Surprise Marriage to a Billionaire
Chapter 47: Fine

Chapter 47: Fine

Rain forced a smile, trying to keep things light. "I hope I’m not too much of a burden, Mr. Lancaster. If you are busy please carry on, I will go and meet the staff by myself."

Alexander looked into her eyes and smirked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Oh no, it’s not a burden at all. I’ve got plenty of time to spare... especially for you."

Rain couldn’t help but gulp, knowing what his words implied, she was sure this ’tour’ was going to be far more than just a stroll through the vineyards. She was getting trapped!

"Seriously, you both are a married couple. Rain, why are you calling my son ’Mr. Lancaster’? I understand that your marriage was unusually sudden and you both are still figuring things out, but..."

Mr. Rock moved in his chair and looked at them with a teasing glint in his eye and added, "Can’t you two at least try to make this old man happy? Behave like a good and loving couple in front of me. Call each other with some nicknames and be a little intimate, can’t you?"

Rain and Alexander were both baffled by his words and suddenly turned to Mr. Rock, their eyes wide and their lips parted in disbelief.

"What? Is that too much to ask?" Mr. Rock scoffed, clearly enjoying their discomfort.

"Dad, are you seriously doing this right now?" Alexander couldn’t help and questioned, his voice edged with exasperation.

"Yes, I am!" Mr. Rock replied without missing a beat.

Just then, their meals arrived, the plates clattering onto the table and effectively halting the conversation for the moment.

Rain exhaled in relief thinking that the topic would definitely shift now. As they began eating, Rain diverted her concentration on her plate, trying to savor each dish of the delicious spread of food in front of her.

"So, Rain," Mr. Rock began, his tone mischievous as he broke the silence. "How’s married life treating you? I hope this son of mine is not making things too difficult for you."

Rain nearly choked on her bread, her eyes darting to Alexander, who remained stoic. "Uh, married life? It’s, um, fine," she stammered, unsure how to navigate through this minefield of a conversation.

"Fine?" Mr. Rock echoed, raising an eyebrow. "Just fine? You know, back in my days, if a woman said her marriage was ’fine,’ it meant she was about ready to toss her husband out the window."

Alexander finally looked up, his eyes locked onto his father’s. "We’re managing just fine, Dad," he said, his voice steady but with a hint of warning.

"Managing? Ah, such a romantic term for marriage," Mr. Rock teased, leaning back in his chair with a grin he added, "The two of you sound like you’re both running a business instead of a household."

Rain couldn’t help but laugh at that, though she quickly tried to stifle it with a sip of wine. "Well, I suppose we’re still figuring things out," she admitted, glancing at Alexander. "It’s been... interesting."

"Interesting, eh?" Mr. Rock chuckled, clearly enjoying himself. "You hear that, Xander? Your wife finds you interesting. That’s a good sign! Better than boring, at least."

Alexander finally cracked a small smile, though it was more because he was amused than being genuinely happy. "I’ll prefer being interesting over boring any day," he said, his gaze flickering to Rain. "But it’s not every day you get to hear your wife discuss your marriage like a science experiment."

"Oh, please," Rain rolled her eyes playfully, finally starting to relax. "You should consider yourself lucky. Some marriages have much worse labels than ’interesting.’"

Mr. Rock burst out laughing, clearly delighted by the banter. "I like her, son. She’s got spunk. She definitely keeps you on your toes, I bet."

Alexander’s smile grew slightly, and he shook his head, taking another bite of his meal. "You have no idea how bad it is, Dad. She’s a handful."

As the lunch continued, Mr. Rock kept the mood light and conversation flowing on the table, regaling them with humorous stories from his own younger days. He teased Alexander mercilessly, much to Rain’s amusement, and even managed to coax a few more smiles out of his emotionally deficient son.

"Did I tell you about the time I tried to impress your mother with a surprise trip?" Mr. Rock asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Oh no," Alexander groaned, clearly knowing where this was going. "Not the trip to Ataly."

"Ah yes! It’s a classic story!" Mr. Rock insisted, turning to Rain. "So there we were, on our way to Ataly. I’d planned everything—flights, hotels, scheduled all my work. But I forgot one crucial detail: your mother’s fear of flying!"

Rain gasped, covering her mouth in mock horror. "No! Then what happened?"

"Oh, she almost murdered me when she realised I was not joking and actually taking her on a long flight journey, grabbing my neck right there on the plane," Mr. Rock said with a grin. "The scene even had the flight attendants ready to call security. But then, I managed to bribe her with a promise of unlimited shopping in Rulan. It cost me a fortune, but it was worth it. She never let me live it down, though."

Rain laughed, the tension from earlier all but forgotten as she listened to Mr. Rock’s antics. Even Alexander seemed to have relaxed, his earlier stiffness replaced with a more easygoing demeanour.

By the time they finished their meal, Rain felt more comfortable with both of them, her earlier anxiety having melted away in the warmth of Mr. Rock’s humour and Alexander’s subtle yet reassuring presence.

As they began their walk, Mr. Rock stayed behind, leaving them some time alone. Alexander remained silent for the first few minutes, leading her down a path lined with grapevines. The silence was thick with unspoken words, and Rain’s anxiety grew with each step.

Finally, Alexander stopped, turning to face her. "So, Rain," he began, his tone deceptively casual, "care to tell me why you ran off this morning? Or why have you been so keen on avoiding me?"

Rain chuckled nervously, trying to deflect. "I wasn’t avoiding you... I just had other things on my mind."

"Like what?" he pressed, his gaze unwavering.

Rain bit her lip, looking away. "Just... work, and some other personal matters."

Alexander took a step closer, his presence overwhelming. "Work? Or does this have something to do with your little secret life as Twilight?"

Rain’s heart raced. She had hoped to avoid this topic, but it seemed there was no escaping it. "Alexander, I told you, I’m not—"

He cut her off, his voice low and firm. "Don’t lie to me, Rain. I’ve seen enough to know when you’re hiding something."

Rain’s mind raced, searching for a way out. But before she could respond, they were interrupted by the sudden appearance of Mario, who was huffing and puffing as he jogged up to them.

"Sir! Mr. Lancaster!" Mario called out, clearly out of breath.

"What is it, Mario?" Alexander asked, his tone barely concealing his irritation.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.