"That's a peach tree." Avery noticed that Ivy was drawn to it and went into the store with Ivy."Mom, peach flowers don't bloom during this time of the year, right?" Ivy asked. "Is this fake? It looks real, though.""These are real peach blossoms," the owner explained. "You can take a closer look if you don't believe me. It smells great as well! We take care of it in a specific way so that it blooms in January, so it costs a little more."Avery did not ask about the price and simply inspected the tree. "I think it's real." She turned to look at Ivy. "If you like it, we will buy it."Ivy loved it but noticed that there was only one peach tree in the store and leaned over to whisper into Avery's ear, "I think Layla is going to love this."Avery turned to look at the tree once again and realized that Ivy was right."Mom, don't speak. Let me try to bargain with them," Ivy whispered and proceeded to ask the owner about the price.The owner noticed that both Ivy and Avery were dressed
"The owner's wife and kids were in the shop with him, weren't they?" Ivy still thought that the tree was too expensive. "If I didn’t think that Layla would like it, I wouldn't even pay seven hundred and seventy-seven for it.""Haha, your sister will be touched if she knows that you spent so much for her." Avery could tell how much Ivy cared about Layla."I wonder how the talk between Layla and Dad is going." Ivy was slightly worried. "He won't get mad at her, will he?"Avery shook her head. "I don't think so. Your dad is a good father. Even if he finds fault with his children's actions, he would never get angry.""I'm just worried that Dad might not give Layla her passport," Ivy said worriedly. "Layla has already moved in with Eric, so I don't see a point in stopping them from getting married.""You might think that, but your dad thinks differently. Your sister is far too reckless. Just because she is suddenly in the mood to get married, she insists on doing it today and didn't ev
Eric's house was not far from Elliot's mansion, so Layla could go home whenever she wanted.Elliot could not help but feel impressed by his wife and daughter when he saw how much they had brought in that small amount of time.They had bought more in past years, and many flowers and plants were delivered to Eric's house.Apart from plants, there were all sorts of light decorations and lanterns, along with colorful balloons and pumps.Elliot glanced at the things they bought and said, "Where are you going to hang the balloons?""In the living room, of course! We will style them to form the words 'Happy New Year' on the wall. Just imagine how festive that would look!" Avery said.Elliot nodded. "Indeed. Do you need my help pumping the balloons?""Sure! You can help with that and hang the lights on the plants," Avery said."Sure. You must be exhausted, right? You two should get some rest." Elliot picked up one of the pumps and started pumping balloons."I'm fine. Shopping with Ivy
Layla had posted a total of nine photos on her social media, consisting of her marriage certificate, her ring, a picture of herself standing under the peach blossoms, and photos she had taken with Eric in the past and present.Anyone would be excited and cheer with the couple as they went through the photos."Your sister has no fear of having these photos circulate the internet!" Avery hurried over and saw the post."Eric has retired, so it should be fine for others to find out about this, right?" Ivy beamed.She tried to put herself in Layla's shoes and knew that it would be upsetting to be with the man she loved without being able to announce their union to the world."It won't affect Eric, but it might affect Layla. Don't underestimate Eric's influence. If some of his fans stalk Layla, she will be in trouble," Avery said with a frown. "I will need to assign more bodyguards to Layla."Elliot nodded."Alright. Let's eat!" Avery was starving and turned to look at Robert. "How's
Elliot's assistant had called him and Tammy had called Avery. "Mr. Foster, Eric has announced his marriage to Ms. Layla on his personal social media account. A lot of our business partners are calling me to ask if it's true."Elliot's brow twitched.All he knew was that Layla had posted the photos on social media, and he had been unaware that Eric had done the same. "Let me check," Elliot said and minimized the call before opening his social media account to locate Eric's post.Eric had posted the exact same photos as Layla had, and the only difference was that Eric had attached a small message.[I'm married. I feel blessed because I've married a girl that I've loved for the longest time. Since my retirement, I've never wanted public attention, but I know that the press will report this even if I say nothing, so I decided to take the initiative and explain everything! My wife is not a part of the entertainment industry, but I'm sure that you have all heard of her before. I woul
"Yeah. So long as Layla is happy." Ivy felt that everyone had the right to do whatever made them happy, as long as they were not hurting others."Your sister is just so wilful. She didn't even tell us before doing this," Avery said."Maybe she just didn't think that it's that big a deal," Ivy explained. "Don’t worry, Mom. I don't think that going public with their marriage is going to affect their lives!"Avery picked up her phone and refreshed the page.The social media platform was back, and when Avery found Eric's post there were two hundred thousand comments. The most searched keywords on the internet had been 'Eric Santos' announcement', 'Eric Santos' is married', 'Eric Santos' wife', 'Tate Industries', 'Who is Layla Tate', and 'Under the Peach Blossoms'.Avery stared at the words 'Under the Peach Blossoms' and recalled that it was the name of a certain television drama that Eric had taken part in with Layla, where Layla played the child version of the heroine."Our family
"Hahaha! Dad, I'm just amused. I thought I have him all to myself after he retires, but there are still a lot of people who remember him," Layla said. "Dad, don't get upset! He just made the announcement as he thought that the press will talk about it, so it was best that he made the announcement first.""So long as you are happy," Elliot said sincerely.Since Layla was officially Eric's wife, Elliot decided that they should live their lives in whatever way pleased them."Dad, if you are really upset, I can get him to delete the post." Layla was worried as she could not see the look on Elliot's face through the phone."He has already posted it, so what's the point in deleting it now?" Elliot had been annoyed but had soon regained his composure. "Get him to hire a few more bodyguards, or I can send over a few from my house. Be safe whenever you go outside."Layla sighed a breath of relief. "Dad, I knew you wouldn't be upset. Don't worry about us. I will hire a few more bodyguards."
"If you don't want me to say things like that, you should stop doing the same." Layla grabbed his hand and stared into his eyes. "Live in the moment and don't overthink. So long as we are happy when we are alive, we shouldn't worry about what happens after our death."Eric occasionally thought that he was not as liberated in his thinking as Layla was. He would regularly worry about everything and lead a life filled with struggles. "I've thought things through, or I wouldn't have made the announcement on social media," he said calmly. "Marriage doesn’t have to last forever, anyway. We can always get a divorce if you grow tired of me."Layla did not feel consoled at all, and if Eric was still not recovering, she would have slapped him across the face for saying such a thing on their first day of marriage. "If you don't know the right thing to say, you should keep your mouth shut." She glared at him and lay down to use her phone. "After your public announcement, I've been receiving