The Clark Family's old mansion.
As soon as they entered, Rhett could feel something was off.
The members of the Clark Family were already there waiting for them, each wearing different expressions, but none of them looked happy.
It was obvious there were some hidden complaints.
Rhett ignored all the looks and sat down like he was used to it.
Elise had wanted to hold his arm as they walked in, but after seeing the situation, there was a brief moment of awkwardness. Still, she quickly adjusted and sat down beside him.
She kept a polite smile on her face as she greeted the elders, "Sorry we're late, we made everyone wait."
Elise was a real socialite.
Her manners were flawless, graceful and elegant, just as expected.
This was a Clark Family dinner, and Elise was already half considered part of the family.
"It's alright. If I remember correctly, your due date is coming up soon," said Delilah, Rhett's mother.
She smiled gently. "You need to be careful on the road. It's fine to be a little late."
Elise nodded with a smile. "Thank you... Auntie, for your concern."
She hesitated for a second with how to address her. She had wanted to call her "Mom," but ended up letting that go.
Delilah was soft and generous, but Richard, the current head of the Clark Family, gave off a calm and commanding presence. In some ways, he was like Rhett, but also different.
Richard was Rhett's father, and they did look alike. Their features showed the strong genes of the Clark family, but Rhett's face was sharper and stood out more than his father's.
Richard and Delilah were well-known in their circle for being truly in love, unlike most upper-class couples who only pretended to be sweet. They really cared about each other and were rarely seen apart.
Even when he traveled, Richard always tried to bring Delilah with him.
Back when she was younger, Delilah had been a super famous actress, both in China and overseas. No one could touch her level of popularity and success.
But she chose to leave the spotlight when she was still at her peak, marrying Fu Cheng, who was a rich young heir from a top family, and started a new life with him.
The love story of a second-gen rich guy and a superstar actress felt like it was happening all over again with Rhett and Elise.
Sometimes Elise found herself confused: Rhett grew up in a family with loving parents and everything anyone could ever want, so why had he always been so cold and distant ever since he was little?
Delilah was getting older now, but her facial features were naturally beautiful, and she had always taken good care of herself.
Even with age, she was still a stunning woman, time had only added more elegance to her beauty.
She looked at Elise's round belly, her smile growing softer. "It's alright. You're pregnant, so you need to be more careful when traveling. The baby's due next month, right? This is the most important time, you really need to be cautious."
Richard didn't say anything.
Ever since the two walked in, he hadn't even looked directly at Elise. His fingers tapped lightly on his knee, his deep eyes calm but hard to read.
He took a sip of water to moisten his throat, then turned to Rhett and asked in a steady tone:
"When do you plan to get married?"
Elise was about to give birth, but Rhett still hadn't shown any intention of taking her to get their marriage certificate.
Richard knew that his son always thought long-term, and he wasn't too worried that Rhett would regret marrying her in the end. But...
As long as Elise wasn't officially married to Rhett, he couldn't feel at ease—let alone relax.
"Elise is about to give birth. Even if we can't hold a wedding anytime soon, we should at least get the marriage certificate. That way we can give the Collins Family an explanation."
No one spoke for a while.
Elise had been waiting for Rhett's response, but all she got was silence.
The mood in the room instantly got tense.
Even the other members of the Clark Family looked over, clearly confused.
Everyone had assumed that their marriage was already a silent agreement between both families.
At first, they thought Rhett just had other arrangements since he always planned everything so well, so no one said anything.
But now, it didn't seem like he had other plans… more like he had other thoughts.
Finally, Richard broke the silence. "I've heard some rumors lately. Do you have something else in mind?"
As soon as he said that, a few people who loved gossip and didn't know how to stay out of others' business joined in.
"I think I heard a rumor that Rhett has another woman?"
"Preston! You have no right to speak here!" Richard snapped, clearly angry.
The "other woman," of course, was Kelsey.
People outside might not know, but Richard had already noticed it. And so had his younger brother, Preston.
Preston was only a few years older than Rhett, and he was also Richard's younger brother.
He was the beloved son of Old Master Clark, pampered ever since he was little. Even though Richard was the biggest shareholder in the family business now, Preston still held a lot of influence.
He was also probably the only one who could still smile when Richard got mad. "Big bro, I'm just repeating what I heard. I didn't say it was true. Rhett's always been clean and respectable. I'm sure it's just nonsense from outsiders. What do you think, big bro?"
Richard's expression didn't change at all. He stayed stern and didn't even bother replying to his inappropriate younger brother.
He looked directly at Rhett. "You heard it too. As long as you don't marry Elise, these rumors won't go away. You owe both the Collins Family and Elise an answer. So, when are you getting married?"
Hearing that, Elise's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Rhett right away, feeling super anxious and holding her breath, waiting for his reply.
At a time like this, even just saying yes would be enough to settle everything.
But Rhett stayed silent for a long time.
He didn't say a word.
Everyone's eyes were locked on him. He rubbed his forehead, clearly annoyed, and finally said, "This is my own business. I'll deal with it myself."
Snap—Richard slammed his chopsticks onto the table. "Rhett, what kind of attitude is that?"
Delilah quickly stood up. "Acheng, what are you doing?"
She reached out to calm him down, and once he'd relaxed a little, she sat back down.
Then she looked at Rhett with a helpless expression and said softly, "We finally got to sit down as a family. Don't make your father upset. Let's just enjoy a nice meal together."
Preston was about to jump in and make things worse, but Delilah shot him a look.
Preston shrugged and backed off.
Compared to his strict and serious older brother, he actually listened more to his gentle and beautiful sister-in-law.
He smiled and didn't add anything else to stir the pot.
A proper family needed a calm and graceful hostess.
Thanks to Delilah, the tension slowly faded, even if the atmosphere was still a bit stiff.
Elise also stepped up to ease the mood, acting like she really understood the bigger picture.
She looked at the man next to her with soft eyes and asked gently, "Rhett, can you help me serve the soup?"
Her words also made her position clear, she stood with Rhett, and whether they got married or not was between the two of them.
Since she didn't mind, no one else had the right to say anything either.