Chapter 56

Since Tristan came back late and skipped dinner,Megan decided to cook for him herself.

He watched as the petite woman focused on slicing vegetables and finely shredding meat. The sight alone filled Tristan's heart with a quiet contentment.

When Megan placed a soft, half-cooked egg on top,their sizzling stone pot bibimbap was ready.

As he wolfed it down, Megan chuckled,"Tasty?"

"Delicious. Smells amazing-just like you."

She bit her lip, grinning. "You're such a flirt."

"Flirting, sure. But 'old'? I object." Tristan casually wiped his mouth then held her hand and headed upstairs.

The door clicked shut behind her heels, and the next moment she was in his arms.

Knowing where this was heading,she looked up and puckered her blushing lips.

But instead, he just kissed her lightly.

She blinked in surprise. "What? That's it?"

Tristan raised a brow. "Why? Expecting more?"

Her cheeks turned crimson. "N-No! What are you saying!"

He absolutely adored her fiery yet bashful reactions.

He led her to the vanity and sat her down."Here,let me show you something."

Digging into his pants pocket, he pulled out a monitor no bigger than a pea.

Her eyes lit up. "Wait-is this a surveillance cam?"

"Yup. Latest model. We talked about putting one in the old house, right? Got a plan for that yet?"

Megan arched her brow slyly. "Of course. Just follow my lead tomorrow, and we're good."

Seeing that mischievous smile, Tristan had a bad feeling in his gut.

Sure enough,by dawn the next morning, all hell had broken loose at the Reid estate.

A rancid stench flooded the whole mansion, forcing everyone outside.

Geoffrey wrapped his coat tighter,frowning."What's going on?"

Mr. Stewart quickly explained, "Already contacted the pipe company-it's likely a sewage backup."

Holding the barely-awake Megan in his arms, Tristan said, "We're heading back to Dreamscape Manor.The rest of you should go to the Empire Hotel. Once this is sorted, we'll return."

Sophia shot Megan a death glare-clearly blaming her for the mess.

Eventually, everyone left for the hotel.

Midway through the drive, Tristan and Megan doubled back.

"How'd you even pull this off?"

Megan let out a proud chuckle. "Tweaked the valves via remote control. Once the electronic regulators in the pipes were reversed, the waste couldn't get out,so of course it backed up."

Tristan looked at her, smiling fondly. "You are such a little genius."The two returned to the mansion and set up all the surveillance equipment in spots where issues might crop up.

Before the crew from the plumbing company arrived,Megan reset the flow control system back to normal,leaving no trace.

So when the workers inspected everything, they couldn't find any signs of tampering-just figured some blockage had happened.

After using specialized equipment to freshen the air,things were back to normal.

They had Cameron bring the chef back in to treat themselves to a cozy candlelit lunch.

Cutting into her steak, Megan glanced up and asked,"Why does your dad still stay at the old house while Harrison and Julian moved out?"

Tristan sipped his glass ofrich red wine and grinned "Because my grandma had a thing for baby boys-just not me.

Julian has a daughter, and Harrison has no kids at all.

So when she was alive, she let my dad and Sophia stay at the old place."

Megan knew full well why his grandma didn't like him -that all traced back to his mom.

She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, "If your grandma hadn't been cremated, you think I could've annoyed her back to life?"八、

Tristan burst into rare laughter, "Totally possible.You'd even be able to whip out the family rules on her."

Since the person had passed, they didn't push the joke any further.

Because the next evening was Mr. Reid's birthday banquet at the Imperial Hotel, the family didn't return to the old mansion that night.

Tristan and Megan finally had some quiet time to themselves.

Right at 6 p.m. the next day,

Luxury cars began pulling up one after another at the doors of the Imperial Hotel.

Political big shots and the four great families in Verduria-The Reids, The Lewises, The Channings, and The Bennettes-along with social elites from every corner,all gathered.

They came bearing extravagant gifts, not just to wish the old man a happy birthday, but more importantly,to show they were eager to work with the Reids.

In Verduria, if you managed to land a deal with the Reids-even for just five percent-that was more than enough to make a killing.

A sleek black Maybach stopped at the hotel entrance.

Tristan stepped out and helped Megan out, casually slipping his arm around her waist as they headed inside

The grand ballroom glowed under dazzling crystal chandeliers. Powerful guests toasted each other,socialites chatted and laughed like old friends.

Suddenly,the entrance buzzed with excitement.

Tristan walked in, clad in an elegant dark suit,long legs striding effortlessly, holding his wife close.

His eyes were cool and distant, giving off an untouchable vibe, the kind of aura that silently told everyone who was boss.

Seeing the woman in his arms, many of the rich young ladies couldn't hide the envy in their eyes-she was too stunning to be real.The sleek black gown hugged her curves just right, subtly showing off her graceful collarbones under the off-shoulder cut. Her skin looked even more radiant and smooth against the dark fabric, practically glowing under the lights.

Megan had a faint smile on her rose-tinted lips,looking like an angel who'd wandered into the human world.She casually brushed back her long, wavy black hair-there was something effortlessly captivating about her.

"Is that Mr. Reid's fiancée?"

"Actually, you mean Mrs. Reid now. I heard they already got the marriage certificate."

"Oh my god, my dream guy's married?!"

"You didn't hear? He spent a fortune the other night just to make her smile."

"Yeah, Mr. Reid is seriously whipped."

"Isn't she the one who ran away before the wedding?Megan,right?"

"Yup, and he still dotes on her like crazy. even after that."

"Shh! Don't talk about that in public!"

Megan muttered under her breath with a smirk,just loud enough for only Tristan to hear, "Still plenty of girls here who just won't give up hope, huh?”

Tristan cleared his throat lightly. "If any of them try to swoop in, I'll turn 'em into roast sparrows."

Spotting Elliot, Diane, and Chloe across the room,Megan couldn't hide the grin forming in her eyes.She waved toward them.

But the next moment, her smile froze.

Kevin appeared, wine glass in hand, stepping in front of them and casually chatting like they were best buddies.

Megan raised a brow-when did this guy get into their inner circle?

Guess pestering persistently and shamelessly does work for old guys like him.

With curious eyes following them, Megan and Tristan moved toward the stage.

Mr. Reid and Bruce sat in the front near the stage,while everyone else mingled with guests.

Tristan and Megan stepped forward and bowed deeply.

Tristan smiled politely. "Wishing Grandpa lasting health and a long, prosperous life."

Megan added with a gentle grin, "May today's joy stay with you all year-and come back again every year."

Tristan gestured behind him, and Cameron stepped forward with a long box held in both hands.

Opening it revealed a pair of custom ebony canes with gold inlays and engraved lion heads.

Mr. Reid was clearly pleased. Though, having two of these was a bit much-was he expected to walk with both?

Megan glanced at Bruce and cleared her throat softly."Well, I did notice Uncle Stewart's cane has been looking kinda old lately."

Bruce chuckled, remembering when Megan had borrowed his cane to chase off that overly flashy assistant. "Especially since it got used to clobber a moron the other day!"

Mr. Reid had also heard the story, and now it all made sense to him. He clicked his tongue and nodded approvingly."Ah,hitting two targetswithone shot,huh?"

Megan beamed. "Not at all. We like to say. double the blessings."

At that moment, Molly entered the hall in a strapless,floor-length white gown, pushing Wyattina wheelchair, his suit crisp and sharp.