Cordy actually felt guilty.She and John were sleeping in the same bed on their wedding night but were doing nothing at all.She had no intention of shirking her spousal obligation since she decided to marry John.To her, marriage was no child's play, and it should be treated solemnly.Even so, what happened tonight was definitely unexpected, and Cordy felt even more guilty when she saw the box of condoms in the bedside drawer.John had really prepared for everything.In fact, that was not all—he even prepared underwear and sanitary pads for her, so there was nothing to worry about despite the surprise.John probably just did not expect that she would need the pads tonight.In fact, Cordy had trouble sleeping the whole night, tossing and turning in bed, probably because she was not used to sleeping in a new place.As for the man beside her, he did not sleep at all.They were still asleep late into the morning because of that until John's phone rang.He picked it up. "Aunt Na
Zoe promptly hung up, while Cordy turned toward John and said, "Zoe and Jay have both returned to Levine Manor. Let's join them—Dicky's there too."John nodded, since they would not not get any sleep in peace.They got out of bed and started washing up.John then entered the bathroom first, telling Cordy, "Your clothes are in the closet room."Cordy headed over, and found the closet room so huge it could match their bedroom.She opened one of the closets to find rows of women's clothing arranged neatly, outnumbering John's clothes by a ton.Naturally, every piece of clothing was her size—John certainly made considerable effort preparing this house.As such, she wondered again how traumatizing it would be if she had rejected his proposal.Still, she did not mull for too long—the dust had settled, and everything was going to be better now.She picked a set of rather formal clothes and put on light makeup while John put on a suit.They got in the car together, with Cordy admirin
Cordy froze outside the front door, left embarrassed by Zoe even before she stepped inside.Talk about a rock and a hard place…Still, Zoe turned and saw her right then but appeared completely unabashed as she called out to Cordy loudly, "Oh, Cordy! You finally brought my cousin—I mean, my nephew home!"John pursed his lips—Zoe was really getting full of herself after she took a promotion in seniority.And to make things worse, he could not argue—which really felt like a defeat."Your dear aunt is getting real impatient. I think she'll drag you both out of bed if you still drag your feet," Zoe teased."Watch your manners," Nancy snapped. "What manners? I'm their aunt too—what I say goes," Zoe argued.Nancy was stumped, while Jay quickly smoothed things over. "Why don't we get things underway? Everyone's hungry, especially the kids."He was certainly concerned that Nancy would start fighting Zoe, especially the latter being so fearless after she got over her past history with
Zoe turned toward her gift envelope, expecting not even ten percent of Jay's, and opened it right in front of Nancy.However, Zoe found nothing inside her envelope and could blow up right then.What the hell…Nancy really knew how to upset her!Still, Nancy could tell what Zoe was thinking from the latter's reaction. "Keep looking.""For what?!" Zoe snapped, speechless. "Lint?!"She then felt something small inside—could Nancy insult her any further?!It had been years, but she was still so petty!"Just take out what's inside already!" Nancy snapped sternly then.She was not worried that Zoe would misunderstand, but she was really afraid that Zoe would be so pig-headed she would throw the envelope away. Zoe was certainly reluctant, but she had been obedient to Nancy for years and did as she was told.And when she did, she was stunned to find that it was not a lint but an emerald ring instead.It also looked so familiar she had the feeling that she had seen it before…"You
"Why not?" Nancy calmly shot back. "Legitimate children take priority!"Zoe was stunned for a moment, before realizing what Nancy meant.Turning toward Jay, she told him, "Your sister is calling you a b*st*rd."Jay was speechless—Zoe really took it all in stride, did she not?Nancy in turn ignored Zoe and helped Cordy with the bangle, satisfied with how it looked on her wrist. "Johnny's grandmother would definitely be pleased to know that he married such a great wife."Cordy was a little embarrassed from the flattery, while Nancy quickly said, "Alright, let's eat.""Thank you, Aunt Nancy," Cordy said earnestly—being accepted by family was most precious and emotional for her, someone who was denied familial warmth since she was a child.After the tea ceremony, everyone headed to Levine Manor's spacious dining hall for lunch. Zoe was famished, since she hurried to Levine Manor without breakfast, worried that Nancy would scold her for being late. In fact, she would probably get
"But she's Grandma," Yelena said seriously."I look old, don't I?" Nancy asked a little grumpily—it would be upsetting whether she was addressed as grandma or otherwise."No." Yelena shook her head and explained seriously, "You are Mommy's mommy, so that means you're Grandma."Nancy was speechless for a moment, and she snapped, "Eat."She was certainly not bothered to waste her breath with a four-year-old brat, and she carried Yelena to another chair, bringing over a child's fork and spoon to feed her."I don't like cucumbers, Grandma," Yelena huffed. "I want meat.""Your hair will turn gray if you don't eat your greens.""Would that look bad?" Yelena asked."Yes.""But your hair is gray, Grandma," Yelena said, pointing at Nancy's hair.While Nancy was left speechless, Yelena demanded, "I want meat, Grandma."Nancy had no choice but to cut a slice of cod and put it on her plate.After she ate, Yelena said, "I want soup, Grandma. I'm thirsty."Nancy brought her a small bowl
After lunch, John led Cordy upstairs to his room for a break.As they went, Zoe was giggling as she watched them, leaving Cordy speechless. Honestly, why did she have to keep thinking about that stuff?Seemingly reading her mind, John suddenly said, "She's not wrong.""Huh?" Cordy was confused.John leaned in and whispered something into her ear, and she was left flushing right then.He grinned. "Go to bed already, Mrs. Levine.""Should we sleep… in separate beds?" Cordy asked, concerned for his spiritual well-being just then."No." He refused summarily. "I'd rather spontaneously combust than let you spontaneously vanish."Cordy's heart skipped a beat—how scared was he that she would leave him?-Meanwhile, Zoe remained in the parlor, watching a reality show on TV.Jay had left to coax Yelena to take a nap, or he would not be able to return to Zoe.She sat on the couch, feeling that everything there changed though the people living there were different.Suddenly, she had
Zoe stared at Cora in slight surprise, not quite convinced that she could let go of past grievances so easily.Cora read Zoe's mind too and explained, "Since I've been brought back here, my mother has become the most important person to me. She gave me everything I did not even dare dream of before, be it riches, fame, or kinship. To me, her concerns are mine, and I won't care for what she doesn't care about."In other words, Cora changed her opinion of Zoe because Nancy did.It was as much of a surprise as it was unexpected.However, Zoe told her bluntly, "Actually, I think you should be more independent. You shouldn't be living for anyone else."Cora stared at her, unable to react to Zoe's advice, not to mention that her mother had told her the same thing just the other night."I understand that you're still afraid even after being given back what was rightfully yours," Zoe explained. "That's why you're tiptoeing and never gained confidence, because you fear that your newfound