The Million-Dollar Heart by Rebecca Ryan

The moment the words left his mouth, the room fell into an astonished silence.

Arnold rolled his eyes, "Dude, are you for real? How can you be so clueless?"

Bobby chimed in with a smirk, "Looks like my tough love yesterday did the trick. Finally cracked the code, huh?"

Graham piped up, baffled, "Hold up, what's this got to do with us if you're chasing after Anna?"

Anna, equally puzzled, asked, "Why is everyone suddenly talking about chasing me?"

"Listen, kiddo, if you're aiming to court our Anna, it's up to her to say yes or no. We can’t very well forbid you from seeing each

other right from the start, can we?" Brooke pushed her reading glasses up her nose, the young man's forwardness nearly giving

her a heart attack.

Who shows up with such fanfare on the first visit just to court someone? Is this skind of joke?

Graham, seizing on Brooke's cue, added, "After all, it's you who wants to spend a lifetwith Anna. We're here to vet you, but if

Anna isn’t into you, better not to beat a dead horse. We're not exactly pushovers in this family!"

Soren raised his hand in a pledge to Graham and Brooke, "Don't worry, | chere today to ask for your blessing. | promise I'll

treat Anna right."

Anna could feel the intense gaze of five people on her, Soren’s burning the brightest.

Arnold snorted, "Soren, you sure know how to make yourself at home. First, you shock my folks, now you're straight-up calling dibs

on Anna. Who do you think you are?"

Facing Arnold's challenge, Soren kept his cool, unlike the day before. He knew he was out of line yesterday and took the criticism

as deserved.

Anna felt awkward amidst the tense atmosphere, at a loss for words. She hadn't expected Soren to show up, let alone be so

upfront about his feelings.

It was clear as day to her that Soren was sincere, but the suddenness of it all left her floundering.

Just when she thought she was ready to let go of this relationship, Soren rekindled her hope.

"Anna, you just say the word, and I'll have him escorted out. You and Arnold can handle a guy like him, right?" Brooke voiced her

concern, suspecting Anna was too shy to reject Soren.

Brooke's words warmed Anna's heart. "It's okay," she reassured.

Soren couldn't peel his gaze away from Anna, his fingers nervously twisting at his side.

Anna managed a smile, her eyes meeting Soren's with restrained affection, finding it hard to speak her mind in front of everyone.

Arnold and Bobby couldn't help but laugh at her hesitance.

Brooke, sitting closest to Anna, whispered sadvice, "Feeling shy? He's just expressing his interest, and you can always say no

later. Why not give him a chance to prove himself?"

It wasn’t that Brooke was particularly fond of Soren, but his earnest demeanor and the honesty in his eyes convinced her to give

him a chance for Anna's sake. After all, there would be plenty of tto judge his character.

The more they encouraged her, the more confused Anna felt, her feelings for Soren notwithstanding.

Silence filled the living room as everyone waited for Anna to break the ice.

It felt like an eternity before Arnold, on the verge of dozing off, finally heard Anna's response, "Okay."

Soren couldn't believe his ears and took a moment to process her answer.

"Anna, are you saying you're willing to givea chance?!"

Soren's excitement irked Arnold, who couldn't help but snap, "Don’t get too cocky. You've just got a foot in the door. I'll be watching

you like a hawk!"

Arnold casually wiped his neck with his hand, a clear threat to Soren.

But Soren couldn't care less, barely containing his elation.

Eventually, Graham and Brooke decided to keep Soren for lunch, creating an oddly tense atmosphere around the dining table.

Anna felt as if they were already a couple meeting the parents, Graham and Brooke seemingly approving of Soren.

"Kid, it’s your first visit, how about a drink?" Graham offered, pulling out a bottle of his best whiskey, ready to bond with Soren over

drinks.

Brooke had prepared a feast, making it seem like they were celebrating early.

Facing the lavish spread, Brooke joked, "We weren't expecting you, so we just whipped up whatever we had. Next time, we'll treat

you to something even better."

Arnold, watching his parents’ over-the-top display, couldn't help butment, "Really, Mom? You didn’t pull out all the stops like

this for Bobby yesterday."

Bobby quickly patted Arnold's hand in a reassuring gesture, understanding Arnold's attempt at lightening the mood.

Ignoring Bobby'sfort, Arnold leaned in and half-threatened Soren, "Don’t get toofortable. The folks are just being polite!"

Graham and Brooke, embarrassed by Arnold's remark, turned apologetically to Bobby, who had been somewhat overlooked.

"It's okay, let's just eat," Bobby cut through the awkwardness, eager to move on from the misunderstanding.

After the meal, as Anna was about to clear the table, her phone buzzed with a message from Vivienne: "Get Brody topile a

detailed report for the lab."

Brody, immersed in his experiments all day, how could he possibly spare a moment for these lab reports?

After a moment of thought, Anna decided to head over herself. "I've got work to sort out, so don't wait up forat dinner."

Seeing Anna's haste, Soren didn't linger either. He followed her to the door, then suddenly remembered something and turned

back to find the Smiths.

"Thanks for havingtoday. I'll escort Anna now, but I'll be sure to visit again."

Watching Soren's hurried figure disappearing into the distance, the Smiths couldn't be more pleased.

"Seeing the boy so eager to apany Anna, who could argue he's not a fine young man?"

"Indeed, Anna seems quite fond of him too. If those two could settle down, it would ease her mother's mind considerably."

For years, Anna's future had been their main concern. While she could manage on her own, they always felt something was

missing.

"Now we don't have to worry as much, knowing someone's there for her makeshappy," Brooke had long considered Anna as

her own daughter, and couldn't help but tear up.

"Mom, why cry now? Save those tears for Anna's wedding day!"