168: Chapter 168 Selvie's ex-fiancé! Heartbroken Owen!

On the familiar city streets, Sylvie and her father walked through a few alleys and returned to their home, a small two-story building.

This was the old house where the Hague family had lived for decades.

Just as they entered, a slightly plump middle-aged woman screamed and rushed over, grabbing Toby Hague in a hug, crying and laughing at the same time:

"You! You're finally back! You scared me to death! I thought... I thought..."

As she spoke, she broke into sobs.

Beside her, a boy of about sixteen or seventeen also had red-rimmed eyes and called out, "Father, are you okay?"

Toby Hague patted his wife's back and stroked his son's head, saying:

"Alright, alright, it's fine now. Haven't I returned? What's with all the crying? This time, we owe it all to our Sylvie."

The family returned to the living room, their emotions slightly calmed.

Toby Hague couldn't wait to ask his daughter about the detailed process of how she obtained the warrant from The Count.

Sylvie sat on a chair, lowered her eyes, and recounted the events briefly and concisely.

She did not mention the last sentence from The Count, but vaguely glossed over it, saying that The Count had other matters to entrust to her.

But no one knows a daughter better than her father. Looking at his daughter's unnatural pause and slightly reddened ears, Toby understood seven or eight tenths of it.

Far from being angry, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and even felt a hint of secret joy.

Hadn't he gone through so much trouble back then, even risking offending colleagues he had arranged marriages with, to force his daughter to participate in that Beauty Pageant, just hoping for this very day?

With his daughter's appearance and talent, if she could catch the eye of The Count.

Then he wouldn't have to live in fear every day, worrying about when The Count might decide to settle old scores!

Now it seemed, this move had been absolutely correct!

He put a smile on his face, preparing to say a few comforting and encouraging words to his daughter, telling her to serve The Count well and not let down his high regard.

Just at that moment, a servant's voice came from outside the door:

"Master, Miss, there is a Mr. Owen Miller outside asking to see you, saying that... he wants to see the Miss."

The air in the living room seemed to freeze instantly.

Sylvie's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

Owen Miller... Her university classmate from her time studying in the provincial capital, and also her... former fiancé.

The Miller family was considered a prominent bureaucratic family in Gino City, and they were considered a good match for the Hague family.

The two families had arranged the engagement a year ago, waiting only for them to graduate before getting married.

However, with her signing up for the Beauty Pageant and being selected, this marriage arrangement naturally became void.

Now, he had actually chased after her from the provincial capital.

Toby's expression also changed slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

He glanced at his daughter's pale face and tightly bitten lower lip, and quickly made a decision.

He used to think the Miller family was a good match. But now...

He stood up immediately and said boldly: "Don't be afraid, daughter, leave this matter to your father to handle. You just sit there."

Soon, a young man with a scholarly air was led into the living room by a servant.

Seeing Sylvie sitting on the sofa, a flash of joy first crossed his eyes.

"Sylvie!" He stepped forward quickly and asked with concern, "I heard from the college teachers that you suddenly processed your withdrawal. Why?"

"Did something happen at home? Why didn't you tell me? I..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by Toby.

Toby stood up, blocking his daughter, and said in a flat tone: "Owen, my boy, long time no see."

"You've come all the way from the provincial capital, you must be tired."

"However, regarding the matter of dropping out, it is our family's private affair and not convenient to discuss with outsiders. If you have no other urgent business, you should go back first."

Owen Miller was stunned upon hearing this, clearly not expecting his future father-in-law, who had always been polite to him, to suddenly speak in such a distant tone.

He hurriedly said: "Uncle, Sylvie and I are already engaged. Her business is my business, how can you call me an outsider? I'm just worried about her..."

"There is no need to mention the engagement again in the future."

Toby Hague interrupted him directly, his tone resolute with no room for negotiation: "The past is the past, and now is now. This marriage arrangement is hereby canceled."

"If you have any questions, you can go back and ask your father; he will understand."

Upon hearing this, Owen Miller was struck by lightning, frozen in place, his face full of disbelief.

He subconsciously looked at Sylvie on the sofa, his voice trembling slightly: "Sylvie... what is going on? Is what your father said true? Do... do you think so too?"

Sylvie kept her head down, her hands tightly gripping her skirt, and did not speak.

She could feel Owen's deeply hurt gaze falling upon her.

But what could she say? Say that she had to report to a certain Count's room tonight?

So, she could only remain silent.

Owen Miller looked at Sylvie's silent, tearful appearance, and his heart felt as if it had been stabbed hard by something.

He wanted to say something more, but the servant next to him had already stepped forward and made a polite gesture to leave: "Young Master Miller, please. The Master and the Miss still have family matters to attend to."

Owen Miller looked unwilling, his fists clenched tightly.

He looked at Sylvie's head that she refused to lift. He looked at Toby's expressionless face.

In the end, under the pushing of the servant, he left the place, staggering.

The door was closed again. Inside the room, it fell into a brief silence.

Sylvie still kept her head down, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Toby looked at his daughter in this state, and felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart, but he quickly suppressed that bit of reluctance.

He walked over and said with a firm tone: "Sylvie, don't be sad."

"Although that Owen Miller has a good family background, he is ultimately just a child of an ordinary family. What can he bring to our family?"

"That Count is different..."

"Listen to your father, seize the opportunity well. The future of our Hague family depends on you."

Sylvie didn't speak, just bit her lip.

A moment later, she stood up, her mood somewhat low, and said: "Father, I must return to the castle. The Count... still has matters to entrust to me."

Upon hearing this, Toby Hague's face was immediately filled with smiles, and he nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes! The Count's business is urgent!"

"You go quickly, go! You don't need to worry about the family's affairs; your father is here!"

Sylvie nodded, bade a simple farewell to her mother and younger brother, and then turned to walk out of the house.

The winter sun shone on her thin back, casting a long, slender shadow on the ground.

She walked along the streets of Gino City, step by step, towards the Golden Flame Castle that stood at the highest point of the city.

She needed to prepare for what was to come tonight...