Chapter 292

Natalie took a sip of tea. Her movements were graceful and composed, but there was a subtle sharpness in her eyes. “You’ve gotta stay confident. Viola doesn’t like me, not you. Besides, Sophie is the eldest granddaughter of the Ellis family, and Grandma values her. She’s been wanting to match her with someone from the Archer family. Julian’s grandma is totally on board with that too. Viola? She only dares to act tough in front of us—when it comes to Grandma, no way she’d push back.” “Mm,” Clara nodded, feeling noticeably more at ease after hearing that. And it made sense. In families like theirs, dating around before marriage was whatever, but when it came to actual engagements... everything boiled down to matching status first, love second. Plenty of couples in arranged marriages had zero chemistry for life, but that didn’t matter much if it meant keeping the family legacy going strong. This time, her mother-in-law had intentionally arranged this visit to the temple, all to “accidenta