Chapter 562: Being Alive is Better Than Anything
"Did you tell your parents about this?" Grandpa Huxley asked.
Howard Thorne nodded. "I did. Mom and Dad said I should bring Kelley Xavier home for dinner tonight."
Kelley Xavier’s face grew redder, and she lowered her head even further, fidgeting with her fingers anxiously.
Grandpa Huxley pondered for a moment, then said kindly to Kelley Xavier, "I’ll talk to your uncle in a bit. In a few days, I’ll have Aurelia come over to formally propose the marriage."
"Mm..."
Kelley Xavier’s voice was barely a whisper, and her heart finally settled. Grandpa Huxley held a high status in Xavier Village. With him speaking up, the marriage was all but certain. From now on, Howard Thorne would be her fiancé.
Her heart skipped a beat. Kelley Xavier quietly lifted her gaze and peeked at the black-and-blue Howard Thorne beside her. She felt a pang of sympathy and a great deal of guilt. ’It’s all my fault he got dragged into this. I’ll have to tutor him even more diligently from now on and help him get into a university.
I have no other way to repay the Thorne family’s kindness; this is the only thing I can do.’
Outside, Armstrong Huxley and Mark Xavier were hiding behind the door. Mark’s expression was one of pleasant surprise, and the great weight in his heart was finally lifted. ’Even though I don’t know Howard Thorne, since he’s Tang Xiaonan’s older brother and Grandpa Huxley’s grandson, he must be a good person. He’ll definitely be good to my sister.’
Armstrong Huxley clapped him on the shoulder and said like an adult, "See? Now you can rest easy. My older cousin might be a bit slow in his studies, but there’s definitely nothing wrong with his character. Don’t spend all day overthinking things from now on. Just living well is more important than anything."
"Mm... Thank you..." Mark Xavier felt a wave of lingering fear. ’Thank goodness for Armstrong Huxley. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lived to see today’s wonderful surprise.’
Armstrong Huxley quietly let out a breath. ’The clouds have finally parted.’ If they hadn’t, he couldn’t guarantee he could’ve kept an eye on this idiot twenty-four seven. It turned out Mark Xavier really had tried to do something stupid last night. Luckily, he had been sleeping in the same room as Armstrong these past few days, and Armstrong had been on high alert. When Mark stirred in the middle of the night, Armstrong woke up immediately. He followed the foolish boy to the village pond and managed to grab him just before he jumped in.
"I’m dead tired... I’m going to sleep."
Armstrong Huxley let out a huge yawn, his eyes heavy with sleep. He hadn’t slept a wink last night, watching over Mark Xavier the entire time. During the day, he even watched him when he went to the bathroom, afraid the fool might get it in his head to jump into the cesspit. ’And if that happened, should I save him or not?’
"Johann, thank you!"
Mark Xavier thanked him again. ’It’s all thanks to Armstrong Huxley saving me. Otherwise, my sister would have been heartbroken.’
"No need to thank me. Just don’t do anything stupid again."
Armstrong Huxley yawned again and went back to his room to sleep. ’Next time, I’ll have to ask my little cousin if she can dream up what my future wife will be like, or what I’ll do for a living. I definitely don’t want to be a pig butcher. I want a high-class job, like being a town mayor who serves the people. That sounds pretty good.’
Grandpa Huxley was extremely efficient. That very afternoon, he went to find Kelley Xavier’s two paternal uncles and told them about the marriage plans. Of course, the two uncles had no objections. In truth, they weren’t very pleased with a scumbag like Zane Coleman either, but since they couldn’t find a better match at the moment, they hadn’t bothered to intervene.
Now that there was a better option in Howard Thorne, and with Grandpa Huxley personally proposing the match, they were naturally happy to agree. Given the choice, they still hoped their niece would marry into a good family.
With her two uncles stepping forward, Kelley Xavier’s father, Shane Xavier, naturally had no objections either. The only one who did was her stepmother. She had accepted fifty yuan from Zane Coleman, and she had no intention of giving it back.
That evening, Howard Thorne did indeed bring Kelley Xavier home for dinner. Kelley wore the best clothes she owned, but they were still patched. She felt embarrassed, afraid the Thorne family would look down on her.