CHAPTER 225: CHAPTER 225: BECOMING THE EX-HUSBAND’S SISTER-IN-LAW

"Speaking of which, even though I’m in this industry myself, compared to Miss Quinn, I’m practically an amateur. That’s why I wanted to ask Miss Quinn for some advice this time."

"Miss Pierce, you’re being modest. Your works are worth learning from as well."

"Let’s not be overly formal. From what I read online, you seem two or three years younger than me, so I’ll call you Shannon."

Shannon Quinn nodded with a smile, "Sure, Sylvie, just tell me what style you’re looking for."

At first, Shannon was worried that Sylvie Pierce was here to make things difficult for her. But after chatting for a while, she realized she was overthinking it. Sylvie simply outlined the style she wanted and left Shannon to work her magic on the rest.

"Shannon, I heard you’re a single mother? It must be quite tough raising a child on your own, right?"

The sudden change in topic made Shannon pause her chopsticks mid-air before she casually replied, "Not too bad. Most of the time, my mom takes care of him, so it’s not too much of a hassle for me."

"Oh, with such a beautiful and capable wife and such a handsome and adorable son, what kind of man wouldn’t appreciate such blessings?"

Shannon forced a laugh, unsure how to respond. If that man weren’t Landon Sutton, she might have been able to chat a bit more on this topic with Sylvie.

"Shannon, have you thought about finding someone new?"

"Huh?"

Sylvie gave a slightly apologetic smile, "It might be a bit abrupt to talk about this on our first meeting, but I personally like you. I’ve also done a bit of research on you privately."

Shannon couldn’t even focus on her meal anymore. She looked at Sylvie, utterly confused as to what she was trying to say.

"It’s like this, I have an older brother, my biological brother. He used to be in the military and just got discharged. Now he runs a gym. Apart from being a bit dense and not good at making girls happy, he has a really good personality and temper. I showed him your photo and told him about your situation. He thinks you’re really great and wants to get to know you."

"What?!" Shannon smiled awkwardly, not knowing how to respond. It felt hard to refuse such a warm and gentle girl like Sylvie. After a moment of silence, Shannon said, "I’ve been married once, and I have a child. I think it’s better if not. Your brother’s got such good prospects; he’ll find someone more suitable."

Sylvie smiled, took out her phone, and showed a picture of her brother, handing it to Shannon, "This is my brother’s photo. He’s quite handsome and is about six or seven years older than you. Oh, and his name is Shawn Pierce."

Shannon looked at the man in the photo. Although his looks couldn’t compare to Landon Sutton, he had that comfortable appearance that was clean and sunny, not looking his age at all despite being in his thirties.

But Shannon didn’t want to end up as a sister-in-law to her ex-husband. If Landon Sutton got together with Sylvie and she ended up with Sylvie’s brother, it would just be a complete mess.

Seeing Shannon’s hesitation, Sylvie said, "Shannon, don’t feel pressured. I’m not asking you to make a decision right now. My brother will be here tomorrow; we can have a meal together. If you really aren’t interested, you can just treat him as a friend."

Sylvie added her on WeChat, and they chatted a bit in the evening.

Shannon felt that Sylvie was very personable and had a youthful personality without any ulterior motives. Their conversation flowed from daily life to celebrity gossip, and they found they had a lot in common.

In her heart, Shannon hoped to hear some news about Landon Sutton from Sylvie, but she didn’t mention anything related to him at all.

Is it because she doesn’t have the habit of flaunting her boyfriend, or is it that her relationship with Landon Sutton isn’t that deep yet?

The next day, it was a rare sunny day. Shannon didn’t go to the office. After dropping Leo off at his enrichment class, she went home to do a big cleanup with Catherine Yardley.

Usually, Catherine kept things quite tidy, so there wasn’t much to do. They just washed the sheets and aired out some clothes from the closet.

After finishing up, Shannon lounged on the couch, browsing takeout options on her phone, and asked Catherine, who was mopping the floor in the living room, "Mom, what do you want to eat?"

"Just order whatever you like."

"Is Leo coming back for lunch?"

"No, Elaine’s coming over in the evening."

While Shannon was still pondering what to have for lunch, a WeChat notification popped up at the top of the screen.

It was from Sylvie Pierce, a voice message, "Shannon, my brother just arrived at the airport. Let’s have lunch together."

Catherine stopped mopping, looking at Shannon lounging lazily on the couch, she asked, "Secretly going on a date?"

"Nope, just a friend."

Catherine gave a meaningful smile and said, "Go on, it’s such a nice day. Young people shouldn’t stay cooped up inside all the time."

"What about you? Let me order something for you first."

"Don’t worry about me. There are some groceries in the fridge. I’ll just whip something up."

Shannon stood up, stretched lazily, looked outside at the nice weather, and said as she walked inside, "Alright, I’ll buy you something delicious when I get back."

Changing into new clothes and applying light makeup, she chose a pair of high heels from the shoe rack, "Mom, I’m heading out."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Shannon sighed exaggeratedly and said, "Come on, I told you it’s not a date."

Catherine chuckled and adjusted Shannon’s dress hem, "Go on, take your time coming back. I’ll pick up Leo in the afternoon."

Shannon drove to the restaurant Sylvie had mentioned. When she arrived, Sylvie and Shawn were already there.

Shawn looked even more handsome in person than in the photos. Although he seemed to prefer casual wear, Sylvie had probably urged him to dress up in a formal suit. Tall and quiet, he wasn’t at all awkward. When Shannon arrived, he even stood up politely to help with her chair.

"Let me formally introduce you. This is my brother, Shawn Pierce," Sylvie said with a big smile.

Shawn stood up and extended his hand to Shannon, "Hello."

Shannon reached out to shake his hand and replied politely, "Hello."

"I heard you went to elementary school in the southern part of town? I used to study there too. Seems like we’re alumni," Shawn initiated a conversation.

Sylvie casually interrupted, "Brother, you graduated from elementary school, and Shannon probably just started attending."

"Why are you embarrassing me like this? Why don’t you swap places and let me have some time alone with Shannon?"

"No way, Shannon is my friend. If anyone’s leaving, it’s going to be you."

The sibling banter eased Shannon’s earlier awkwardness. Shawn brought up topics that didn’t make Shannon feel uncomfortable or embarrassed, and throughout the conversation, he didn’t ask a single question about her previous marriage.