evelina? How did Evelina find out so quickly? What now? Evelina would only be more cautious, making it even harder to find any leads.
Staring at her computer, Lemira suspected there was more to Evelina’s father than met the eye. She began to question the car accident from years ago.
Meanwhile, Orion decided to head downstairs, where he indeed found his stepmother lingering at the foot of the stairs, looking uneasy. Mrs. Amanda looked at Orion. “I came to the hospital to see that girl. After all, you’ve been quite active these past few days for her.” She had thought Orion was just acting on a whim, but it turned out he was serious. “You saw her, right? You didn’t say anything to her, did you?”
Mrs. Amanda was surprised. “Say something? I didn’t even see her.” She then remembered the girl she had met, who had called out Orion’s name. Mrs. Amanda was stunned. “Was that her?” Orion nodded somewhat helplessly. “Yes, and you didn’t even know who she was when you walked up hand in hand with her?”
“I, I was just worried about being spotted by your people, so I asked a patient inside to lead me upstairs. Who would have thought it would be her?” Mrs. Amanda actually had a favorable impression of the girl. She became agitated. “Although you have good taste, I don’t think she’s right for you.” “If you think she’s nice, what’s the problem?”
“Her background is probably quite humble, and you, being the Everhart heir, should have a wife of equal standing. Otherwise, people will talk.” As a stepmother, Mrs. Amanda couldn’t allow Orion to be with a girl of humble origins, lest people gossip about her mistreating him by choosing a common girl.
Orion was somewhat resigned. “Mom, she’s remarkable, and I pursued her. She doesn’t know about my background.” Mrs. Amanda was momentarily speechless, her frustration evident. “Regardless, I disapprove of your relationship. You haven’t told her about your identity yet, which means you have doubts too, right?” “That’s not my concern.”
But Orion didn’t plan on disclosing Lemira’s background to Mrs. Amanda, as that would only complicate matters. He spoke firmly, “Once our relationship stabilizes, I plan to bring her home to meet Grandma.” “What about the arrangement with the Sinclair family?”
Mrs. Amanda panicked, knowing the longstanding expectation of a union between the Sinclair and Everhart families. Though aware of Orion’s disapproval, she had hoped that in time, without a romantic interest, he might relent, as such arranged marriages were customary. But now, Orion had someone he liked.
“If it comes down to it, Matthew isn’t too young. He can get engaged to the Sinclair family.” “But Ms. Sinclair is several years older than Matthew.” “It might do Matthew good to have someone to keep him in line, to prevent him from running wild.”
As soon as Orion finished, Matthew’s shocked voice came from nearby. “Bro, are you really my brother? Why would you do this to me?” Matthew stormed over, looking every bit the wronged party. Orion glanced at him. “You know exactly what you’ve done. Did you think you could hide and I wouldn’t find you?”
Matthew shrank back, turning to Mrs. Amanda. “Mom, why don’t you marry Ms. Sinclair yourself?” “What are you babbling about, you rascal? How could I possibly marry her?” “Why couldn’t you? It’s all about equality these days. Let Dad be a bit more open-minded and not so petty. Ouch, why’d you hit me?”