I Returned to the Day He Brought His First Love Home

"Why is he coming over for dinner?" Grace Winslow asked, completely bewildered.

She had no idea when Archer Rhys and Irene Lynch had become so familiar with each other.

"It’s all thanks to his help. He looked into your father’s situation for us. That’s how I learned your dad was temporarily reassigned because he’d always performed well in the army and has outstanding reconnaissance skills."

"If it weren’t for the news he brought back, I would’ve thought something had happened to your father. He’s been gone for over a month."

"Now that my mind is at ease, I have to thank him properly."

"Besides, while you were away, he and Sean were always coming over to help me. Oh, and Abbott would sometimes come by to help too."

Irene Lynch said with a broad, beaming smile.

When she spoke of Archer Rhys, she sounded as proud as if she were talking about her own son.

Grace Winslow felt a little helpless. The favors she owed were piling up, and she didn’t know how she could ever repay them.

"Alright, then. I’ll buy something for him to take back later. I remember Grandpa Rhys is in Coronet too, right?"

The next day, Archer Rhys arrived early. He didn’t just show up; he came bearing many gifts.

There was malted milk powder, walnut crisps, and even a Quanjude roast duck.

Grace Winslow’s mouth fell open. She sighed and said, "Archer Rhys, why did you bring so many things just for dinner?"

"None of this could have been cheap, right? You should save your money. You can’t be so wasteful."

"It’s not a waste. Besides, I’m eating it with you, aren’t I?" Archer Rhys said with a brilliant smile.

That Byron Sinclair fellow had shared plenty of tips from his romance playbook. One of them was that when a woman starts worrying about you spending money frivolously, it means she already sees herself as part of your family. Otherwise, she wouldn’t care at all.

Archer Rhys couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at his lips. "School must be busy, right? You look like you’ve lost some weight."

Grace Winslow touched her face. "It’s fine, not too busy. Shouldn’t students be a little busy? I think studying at school is probably the easiest phase of life. It’ll only get busier once I start working."

Archer Rhys thought about it and realized she had a point.

Irene Lynch wouldn’t let Grace Winslow help in the kitchen, so Grace had no choice but to sit in the living room and chat with Archer Rhys.

Thanks in large part to Archer Rhys, their meal today was quite sumptuous.

After they ate, Irene Lynch shooed the two of them out for a walk.

"There’s a street nearby that has some new shops. Want to go take a look?" Archer Rhys suggested, looking at Grace Winslow.

Grace Winslow thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

’Perfect for a bit of market research,’ she thought.

If she found a suitable storefront, she could call her second sister-in-law later and ask if she wanted to secure it.

They had made a good amount of money selling clothes recently. She hadn’t had a chance to send the money to Hayley yet, so Irene Lynch was still holding onto it.

Since the economic policies had been relaxed, many more people were indeed starting businesses.

Most just set up small stalls selling food and other things. The overhead for this was low, and while the income wasn’t high, any potential losses wouldn’t be too great.

The street Archer Rhys mentioned wasn’t far from Grace Winslow’s house, only about a ten-minute walk.

This street had originally been a commercial district. Now, it had regained its former prosperity, with tailor shops, pastry shops, and general stores.

You could also see vendors on the street selling surplus agricultural products from their homes.

Grace Winslow even bought some chicken and duck eggs, and on a whim, got a few live chicks and ducklings.

Archer Rhys helped carry her things the entire time, proving to be a very competent shopping companion.

"Wendy, listen to your mother. Stop thinking about things with the Rhys family. What happened back then... our family was in the wrong. It’s impossible between you and him. You should give up sooner rather than later. The family can introduce you to someone much better."

"Wendy, are you even listening to me?"

From a tailor shop facing the street, Wendy Quinn and a middle-aged woman emerged.

The woman was chattering at her incessantly.

But Wendy Quinn looked as if she’d lost her soul, her gaze fixed on the two figures in the distance.

’Archer Rhys!’

’Who is that woman with him?’

Wendy Quinn didn’t recognize her from the back, but her clothes and style looked incredibly familiar.

Her eyes suddenly reddened, and she charged forward like a madwoman, grabbing Grace Winslow’s arm and yanking her around.

Grace Winslow never expected something like this to happen on the street. Caught completely off guard, she turned to find herself face-to-face with Wendy Quinn’s crimson eyes.

"Wendy Quinn?" Grace Winslow asked, surprised.

But Wendy Quinn, her eyes red, tearfully demanded, "Why? Grace Winslow, I thought you were my best friend! Why would you steal my fiancé? Why would you do this?"

Grace Winslow froze, her gaze instinctively darting to Archer Rhys, who stood beside her.

’Fiancé?’

’He actually has a fiancée?’

’If he has a fiancée, then what is he doing showing interest in me?’

Grace Winslow had heard a couple of things about what had happened at school before, but she hadn’t paid much attention. So right now, she was truly stunned.

Archer Rhys’s face turned cold. In a sharp, icy voice, he corrected her, "Wendy Quinn, I thought I made myself perfectly clear last time."

"But it seems you don’t understand plain language, so I’ll spell it out for you again today."

"Back then, to climb the ladder, your Quinn family schemed to take my father’s position. You personally wrote an anonymous letter to report my father, slandering him and causing his death. My mother then wasted away and died from grief."

"You killed my parents. Between you and me, it is absolutely impossible!"

"And another thing—not only did you frame and cause the deaths of my parents, but when my family was in trouble, your grandfather and your father came to my house personally. They spoke to my grandfather about canceling the engagement between our families."

"You even took back the engagement token."

"And now you run up to me and claim to be my fiancée? Don’t you find that laughable?"

At his words, Wendy Quinn stumbled back a few steps, staring at Archer Rhys in disbelief. "Impossible. My family would never do something like that."

Archer Rhys ignored her and looked instead at Mrs. Quinn, who had rushed over. "Mrs. Quinn, control your family. Otherwise, when the time comes to settle accounts, not a single person from the Quinn family will escape."

Mrs. Quinn’s face went deathly pale.

She knew of Archer Rhys.

He had a reputation in the army for being a decisive and ruthless man.

The Quinn family had indeed acted dishonorably back then, and she knew exactly what they had done.

Hearing Archer’s warning, she quickly grabbed Wendy. "I’m so sorry. My Wendy doesn’t know anything. She’s just spouting nonsense. I’ll take her home right now. Don’t worry, this won’t affect you at all."

With that, she tried to pull Wendy Quinn away.

"I don’t believe you! You must have fallen for someone else—for this bitch! That’s why you’re making things up to trick me! I don’t believe it!" Wendy Quinn screamed, her eyes red as she struggled and cried, refusing to accept the truth.

Archer Rhys’s expression darkened. "Apologize!"

"I won’t! Grace Winslow is a bitch, a homewrecker, a slut! And I thought you were my friend! How dare you steal my fiancé! You’re shameless!"