From Broken to Beloved-Chapter 99- really fresh

He was in an excellent mood, though physically exhausted.

With absolutely no desire to cook for himself, he called Lilian and asked whether they’d be home that evening. If they were, he wanted to come over and mooch a meal. Lilian happily told him to come.

Originally, Lilian and Morrison were supposed to go back to the Mo family home for dinner on Saturday night. But since Karl had gone off to propose, they postponed the gathering to Sunday instead—making it a celebration of Karl’s successful proposal as well.

Between Morrison and Lilian, the one who actually cooked was Morrison. After finishing his call with Bert, Lilian went straight into the kitchen and instructed Morrison, who was already cooking,

"Make a few extra dishes. My brother’s coming over for dinner."

Morrison protested unhappily.

"So just because he’s coming to eat, I have to cook more dishes? If he’s here to freeload, then he can just eat whatever I make."

Lilian couldn’t be bothered with his sharp-tongued attitude. He clearly knew he had no chance of winning against her—so why couldn’t he just get along properly with Bert for once?

"I want to see six dishes on the table later," she said flatly, then turned and walked out.

By now, Lilian had fully figured out Morrison’s temperament. Whenever something involved Bert, issuing a direct order was the most effective approach. Otherwise, Morrison would complain endlessly and refuse to cooperate.

Left alone in the kitchen, Morrison cooked in a huff. What kind of situation was this? His brother-in-law was coming over to freeload, and he still had to prepare a proper feast?

When Bert arrived, Morrison had just finished cooking. Six dishes sat neatly on the table.

Bert smiled at him.

"Wow, this is quite a spread."

"There’s really no need to be so hospitable," Bert added deliberately. "We’re family. A simple meal would’ve been fine."

Of course, Bert knew full well that Morrison would never be this enthusiastic on his own—this was obviously Lilian’s doing. Still, he said it on purpose, just to irritate Morrison.

Morrison snorted coldly.

"Don’t flatter yourself. I made this for Lilian."

Normally, whenever Morrison and Bert traded barbs, Bert would respond sharply and never let Morrison gain the upper hand. But today, to Morrison’s surprise, Bert didn’t snap back at all.

That only made Morrison more uneasy.

He glanced at Bert again, then sneered inwardly. Looks like things went well with Catherine today. The smile on Bert’s face was impossible to hide. No wonder he wasn’t in the mood to argue—his mood was simply too good.

The three of them sat down to eat. During the meal, Lilian couldn’t help asking Bert,

"Bert, did Catherine agree yet? You really need to hurry up. Don’t let it end with you being the oldest, but having the youngest child."

Morrison immediately chimed in,

"Even if he sleeps with Catherine right now and she gets pregnant, it’s already too late, okay? His kid is destined to be the youngest. That’s why—marriage should be early, and so should having kids."

Lilian thought about the fact that she was already over four months pregnant.

"That’s true..."

They said pregnancy made you dumb for three years—how had she failed to calculate something so simple? Even if Bert and Catherine got together now, their child would inevitably be younger than hers and Morrison’s.

So in the end, Bert would still be the oldest among the three siblings—yet have the youngest child.

Bert glanced at Morrison’s smug expression, as though having a younger child meant Bert would have to start calling Morrison big brother.

Originally, since he was in a good mood, Bert hadn’t planned on stooping to Morrison’s level. He’d even been willing to let Morrison win one for a change. But Morrison insisted on courting disaster—what choice did he have?

Raising an eyebrow, Bert said calmly,

"A child’s age determines their generation, not ours. No matter how old your kid is, it doesn’t change the fact that you still have to call me brother."

Morrison’s expression immediately darkened.

Bert continued leisurely,

"Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you call me that. Why don’t you try saying it now?"

Morrison: "..."

Indeed, Bert had never once heard Morrison call him brother. He was two years older than both Dave and Morrison, so calling him that wouldn’t have been a loss at all. But Morrison didn’t get along with him, and doing so willingly was out of the question—so he never had.

Of course, Bert didn’t actually need that kind of formal respect. They were close enough in age that interacting as friends was far more comfortable. But bringing it up now was simply his way of tormenting Morrison. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

After all, Morrison had been mocking him for marrying late and having children late—how could Bert not return the favor?

Finding love so late in life wasn’t his fault. It was simply fate—destined that he would only meet the woman he truly loved at thirty-six. What was he supposed to do about that?

There was no way Morrison was going to call him brother. After freezing up for a moment, he reached out and picked up a large piece of fish, placing it onto their mother’s plate.

"Try this fish. It’s the one you sent over this morning—really fresh."

A blatant change of subject.

In short, he absolutely refused to say that one word. Seeing that he had already pushed Morrison far enough, Bert didn’t press the issue and let the topic drop.

Morrison really ought to know better—there was never anything good to be gained from sparring with him.

Bert felt that he had been far more restrained lately, far more lenient. Perhaps it was because he had someone he loved now; the sharp edges in him had softened considerably.

After being neatly outplayed, Morrison behaved himself for the rest of the meal. The three of them finished dinner without incident. Afterward, since Lilian and Morrison planned to go for a walk downstairs, Bert left with them.

Not long after returning to his apartment in the city, Bert received a call from Lilian.

She sounded delighted on the other end.

"Bert, Karl’s proposal was a success! He said Marylin really loves the dress and the ring. They’re planning to treat you and Catherine properly when they get back."

"As long as the bride likes it," Bert replied lightly, pouring himself a glass of water and taking a sip.

For a designer, there was no compliment more gratifying than hearing that a client truly loved and was satisfied with their work.

"She really loves it," Lilian emphasized. "Karl said Marylin especially adores the ring—she thinks it’s absolutely perfect, that it suits their love perfectly."

Then Lilian added,

"Karl said he wants to lock you in first. When they get married, he wants the dress and the ring designed by you and Catherine again."

"Bert, that means you’ll have plenty more chances to spend time with Catherine."

Ever since learning about Bert and Catherine, Lilian had become even more anxious than Bert himself. Yet Bert showed not the slightest hint of urgency. Still, Lilian believed in him—at Bert’s age, there was almost nothing he couldn’t accomplish once he set his mind to it.

Whether in his career or in love.

He was long past the age of acting on impulse or youthful bravado. Everything he did now was carefully considered, thoroughly planned. He was not easily swayed by others, nor did he allow himself to fail lightly.

Bert could, of course, hear the urgency in Lilian’s voice. Still, he didn’t dwell on his relationship with Catherine. He simply agreed to Karl’s request.

"Of course. I can design the wedding ring and the dress for them."

Unhurried, gradual, deepening with time—this was the kind of love he preferred, and it was also the kind of pursuit that suited someone like Catherine.