Zuko held his forehead, rendered utterly speechless.
He looked at Chris, who was laughing uncontrollably. He eagerly anticipated the day when Lena would officially
become his cousin-in-law so he could playfully tease him back.
Finally, Zuko sat down for dinner, adopting the identity of “a Thompson”.
When Zuko recounted this to Lina, she burst into giggles.
Seeing her radiant smile, Zuko suddenly felt that spending these days in an empty house was a waste. He needed
to seize what he had missed, so…
The next day, as Lina got out of bed, her legs felt weak, and it took her a while to adjust her walking posture to
something normal.
She looked at Zuko, who was vibrant and busy preparing gifts in the living room and felt a strong urge to give him a
kick.
“Mr. Zuko, these are all the items,” the old housekeeper said with a smile. “Honestly, no matter what you prepare
for your parents, they’ll like it!”
“Just mention that Lina chose them when you deliver them, understood?” Zuko ordered.
“Yes.”
Lina blinked, then descended the stairs slowly.
“You’re awake?” Zuko greeted her with a smile, reaching out to hold her hand.
“I…” Lina blushed. “I’m sorry, Zuko. I forgot to prepare the gifts for their wedding anniversary tomorrow!”
“Everything’s already prepared now. Don’t worry.” Zuko ruffled her hair. “Their anniversary is tomorrow, and they’ll
surely celebrate it alone. So, we can go back for dinner today!”
Lina widened her eyes and rushed into the closet to pick out a turtleneck sweater.
After arriving at Zen Residence, they saw Zephyr and Cordelia enjoying the flowers in the yard from afar. The yard
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtwas filled with purple irises, which contrasted beautifully against the distant blue sky.
Sunlight bathed them, illuminating the happiness in their smiles.
Zuko and Lina approached to greet them.
After exchanging pleasantries, Zephyr seemed eager for them to leave and enjoy their own world. He turned to
Zuko, saying, “Take Pammy out to have some fun!”
Zuko noticed his father’s disgruntled gaze.
“Where should I take her?”
“The ranch just got renovated. You can take her horseback riding!”
Zuko had no choice but to follow his father’s instructions.
Zephyr smiled in satisfaction. However, not long after, a carefree peal of laughter echoed from the entrance.
Zephyr was speechless.
He had just sent the daughter away, and now her father was here!
“Hahaha!” Nicholas made a bow. “Happy anniversary to you both! By the way, during your wedding, I recall there
was a local custom. The bride had to step on the groom’s head? Should you do that for your anniversary, too?”
“The local custom is for the bride to step on the groom’s foot, not his head! You got it all wrong!” Linda’s brows
furrowed tightly as she corrected him.
Nicholas received another scolding, so he pouted and fell silent.
Cordelia linked her arm with Linda’s, and the two best friends headed to the glass greenhouse to chat.
Meanwhile, the two old men outside looked at their wives expectantly. After exchanging glances and realizing their
wives were ignoring them, they looked at each other and went to make a pot of tea to play chess.
“Linda, try the pastries I made!” Cordelia offered her a plate of treats delicately shaped like apricot and peach
blossoms. They were well-made and smelled refreshing.
Linda smiled, but there was a hint of strain in her expression.
Cordelia could easily tell that something was bothering her. “Linda, tell me if something’s bothering you. If there’s
any way I can help, I’ll definitely do it for you.”
Linda looked at Cordelia with gratitude in her eyes and spoke softly. “Cordelia, I’m lucky to have you to confide in…”
“What’s the matter?” Cordelia asked.
“It’s about Renee’s mother,” Linda replied.
Cordelia was taken aback. In her understanding, Renee’s mother was an honest and kind-hearted woman despite
facing various difficulties and illnesses.
Even during tough times, she admirably guided Renee on the right path, preventing her from scheming against the
Thompsons’ wealth. Cordelia held great respect for her because of this.
“Do you mean Kaitlyn?” Cordelia inquired. “What happened to her?”
Linda paused briefly before explaining slowly, “A few days ago, Nicholas and I invited her to our house to discuss the
marriage of our two children. We truly care for Renee and treat her like our own daughter.
“However, Kaitlyn… She seemed very distant and hardly interacted with us. But when we mentioned the wedding
gifts your family plans to give Renee, she showed a lot of interest.”
Cordelia was surprised. “What did she ask?”
“She inquired about how much money your family would give to Renee!” Linda hesitated before continuing. “She
even asked if there were any shares of the Hamerton Group in the wedding gifts. She wanted to know about your
jewelry box and how much Toph will inherit in the future, as well as details about the assets of the Irwins and
Bakers…
“Cordelia, how am I supposed to respond to these questions? Isn’t it strange?” Linda was puzzled.
Cordelia felt a shiver down her spine. Kaitlyn shouldn’t be that kind of person, but why…
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm“Perhaps she feels that her illness has burdened Renee, and she wants to secure more for her daughter,” Linda
suggested with furrowed brows.
Cordelia pondered for a moment. The explanation did make some sense.
“Oh, and Cordelia, it gets even stranger.” Linda continued. “After discussing the marriage matters, Nicholas asked
the butler to show her around… but somehow, she ended up arguing with Lena!
“I asked Lena why they were fighting, but she didn’t say a word!”
Cordelia also found this quite unusual. Why would Kaitlyn end up arguing with Lena in a large estate like the
Thompsons’?
“Linda, maybe you should ask Pammy to inquire about it.”
“What?”
“Can’t you see it?” Cordelia chuckled. “Lena doesn’t listen to anyone except Pammy!”
When Lina asked Lena about the situation, Lena initially remained silent. She just gave her a faint look and asked,
“Do you trust me?”
Lina was taken aback for a moment, then nodded gently.
“As long as you trust me unconditionally, I’ll tell you,” Lena said, biting her lip and lowering her voice. “That day… it
was because that woman kept hanging around the study!”
“What?” Lina was surprised. “Didn’t my dad ask the butler to show her around the garden?”
“She claimed to have lost track of the butler and got lost,” Lena said. “But from what I observed, she was sneaking
around the study.
“Moreover, she didn’t seem sick at all! She looked perfectly healthy!”
Lena was becoming agitated, and Lina patted her on the shoulder to calm her down.
“I know you might not believe me.” Lena glanced at her. “After all, she’s Ms. Renee’s mother, and I… am just an
outsider here.”