Love at First Novel by Gu Lingfei

Even if people like them achieved success, it was still hard to truly fit into the world of the wealthy elite.

If River really liked Romina and ran into trouble with the Lafond family, maybe he'd start to appreciate her.

Becoming a daughter-in-law in a powerful family wasn't easy-being a son-in-law wasn't any easier. The wealthy guarded their circles like fortresses, and outsiders were treated like threats.

It was even harder to blend into the inner circles of a family's business empire. Yantail, the company River ran, was in the same industry as the Lafond Group. Peers in the same field often viewed each other as rivals. That alone made any serious future between River and Romina incredibly difficult.

Still, if River truly liked Romina, he had to hit a wall first. Only then might he remember Ms. Hayward's loyalty and kindness. She was willing to wait a year or two-when that wall hit, she'd try again.

Maybe by then, River would accept reality and choose someone like her, someone from a similar background, someone who understood him.

River had no idea Ms. Hayward had thought so far ahead. After she left, he found a quiet corner and sat down. Finally, some peace and quiet.

as brutal as Wiltspoon's. Here, only a few days a year were truly scorching. In Wiltspoon, the summer dragged on from May until

swept through the yard. River leaned back, enjoying the wind. What mattered most was that he could finally take

how long he sat there until he noticed someone approaching.

It was Romina.

His guard dropped slightly.

carrying a tray with a few glasses of wine, walking toward him step by

Lacroix family short on waiters? They've

empty glass in his hand. "Perfect

tray down on the

came alone?" River

replied, "Aren't you alone,

"Where's