Natalie had barely finished slapping Andrew when tears instantly welled up in Hannahâs eyes. She sniffled and walked toward Andrew, wanting to say something, but the moment her eyes met Natalieâs sharp gaze, she immediately dropped her head, not daring to speak.Adela set down her teacup and walked over to Natalieâs side. She was pretty sure that if she didnât intervene, Natalie really might beat Andrew to a pulp right there and then. She couldn't help but worry a little about Dexterâs future married life with this girl.Shaking off those messy thoughts, she leaned in to whisper, âKeep it down. If youâre too loud, youâll wake Dexter.âDexter was still recovering. The last thing he needed was a noisy room. Natalie ultimately restrained herself and didnât lash out further.Pointing a finger at Hannah, her tone was no longer soft and girlish, but cold and commanding, âAndrew already said this has nothing to do with you. So sit down and stop wandering in front of me.âHannah turned pale i
Andrewâs face was filled with anguish and deep resentment. Adela could tellâhis pain was for Dexter, but the hate was aimed squarely at Sarah.He looked exhausted, his voice hoarse like he hadnât even had a sip of water all day. âSarah showed up at school yesterday to look for me.âNatalie frowned. Just the night before, sheâd called Andrew after chatting with Adela, urging him to be honest with Sarah. If he didnât love her anymore, he should end things gently. She specifically told him to talk to her properly and avoid a messy fallout.But now, hearing the disgust in his voice when he mentioned Sarah, Natalieâs brow furrowed even more.âYou called her that night, didnât you? Otherwise, how would she have known so fast and rushed over?âAndrew scoffed coldly. âIâve been avoiding her like the plague. Why the hell would I call her?âHe hadnât even replied to her texts.Natalie didnât want to look at his twisted expression any longer and instead turned her gaze to Dexter, who lay unconsc
Although Adela found Richardâs comments exasperating, she realized upon closer thought that every piece of furniture in the study had soft corner guardsâsomething she initially mistook for decorative touches.Only after hearing Richard's words did it hit herâhe was worried she'd bump into something.She really didnât know she came off as so fragile and clueless in Richardâs eyes. After the two elders headed upstairs to rest and Layson still hadnât come home, Adela grew a little worried and decided to wait for him in the living room.It was nearly ten o'clock when she finally heard the sound of the door opening. She quickly stepped toward the foyer and saw Barnes helping Layson inside.âAdela, the boss had a bit to drink at dinner,â Barnes explained.Adela nodded and reached out to support Layson, but Barnes didnât let go, worried she was too petite and delicate to manage on her own. He helped Layson to the couch before handing Adela his bag.âIâll take my leave now. Please look after
Ever since Ralph started preschool, Richard and Diana had been eating breakfast early. So when Adela and Layson came downstairs, the dining table was already empty.The two of them sat very close during breakfast, voices low and intimate. To the household staff, they looked just like a pair of newlywedsâclingy and inseparable. But Layson always came across as strict and serious, so this contrast was a bit startling.Adela had just taken the last bite of her egg when she heard the sound of heels approaching. She looked up and almost choked. Thankfully, Layson handed her a cup of soy milk just in time to save her from disaster.Marah showed up this morning looking like she was headed to a galaâabsolutely radiant, practically glowing. Adela blinked in disbelief and asked, âAre you going to a ball or something?âIt was a workday, after all!Marah gracefully sat down, flashing Layson a sweet smile before responding to Adela, âI have plans with friends tonight.âShe snuck another glance at
