Married At First Sight Chapter 4499
“Sister-in-law, why are you looking at me like that?”
River felt uneasy under her gaze.
Luckily, his older brother wasn’t around—otherwise, he’d definitely be getting an earful.
“I can’t remember Romina’s number. Do you have it? Give it to me. I’ll call her and see if she’s free to come out and enjoy the night view of Eaglioncile with me.”
As a tourist city, Eaglioncile was lively even late at night. Even in the middle of the night, tourists still filled the streets.
River said, “Of course I remember her number. Even if I lost my memory, I’d still remember it.”
She was his greatest rival—he knew her likes, her weaknesses, her number… even her measurements.
Of course, River wouldn’t say any of that out loud. He didn’t want his sister-in-law to get the wrong idea and think he had feelings for Romina.
He didn’t. That woman… okay, she wasn’t bad. If they could forget their constant business feuds, they’d actually make a decent match.
River quickly dialed Romina’s number. She took a while to answer.
Before he could say anything, Romina launched into him: “River, are you done yet? I didn’t know you were this shameless. You blame everything on me! I’m warning you, if you call me again asking for a meal or compensation, I’ll tell Sister Seren. The eldest sister-in-law is like a mother, and I bet she can rein you in.”
River had always respected his eldest sister-in-law.
If Sister Seren said something to him, he’d definitely listen.
Romina was counting on that.
River said helplessly, “Romina, I haven’t even said a word yet. Can you at least let me talk before jumping to conclusions? If I’m shameless, you’re not much better. Don’t laugh at your second brother—we’re basically the same kind of people.”
“Okay, fine. Let’s hear what excuse you’re calling me with this time.” Romina sounded skeptical.
Instead of answering, River handed the phone to Serenity.
Serenity smiled as she took the phone. “Miss Lafond, it’s me—Serenity.”
“Sister Seren?”
Romina’s tone immediately softened. “You’re the one calling me? Did you ask River to call?”
“Yes,” Serenity said. “I want to take the kids out to enjoy the night view, but River doesn’t know which spots are best. You mentioned before that you could help arrange a local guide, so… I hope it’s not too much trouble.”
“Oh, not at all! I’ll arrange a local guide for you tomorrow and make sure you get the full experience of Eaglioncile. But tonight, I’ll take you around myself.”
Romina added, “River’s lived here for years and even owns property, but honestly, he still doesn’t know the place. He needs GPS to go anywhere. Without it, he probably couldn’t even find his way from work to home.”
River could hear everything Romina was saying. He wanted to talk back, but decided to hold it in to avoid another argument.
Fine, she wasn’t wrong.
He did rely on GPS. Without it, getting to and from his house and the company was a struggle.
He wasn’t great with directions.
When walking, he could remember a route after a while. But since he always drove, he never paid attention to the surroundings, so without navigation, he was completely lost.
Married At First Sight Chapter 4500
River had never told anyone about his poor sense of direction. Even his family didn’t know.
But hey, these days, almost everyone used navigation. It wasn’t a big deal.
“Miss Lafond, are you sure this won’t take up your time?” Serenity asked.
“Not at all. I haven’t been out in a while anyway. Sister Seren, I’ll meet you at Eaglioncile Hotel.”
Eaglioncile Hotel was a famous landmark, and since they had originally met there, Romina suggested it again.
Serenity said, “Okay then, I’ll take you up on it.”
Romina replied warmly, “Sister Seren, I felt such a connection with you the moment we met. Like we’ve known each other for years. No need to be so formal with me.”
Serenity smiled. “I felt the same. See you soon.”
Women who clicked like that on a first meeting usually ended up becoming her sisters-in-law. Serenity figured maybe this was fate bringing them together.
All her sisters-in-law had strong family backgrounds and were great matches for the York family. She was the only one who married up—but they all still respected her as the eldest sister-in-law.
Now that she had gradually taken over the responsibilities of the family matriarch from her mother-in-law, her sisters-in-law respected her even more and worked well with her.
They were all working toward the same goal: maintaining the York family’s traditions and creating a stable, warm home for the next generation.
After ending the call, Serenity turned to River. “Romina said to meet her at Eaglioncile Hotel. River, when you see her, don’t argue again. Be the bigger person.”
River muttered, “As long as she doesn’t pick a fight, I won’t either.”
Serenity raised an eyebrow. “She’s nice to everyone. The moment we met, she called me Sister Seren and treated me like family. But when it comes to you? Totally different story.”
She continued, “And don’t act like you’re any better. You’re usually so polite and calm—more so than your older brother, even. But around Romina, you’re a completely different person.”
“You two only show your worst sides to each other. River, if you tried being gentle with her, she’d probably freak out, thinking you’re plotting something.”
River was speechless.
Should he try a new strategy?
Maybe his sister-in-law was right. If he suddenly became nice to Romina, she’d definitely think he was up to something big.
That evening, River took Serenity, her nephews, and the kids out for dinner.
After dinner, they waited in the hotel lobby for about half an hour.
Around 8 p.m., Romina showed up.
The moment she saw River, she frowned.
Before she could say anything, River smiled gently and greeted her, “Romina, good evening.”
Romina took a step forward—then immediately paused.
She took a few steps back instead, eyeing him suspiciously.
Did she hear that right?
Was she hallucinating?
Or had this guy been possessed?
He actually greeted her… and in such a soft, warm tone?
She was seriously creeped out.
Married At First Sight Chapter 4501
“Romina, what’s going on with you? Why do you look so scared?” River asked softly, noticing her reaction.
