Hi Ex, Your Uncle Is My Hubby Now - Chapter 43: Chapter 43

Ding—
At exactly five o'clock, Dorian rang the doorbell of Irene's apartment, right on time to pick Irene up for dinner.
Irene was in the bathroom.
Ruth opened the door. When she looked up and saw the tall, well-dressed young man standing outside, both she and Dorian paused in surprise.
Realizing this must be Irene's grandmother, Dorian instinctively straightened his posture and politely introduced himself. "You must be Irene's grandmother?"
"Hello. I'm Dorian—Irene's boyfriend." He held out his hands, a little awkward, offering a brief handshake before quickly letting go.
Looking a bit embarrassed, he added, "I didn't know you were in Eldraeth City. I should've brought a gift—I'm sorry for the oversight."
Ruth smiled warmly, quickly putting him at ease. "I just got in last night. Irene probably hasn't had a chance to tell you yet. No need to apologize."
"Would you like to come in and sit for a while?" she said, stepping aside and opening the door wider.
"Thank you, I'd appreciate that," Dorian said as he stepped in.
Ruth headed to the kitchen to pour some coffee, quietly observing him from behind the scenes.
Coming from a family like the Barnes family, his looks and presence were expected.
And in terms of appearance, he passed easily.
But character? That would take time to judge.
Dorian had just taken a sip of coffee when Irene came out of the bathroom.
She froze for a second when she saw him sitting there. "How long have you been here?" she asked, a little surprised.
Dorian set the cup down and replied, "Just got here. Irene, why didn't you tell me your grandmother was visiting?"
If he'd known Ruth was in town, he wouldn't have shown up empty-handed.
At that, a faint look of grievance flashed in Irene's eyes. She gave him a playful glare. "She arrived last night. You only got back this afternoon—when would I have had time to tell you?"
Dorian knew he was in the wrong.
Not wanting to leave a bad impression, especially in front of Ruth, he stood up and said politely, "I'll come by soon to pay you a proper visit. It's getting late now, so I'll take Irene to dinner."
"Alright, have fun," Ruth said kindly.
As she watched them leave, she noticed Dorian reach out to hold Irene's hand—but Irene lowered her head and busied herself digging through her bag instead.
Ruth's brow creased slightly. She couldn't shake the feeling that Ruth was deliberately avoiding physical contact with him.
'Is it just my imagination?' she thought.
Once they got into the car, Irene noticed a bouquet of white chrysanthemums in the back seat. "We're going to the cemetery?" she asked.
"Yeah," Dorian nodded. "I don't think I've ever taken you to visit my mother's grave, have I?"
Irene shook her head. "No, you haven't."
"I never met her either," he said quietly. "She passed away right after giving birth to me—an amniotic fluid embolism. They couldn't save her."
"I've only seen photos of her," he added. "She looked a lot like my uncle."
Irene pictured Jeremy in her mind. "Then she must've been beautiful."
"Without a doubt."
People often say nephews resemble their uncles, but Dorian actually took after his father, Mike Barnes, more than anyone else.
The truth was, the Barnes and Tucker families had been enemies for generations.
To understand why, you'd have to go back to the last century.
At the time, the head of the Tucker family was Rhett Tucker, a leading figure in national development. He was a patriot and a visionary entrepreneur who made tremendous contributions to modernization.
All five of his children were highly educated, bright young minds.
Those were turbulent years. Across the country, university students were awakening to ambitious ideals.
With movements igniting waves of protest, the Tucker siblings, one after another, joined the ranks of those fighting for a better nation.
Unfortunately, in just fifteen short years, Rhett lost four of his five children—one after another.
The youngest, his fifth child, vanished without a trace.