They're sitting at the dinner table right now. Thomas, the grandfather, is seated at the head of the table. She describes their encounter at the store yesterday without mentioning the fact that she did recognize Erick.
"How could you not recognize each other when my granddaughter was constantly in the news?"
On the contrary, to Erick, it may sound faulty, but he was indeed not planning to know about Thea, in short, he did not care at all. His only thought was to carry out his father's final request and follow the counsel of his lawyer. He has heard many rumors about her, so it was unnecessary to investigate his fiancée. Yet he doesn't believe most of them because he wants to assess each individual personally.
He shifted his gaze to Thea and said softly to Grandfather Thomas, "It was unfortunate that I didn't know my fiancée's face. It was a mistake on my part, but I do not regret meeting her at the store.
"I was also startled by the attractive man that provided me with the ingredients I wanted and helped me in the parking lot was my fiancée. Back then I should have given you my name," she pretended to chuckle, to tease him as she stared at him with a mischievous smile and continued eating.
Erick responds with a sheepish grin, wiping the back of his head as he recalls that he did ask her name but that she refused to give it to him since she had a fiancée; now he feels ashamed simply recalling it.
The absurd part was that she was referring to me, her fiancée, when she said, "To think I was jealous of the man she said to her fiancée."
'You're so naïve, Erick!
He reprimanded himself.
He fixed his gaze on Thea as if she were cake frosting. He had previously encountered many stunning women who had pursued and clung to him, but Thea was unique from them. She has the most beautiful face, physique, and sassy acts, which only contribute to the mystery of her intriguing personality that caught his attention. He cannot deny this.
Are the rumors about her accurate? Erick learned that the La Roche family's eldest daughter didn't like him since he was a commoner. She even announced to the privileged world and events how much she dislikes him and his family which drew the attention of his colleagues and him.
The complete contrary to everything he had heard about her, however, was demonstrated by her behaviors today, including the way in which she welcomed him with warmth. But he immediately shrugged his thoughts off, as he gazed at Thea.
Thea noticed Erick giving her a hard look, and she couldn't help but feel excited within. Her attempt to make a good first impression on them was successful. It was a clear confirmation of how he had been viewing her. Unaware that Erick was beginning to analyze every move she made.
"Erick, you'll fall for me!"
In her previous lives, nothing that happened today or yesterday ever happened. She was unfamiliar with their interaction at the store and their chat in the dining area.
'Is it the butterfly effect? Nevertheless, Thea can't change anything, so she decided to just go with the flow and focus on the goal of a happy marriage and happy life, with the top priority to seduce her future husband and make him fall in love with her. She cannot afford to waste any time thinking of useless things.
"NEVER, in this lifetime, will I fail!"
'
Grandfather Thomas simply stared at them, never cracking a smile. "I am glad that both of you agreed to the engagement and get along well," he said after pausing and turning to face Erick.
He said sternly, "Even though this is an arranged marriage, I still hope that you two will treat each other with respect so that your relationship would continue long.
The old man's words made Erick flinch, and he then scowled as he thought back to their previous chat in the old man's study. A twinge of remorse began to crawl into his chest as he turned to gaze at Thea, who was beaming brightly at them. He diverts his attention to the old man.
Grandfather La Roche only shook his head and sighed when he saw Erick's solemn expression. Giving him a look that meant.
'do not say anything to her about it'.
Erick gazed at the old man and sighed "As I stated before, I will always respect my fiancée regardless of what the rules of the arrangement are," he replied sincerely and took a sip of water. Grandfather La Roche gave him a simple nod.
Thea is aware of their awkwardness but decides to ignore it. Given how spoiled she was, she assumed it was normal for her grandfather to be extremely wary of the engagement. She fakes a cough to catch their attention and motions for the maid to put additional food on the table to lessen the uneasiness in the dining area.
She excitedly stated, "I prepared some other dishes for you to taste," while pointing to the additional food on the table. "We should continue to eat, otherwise the food might get cold," she said.
To showcase the dish she made just for Erick, she hasn't brought out all the food yet because she didn't want to waste all that effort for nothing.
Since I already exerted effort, shouldn't my meal make a great entrance?
She laughed silently to herself at her trivial sentiments.