Buying My Forever Wife novel Chapter 445

Downstairs in the living room.

Seeing Alaric and Ivy bringing the child down the stairs, Sylvia rushed over, putting on a desperate show of a grieving mother.

"Stella, Mommy bought you two new outfits. Come try them on, sweetie, okay?"

Hearing that, Stella shrank back behind Ivy, outright rejecting her with sheer disgust.

"I don't want them! I have plenty of pretty clothes already."

"But Mommy bought these just for you. Just try them on."

Sylvia's face crumpled, looking as though she was on the verge of breaking down in tears.

Alaric stood to the side, his voice dripping with ice.

"I'm giving you exactly one week. If the child still doesn't want you near her by then, you pack your bags and leave. Understood?"

Sylvia didn't fully comprehend his harsh ultimatum and cast a bewildered look at Ivy.

Although Ivy felt a twinge of discomfort, she maintained a polite, friendly demeanor as she explained.

"He means you can stay here and try to bond with Stella. But if she still doesn't like you after a week, you have to move out and never show your face to her again."

She figured that was precisely what Alaric meant.

Honestly, it was for the best.

Otherwise, if Sylvia kept showing up at their house every single day, it would seriously disrupt their lives.

Giving her one uninterrupted week to make up for all the missing years of maternal love was a solid compromise.

A week was plenty of time for Stella to get comfortable with the woman and decide her ultimate fate.

Sylvia finally grasped the rules, utterly thrilled that she was officially allowed to move in.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, she bowed repeatedly to both Ivy and Alaric.

"Thank you. Thank you both so much! If I can't get my daughter to love me in a week, I'll pack my bags and walk out the door myself."

Alaric completely ignored her, striding purposefully toward the dining room.

Ivy grabbed Stella's hand and led her in the same direction.

She then turned and instructed Mrs. Gable,

"Mrs. Gable, could you show her to the guest room?"

Mrs. Gable understood the assignment instantly, gesturing coldly for Sylvia to follow her upstairs.

"I really have that much power now? Does that mean next time Hazel and the others visit, I can invite them to stay the night?"

This was incredibly crucial to her.

If Alaric gave her the green light, she wouldn't have to put on a fake show in front of her sister anymore.

Constantly spinning a web of lies was getting utterly exhausting.

She was practically turning into a chronic little deceiver.

The man sitting across from her gave a simple hum of approval.

Striking while the iron was hot, Ivy pressed her luck. "In that case, my brother is going on break soon. Can I bring him over to stay for a few days?"

Alaric realized he had already painted himself into a corner; there was no way he could back down now.

Whatever.

She was his one and only wife; he might as well indulge her whims.

It was just adding one more person to the house—it would only make the place a bit livelier.

And if it got too chaotic, he could always just whisk his wife away to a luxury hotel suite for a few nights.