Ada said flatly, “Remember, Wayne and Anna are the only reason why I’m having such a bad time right now. One day, I’ll get back everything they owe me!”
Hearing that, Lily trembled and followed her with caution, saying, “I didn’t even dare to go out today. Wayne’s assistant has been around 336 Owing Her an Apology recently. He’s probably trying to catch me. What should | do now? | can’t spend the rest of my life selling drinks here!”
Ada sneered as she looked at her impatiently, “Don’t worry, Lily. Even if he catches you, he will not do anything to you. If he finds you, you can just tell him the truth. That way, he’ll know that the woman he loves has been lying to him all the time.”
The next morning, Anna went to Selina’s place with some fruit and flowers. Selina was alone in the garden trimming roses when Anna arrived.
The maid opened the gate for Anna and showed her the way to the backyard. She said, “Anna, you’re quite polite. You always bring so much stuff every time you visit your aunt.”
Before Anna could reply, Selina said, “Every time | see these things, it makes me feel like you’re here to visit a patient.” Anna immediately frowned and said, “No, Auntie Selina. | brought them because | respect you!”
Selina hadn’t smiled at Anna since she walked in. She was “concentrating” on the roses and almost cut all the leaves off, and she seemed to also be mad at those flowers as well.
Anna felt terrible for the lovely roses, and then sighed. She sat next to. Selina and asked, “Are you still upset over what happened last night? Don’t be angry, it really doesn’t matter.”
Selina asked, frowning, “Don’t you think it matters? This is your family’s first meeting with Wayne’s family, for God’s sake! The Gabriels have a poor reputation, and I’m afraid the Wrights will look down on you after you get married. Bruce and his family are unbearable people. They not only embarrassed me, but also made you look awful in front of the Wrights. What a bunch of snobs!”
Hearing that, Anna wrapped her arms around Selina and leaned on her shoulder, saying, “Gee, Auntie Selina. You know what kind of people they are, and Peter will find out about it if he wants to. Wayne and Peter 337 About Matthew’s Mother are nice people, believe me. Also, they know I’m not familiar with Uncle Bruce and his lousy family.”
“But they acted so rude and outrageous last night! They were very eager to get familiar with you, so they can take advantage of you. They didn’t even greet you before trying to get you to do something for them. It’s such a disgrace!” Selina said furiously.
“But | didn’t say yes to them.”
“Even if they had persuaded you, | would not have agreed! They’re all idiots! Bruce would’ve still been poor if your grandfather hadn’t adopted him fifty years ago. | hope they could get a job and stop idling around.”
Anna giggled at Selina’s words and realized she was still as skilled as ever at swearing. When Anna was a child, she was very afraid of Selina when she was angry. However, Anna only found that she was actually amiable now.
Then Anna laughed and said, “If you keep pruning, you’ll get nothing but the branches.”
Selina lowered her gaze to her rose, then asked Anna, “Do you really not care about it? if so, I don’t even want to talk to you anymore,
Anna.”
Anna exclaimed as she shook Selina’s arm, “No. | still need you to plan my wedding for me. If you don’t talk to me, then | will have difficulties planning a wedding. I need your help, aunt Selina.”
Selina soon stopped being angry. She smiled and said, “You were a dependable little girl when you were younger, but how did you become like this now?” Though Selina was grumbling, she was delighted for Anna. Selina could tell Anna was doing well since she seemed happy in love.
Then Selina added, “Actually, it would be nice if Wayne didn’t have children. | truly don’t want you to be someone else’s stepmother. If 337 About Matthew’s Mother something goes wrong, they’ll all point the finger at you.”
Anna immediately stopped laughing and said seriously, “Auntie Selina, | actually came here to tell you something. I’ve been keeping this a secret for years.”
“What is it?”
Anna pursed her lips and said, “It’s about Matthew’s mother.”
In the evening, Ryan helped the waitress clean the tables at his mother’s hotel. Numerous tourists were visiting this town during the recent holidays, so it was often messy.
