The expression on Sophia's face shifted however she knew she couldn't get mad at Amelia because Lucian was there. In a sour tone, she said, "Yes, Vernon's your father and I'm just your stepmother. It doesn't matter if I'm here or not."
Amelia was just about to tell her that what she said was true when she suddenly heard Yolanda's voice. "Mom, why did you ask us to come back? Jasper and I seldom have enough time to sleep. How annoying!"
Amelia was surprised upon hearing this.
She realized what Sophia just said was indeed an excuse. Sophia talked to them as if they weren't expected guests. Yolanda chiming in like that only embarrassed her.
"This is the first day of the new year. You shouldn't be developing bad habits such as sleeping in. Besides, you're pregnant. You should be walking out and keeping yourself healthy." Embarrassed, Sophia walked up to Yolanda and held her arms, her face gleaming. She said in joy, "My friends are so envious of me. They're jealous that I have a grandson whom I can take care of!"
"Hi, Yolanda. Where is Jasper? Didn't you come with him?" Vernon asked as he stood up.
As soon as Yolanda entered the living room, she caught a glimpse of the gifts on the table. Suddenly, her eyes lit up with excitement. Pointing at the gifts, she asked, "Lucian, did you buy them for me?"
Amelia couldn't help but look away. She just picked up her cup of tea and pretended to take a sip.
Yolanda just ignored Vernon's question.
"Dad's asking you," Lucian said in a low voice instead of answering her question.
"Uh..." Embarrassed, Yolanda stole a glance at Amelia before answering her father's question, "Dad, Jasper's out getting some noodles from my favorite shop for me since I'm craving."
After she spoke, she shot Amelia a glance to watch her reaction to what she had just said.
While Amelia really was feeling strangely, it wasn't anything like what she felt before. She just couldn't stand Yolanda purposely showing off Jasper to her. It was obvious that Yolanda was just trying to get a rise out of Amelia.
"Jasper is good to you. You shouldn't be so bossy around him. He needs to be respected too," Sophia suddenly said sharply. She purposely raised her voice so that Amelia would hear.
"Mom, why do you think that I don't treat Jasper well? I'm carrying his baby. I can't possibly go out. It might risk my pregnancy," Yolanda said robotically. It was as if she was reading lines out of a script.
Both Lucian and Amelia remained calm. Only Vernon seemed serious.
It was as if he was too shocked to say anything.
In the past few years, Vernon had always acted as the cushion between Sophia and Amelia. As much as possible, he tried to make sure that no one was getting unequal treatment. However, Yolanda and Sophia were too overbearing that Amelia suffered as a result.
"Yolanda, just sit down." Vernon's voice was stern. It seemed as if he was at a loss.
Yolanda noticed that Lucian and Amelia were just minding their own business, sipping their tea, and basically, just ignoring her. She sat down and began to look through the gifts on the table that Lucian had brought.
"Lucian's the talk of the town since Amelia's married to him and he's the most powerful man in the city. I felt so honored because Amelia's my daughter," Sophia suddenly said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Amelia didn't mind her. She knew Sophia never saw her as family and the feeling was mutual. She just decided to ignore Sophia.
"Yeah. She has always been a sweet girl," Vernon echoed, smiling kindly.
The expression on Sophia's face changed. She obviously didn't want Vernon to be praising Amelia so she shifted the topic. "Amelia, you're just 25 years old. This is the perfect time to have a child. Don't you plan on having one?"
As Amelia sipped her tea, she didn't know what if she should swallow it or spit it out as she was so taken aback by this sudden invasive question.
Lucian, who had been silent this all time, suddenly spoke, "Well, Amelia and I aren't the type to follow tradition. We'd like to spend this time nurturing our relationship at least for the next two years. Only then will we think about having a baby."
As an experienced businessman, he was always calm and collected even in the face of adversity.
Amelia and Lucian first got married before getting into a real relationship. The ring that Lucian had given her last night made everything official. As time passed by, their relationship only grew for the better.
"You're right but a woman is only young once. You might find it difficult to get pregnant if you wait until Amelia's a little bit older," Sophia spoke as if she knew everything. She then turned to the pregnant Yolanda and said proudly, "Yolanda's only a year older than Amelia and she was smart enough to take advantage of her age to get pregnant while she's still healthy."
So did she only say all of that so she could praise Yolanda in the end?
"Yes, she just surprised us all with this, huh," Amelia sneered with disdain.
Yolanda and Jasper got married after Yolanda got pregnant. That was what Amelia meant and it was not lost on Sophia.
All the color on Yolanda's face drained, her brows furrowed together. She looked at Sophia expectantly as if she was longing for help.
"Amelia, are you talking about Yolanda?" Sophia was quick to rush to her daughter's defense. Her once smiling face was replaced with a scowl.
"Following your logic then you're being just as mean to me." Amelia stood up and walked to Lucian. "Lucian, we're done visiting dad, we can leave now."
She didn't want to stay here anymore and spend another second with Yolanda and Sophia.
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