Mrs. Jenkins smiled smugly at this scene, and then said, "No, please. You don't have to do that. Doris, what are you standing there for? Quick, help her up."

She did sound sincere, but they all knew that if the matriarch really didn't want Patricia to get on her knees, she would have stopped her before she went down.

Of course, they kept their lips sealed and acted ignorant. With a smile on her face, Patricia thanked old Mrs. Jenkins before standing up straight.

“Patricia, how can I be of help to you?" Mrs. Jenkins asked.

“I hope to address an issue with you, ma'am." Patricia sighed and added, “It's actually good news. That is if you give your consent, of course."

“Good news?" Mrs. Jenkins tilted her head ever so slightly.

"Yes, well. Surely, you are not aware that Bill once adopted Maria. Unfortunately, a few misunderstandings made her pull away from us."

Patricia Looked at Mrs. Jenkins’ expression keenly and found that the other woman didn't seem too shocked by that revelation. Why would she be? The Jenkins family was so powerful. Of course, they knew everything that happened in Sheffield.

Patricia nodded to herself and continued, “Maria stayed away from us and doesn't want any contact with us, but Bill aways kept her in mind and considers her his child.

Her engagement with the Wilson family has been cancelled, and she is all on her own, We worry so much because she is getting older but there's no one to take care of her.

When I heard that Mr. Acosta was single this morning, an idea bloomed in my mind." Patricia knelt down again and changed her tone to one of pleading.

"Mrs. Jenkins, Maria grew up in the village and people might think that Mr. Acosta is out of her League. I know I'm shooting for the stars with this, but I was hoping that you would betroth Maria to Mr. Acosta. She might not be my own daughter, but I still want her to have a happy lite.

Do you think you can grant this request of mine, Mrs. Jenkins?"

Mrs. Jenkins squinted her eyes at Patricia, her eyebrows coming together quite elegantly.

As the matriarch of the Jenkins family, she had a lot of power, but forcing Maria to marry someone against her will was a Little out of her capacities and rights.

Though of course, coming from Bill who was Maria's adoptive father, it wasn't so wrong.

It was true that they now Lived in the modern era where the ancient ways weren't as followed as they used to be. However, the Jenkins clan, still respected most of the traditions that were long put in place.

For example, they still believed that one must obey their parents and accept whoever their parents deemed to be good for them.

"Elton though... Isn't he a little too old for Maria?" Mrs. Jenkins asked after a while. Even if she loved the idea, she couldn't just give her consent that easily.

She actually brought Elton's age up on purpose.

That way, if anything went wrong about this marriage in the future, the fault wouldn't be on her-because she had voiced out her concern, but on Patricia and her husband, Bill.

Patricia took Mrs. Jenkins' softer tone as an encouragement and answered, "Mr. Acosta is a mature man. He is already stable and successful too. Marrying a man like him should be an accomplishment for Maria and nothing else. She has no right to complain about the Little age gap. And if I'm being honest, I think Mr. Acosta's age is actually his advantage. Being a mature man, he can take care of Maria and treat her like she deserves.”

The "little" age gap Patricia spoke of was actually a twenty-year gap. Elton was literally old enough to be Maria's father.

To make things worse, he was a known debaucher. No one in their right senses would marry the excuse for a man.