"Go over there now, assert your dominance, and tell those women that you’re Zachary Sutton’s girlfriend. They’ll definitely back off." Upon hearing this, Riley Hawthorne immediately refused, "Isn’t that a bit much? Last time I used this tactic to brush off Zachary’s blind date, and he told me not to do it again." "Was he angry about it?" Lucy Ford couldn’t help but ask. Riley shook her head, "No." "See, if he wasn’t mad, then he must have tacitly approved of what you did. If he wasn’t interested in you, he would have gotten mad right then and there." Listening to Lucy’s words, Riley felt a bit swayed but still uncertain. "Is that really the case? Why do I feel like he just doesn’t bother arguing with me?" Lucy held Riley’s hand. "Oh come on, don’t be so insecure. You have to believe in your own charm. Look, Young Master Sutton is handsome and rich, and there must be many women who like him. If you’re not proactive, someone else might snatch him away." Riley bit her lip and looked in Zachary’s direction, feeling torn. "But I’m still afraid..." Lucy sighed helplessly, "Are you just going to watch him get taken by someone else? Are you okay with that?" Riley’s heart tightened. Of course, she wasn’t okay with it. She thought for a moment, finally summoning her courage. "Fine, I’ll give it a try." Lucy smiled with satisfaction. "That’s the spirit. Go for it, girl! I’ll be here waiting for you." Riley took a deep breath and walked towards Zachary Sutton. Her heart was racing, and her palms were sweaty from nervousness. "Zachary..." Riley summoned up her courage and called out Zachary Sutton’s name. Upon hearing the voice, Zachary and the women around him almost simultaneously turned around to look at Riley approaching them. "Riley, what are you doing here?" There was a hint of surprise in Zachary’s eyes. The women present looked at Riley with puzzled expressions. One of the women, who appeared more mature and composed, couldn’t help but ask, "Zachary, who is this?" Zachary frowned slightly, but before he could answer, Riley smiled and spoke up first, "Hello! I’m Zachary’s girlfriend." "Girlfriend?" Everyone looked at Zachary in disbelief. Seeing this, Zachary quickly waved his hand, trying to explain, "Well, uh, sis, she’s not..." Before Zachary could finish his sentence, Riley immediately linked her arm with his and, with a beaming smile, said, "Zachary, didn’t you tell them I’m your girlfriend?" After saying this, Riley looked at the three women in front of her, her eyes full of provocation. Zachary looked at Riley, his eyes showing a trace of helplessness and doting. He sighed softly, not continuing to deny it. The woman Zachary referred to as "sis" frowned slightly, looking Riley up and down. "Zachary, when did you get a girlfriend? Why didn’t you mention it to the family?" The woman’s tone carried a hint of reproach. Zachary awkwardly chuckled, "Cousin, I forgot to introduce you. This is Riley Hawthorne, Caden Hawthorne’s sister." "Cousin?" Realizing that the mature woman in front of her was Zachary’s cousin, Riley was momentarily shocked. Then she realized that she had mistaken Zachary’s cousin for a rival, making her feel an urge to die from embarrassment. At that moment, Riley felt like curling her toes in awkwardness and quickly extended her hand, somewhat amused and exasperated, "Um, cousin, hello! I’m Riley Hawthorne!" "You’re Caden Hawthorne’s sister?" Zachary’s cousin looked at Riley with a more appraising gaze. Riley nodded, "I am." The cousin was a bit surprised and couldn’t help but ask, "I didn’t expect you to be Caden’s sister. We often hear Zachary mention you. But just now, you said you’re Zachary’s girlfriend, what’s going on?" Riley’s face turned red all of a sudden, and she stammered, not knowing how to explain. Seeing this, Zachary quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Cousin, don’t misunderstand, Riley was just joking." The cousin raised an eyebrow, "Joking? Doesn’t look like it to me." Riley became even more embarrassed, wishing she could disappear. She let go of Zachary’s arm, lowered her head, and said softly, "Cousin, I’m sorry, I acted on impulse just now." The cousin smiled, "Young people are full of energy. But Zachary, if you’re not interested in the girl, you should make it clear early on to avoid misunderstanding." Zachary glanced at Riley, his eyes showing a bit of complexity. "I understand, Cousin." The cousin looked at the two of them again and then said to the other two women, "We’ve picked out the gift for my mother-in-law; let’s go browse somewhere else!" The two women were Zachary’s cousin’s friends. The reason Zachary was there was that his cousin’s mother-in-law was having a birthday, and she wanted to pick out an expensive gift. She couldn’t make up her mind, so she asked Zachary to come along and help her decide. That’s why the earlier scene occurred where Zachary was trying on the gift for his cousin, and Riley and Lucy misunderstood, thinking Zachary was up to his playboy antics again, bringing a bunch of women to buy jewelry. "What about me, Cousin?" Zachary quickly asked. The cousin glanced at him and then at Riley, with a playful smile said, "You young people have fun together! My friends and I will go first." After his cousin and her friends left, Riley felt a slight sense of relief. At the same time, her heart was in her throat as she hurriedly apologized to Zachary, "Zachary, sorry! I didn’t know that was your cousin, I..." If she had known, she definitely wouldn’t have rushed over to assert her dominance in front of them. It was really embarrassing! Lucy came over to Riley’s side after they left. Follow current novᴇls on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱 "Lucy, it’s all your bad idea. You’ve embarrassed me completely." Lucy held back her laughter and said, "Riley, I’m sorry, I didn’t know she was Young Master Sutton’s cousin either!" Listening to their conversation, Zachary finally understood what had happened. Zachary looked at Riley’s embarrassed appearance, and the corner of his mouth slightly curved, "Alright, don’t blame yourself. It’s really not a big deal." Riley blushed even more and looked at him. "Really? Zachary, you’re not mad?" Zachary shook his head, "I’m not mad, but don’t be so impulsive next time." Riley lowered her head, lightly biting her lip, "I got it." Lucy, watching them from the side, couldn’t help but laugh. "The atmosphere between you two is kinda sweet." Riley glared at Lucy, "Don’t say nonsense." Zachary also coughed lightly, feeling a bit flustered, and changed the subject, "So, what are you guys doing here?" Riley quickly took the gift from Lucy’s hand and showed the Peace Lock she bought. "Zachary, this is the gift I prepared for my little niece and nephew for their first month celebration." "It’s quite delicate. Since you’re already here, help me choose one too! As the kids’ godfather, I should also give them a gift." Zachary, seeing that Riley had prepared a gift for the first month celebration, realized that as Caden Hawthorne’s good friend and the child’s godfather, he also couldn’t be without a gift.