Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3593

"We grabbed some barbecue skewers!" Marina said cheerfully.

Rhiannon rolled her eyes, looking thoroughly exasperated. "Let me guess. You picked the place."

Marina smiled, her eyes crinkling. "You know your daughter too well!"

"Other girls choose fancy steakhouses or high-end hotels for their dates," Rhiannon scolded. "A candlelit dinner is so romantic and sets the mood. But look at where you went! Aren't you worried Carson will think less of you?"

Marina lowered her gaze, completely unbothered. "This is who I am. Instead of pretending to be some elegant socialite, it's better he gets to know the real me now. That way, if we ever end up married, it'll be too late for him to regret it."

Rhiannon's face lit up with a sudden, thrilled surprise. "Have you two talked about marriage?"

Marina rubbed her nose, letting out a soft scoff. "No, I said *if*."

Rhiannon's excitement was instantly extinguished, bringing her back to the pressing issue at hand. "First thing tomorrow morning, you are going over to apologize to your Aunt Charlotte."

"Why?" Marina frowned. "Just over the art exhibition tickets? Don't let her feel so smug. It's turned into a public exhibition now. Tickets aren't that hard to get—she's just bluffing you guys to make herself look important."

"But did *you* get a ticket? I checked, and they've been sold out for ages," Rhiannon argued. "The ticketing process was incredibly strict this time. They required ID verification, making transferred tickets invalid. That means you couldn't even buy one from a scalper if you threw thousands of dollars at them!" Knowing how much Marina loved comics, Rhiannon desperately wanted her daughter to be able to enjoy the exhibition.

Marina patted her mother's shoulder. "Stop worrying. I promise I'm going. Now go get some sleep—overthinking and staying up late will just give you wrinkles!"

With that, she stood up and headed for the stairs.

"And who exactly do you think I'm stressing out for?" Rhiannon called after her, frustrated.

Marina paused and looked back. "When Grandpa Wallace used to plan and scheme for your future, did *you* ever listen to him?"

Rhiannon was instantly rendered speechless.

Grandma Evert pulled Rhiannon aside and murmured, "Marina could just make a quick phone call to Charlotte. Tell her to stop being so pigheaded. It's not that I don't favor Marina, but Charlotte is her elder. She needs to give her a way to save face."

Rhiannon frowned. "I've tried talking to her. You know how she is."

"Ugh!" Grandma Evert sighed heavily. "I don't know who she gets that rebellious temper from."

*Who did she get it from?*

*Her grandfather, obviously!*

Rhiannon knew exactly what her mother-in-law was implying, but she kept her gaze lowered and stayed silent.

As they all climbed into the car, Rhiannon grew more regretful by the second. She felt she should have had more backbone and refused to come along. She shouldn't have put herself in a position to owe Charlotte any favors. But now that she was already sitting in the vehicle, backing out would only make her look petty.