The waitress asked as she wiped the tables, “Ryan, does your mother still have a cold? She hasn’t been downstairs in several days, and I’m worried about her. Is everything okay?”
Ryan frowned and turned to face the first floor. The door to his mother’s room was locked, as he could see through the wooden railing of the stairs.
He explained, “Probably because it’s been so cold lately, so her cold will worsen if she catches a cold breeze. It’s fine. She just needs a couple more days to rest. I’ll have the cook prepare something she’ll enjoy and send it to her later.”
The waitress nodded and asked, “Fine. By the way, how come you came back with your mom this time? You said that you were busy with school and wouldn’t be back for a while.”
Ryan made an excuse and said, “I’m not busy anymore.”
“Huh?”
Ryan became irritated and snatched the rag from the waitress’s grasp, saying, “Sally, why are you asking me so many questions today? Why don’t 337 About Matthew’s Mother you clean up the front desk and stop bugging me?”
The waitress didn’t get angry with him. She just sighed and rolled her eyes. As she walked toward the front desk, she said, “I’m not interested in that at all. No wonder your mother is always worried that you can’t find a girlfriend. See, you have a really nasty temper.”
Ryan was in no mood te talk to her and said nothing, Jennie had never left her room since they had returned from Birmingham a week before And Ryan had the waiter bring Jennie meals every day, but she was losing weight by the day.
Itwas already dusk. Because it was a local festival that day, most of the guests were out celebrating, and there was almost no one in the hotel. Sally was sitting at the front desk, dozing, After a while, someone opened the door and asked, “Is this the Maplesugar Hotel?”
Sally replied as soon as she awoke, “Yes. Are you staying here?”
“Yeah.”
“Have you made a reservation?”
“No, | forgot. Is there a room available?”
Sally observed the man wearing a black bowler hat and clutching a camera. She then lowered her head, checked her computer, and smiled, saying, “Lucky you! It just so happens that someone checked the room out at noon. But the cleaners haven’t had a chance to clean it yet. Just a moment, I’ll go and clean it for you.”
The man looked around the small motel thoughtfully as if he was thinking about something. Sally handed him a cup of coffee and told him, “Sir, here you go, Please wait a moment; I’ll be down shortly. May | have your surname, please?”
“Davis.”
“Okay, Mr. Davis.”
Sally then went upstairs to clean up that room. The man took a sip of his coffee and took his camera out of his bag. He sat in the lobby before pointing the camera to the first floor. Then he zoomed in on and noticed a sign in a room on the second floor that said, “Boss’s room, knock if you need anything.” The man then smiled.
At the same time, Jennie was sitting by her room’s window and reading a book under the weak light that illuminated her face. She had her long, shining blonde hair down over her shoulders and was wrapped ina brown blanket.
Ryan had already been standing in the doorway for ten minutes. He was carrying a tray and said, “Mom, you can be mad at me as long as you want. But you’ve got to eat something.”
Jennie nodded, still engrossed in her book. “Leave it there,” she said.
Ryan said anxiously, “You haven’t eaten much since you returned from Birmingham. Even Sally can tell you’re in a bad mood! What are you expecting me to do about it?”
“Did you think of me when you got close to the Wrights behind my 338 Time Flies Away back?” Jennie asked, frowning.
Ryan became frozen, unsure of what to say. Jennie sized him up and realized he was strikingly similar to Wayne. She started to feel bad about it, believing she should never have allowed him to travel to Birmingham in the first place.
When Ryan discovered Wayne and the Wrights in Birmingham, he never tried to hide it from his mother. He’d even called Jennie several times to see if she wanted to meet with Wayne. At the moment, she assumed he was joking.
Jennie thought it was lucky that only Wayne knew the truth. Things would have gotten complicated if Peter had known about it. She sighed after awhile, and said, “Leave it there, I’ll eat it later.”
Ryan fixed his gaze on his mother. She appeared gentle and delicate, yet she was a tough woman. As he placed the tray on the coffee table next to him, he said, “You have to eat. If the meal gets cold, I’ll reheat it for you.”
Jennie nodded and then looked away.
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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