Natalie was slightly taller than Adela. She walked ahead with her head down, clearly deep in thought.Adela, fingers tapping her chin, found herself wonderingâhow tall exactly was Dexter? She pictured him standing next to Natalie. Yep. Totally harmonious.In her mind, Natalie already felt like Dexterâs not-so-official fiancĂŠe. Which only made her more curious about the girl.The garden path was softly lit by scattered lamps, casting a gentle glow on every corner. Without needing any help from the staff, the two strolled along the cobblestone path.They stopped at a wooden swing. Natalie casually sat down and started rocking gently, her eyes fixed on the stars above.Adela took a seat on a nearby tree stump. She stayed quiet too, not rushing to speak.âI thought you and Layson would be staying somewhere else. I came by tonight just hoping to run into you. Didnât expect my luck to be this good.âAdela chuckled softly, âYeah, we just moved back to the main house today.âThe swing paused,
Richard scooped Ralph into his arms, a heavy sigh in his chest and a touch of melancholy in his eyes. âYou donât want Grandpa to go with you anymore, is that it?âUsually, it was either Richard or Diana who showed up at the kindergarten events. Layson was always busy, and back then, Adela hadnât yet appeared in their lives. Richard wasnât even of retirement age, but he had all but handed the company over to his son just to raise this grandson.And now this same grandson clearly preferred this womanâhis birth motherâwhom heâd barely known for a few days. Of course Richard felt bitter.In his soft little voice, Ralph answered, âI want Grandpa to go too. Can Mommy come with us?âThat was definitely a no.Richard had no intention of publicly acknowledging Adela as Ralphâs biological mother just yet. He frowned, shooting her a warning glare, clearly signaling her to speak up.âYour son is asking you something. Youâre not going to answer him?â His wide-eyed glare was so dramatic, Adela didn
Cici wasnât short to begin with, and once she put on that dress, paired with her cherubic face, she looked exactly like one of those mischievous rich heiresses from TV dramas.Adela walked over with a laugh, holding her phone. She nudged Cici to sit on the edge of the bed. âLet me snap a photoâthis oneâs going in the memory book.âAs she took the picture, she casually set the bookmark on the desk. Cici seemed frozen, almost like a puppet on strings, not saying a word the entire time.After Adela was done, Cici just sat there twisting her fingers together, clearly flustered. âSo, um... you...â She tried to say something but couldnât get the words out, her face flushed red as a tomato. Then she bolted into the bathroom like her life depended on it to change into her regular clothes.Adela sighed quietly, set the bookmark back where it was, and sat in the chair, zoning out.Her brain was in total chaos.Cici liked Zach?Seriously?When Cici finally emerged from the bathroomâtwenty minute
Back in her sophomore year, the first time Mia laid eyes on Carl, he was leaning against a sports car, black slacks, white shirt, sunglasses, a cigarette dangling from his lips.Just one glanceâand she was done for.For the next three years, all the way through graduation, she chased after him relentlessly. Carl was four years older, and Mia would ditch class just to catch a glimpse of him.But Carl never responded to her feelings. Still, Mia had made up her mind long agoâif she couldnât have him, no one else would. Her mission had always been to ruin any woman who got too close. Luckily, Carl had never had many female friends.She could tell Carl treated Adela differently. But since Adela already had a boyfriendâand not just any boyfriend, but Layson NormanâMia didnât consider her a real threat at first.That changed last night.When Carl praised Adela in front of Grandma Rodriguez, something clicked. Miaâs instincts screamed at her: Carl liked this girl.And that terrified her.Mia
Marah approached with a practiced grace, the picture of an upper-class lady. She gave Gina a polite, close-lipped smile, all poise and decorum.The moment Gina heard Marahâs voice, she instinctively braced herself. Swirling her wine glass casually, she asked, âAnd you are?âBefore anyone else could respond, Marah jumped in, âIâm Laysonâs cousin. I currently work at Starry.âGina paused, looking her over. âSo you work with Adela, then? Youâre a jewelry designer too?âPride flickered in Marahâs eyes, though her tone stayed modest. âThatâs right.âGina wasnât particularly interested in what Marah did or where she worked. What caught her attention was Marah claiming to be Laysonâs cousin. She glanced at Laysonâhis face revealed nothingâand Adela, who didnât look the least surprised. That alone made Gina more curious about Marah.Layson rubbed his brow, noticing Adelaâs focus still on the chaos surrounding Mrs. Rodriguez. He let out a breath, equal parts amused and helpless. âIf youâre so