Alexander cleared his throat softly, breaking the silence that had emerged as their conversation had stalled on Robert's mother's side, without finding a resolution. This time, Alexander intended to take over the conversation.

"After hearing everything Mom said here, I understand that Robert and Yasmin can either get engaged and then marry, or they can engage later when Yasmin prepares her thesis. Does that mean the gap between engagement and marriage would be close?"

The middle-aged woman nodded. "Exactly, it feels a bit difficult to let Robert marry a girl who wants to pursue her ambitions as well. As you know, Alex, Robert still has two younger sisters, both girls....