As she stepped inside her house, Calla instinctively called out while changing her shoes, "Mom, I'm back!"Carol, wearing an apron and holding a spatula, immediately poked her head out of the kitchen. "You hungry? Dinner's almost ready."After washing her hands, Calla started setting the table. Carol placed a serving of fish and chips on the table with a smile. "Calla, your cousin's wedding is this Saturday. Let's go together and congratulate them."Hearing this, Calla frowned slightly. Although she had a good relationship with Maurice and Ethan, the recent reconciliation with Rudy's family and Maurice's family was bothersome. It was said that the reconciliation was due to Maurice's new daughter-in-law, Eleanor Anderson, coming from an influential family. Now, Rudy's family was ingratiating themselves with them, acting as if they never had any conflicts in the first place. They treated Tasha with utmost respect. Such a big event was sure to attract Rudy's family, and it co
Calla's complexion was indeed pale due to morning sickness, and she couldn't wear makeup for fear of complications. She dressed rather casually, opting to skip the high heels. She looked quite ordinary—and according to Rudy, was a source of shame to the family.Plus, Calla had a child in her belly. But no one knew that she was married. Rudy's words immediately filled Calla's chest with anger. She retorted, "I don't steal, I don't rob, I don't flirt with men. How am I bringing shame?"At that moment, Calla glanced at Jill and Peggy, who were seated at a table not far away. Rudy wasn't a fool and picked up on Calla's implication. He flew off the handle as he spat, "You ungrateful daughter. You've disgraced me.""I think you've mistaken me for someone else. The disgraceful daughter you're looking for is over there. I have nothing to do with you anymore," Calla replied coldly."It seems like you want to be slapped again." Rudy stepped forward with his hands on his waist. "If you
Such was Carol's personality, and Calla couldn't do anything about it. Thus, she let Carol be. Just as she was thinking this, Calla felt a little nauseous. She was probably about to vomit again. Thus, she briefly gave Carol a heads-up and quickly got up to go to the bathroom.After retching for a while, she tidied herself up and left the bathroom. When she reached the banquet hall's entrance, Calla saw a large flower basket at the door. It had a ribbon that read, "Mercer Garland wishes the newlyweds a lifetime of joy".Seeing this flower basket, Calla couldn't help but be stunned. She was unable to recover from the shock for a while. Why would Mercer send a flower basket to Ethan and Eleanor? She lowered her head and thought for a moment. Mercer must have had some sort of interaction with them at work, so he sent a flower basket to congratulate them. As for attending the banquet, someone as high-profiled as him naturally wouldn't bother."Mrs. Garland, you're here too?"Cal
"Your daughters are all grown up now, alright? Stop using them as an excuse. I see you're deliberately trying to reconcile with Rudy. You're truly shameless," Jill accused Carol.Seeing Carol being bullied by Jill again, Calla couldn't bear it anymore. She rushed over and pointed at Jill, angrily rebuking, "You were a homewrecker back then. You broke our family. Now you have the nerve to speak ill of others? I think you're the most shameless one here.""Calla, you're much younger. How can you talk to your stepmom like this?" Rudy stepped forward to scold Calla. Seeing Rudy, who appeared so righteous at this moment, Calla sneered. "You're not my father anymore. Why would I have a stepmom? Don't make me feel nauseous. I have nothing to do with you shameless people.""You… you're really trying to upset me, aren't you?" Rudy clutched his chest with his left hand, pretending to be in pain. If Carol wasn't anxious before, she was now. She pulled Calla—who spoke up for her—and said, "C
At this critical moment, a figure appeared. The figure used his strong arm to push Peggy aside, causing her to stumble. Jill, on the other hand, ended up landing on the marble floor. She grimaced in pain as soon as she hit the ground.Calla not only avoided being hit but also heard a few ghostly cries in her ears. When she opened her eyes, she was astonished to find Mercer standing beside her. Jill and Peggy were in a sorry state. "Are you okay?" Mercer extended his arm to support the nervous Calla."I… I'm fine," Calla replied, still trying to recover from the shock.Why did he intervene? Wasn't he afraid of exposing their relationship? The agreement clearly stated that they were to be in a covert marriage. Carol saw the man supporting Calla, noticing his handsome and dignified appearance. She put two and two together, deducing that this man had to be her son-in-law.At the next moment, Carol ran up to him and smiled. "Mercer, you're back from your business trip?"Mercer di
Calla stared blankly at the so-called wedding ring in Mercer's hand. It was a silver ring with numerous diamonds embedded in it, shimmering like stars. Though it didn't have a single large centerpiece, she knew it was quite valuable."Let me help you put it on." Mercer affectionately took Calla's hand and slid the ring onto her ring finger. At that moment, Calla's heart raced. She looked up at the person holding her hand, only to see him curling his lips, giving her a gentle smile she had never seen before. Mercer had never been so gentle in front of her. Calla felt her goosebumps rise, but instantly pulled herself together. Right, they were just acting now. He was helping her retaliate against Peggy. She shouldn't be acting so foolishly.Soon, Calla's hand was intertwined with Mercer's. She playfully pouted as she said, "I thought I lost the ring. You scared me half to death.""It's my fault for not returning it to you earlier," Mercer said with a face full of tenderness. He wa
Calla knew she couldn't reason with Carol, so she turned and walked outside instead. Rudy still wore a smile as he said to Mercer, "Mercer, we should have a good chat next time.""Sure," Mercer nodded and turned to follow Calla.Calla and Carol both got into Mercer's Bentley. Simon was driving in the front, and Mercer sat in the passenger seat today. Calla and Carol sat side by side in the back.Carol glanced at the luxurious interior and smiled. She asked, "Mercer, this car is so luxurious. It must belong to your boss, right? Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to ride your boss' car? We'd better take a cab back instead, so as to not affect your work."This puzzled Mercer. He looked at Calla in the rearview mirror. She was at a loss for words herself, not knowing how to explain things to Carol.Just then, Simon turned to Carol and said with a smile, "Madam, Mr. Garland is the boss. This car belongs to him. As such, you and Mrs. Garland can sit however you like."These words le
At once, Mercer and Carol tried to push the envelope into each other's hands. Upon seeing them, Calla decided to just take it and stuff it into Carol's hands while saying, "Mom, this is his gift to you. If you don't take it, it means you don't accept him as your son-in-law." When she heard Calla's explanation, Carol begrudgingly accepted it. She mumbled, "In that case, alright then." However, she belatedly realized that the envelope was extremely thick. She opened it to take a peak before asking incredulously, "This is 20 thousand, isn't it? No way, this is too much!" Calla had let her guard down. She hadn't expected Mercer to give Carol so much money. Still, she immediately wiped the shocked expression from her face and persuaded, "Mom, you've been kind enough by not asking him for a million dollars in exchange for my hand in marriage. Just take it!" Calla grimaced inwardly at the offer—20 thousand dollars for her dignity and the child in her belly. A cynical part of her c