“Mom, how could you let a stranger into our house?” Christina grumbled under her breath before putting on her shoes.
“Nathaniel isn’t a stranger, Christina. Don’t be rude,” Sharon replied earnestly.
Since her mother was around, Christina had no choice but to hide her dislike of Nathaniel. As she walked to the dining table, the sight of a huge spread caused her to feel a pang of heartache. “Mom, didn’t I tell you not to cook so many dishes? You’ve just recovered, so you can’t overwork.”
“I’m feeling fine. Besides, Nathaniel rarely comes over, so of course, I should be a good host,” Sharon responded gently. She was on bed rest for six months, but when she could move freely on her own, Christina forbade her from exercising. As a result, she was itching to get active from being cooped up at home every day.
To her, it made sense to cook more dishes since she rarely had two people joining her for a meal.
Christina pouted. Truth be told, she loved her mother’s cooking, but she simply could not bear seeing Sharon overwork herself. That was why she only went back for meals a few days. a week instead of every single day.
When the three of them took their seats at the dining table, Christina naturally sat down next to her mother, but Sharon stopped her. “Why are you sitting next to me? Go and sit beside. Nathaniel.”
“It doesn’t matter who I sit with, Mom,” Christina said. I don’t want to sit next to him.
Sharon glanced at her. Sensing her mother’s displeasure, Christina could only stand up and sit next to Nathaniel obediently.
The sight of them sitting beside each other brought Sharon great satisfaction. With a nod, she said, “All right. Let’s dig in.”
As soon as those words fell from her lips, she reached out and placed a large drumstick on Nathaniel’s plate. “Have you lost weight recently, Nathaniel?”
Christina glared at the drumstick. That’s my favorite. How could Mom give it to him?
Nathaniel was not in a hurry to begin his meal. Instead, he patiently answered Sharon’s question. “I’d been busy with work recently and had to accompany Christina everywhere, so I had not been eating my meals on time.”
The second he finished his utterances, he felt someone pinching his thigh harshly. Puzzled,
he tilted his head and found Christina glaring at him with her lips pressed together. She was clearly warning him to keep quiet.
First, he took my drumstick, and now he’s telling on me? He should think about what he did with Madison before being a tattletale!
Nathaniel’s reply caused Sharon to furrow her brows. In the beginning, she thought Christinal had only brought up divorce in a temper until the latter suddenly talked about bringing her to Hallsbay. That was when she realized Christina had quarreled with Nathaniel.
There were some things that could not be said directly at the dining table, so Sharon simply exhorted her daughter, “It’s normal for married couples to argue every now and then. Talk things out with Nathaniel. He’s not an unreasonable person. You’re an adult, Christina, and you should learn to be the bigger person.”
Knowing that her mother would take Nathaniel’s side, Christina did not argue and merely bit her lip. While she would agree to anything Sharon brought up to her face, she was free to do whatever she wanted behind her back.
“Okay, Mom, I got it. Let’s eat.” Christina placed a piece of meat on her mother’s plate.
Sharon smiled. Even though Christina was not her biological daughter, she was brought up by her. Considering Christina’s gentle and strong personality, Sharon trusted her to do the right thing.
After the meal, Nathaniel stood up, his tall figure casting a long shadow over the dining table.
Gently, Sharon said, “Go take a seat on the couch, Nathaniel. I’ll cut up some fruits for you.”
“There’s no need for that, Ms. Zapler. You must be tired from cooking. I’ll wash the dishes, so you can go rest for a bit,” Nathaniel replied as he took his suit jacket off and slung it over the back of the chair casually.
He then took his watch off and rolled up his sleeves to his elbow.
“It’s okay, Nathaniel. I’ll do it,” Sharon hurriedly said. She was not about to let the CEO of Hadley Corporation wash dishes for her. That simply did not sit right with her.
Christina put down the tableware in her hand and gently pulled her mother in the direction. of the couch. “Mom, you said so yourself that he wasn’t a stranger. Since he’s family, it’s fine if he wants to wash a couple of dishes, right?”
“You kiddo…” Sharon could not argue with Christina, so she sat down on the couch.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Marrying the Ugly Heir for Truth and Wealth