Free Web NovelChapter 740: Chapter 711: Love in a Parallel Universe [033]
After Sylvia left the design studio that day and returned home, she caused quite a stir in the old mansion. She put forth numerous conspiracy theories, claiming Thomas Reed coveted the Forrester Family’s inheritance. According to her, Thomas planted a woman by Simon Forrester’s side to harm him and eventually take over everything the family owned.
Old Master Forrester got a headache from her antics, and he was also curious about what kind of girl his grandson, who had always been single, had found. So, he called Simon that day and asked him to bring the girl to the old mansion for lunch on Saturday at noon.
Simon Forrester, during their Friday night date, hadn’t initially told Sienna about it. It wasn’t until he dropped her off at her doorstep that he casually mentioned, "My grandpa wants to meet you. Let’s have lunch at his place tomorrow noon."
"Huh?" Although she knew this day would come sooner or later, Sienna was still extremely nervous when it suddenly arrived. "Why didn’t you tell me earlier? Now it’s too late to go buy a gift!"
Simon laughed and said, "No need to bring a gift. We can just pick up a fruit basket on our way there."
Knowing he didn’t want her to spend money, Sienna didn’t argue with him about this and decided to seek some advice from her girlfriends later on.
Maeve suggested that fruit baskets were for female elders, while for male elders, it was best to bring cigarettes, alcohol, or tea. Sienna then thought about how Quentin Thorne liked tea. Since the family had many teas gifted by friends, she sneaked into Quentin’s study to take two tins of tea while her parents were upstairs sleeping. Since it was dark, she used her phone’s flashlight to grab the tea, without knowing which ones were good, and took the two largest tins at random.
During her call with Simon before bed, he mentioned he’d pick her up at nine-thirty the next morning, then urged her to sleep after chatting for a while. She was so nervous that she couldn’t fall asleep, so she got up to prepare the outfit for the next day and only managed to drift off into a light sleep afterwards.
The next day, feeling guilty as a thief, she was anxious, worried that Quentin might notice she had taken his tea. As she descended the twenty steps, she was cautious, but luckily, Quentin wasn’t home and had gone out to meet friends.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she greeted Melinda Linton, put on her shoes, and hurried out the door.
That day was the first big sunny day after the beginning of winter, and the temperature rose slightly, not as cold as the previous days.
While passing through the courtyard, Sienna bathed in the sunshine, feeling the sun sweeping away the chilly aura around her. Her spirits lifted, and as soon as she got in the car, she greeted Simon with a big smile, "Good morning, my love!"
Simon started the car and, with a laugh, asked, "Why are you so happy today?"
Upon hearing that, she suddenly released her seatbelt, leaned over to give him a peck, then sat back in the passenger seat and buckled up, still smiling.
"Of course, you’re taking me home, so naturally, I’m happy."
"Don’t you think it’s a bit too soon?"
"Although we’ve been together for less than a month, for some reason, it feels like we’ve been with each other for a long time."
The car slowly drove along the small roads of the old villa district. Simon held the steering wheel with one hand and used his free hand to hold hers, asking with a smile, "Do you believe in parallel universes?"
Sienna shook her head. "No."
"I do."
"Do you think the ’us’ in a parallel universe is also together?"
"Of course."
"Alright then, I believe too."
.
The Forrester Family’s old mansion was near Serene Lake, just a few minutes’ walk from Prince Gong’s Mansion.
The courtyard had gray walls and red-tiled roofs, with a grand entrance made of golden nanmu wood. A row of ginkgo trees, now bare, flanked the entrance.
A black S90 turned off the main road, stopping at the courtyard entrance with a honk. Shortly after, the imposing doors opened from within.
Simon slightly stepped on the gas, driving the car slowly into the courtyard, parking it next to the gate.
The Forrester Family’s courtyard had been renovated earlier on. The outer courtyard was used for parking. After ascending a few steps, one reached the inner courtyard—a large space featuring rockeries, flora and fauna, short trees, pavilions, and lawns. There were various doors around the yard with golden trimmings, some green, some red. A few people, seemingly servants, moved around the courtyard carrying various items toward the inner yard.
Sienna stared in awe at everything outside the windshield until Simon reminded her they had arrived, snapping her back to reality.
"Wow, your house..." she exclaimed softly, "looks so wealthy!"
There were plenty of courtyards around Serene Lake, but not only was the Forrester’s place by the lake, it was large and beautiful, complete with rockeries, pools, flowering trees, lawns, and scenic pavilions. Even the columns of the gates and eaves were made of golden nanmu wood.
To Western eyes, this was the legendary sky-high priced courtyard.
Sienna remembered visiting Serene Lake as a child, passing this alley outside the Forrester’s old mansion, and asking Quentin why these houses looked different from theirs.
Quentin had explained at the time that these were courtyards dating back to the Qing era, passed down over generations, and extremely valuable. Some had been sold for high prices, but those living there were not ordinary people.
"It’s just an old, run-down house passed down from our ancestors. Not much wealth there," Simon laughed, getting out of the car to open her door, then took her hand to get the fruit basket and tea from the trunk. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
He held the items in one hand, Sienna’s hand in the other, as the two walked toward the inner courtyard.
Before long, an elderly man in a deep brown, old-style Chinese jacket came out of the living room, hastily stepping down a few stairs. Not even reaching them yet, he called out excitedly, "Jules, you’re back! It’s been so long since you visited Grandpa!"
Simon quietly said to Sienna, "That’s my grandpa."
Nervously, Sienna strengthened her smile and sweetly called the elder "Grandpa."
That single "Grandpa" melted Old Master Forrester’s heart. The old man had only his grandson Simon and Thomas, his only nephew, as family, and he hadn’t seen such a sweet young girl in years. Though he intended to present a dignified elder’s demeanor, Sienna’s call made him lose his composure, warmly embracing her with affection.
"Oh my, oh my," Old Master Forrester said, meeting the young couple halfway and taking Sienna’s hand with a smile. "Whose lovely daughter is this? So beautiful!"
"Grandpa, you can just call me Annie."
The old man warmly regarded her for a moment, then took her hand, "Come, Annie, let’s go inside for some tea and warm ourselves by the fire. It’s chilly out here." With that, he led Sienna to the living room.
Simon followed behind with the fruit basket and tea.
"Sylvia, Sylvia, Jules and Annie are here!" Old Master Forrester called as he ascended the steps, his voice echoing through the entrance.
After that, he gently told Sienna, "Jules’ mom returned from Franland a couple of days ago. It’s great that you’re visiting today; we can all have lunch together."
She’s going to meet her future mother-in-law???
Sienna hadn’t expected to meet Simon’s mother today and wasn’t mentally prepared for it. Upon hearing this, her heart leapt into her throat.
Nervously, she followed Old Master Forrester into the living room and sat on a wooden sofa covered in embroidered dragon cushions.
