Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 1153

The Winthrop family isn't what it used to be. We can't afford any more turbulence. Miles, we agreed on this long ago. Don't tell me you're suddenly trying to compete with your brother?"

Tristan's eyes stayed locked on his younger brother.

He was waiting to see exactly where Miles stood.

Miles's expression shifted briefly before he burst out laughing. "Whoa, dial down the tension, alright? You guys are taking this way too seriously. It's creeping me out. I didn't even do anything. I just bumped into her by chance and grabbed a coffee. Is that a crime? I know exactly what I am. Lillian is gorgeous, brilliant, and completely out of my league. A playboy like me couldn't land her if I tried. I get it. I know my place. I wasn't plotting anything. You're losing your minds over a cup of coffee. Sure, older women dating younger guys is a trend right now, but a woman with Lillian's standards wouldn't look twice at me, right?"

The tension in Tristan's shoulders visibly lessened at the admission.

Beatrice took a deep breath, preparing to speak, but Miles suddenly cut her off. "But hey, Grandma, Tristan... don't pop the champagne just yet. Just because she wouldn't pick me doesn't mean she'll pick Tristan either. Seriously, bro, you need a personality check. You're way too boring. Girls don't like that."

With a final, rogue-like smirk, Miles shoved his hands in his pockets and swaggered up the stairs, the picture of nonchalance.

Tristan remained rooted to the spot, his face a mask of cold fury.

Beatrice knew all too well how monumentally difficult this task was. Since returning to the country, she had been working every angle, pulling every string she could to force this arrangement into reality.

She couldn't afford to let any more variables enter the equation.

That evening, Beatrice picked up the phone and called Lillian, inviting her over for a weekend dinner.

Lillian's first instinct was to decline. But thinking of the past affection between Beatrice and her own grandmother, she softened the rejection with a counteroffer.

She was giving them face and honoring their personal relationship by hosting the dinner.

But business was business. Lillionix's future was on the line, and she had to remain strictly professional.

She figured Beatrice, having run the Winthrop empire herself in the past, would respect that boundary.

The older woman had to understand how this worked.

Even if their new factory had immense potential, they still had to prove their capability before securing a contract.