Chapter 4 Before Sigmund could finish, Bonnie stopped him by stepping on his foot. “She’s what?” Ivor asked, puzzled. Ged was curious too. Sigmund wanted to tell them who Bonnie really was, but she glared at him and wouldn’t let him. The old man cleared his throat. “She’s… the girl I want you to marry! Besides, how could you say she’s not good enough for you? You’re 27. You should be grateful that she doesn’t care how much older you are. And you should apologize to her for being so rude.” Ivor pursed his lips, got up, and looked at Bonnie. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings, but I’m just telling the truth.” Bonnie swallowed a piece of orange and said casually, “You don’t have to apologize. I was going to say the same thing to you. You’re good, but you’re not good enough.” Silence fell in the living room. Ivor’s impassive eyes betrayed a hint of emotion as he looked at Bonnie appraisingly. Ged was surprised that she had the nerve to say such a thing. “What’s the matter with you two? Don’t you care for me at all?” Sigmund was exasperated. “Bonnie, don’t forget that you said you’d do anything I asked after I saved you and your family.” Bonnie frowned. “And you, Ivor. When you were still a student, your parents didn’t want you to waste your time on anything unproductive. If it weren’t for my support, would you have been able to play chess and join those competitions? “You said that as long as I helped persuade your parents to let you play chess, you’d do what I said in the future. Why are you going back on your word?” Ivor was stumped. All of a sudden, the living room became quiet again. A moment later, Sigmund spoke. “I know I can’t force love, so how about this? You get engaged and we’ll see how things go.” Bonnie thought about it and said, “Okay, but I want to set a time limit.” “All right, 10 years then. If you think you’re not right for each other after that, I’ll call it off,” Chapter 4 Sigmund said. Bonnie shot him a look of disbelief. “You might as well have said 50 years.” 2/3 Sigmund slapped his thigh excitedly. “50 years it is!” Bonnie was at a loss for words. She knew he was doing this on purpose. “One month. After one month, I’ll have nothing to do with him,” Bonnie said coldly. “One month? That’s too short, isn’t it? Talk to her, Ivor,” Sigmund said anxiously. Ivor said impassively, “Okay, one month it is.” “Deal!” “Great, it’s a deal then.” Bonnie and Ivor had finally agreed on something. Exasperated, Sigmund let out a long sigh. “Since you’ve made up your mind, I’ll pick a date for your engagement. “Okay.” Bonnie checked the time and got up. “It’s late. I should get going.” 1 “Why don’t you stay for dinner?” Sigmund tried to persuade her to stay. “I haven’t been home in days. My parents will be worried.” Sigmund acquiesced after he heard her say that. As he watched Bonnie leave, Ged said, “She hasn’t gone home in days? Isn’t she a student? She doesn’t seem to be sick. Why would she take so many days off? “She must have skipped class, huh? Sigmund, what were you thinking? How could you choose a girl like that to be Ivor’s wife?” “You don’t know anything about her, okay?” Sigmund was exasperated. Ged decided to drop the subject for now. “Oh, I almost forgot!” Ged looked toward Ivor. “I’ve managed to get in touch with the Shepherd!” “For real?” Ivor grew excited. Even his eyes lit up. Ged tsked. “You only come alive when we talk about chess, don’t you?” “Cut the crap! When did you contact the Shepherd? Did he agree to play a game with me?” That was all Ivor cared about. Chapter 4 3/3 “I only managed to get in touch with his friend. He said the Shepherd’s been busy lately, so he’ll tell him when he’s free.” “Great, I’ll wait then.” Ivor squeezed his fists to contain his excitement. The butler rushed into the Shepard villa. “Ma’am! Ms. Bonnie is back!” “What? How is she back?” Vera and her husband, Gresham Shepard, were in the middle of dinner. They exchanged a look. At that moment, Bonnie entered the house in her sneakers. Vera put down her fork and quickly walked up to her. “Didn’t you get taken away by the police? Did you manage to…. escape?” Vera was troubled, and Gresham gave his daughter a stern look. “I might not be your dad, but I suggest you surrender. If you don’t, I’ll have to call the cops for your own good.” Bonnie frowned and said placidly, “I didn’t break the law or escape from anywhere, all right?” Gresham’s face stiffened. “You really won’t turn yourself in?” Bonnie didn’t bother to explain. Gresham took out his phone and called the police station. “Hello, I’d like to make a police report. “My daughter was arrested two days ago, but she escaped and returned home. I told her to give herself up, but she refused. Please come arrest her now!” 1