Abandoned by All I Took It All Back novel Chapter 531

That evening.

The friends from "The Graces' Chat" were having a get-together.

Melody had been busy shooting a scene during the day's birthday party and couldn't make it, though her gifts for the children had arrived long before. Maggie, on the other hand, was on a business trip in another province. She'd tried to catch an early flight back, but a three-hour delay meant she didn't get to Clayborne City until three in the afternoon.

Of all her close friends, only Wendy had been able to attend the twins' birthday party.

So that evening, Janina organized a special dinner just for her best friends. She chose The Tasting Room, mainly for its high level of security. As the reigning queen of web series, Melody constantly had to be on guard against the paparazzi. Sometimes, being too famous was a burden.

Once they were all seated, the friends slipped into a relaxed, freewheeling mood.

"It feels like forever since we all got together like this. Has it been a month? Let's enjoy ourselves tonight. I just feel bad making West run around for us," Melody said, taking a sip of her iced tea and glancing toward West, who was heading into their private room.

Because it was a gathering for Janina's closest friends, West had personally taken over the kitchen to cook for them, remembering each of their tastes.

"Well, that's what happens when Nina has so many doting brothers," Maggie chimed in with a light laugh, already digging into the food with an envious look. "Knowing it's our girls' night, he's cooking for us himself. We're definitely benefiting from being friends with you."

West placed one of the dishes on the table, a gentle smile on his face. "Alright, you two, enough with the flattery. Go on, try it and see if you like it."

With that, West placed a bowl of spiced pumpkin soup in front of Wendy. "Your stomach is sensitive, so have some soup first."

His actions, tone, and expression were all perfectly natural. In the four months Wendy had been living with the Holt family, she had grown very familiar with all of them. When she first moved in, it was West who had written out a meal plan for Grace to follow to help her recover. She saw the other Holts every day, and that of course included West. He even gave her a ride to work every day since it was on his way.

After everything she had been through, the Holts had all taken extra care of the poor woman. A week after moving into Crystal Springs, Wendy found her own place and planned to move out, not wanting to impose on Janina's family indefinitely. However, her decision was met with unanimous opposition from the entire Holt family. Grace immediately declared she would adopt Wendy as her daughter, and with Janina's enthusiastic support, she refused to let Wendy leave. And just like that, Wendy became a resident of the Holt household.