“But...” Avery was hesitant.
Since it was only the second day she was officially dating Cayden, it was probably too soon to meet his family.
To be exact, she wasn't mentally prepared for it.
Moreover, the reality could be harsh—she and Cayden just weren't on the same level when it came to their family status.
“No pressure. My background isn't any better than yours. Heck, it's probably worse than yours.” Cayden could roughly guess her concerns.
After Cayden said so, Avery could hardly decline his invitation.
She felt immensely stressed and nearly couldn't breathe after ending her call with Cayden. This feeling probably won't vanish until after I meet his family.
While she was deep in thought, her phone rang a few times.
Upon seeing that the calls were from Zayne, Avery did not answer or reject them.
Instead, she ignored all calls as if she didn't hear anything.
Deep down, Avery thanked Milana for putting up the shows that were supposed to irritate her.
After all, she finally knew Zayne's true colors after witnessing the intense show in the bathroom just now.
With that, she could give up on Zayne entirely and not feel a single hint of remorse for him.
Once Avery agreed to come home for dinner with Cayden, Jeffrey was so excited it was as if he wanted to prepare for Christmas.
“If everything goes smoothly, I'll have more grandchildren!” After murmuring to himself, Jeffrey whacked Kendrick with his walking cane and said, “Look at you! You don't have a wife, a girlfriend, or children. What a loser! Go home and clean the house now!”
“Cayden only brought a girlfriend home when he's twenty-nine. Since I'm a few years younger than him, why should I be worried? By the way, isn't the old furniture your favorite? You even said you would never change it!” Kendrick said.
“Stop spewing nonsense already!” Jeffrey was irritated and wanted to hit Kendrick with his walking cane again.
Once Kendrick got home, he sat down and instructed others to change the coffee table, couch, and dining table to some new and stylish furniture.
Besides that, he even asked the maids to pack Jeffrey's favorite antique furniture carefully so they could deliver it to the storeroom.
Following Kendrick's instructions, they had fully transformed the living room by four o'clock in the afternoon.
When Zachary got home from school, he was shocked by the sight of the living room. “Great-grandpa, what happened? Where is our old furniture?”
“Your daddy is going to come home with a lady tonight. Rory, Zach, remember to be obedient to your daddy and me later. Don't be naughty and mischievous, okay?” Jeffrey reminded them smilingly. Deep down, he was worried the kids would hate their future stepmother.
“A lady?” Zachary glanced at Rory.
“Great-grandpa, what's the lady's name?” Rory asked in a cute voice as she hugged Jeffrey's leg and looked up at him.
“Her name is...” Jeffrey couldn't help but frown. After recalling Cayden's conversation over the phone in the restroom, he said, “I think her name is something like Ery...”
“Ms. Ery?” Zachary widened his eyes upon hearing that.
Shocked, Jeffrey lowered his gaze and asked, “Do you know this Ms. Ery?”
“I do!”
Meanwhile, the maids went in and out of the residence, busy preparing dinner.
Zachary stood in front of Jeffrey as he explained, “We went to Ms. Ery's house before. She treated us well and even cooked for us. Also, Daddy shamelessly stayed in her house and refused to leave.”
Once Zachary finished, Rory quickly chimed in, “Besides, when Daddy brought us along on one of his business trips previously, all of us stayed in Ms. Ery's room overnight.”
Once Rory revealed the shocking news, Jeffrey perked up and raised his eyebrow. “What? Did your daddy sleep with her already?”
The two kids nodded non-stop.
“Daddy is so annoying because he always bullies Ms. Ery. There was a time when I saw her cry after being bullied.”
Zachary was worried about Avery, thinking that Cayden would bully her if she married him. After all, Zachary thought his father didn't seem like a good man.
Sitting on the new couch and holding his walking cane, Jeffrey tried to ascertain how much his grandson actually liked this woman.
At the same time, Jeffrey recalled that many years ago, his son Bruce had made a lot of promises to Lily but bullied her after they got married.
It was why Lily spent a lot of time crying for the majority of her life.
Even after Bruce passed away, Lily would cry whenever she recalled the painful past.
Although Jeffrey was aware of Bruce's personality, he was shocked to find out that his son was such a jerk. He was worried that the same thing would happen to Cayden and Avery, especially since he didn't know Cayden as well as he knew Bruce.
After searching every room upstairs, Kendrick came down and asked, “Where is my mom?”
Speak of the devil, a black Mercedes-Benz stopped at the entrance of their residence, and Lily came out of it.
“Mom, why did you drink in the morning?” Kendrick frowned as he supported Lily, for she wobbled and almost hit her head against the door.
When Lily opened her eyes and saw Kendrick, she held his face and said smilingly, “You're so handsome. Allie's lowly son is no match for you!”
“Mom, you're drunk. Let me take you upstairs.” Kendrick knew how crazy his mother could be when she was inebriated. For all these years, she would create havoc every time she was drunk.
Since today was a special day, Kendrick had to keep an eye on Lily and ensure she behaved herself. After all, this Ms. Ery woman is innocent in all this.
Moreover, it was something embarrassing that the family didn't want Avery to know, at least for now.
“I feel uncomfortable... Don't drag me!” When they almost reached the door, Lily swung her handbag to hit Kendrick. Then, she said furiously, “You're a traitor! What's wrong? Are you worried that I'll embarrass the family because I'm drunk? Kendrick, look closely. I'm your biological mother! Allie is the homewrecker who hurt me!”
“I understand. Mom, please let me take you upstairs to get some rest. I'm worried that you'll have a headache again.” Kendrick tried very hard to persuade her.
Since Kendrick was concerned for her, Lily was satisfied and nodded in response. With that, he supported her as they went upstairs.
Meanwhile, Jeffrey couldn't help but sigh at the sight of it.
Zachary and Rory weren't surprised, for they had seen it many times. They exchanged glances and went upstairs.
After that, they freshened up and changed into a new set of clothes and shoes.
Since Avery would be here soon, Zachary even took the hair gel from Kendrick's room. Then, he stood in front of the mirror and slowly combed his black hair back.
“Zach, you're so handsome,” Rory told Zachary after she had put on a fluffy dress.
“Really?” Zachary flashed her a smile and said shyly, “I'm flattered.”
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