A Wedding Night Gone Terribly Wrong novel Chapter 31

Winifred quietly stepped back, retreating into the shadows.

She took the baby bottles to the bathroom to wash them out.

Returning to the bedroom, she gently touched her sleeping babies. Their fine hair was damp with sweat.

She went to prepare some water for them, anticipating they'd wake up thirsty in the middle of the night.

As she descended the stairs from the third floor, she paused on the second-floor landing.

The front door creaked open.

A flurry of footsteps spilled into the entryway.

Quentin, Larissa, and Demi had returned.

Caught in the middle, Winifred hesitated before retreating into the small lounge area adjacent to the staircase, sinking into a single armchair.

Every sound from the living room drifted perfectly into her ears.

Eleanor was the first to speak. "Quentin, come with me for a second."

"What is it?" he asked.

"Your mother has something to ask you."

The sound of their footsteps faded toward the bedroom. That was when Sharon chuckled.

"Demi's gotten so tall, and Larissa is looking more beautiful by the day."

"Shh!" Demi hissed. "Keep your voice down, don't let Winifred hear you."

Sharon corrected her with a tone of mock righteousness. "She's your aunt. It's rude to call her by her first name."

Demi's childish voice piped up defensively. "My sister and I like Shelly! We want her to be our aunt. We only acknowledge her."

Since Eleanor was busy stressing over Quentin's marriage prospects, Sharon naturally wasn't going to miss a chance to pry.

"Which Shelly? How old is she? What does she do? Is she pretty? Does she own property? Do her parents have good retirement funds?"

She fired off a dozen questions in a single breath.

Larissa groaned, annoyed. "You talk too much. You don't need to know all that. She's Dr. Hale from Uncle Quentin's clinic. Shelly Hale."

"That's the idea, but... your grandparents don't like them."

"Oh." Demi paused, her curiosity getting the better of her again. "What about Winifred? Grandma and Grandpa don't like kids who just eat and don't work, but they like hardworking adults. Winifred goes to work to make money, cooks breakfast every day, and tutors us. She does more around here than the nanny."

"I didn't get her anything either."

"Why not? Didn't you say—"

"You're so annoying and stupid!" Larissa snapped, cutting her sister off. "How many times do I have to explain it to you? Uncle Quentin loves Shelly. Winifred has absolutely nothing to do with us. Who would be dumb enough to spend money on someone irrelevant?"

"Got it," Demi said. "Then put the money away."

"I know what I'm doing."

"We need to think really hard about what Shelly likes so we can get her the perfect gift."

"Actually," Larissa schemed, "I don't think we need to spend money at all."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't Winifred just finish developing that holistic beauty serum? We can just ask her for a set and give it to Shelly. She's obsessed with looking good—she even wears full makeup to eat. She'll definitely love it."