Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3553

Warren was a decent catch, but he paled in comparison to Carson. Phoebe couldn't stand the thought of losing out to Marina.

Aunt Charlotte pressed on, "He's sent so many gifts by now. He hasn't confessed his feelings yet?"

Rhiannon added, "Even if he hasn't explicitly said it, his intentions are plain as day. You should start considering him seriously, Phoebe."

A faint, embarrassed flush spread across Phoebe's pale cheeks. "Carson is right here. Can we please drop this? You're going to make him laugh at me."

Carson casually peeled an orange and handed a piece to Marina, flashing a cool smile. "I hardly count as an outsider, do I?"

He turned his gentle, teasing gaze toward Marina. "Do I?"

Marina shoved another orange slice into his hand. "Just focus on eating."

Carson shot her a playful glance, lowering his eyes with a soft chuckle. The unspoken flirtation passing between them made the jealousy in Phoebe's heart grow like wild, invasive vines.

As the family continued to tease Phoebe, her phone suddenly rang. It was Warren.

Phoebe answered the call. "Is something wrong? It's quite late."

Warren chuckled. "I just left a friend's house and happened to be passing by your neighborhood. I brought Grandpa Evert two bottles of rare vintage wine you can't just buy at the store."

Phoebe raised her voice slightly. "You should give such fine wine to your own grandfather. My grandpa has plenty of good wine in his cellar."

Aunt Charlotte immediately turned to Grandma Evert with a delighted look. "You can just tell it's Warren!"

Grandma Evert nodded, secretly thrilled. "He always keeps Phoebe in his thoughts, and she still claims he doesn't like her?"

On the other end of the line, Warren insisted, "Don't worry about it. I'm almost at your gate. If you're already in bed, I'll just hand them over to your staff."

It genuinely was an exquisite vintage. Grandpa Evert nodded in approval. "You really shouldn't have gone to such expense."

"It's the least I could do," Warren replied smoothly. He had a refined, handsome face and maintained an easy, approachable smile. He made sure to add, "My cousin Andrew is friends with Mr. Foster, and I consider myself an acquaintance of his as well. So, it's only right that I pay my respects to you."

Phoebe's smile stiffened slightly at those words. Something felt off.

Grandma Evert looked at him with sheer maternal affection. "Phoebe tells me you two help each other out a lot at work. You're always sending gifts to the house, and our whole family is very grateful to you."

Warren responded to Grandma Evert, but his eyes were locked on Carson. "Please, don't mention it. It's my pleasure."

After half a cup of tea, Warren smoothly steered the conversation to his real agenda. "Mr. Foster, my cousin Andrew and I are looking to partner up on a new development project, but the land we need belongs to you. After that recent incident, my cousin has been too ashamed to reach out to you directly. He kept asking me to call you, but I didn't want to intrude. Running into you today feels like fate. I was wondering if you might be willing to negotiate a price and transfer that parcel of land to us?"

A cold chill washed over Phoebe's heart, and Aunt Charlotte's expression instantly faltered.