Jared frowned as he nodded. His expression was wooden. “You’re here alone?”
She nodded and answered in a velvety tone, “I got bored at home, and you weren’t answering my calls. So, I decided to come out myself.”
“Have a seat then,” Jared spoke flatly as he ordered a steak for her.
When the steaks were served, Anthony carefully placed Summer on the seat next to his before gracefully cutting the steak.
Summer didn’t know how to cut a steak, and I was too lazy, so I usually let him do it for her.
Jared placed some cut pieces of steak on Summer’s plate as he spoke to her gently, “Summer, do you mind eating the ones that I’ve cut?”
Summer hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Kristina was cutting her steak and frowned at the sight of Jared’s actions. She seemed displeased. She transferred her steak to Jared’s plate and smiled at him. “Jared, my arms have been feeling so sore these few days. Won’t you help me cut my steak?”
Jared’s brows furrowed as he ate a bite of his steak. He looked around for a waiter and waved one over.
The waiter arrived at the table and inquired politely, “Sir, is there anything I can help you with?”
“Could you please cut this steak up, thank you.”
Oh wow, he’s actually asking a waiter to do it.
I chanced a glance at Kristina, who had paled and appeared humiliated.
Since it was requested by a customer, the waiter could only smile meekly as he cut up the steak.
The atmosphere instantly became awkward.
Anthony seemed to ignore everyone else at the table as he carefully placed cut pieces of steak on my plate. He spoke gently, “Just eat. Don’t get distracted.”
I nodded as I tore my attention away from them.
Summer looked at me, then turned to look at Kristina. I had no idea what was going on in that head of hers.
She suddenly asked, “Mr. Crest, do you not love this lady?”
I almost spit out the water I had drank. This kid doesn’t have a filter at all.
Kristina’s face paled as she lowered her gaze and chewed her lips. She looked utterly humiliated but somehow managed to squeeze out a smile.
Jared raised his brows and looked at Summer. “Do you know what love is?”
Summer nodded. “Uncle John told me. He said that if a boy loves a girl, he’ll take care of her. Just like how Mr. Featherstone loves my mommy. He always takes care of her by helping her cuts her steak or cooks for her. He also calls her a lot to check if she’s ok.”
Looks like John literally teaches her everything.
At her words, Anthony’s lips curved upwards in a smile. “Your Uncle John has pretty good observation skills.”
Heh!
Summer nodded and continued earnestly, “Of course. He said that I need to learn to be observant so that I’ll know if a boy loves me or not. Only then can I be happy.”
“Summer, less talking, more eating,” I cut in after seeing Kristina’s dismal expression.
Pregnant women are prone to mood swings. I don’t particularly like her but I’m not going to agitate or provoke her on purpose.
Summer hummed in acknowledgement and started eating.
Jared’s gaze fell on Summer as he appeared to be deep in thought. I didn’t know if it was on purpose or not, but he suddenly blurted, “That candor! Just like her!”
I frowned, knowing that he was referring to Macy. It’s a bit pointless to be bringing that up now, though.
I made an excuse and left for the restroom.
Humans are strange beings. We don’t appreciate things when we have them, yet we scramble for scraps when what we have is truly gone. What an irony.
Kristina followed me to the restroom with an upset expression on her face. “Since you’ve already adopted her, why must you parade her around and ruin other people’s lives?”
Shocked, I turned to look at her. I asked with a frown, “Ruin people’s lives?”
I couldn’t help a mirthless laugh from escaping. “First of all, let’s be clear that you won’t meet anyone who’s more reluctant to let him meet Summer than me. As for today’s meal, he begged me to let him eat with Summer. And now you’re blaming me?”
She looked at me as she sighed, “I hope we can avoid each other from now on. You can live happily with this child in K City. Just don’t appear in my life ever again.”
I began to pity her. She’d become a bundle of nerves over the appearance of this kid. I scoffed, “Biological relationships are such fascinating things. No one can predict how they’ll play out in the future, so here’s a piece of advice for you—just focus on the baby in your belly and live your life without worrying about every little thing.”
Jared obviously doesn’t love her at all. The only bargaining chip she has is her unborn baby.
I didn’t want to continue debating such meaningless topics with her, so I quickly entered the restroom.
Suddenly Stacey was calling me. I was reluctant to pick up the phone but decided to answer the call after some thought.
“Are you busy? Can we grab a bite together tomorrow?” She worked at Featherstone Corporation, and I knew she was busy as she frequently commuted between K City and J City.
After some thought, I replied, “Tomorrow’s the weekend. I may need to bring Summer to the book store. I can’t confirm if I’ve any free time yet.”
“We can just grab a quick dinner. It won’t take long.” She paused for a moment before continuing, “I know you have some misgivings about me, but Sienna, you need to hear me out. We always have to put ourselves first. Besides, she deserved it.”
Stacey’s accusation against Nancy on the filming set—whether intentional or not—wasn’t a big deal to me. But I do have the right to choose my own friends, and I’d rather spend my time with people who share my values.
“Alright, see you this weekend then.” Phone calls were devoid of visual cues and could often be misleading.
She answered, “See you!”
As I hung up, I exited the restroom and noticed that Summer wasn’t at our table. Only Anthony and Jared were there. I frowned as I asked, “Where’s Summer?”
“She wanted to pick a dessert; she went to pick it out with Kristina,” Jared replied.
I was worried and a little angry, but I couldn’t take it out on Jared. I looked at Anthony and said, “Summer’s a cheeky kid, and Ms. Ludwick’s pregnant. How can you let her follow Kristina?”
Anthony sensed my panic and stood up, holding my hand. “They’re just in the restaurant. Don’t worry, they’ll be back soon.”
I shook off his hand and walked towards the dessert area. It’s not that I don’t trust Kristina. It’s just that her character is unreliable. Summer’s very existence is a threat to her unborn baby. There’s too much risk involved.
The restaurant was huge, and I walked a whole round before seeing Summer. She was busy choosing desserts from the display counter.
I let out a sigh of relief when I saw that she was safe. Then I noticed that Kristina was taking a photo of Summer on her phone. I frowned and strode forward, snatching the phone from her hands to delete the photos.
“Ms. Ludwick, that is my daughter. You can’t take or distribute photos of her without my permission.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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