My Dreamy Old Husband

Even Cooper himself was beginning to acknowledge that he no longer stood a chance against Bailey by now, say less of anybody else. He was getting older, so it was time to hand things over to the next generation. Now, Bailey was the young, determined, and ambitious one, whereas Cooper had aged, so he was no longer the former's opponent. Therefore, he could only watch as Bailey dated his granddaughter.

After the military training, Carmen's eighteenth birthday was approaching fast, which would mark the beginning of her adulthood. Sophia was extremely busy with preparing the Bayside City ladies’ ball, which was intentionally held during Carmen's birthday.

The ball held this year was of an unprecedented scale, and the venue was far more lavish than the previous ones. All costs were borne by the Michels, Yards and Mitchells, so it was within reason that Carmen should be the center of attention. It was a silent agreement among all the attendees that the other ladies would be required to take the backseat. Since the hosts were the ones to bear all the costs, nobody complained about the arrangement. Moreover, they were even hoping to get an invitation to the ball, as being invited as a guest was in itself a great honor.

The event would mark the coming-of-age of the nameless girl who was one of the most prestigious ladies in upper class society, who was also Michael and Sophia's daughter, as well as Cooper and Anna's granddaughter. She would be officially showing herself in the upper class society of Bayside City, so all eyes were on the event.

Carmen already made her debut under another pseudonym when she was a kid. After shooting some films and reality shows, she retired to study abroad. There was no news of her since then, so the public seemed to have forgotten her altogether.

On the other hand, the Fletchers and Mitchells were also extremely protective of her. Nobody was able to capture even a single photo of her ever since her retirement from stardom, so people could only make conjectures of her current appearance according to movie stills that she was in when she was younger.

Carmen treasured the days when she could hang out in Bayside University without restrictions, as well as without needing to conceal her appearance. Nobody would spare her a glance, as she was but a nerdy-looking girl with braces that could easily blend into a crowd. Not only could she enjoy food at hawker stalls, but she could also sit with her legs crossed, or even dig her nose and go out without washing her face.

However, she couldn't hide forever. After she turned eighteen, she would be an adult. She had to start managing her family’s company, so she could no longer hide from the public. Forever lost was her freedom, as growing up meant having various limitations being placed on her. Therefore, she asked Bailey on a date on the eve of her eighteenth birthday to have one last feast at the hawker stall outside her university.

Targeting the university students, the street vendors on the street near the entrance of Bayside University sold a lot of cheap and tasty food. In a few gulps, Carmen chugged down some coke directly from a bottle. She set the bottle down on the table with a loud thud when she had enough, and then wiped her mouth before letting out a gross burp. Knowing that it was probably her final chance to do so, she treasured the moment. She wouldn't be able to do so from now on, as she would be required to act like an elegant lady befitting of her status.

The hawker stall that they were at was indeed a stall in its simplest form, equipped with only a single table as well as two stools. Standing at a height of a hundred and ninety centimeters, Bailey could only sit on the ground, using some newspapers as a cushion. They ordered a lot of grilled meat while enjoying it using disposable cutlery.

The stall was only popular because of its cheap price and delicious food, while the rest of the dining experience was lousy at best. However, Bailey didn't seem to mind at all, as he finished all of the food that they ordered, including those that Carmen didn't manage to finish.

After their meal, Carmen let out a burp while looking at Bailey. “I'll be turning eighteen soon, so do you have a present that you would like to give me?”

Instead of giving her an answer, Bailey scooped up the huge bottle that she was drinking from just now to chug down a mouthful of coke before setting it down again, letting out a burp in the process. Amused by his actions, Carmen chuckled merrily; she thought Bailey was a fun man to be with.

While she was waiting for Bailey's reply, Flynn seemingly emerged out of nowhere once again. "Carmen, why are you here?”

Burping, Carmen turned to see Flynn and Kimberly. Both of them were wearing fine, branded clothing which were a mismatch to their environment. Upon hearing Carmen burp, Kimberly covered her nose while scrunching up her face in contempt. “Let's go, Flynn. This place is disgusting.” This is sickening. How could people eat in a place full of germs like this? I suppose this is all poor people could afford.

Meanwhile, Carmen retorted in irritation, “Can't you see we're eating?”

Flynn examined the food in bewilderment. “How could you be so degenerate? These things are just —" The food Carmen was eating looked repulsive to him, so Flynn couldn't even imagine eating them.

On the other hand, Carmen didn't want to speak to Flynn, for she realized that Flynn and her were too different. In contrast, Bailey and her were birds of a flock. Not a lot of people were willing to enjoy street food with her. Even though Casper kept her company twice, he always got an upset stomach after going home, so Bailey made for better company. He was trying his best to adapt to her family and lifestyle, as well as her habits and preferences.

In the meantime, Flynn was still chiding Carmen. The longer he spent observing her, the more disgusted he was. He even felt anger and disappointment toward Carmen for willingly engaging in such depraved activities. It was, after all, a matter of upbringing and social status. Flynn never needed to work, nor was he accustomed to eating street food. Having gotten used to living a luxurious life, he didn’t even know the prices of groceries.

All of his friends hailed from rich families. They collected watches and cars, living a sheltered life that led them to be ignorant of the sufferings of others. His girlfriend, Kimberly, was of a similar disposition. She had rich girls as friends whom she would talk about makeup and accessories with. Those were stuff that Carmen would never get her hands on. The amount they spent on a meal was enough to sustain Carmen for a whole year, and the price of any article of clothing they wore would be enough for her to buy clothes that would last for the rest of her life.

Kimberly also received an invitation to attend the ladies’ ball, which was something that someone at the bottom of the social pyramid would never get to know and join in on; they practically lived in two different worlds.

It wasn't until then that he knew how different they were. While Flynn would never eat street food with Carmen, her current boyfriend was willing to do so. Gritting his teeth, Flynn left without a word, as if having made a decision. This time, he was finally able to leave her behind; even if they met each other again in the future, he would treat her like a stranger.

There was a time when he used to want to spend his life with Carmen, as he never met someone as intelligent and kind as her. Even if she was no better than other people, she was at least better than Kimberly in both regards. However, they could never get together. His family would never agree to the match due to the fact that Carmen couldn't help his family climb the social ladder like how Kimberly could. It wasn't until after losing her that he came to know that she already had a place in his heart, but unfortunately, they could never get together.

Meanwhile, Carmen paid them no heed. Instead, she focused on finishing her coke before letting out another burp. Hearing that nearly made Kimberly puke. She hoped that Flynn could see clearly now that Carmen wasn't on the same level as him, so he should stop pining after her.

After filling up their bellies, Carmen paid for the meal before leaving. While on their way home, she walked hand-in-hand with Bailey. The setting sun cast its rays on them, while Carmen was calculating how many more meals she would need to buy in order to repay Bailey for the meal that he paid for. Seemingly having recalled something, she repeated the question she asked earlier. “You have yet to tell me what you're planning to give me as a present.”

Stopping in his tracks, Bailey held her hand. Then, he lowered his gaze to stare at her seriously. "Would you like to know?”

She nodded expectantly. “Of course!”

Falling into silence, Bailey held a gentle gaze in his emerald eyes before stepping forward all of a sudden to kiss her on the lips.

Later that day, Carmen yelled as soon as she got home, “Mom, do you have any hemostatic lozenges and anti-inflammatory mouthwash? Bailey cut his tongue on my braces, so he’s bleeding heavily!”