Romina was indeed with Serenity. And with just a few casual words, River managed to scare his long-time nemesis. He had known Romina for years, but this was the first time he’d ever seen fear on her face.
The way she looked at him—it was like she’d seen a ghost.
He couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. This is so satisfying.
Romina asked cautiously, “…Are you River?”
“I am. You don’t recognize me anymore, Romina? That really hurts. I still remember you. Even if you turned to ashes, I’d recognize you.”
River’s voice was so soft it felt like it could melt, and his gaze was equally gentle.
Romina got goosebumps hearing him speak like that.
Serenity, watching silently, thought to herself, Wow, he really picked it up fast.
“Auntie!”
Belle called out sweetly, and Maverick greeted Romina too.
Serenity turned to her brother-in-law and said to Romina, “Don’t mind him. Let’s go shopping.”
Romina kept looking at River with suspicion.
She pulled Serenity aside and whispered, “Seren, what’s going on with River? Why is he suddenly being so nice to me? He used to yell every time he saw me. He was never like this. I thought he was just naturally bad-tempered. Or… did you scold him, and now he’s pretending in front of you by being nice to me?”
Serenity replied, “I didn’t scold him. I just told him he should be nicer to women. If he keeps being rude, no girl will want him. He’s 31 and still single. Everyone’s worried about his love life. We even wanted to set him up, but he lives in Eaglioncile, so far from home, and that makes it tough.
So now, he’s still a single guy at 31. Honestly, part of why I came on this trip was to keep an eye out for any decent girls around him. I wanted to help him out and maybe even push things along a little.”
Romina hesitated. “Seriously? He’s not just playing some sneaky trick on me?”
“If he were, don’t you think you’d have seen it before? He’s been butting heads with you for years. But has he ever acted this nice to you when he was scheming?”
Romina shook her head.
“Exactly. He’s not plotting anything. He’s just trying to be nice now because I told him to. That’s all.”
Romina let out a breath, but still said, “I’m just not used to River being like this. Seren, can you tell him that he can save the niceness for other girls? I’m his enemy—it’s weird when he’s nice to me. I’d rather argue with him like always.”
Serenity laughed. “Come on, don’t you think this side of him is refreshing? You’ve been fighting him for so long—you should get to know every side of him. Whether he’s nice or nasty, if you can handle it all, then his sweet talk won’t catch you off guard.”
Romina thought about it and figured she had a point.
She turned to look at River.
He stood a short distance away, holding a child in one arm, making no move to follow or eavesdrop on their conversation.
When their eyes met, River smiled gently at her.
Romina shivered and quickly looked away, then whispered to Serenity, “You say that, but this still feels like a trap. You’re his sister-in-law—you’re obviously going to help him set me up.”
Married At First Sight Chapter 4502
“Romina, you’re overthinking it. I stand by what’s right, not just by family. I’d never help River trap you. I just told him to be nicer to girls. Even if you two don’t get along, you’re still a girl. He probably just started with you. Either way, you’ll get used to it eventually. Let’s go. The more you’re afraid of him being nice, the more he’ll use that against you.”
Serenity took Romina’s hand and started walking. After a few steps, she turned back and said, “River, bring the kids along.”
She hadn’t brought a nanny, so she had River take care of the baby. It was also a chance for Romina to see how good he was with kids—it might even earn him a few extra points.
River picked up Belle and reached for Maverick’s hand, but Maverick didn’t need any help.
“Uncle River,” Maverick asked quietly, “why is my mom being so nice to Aunt Romina? Aunt Romina hit you before, and you said she’s your enemy. Since you’re family, that means she should be our enemy too. So why is Mom being nice to her?”
River glanced at the two women walking ahead, then said calmly, “Kiddo, this is the mysterious heart of a woman—like trying to find a needle in the ocean. Even I don’t know what your mom’s thinking. Just follow along and try not to upset them, okay?”
Maverick nodded. “I know. Dad always says not to upset Mom. If Mom gets mad, we’re all in trouble. Dad’s clearly stronger than Mom, but he’s still scared of her. Whenever she looks serious, Dad gets nervous.”
River chuckled. “Your dad isn’t scared—he just spoils her. One day, when you grow up and fall in love, you’ll understand. That’s your dad’s way of showing love. It’s a good thing. You should learn from him.”
Maverick thought of his other uncles, who were all the same way with Aunt Serenity. Even Grandpa and the older uncles—whenever Grandma was upset, they all panicked.
He suddenly had a realization. “Uncle River, is this like a family tradition for the men in the York family?”
River laughed. “Yep, you got it. It’s our proud tradition.”
Maverick grinned. “I get it now. I’ll definitely carry on the York family tradition when I grow up.”
River praised him, “You’re a smart one, buddy. Good job figuring that out.”
Then Maverick asked, “Uncle River, when are you going to find us a Seventh Aunt? Grandma says you, Uncle Alex, and Uncle Rowan still aren’t married. She keeps telling me to ask you when I see you.”
River sighed internally. Why is Grandma nagging the kid about this? He’s still so young. Don’t let the little guy make fun of me later.
He replied, “Uncle River hasn’t saved up enough for a wife yet, so I can’t marry and give you a Seventh Aunt just yet. But once I’ve earned enough, I promise I’ll find you one.”
Maverick blinked. “What do you mean by ‘wife money’? Do you mean actual money? How much do you need? My sister and I have money—we can lend you some, Uncle River.”