Tamagoyaki—Rolled omelet. Beef teriyaki. Miso soup. Flavia is preparing ingredients and seasonings to make the three dishes her mother desires. Simultaneously, Abigail enters with an order note in her hand. They cook dishes with most of the main ingredients already available, so it doesn't take long for them to finish and serve. Abigail places some of the cooked food on a tray and takes it out of the kitchen. Shortly afterward, she returns and places more food on the tray. This time, Flavia follows her with a tray containing food in her hands. She pauses when she sees the figure at the table with her family. Flavia swallows, trying to steady her heartbeat before continuing her steps. "Mom's order!" Flavia hears her stepmother clap her hands and cheer as Flavia places the steaming dishes in front of her. "Finish it, Ma. Don't leave anything." Flavia instructs politely. Without being asked, her mother eagerly nods and starts reaching for the spoon. Claire sips her soup and happily
Flavia turns around and stands side by side with her friend in the same position. "Yes, doctors are only human. And Grandma is also human. But she's a mother who loves her son so much. She does love me as her granddaughter, but she may not accept me as a daughter-in-law." Flavia smiles at her friend again. "Do you forget what happened ten years ago?" Flavia reminds her friend of the memory when they overheard a conversation between Grandma and her mother. Flashback "I don't mind you being close to Flavia. Because she's a good girl. But think again, Claire. How can you decide to be involved with a widower who is fifteen years older than you?" The loud voice echoed loudly to the front door where Flavia and Abigail, who had just intended to greet, suddenly fell silent. The two girls in blue and white uniforms looked at each other and chose to listen in silence. "What's wrong with Antony, Ma? He's a good man, stable. Handsome too." Gladwin's voice was heard defending his sister's choic
Abigail POV Hi, I'm Abigail. Full name is Abigail Hampton. I'm a friend and also a cousin of Flavia and the niece of the man she loves, Gladwin Hampton. I'm not the busiest person in the world, and I'm not the most laid-back either. But one thing's for sure, I'm someone who likes to bother myself with other people's lives, especially when it comes to their love affairs. Ten years ago, I played a role in the love story of Flavia's dad and my aunt. And now, I want to play a role again. Not just want, but I have to take part in the love story of my best friend and also my uncle. Even though I'm still figuring out how to make my intentions work. I just got back from a photo shoot. Honestly, even though I'm a model and get paid quite fantastically, I still don't have my own house. Unlike Flavia, who already has her dream home, I prefer to wait for my future husband to provide me with one. Considering I haven't p
"Sorry, Doctor. I already have plans," I hear my uncle's voice, formal and seemingly cold. Even my hair stands on end listening to it. I shudder myself; it feels like a horror movie hearing my usually friendly and sweet uncle suddenly act like this. "Plans? Lunch plans? With whom?" The voice sounds... What should I call it? Defensive? Possessive? Ah, maybe possessive. 'Come on, Doc. Isn't she perceptive enough? It's clear that Uncle is declining.' "I have plans with Abigail." Oh, my uncle is being honest. I silently applaud him. "Don't joke. The last time you said you had plans with Abigail, you ended up going out alone with your assistant here." There's a hint of disdain in her voice. Or is it a snort? Eww, it turns out that the elegant Doctor Phoebe, according to Mrs. Lipstick, can also be less refined. "I thought you weren't the type of person who likes to eavesdrop,
I knocked on the white square package in my hand before taking out the filtered object and placing it in my mouth. "I thought Dr. Gladwin doesn't smoke." The mocking voice beside me made me turn. Freddie looked at me with his questioning gaze. I'm not an active smoker, but occasionally, I smoke when stressed or when gathering with friends where cigarettes serve as one of our bonding tools. You know, a cigarette and the conversations of men. And right now, stress is my reason for smoking. "How's Robby doing?" I asked casually. "He's fine. How about the foundation? Enjoyable, working with the kids?" he replied. I nodded. Yes, replacing Freddie to check on the kids at the foundation back then made me grateful for the blessings I have now. A complete family, the love of my family, a successful and well-paying career. It's vastly different from their situations. But forget a
I just looked at him silently. Could he deduce my feelings after everything I've said? "Do you forget what you said to her before?" Freddie looked at me sharply. I furrowed my brow, trying to remember and guess Freddie's question. "I hope you remember the last birthday party of Ignazio we attended before you decided to go to Germany." He reminded, and I furrowed my brow even deeper. It happened almost six years ago. "Abigail asked us. Me, you, and a guy who claimed to be 28 at that time. About our opinion on having relationships with girls his age. And you clearly said NO." I remembered my words back then. "The answer is clear. It feels like marrying your own niece. I prefer girls who are not much younger. At least, their mindset won't be too conflicting. A decade of difference has a lot of impact. From personality, hobbies, and learning styles, they will surely be different.
Antony's house was bustling that evening. Claire had returned from the hospital, carrying a baby boy in her arms. Ignazio's new playmate. That's what her younger brother said when he found out that their mother had given birth to a baby boy for them. Claire's family, consisting of Abigail, her older sister, and all their children, gathered. Antony's parents, who intentionally came from Manhattan, along with Altezza and Adaline, who chose to reside in Kansas, arrived with the twins Falisha and Geremia. They ended up causing a disturbance in Ignazio's room, who, in fact, didn't like his territory being disturbed. Gladwin? Of course, Claire's twin came. Surprisingly, he came with Phoebe, Penelope, and Julie. "Are you okay?" A soft voice in his head made him look up. The handsome Altezza with his characteristic stubble bowed to Flavia and looked at her anxiously. Flavia smiled and nodded. "Is she Gladwin's future wife?
"Uncle? Why are you here?" she asked, surprised. "I thought your habit of feeling sick after smelling perfume was gone. You seemed fine yesterday when you shared a car with Phoebe." Gladwin said again. Flavia just smiled and walked away from Gladwin towards the kitchen. "I'm just not feeling well, Uncle. It's not the perfume's fault," she gracefully deflected. She did feel unwell due to lack of sleep, not because of excessive work. It was a result of constantly thinking about her conversation with Abigail earlier, combined with the tension of waiting for her mother's delivery. Gladwin stood in front of her and placed the back of his hand on Flavia's forehead. Flavia widened her eyes, surprised by her uncle's impulsive gesture. "Uncle?" She looked up at him. "You're a bit warm," he said casually. "What do you feel? Headache? Nausea?" Flavia tried to gently push away her uncle's hand. &