By the time the two arrived home, dinner was just set out on the table.
Upon seeing Sandy and Brandon return, Maya greeted them and gestured for them to wash their hands and eat.
Sandy changed her shoes upon entering and approached Maya, whispering, "Sis-in-law, where's my sister?"
Maya's face lit up with a smile, and she whispered back, "Mom took her out. She wanted to introduce her to a few friends."
For some reason, upon hearing this, Sandy couldn't help but recall the time when Brandon mentioned introducing friends to Sandy.
"Brandon, go call your big brother and Lucas for dinner," Maya instructed.
Unaware of Sandy's expression, Maya raised her head and addressed Brandon.
Brandon responded and headed towards Kason.
Once Brandon left, Maya turned to Sandy, who was still standing by her side. "Sandy, what are you thinking?"
Snapping out of her thoughts at Maya's voice, Sandy curiously asked, "Sis-in-law, who are these friends Auntie took my sister to meet?"
Maya had no intention of hiding anything from Sandy and answered honestly, "Mom and your sister hit it off this afternoon, so she's planning to introduce someone to your sister."
Sandy was momentarily taken aback. "Introduce someone?"
Maya nodded. "He's a good match in terms of qualities and character. More importantly, he's someone we know well. Don't worry, he's not some random person."
Before Sandy could reply, the sound of conversation drifted in from the entrance.
Both Sandy and Maya turned to see Aunt Bruton and Stella entering, holding hands. Behind them was someone Sandy had met not too long ago.
Sandy had a brief moment of confusion, trying to recall if the friend Brandon had mentioned was Nelson.
As she looked at Nelson, who was now walking in with Aunt Bruton and Stella, Sandy's confusion was replaced by a growing certainty that Nelson was indeed the person Brandon mentioned.
Then, Brandon called for Kason and Lucas to come downstairs.
"Why are you here?" Brandon's surprise was evident as he saw Nelson.
"I'm just escorting Aunt Bruton and Miss Thompson back," Nelson replied calmly, his actions and demeanor precise.
Brandon glanced at Stella before casting a gaze at Nelson, but he refrained from saying anything.
Once everyone was seated, Sandy couldn't resist leaning toward Stella and whispering, "What did you and Auntie do?"
Stella's hand paused as she picked up food. She whispered back, "Auntie introduced me to someone."
"What do you think?" Sandy nervously asked Stella.
In truth, regardless of who it was, Sandy hoped that Stella could move on from Luca's shadow.
Stella hesitated for a few seconds. "Sandy, you know, with my current situation, I won't be a burden to anyone."
Sandy had intended to say something, but when she thought about what Luca had done, the words caught in her throat.
She wanted to say not to mind it, but she couldn't simply dismiss the past with a single sentence. So, the words she had intended to say got stuck on her tongue.
Dinner passed harmoniously.
Aunt Bruton seemed genuinely interested in setting Stella up with Nelson. After dinner, Brandon took Sandy, Stella, and Nelson out for a walk.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: I Become A CEO After Divorce