The Last Guests of Winter

The driver caught my meaning instantly. He met my eyes, gave a small nod, and drove off to pick up more people.

Jasmine's family acted like they owned the place. They wandered through the villa, upstairs and downstairs, taking laps like tourists. After a while, they sprawled across the couches in the living room without a shred of manners.

"Where are your parents? This is such a big deal, and it's just you here?

"How is this supposed to show any respect for Jas or our family?"

My parents?

They were busy gathering supplies and building a safe house.

However, there was no way I was telling them that.

I took a slow breath and spoke in a humble tone.

"Well, Mrs. Baker, my parents started from nothing, so they take money pretty seriously.

"I want to give Jas the best life possible, like keeping her in a golden house. If they get involved, things may be harder to negotiate. Don't you think so?"

Jasmine shot me an icy glance.

"At least you've got some sense."

With Jasmine's approval, her father, Rhett Baker, and Kelly dropped the topic for now. Instead, they started ordering me around, telling me to make coffee and wash fruits for them.

That reminded me of something.

The previous day, I had been so tense that I ordered all the food in the villa to be cleared out.

Then, aside from its luxurious rooms, the entire place was completely empty.

That definitely would not keep Jasmine's whole family satisfied. I quickly agreed and told the housekeeper to go and get some food.

William Foster, our housekeeper with graying hair, looked at my anxious expression and chuckled.

"Mr. Lewis, you must be so happy you've gone a little crazy. First, you have the food taken away. Now, you want to buy it all back."

I looked at him, at his white hair and teasing smile, and felt a sudden sting in my chest.

In my previous life, he was our family's longtime housekeeper. He had come with my parents to discuss the wedding terms. When the extreme cold hit, he was trapped in the mountain villa with us.

To protect us, he went three days without eating anything. He gave all of his share of food to us.

After we were thrown out of the house, he carried my injured body through the heavy snow, trying to get me down the mountain.

I had lost too much blood. I could not fight against fate. Before I lost consciousness, all I could hear was his voice.

"Mr. Lewis, you have to hold on. Even if it costs me my life today, I'll get you out safely."

However, in the end, we were both buried in that endless blizzard.

Seeing my eyes suddenly turn red, William clicked his tongue. "Oh, come on, you're a grown man. Why are you tearing up? You…"

I cut him off.

"Mr. Foster, you don't need to do that. Go and find my parents right now. They'll explain everything.

"Have Shane come here instead. And whatever you do, don't come back here."

William looked at my sudden seriousness, confused, but he nodded anyway and left.

By the time Shane arrived carrying bags of supplies, all of the Baker family's relatives had shown up, too.

The moment they got out of the cars, they started touring the villa on their own, like they already owned it.

Rhett stood at the entrance, grinning as he greeted everyone, telling them to sit wherever they liked, as if that place were already his.

Watching the greedy looks in their eyes, I actually felt relieved.

'I'm not afraid that you want it. I'm only afraid that you won't stay,' I thought.

One by one, the relatives took their seats. Only then did Jasmine remember me.

"Carson, get over here and say hello to everyone."

Me, the heir to the Lewis Group, greeting a bunch of nobodies? That was clearly meant to humiliate me.

Or maybe it was a test of obedience.

In my previous life, my parents had stopped me and told Jasmine to show some respect.

However, this time, I walked over without hesitation. I bent forward in a deep bow.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Jas's fiancé, Carson."

Rhett burst out laughing and bragged to the room.

"See that? All that talk about the great Lewis family and Mr. Lewis. In front of my daughter, he's still completely obedient."

I lifted my head and gave Rhett a sincere smile.

"Mr. Baker, you're absolutely right."