C9 9

"Elizabeth, are the gifts ready?" William asked as he looked at his watch. He was hurrying everyone since morning.

William Lockwood wasted no time in getting expensive gifts: jewels, fruits, chocolates, and whatever else took his fancy, to be taken to the Carter House to ask for their daughter's hand in marriage.

From what little he had heard from Alessandro Carter, he understood they were not after the Lockwood fortune, unlike Eleanor's in-laws. That made their daughter a good bride for his precious son.

"Yes. But aren't we going a little overboard, William? We are just going to ask for their daughter's hand in marriage, not to plan the wedding. What if they reject the proposal?" Elizabeth asked, unsure about taking all the gifts along. William was overdoing it. He is simply going to make himself a fool at this rate.

"Reject? Why would they reject the Lockwood heir? Could they find a better son-in-law than our son, Elizabeth? He is handsome, responsible, well-settled, humble, and compassionate, unlike some spoiled brats in our social circle. Above all that, he is not a bloody playboy. What more could they ask for in a groom for their daughter? He is perfect," William asked in disbelief.

Benjamin walked into the living room and stopped dead in his tracks, seeing the amount of gifts arranged in front of him.

"Dad? Mom?" He looked at his parents in absolute horror.

"Everything is set, Benjamin. Let's go," William said.

"Dad! Are you crazy? They would definitely think we are crazy if we walk into their home with all these," Benjamin said in horror.

"What is wrong with you two? Why would they think such a thing? This has been a tradition in Lockwood marriage proposals for centuries, Ben. We are not going to change that now," William said, waving his hand and dismissing his wife's and son's worries as if they were silly things.

"But we are just going to ask for their daughter's hand in marriage. We are not going to plan the wedding," Benjamin said, trying to put some sense into his father's head.

"I don't believe in wasting time, Benjamin. As soon as they agree, we can proceed further," William said with a casual shrug of his shoulders.

"Dad, listen—" Benjamin tried to speak, but William wasn't having any of it.

"No, you listen, Ben. Let's not waste time. Come on, let's go," William said and walked out, instructing the maids to carry the gifts to the car.

Benjamin and Elizabeth shared a helpless look with each other.

"Benji?" came the sweet voice.

Benjamin looked down to see Sapphire grinning at him, holding something tightly in both her chubby little fists.

He picked her up in his arms and tickled her, making her a giggling mess.

"What have you got there?" He asked, looking at her tightly held fists.

Sapphire grinned and hid her hands behind her, making Ben more curious.

"Hiding from Uncle? Show me what it is!" Benjamin said and took her small hands in his.

He pried open her fists and saw a Hershey's Kiss chocolate in one fist and a dried fruit in the other.

"Where did you get this from?" He asked, chuckling.

"Sapphy," she said adamantly, telling him that it's hers.

"Okay, but where did you get them from?" he asked again, and then it clicked.

"You bad girl. You stole it from the gifts," Benjamin said teasingly.

"Sapphy no bad," she said adamantly, with an adorable angry pout on her face.

"Sapphy bad. Sapphy stole chocolates," Benjamin said in a baby voice, enjoying riling up the toddler.

Sapphire's lips curled down in an angry pout.

Benjamin chuckled as he took the chocolate from her hand and peeled open the aluminium foil.

"Who wants to eat chocolate?" Benjamin asked loudly, looking around.

"Sapphyyy," Sapphire screamed, wanting to get her uncle's attention back on her.

"Aww, Sapphy wants chocolate? Then give uncle a kissie," Benjamin asked, pointing to his cheeks.

Sapphire planted a loud, slobbery kiss on his stubbled cheeks and giggled as his whiskers tickled her skin.

Benjamin rubbed his cheeks against hers, earning another bout of giggles.

"Okay, open your mouth," Benjamin ordered, and Sapphire followed.

"Now let's go meet Isabella," Benjamin said cheerily.

"Bell-Bell??" Sapphire asked with a squeal.

"Yes. Let's go meet your Bell-Bell."

"We have to get the child," Lillian Thompson seethed at her elder son.

"Eleanor specified in her will that the child should be looked after by the Lockwoods, Mom," Peter Thompson said.

He was tired of his mother's machinations and manipulations. She had ruined his brother's life, and if he let her, she would ruin his life too.

What was the point of making an enemy out of the rich and powerful Lockwoods? He was far out of their league, and even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to fight them.

"The Lockwoods never once visited Eleanor or her child during the last three years. They don't deserve to raise her," Lillian argued.

"Lillian, I think it is better to let the child grow up with her maternal family," Allison, Peter's wife, said.

"You don't get to decide that," Lillian snapped at her daughter-in-law and angrily walked out of Peter's house.

Peter let out a sigh and sat next to Allison.

"Your mother is going to ruin everything. She ruined John and Eleanor's life. If she hadn't interfered, manipulating John at every point in his life, they would have had a happy life," Allison said.

"What's the point in worrying about it now?" Peter said.

"If I had even a slight idea of what your mother is like, I wouldn't have married you and come into this family," Allison said.

"Ally—"

"I am scared for our kids, Peter. I am scared that she will ruin them. By making enemies out of the Lockwoods, she will ruin our life too," Allison said.

"We won't let her ruin our life. Let's move away from here," Peter said, and Allison was only too happy to get away from her evil mother-in-law.