As Nora left, Melanie pursed her lips. Her eyes narrowed cynically. "They dare to throw a party and invite people? Do they think this is their house?" "People nowadays are shameless and greedy, Mommy. We give them an inch, they take a mile," Barbara replied sarcastically. Melanie sighed. "Well then, we have to prepare too, Dear. Let’s show them who the real queen is in this house. If possible, we should be the ones to welcome the guests." "Time to wear a new dress?" Melanie raised an eyebrow. "Yes. But before that, let's go to the spa. We have to look fresh tonight." Barbara nodded vigorously. However, later that night, Melanie's face turned gloomy. Her shoulders rose and fell as her breath roared. "You ...." Her elegance had been erased by the presence of the guests. Vivian put on a thin smile. "Good evening, Mrs. Harris. Nice to meet you. It’s been a very long time, right?" Hearing the greeting, Melanie snorted. "Did you come here to tease me?" Vivian raised an eyebrow, gla
"Grandma often complains of back pain if she sits for too long. So, I bought this specially designed item! Grandma won't have back pain anymore!" Arriving in front of Susan, Louis wiped his sweat. "Come on, Grandma. Open it!" Susan opened the package enthusiastically. As soon as she found a sturdy rocking chair, she let out a sigh of emotion. "This is a very beautiful chair, Louis." "And it's comfortable too. You can sit here every time you read a book or knits," Louis smiled broadly. After stroking his round face, Susan bent down and gave him a kiss. "Thank you, My Grandson." "You're welcome, Grandma." Kara smiled at the sight. However, realizing Melanie's cynical glance, the curve of her lips shrunk. "Frank, do you want to give your gift first?" Kara asked softly. "You go first. I want to be last. That's usually more impressive." Melanie's expression grew sour. Her lips twitched. Most likely, she was cursing in her heart. Meanwhile, Kara approached Susan. "My gift may not
Before Susan had time to reply, Melanie left the dining room. At that moment, Barbara stood up with a lazy expression. "Happy birthday, Mrs. Martin. Please excuse me too." Without second thought, Barbara went after her mother. The others could only be stunned. However, after a brief silence, they continued to have fun. "They can still laugh after offending me and Mommy?" Barbara grumbled, pausing to make sure she hadn't heard wrong. "They are simply too much!" Suddenly, Philip appeared before her. He had just delivered the chair to the back veranda. "Where are you going? The party isn't finished." Philip's voice spread the tension within Barbara. The girl spontaneously closed her mouth. But then, folding her arms, she lifted her chin. "What do you care?" Philip shrugged. "Just asking." Without further ado, he stepped into the dining room. "Wait!" Philip looked over his shoulder. "What?" "Those two guests .... Who are they?" Philip raised an eyebrow. "You didn’t know?" Barba
Once again, Frank let out a long breath. "It's up to you whether to take it or not. What’s certain is that I have expressed my true feelings." Frank put the box on the table and went out. He would rather play with the twins than serve his mother's selfishness. Meanwhile, Melanie looked at the box intently. "He really prepared it for me?" After furrowing her brows for a moment, she opened it. When she found an orange diamond which was also rare, she gasped. Her eyes sparkled as brightly as the light reflected on the jewelry. "Wow ...!" Her mouth could no longer close tightly, filled with admiration and pride. Wasting no time, Melanie took the necklace and put it on in front of the mirror. Her smile was never wider than it was reflected there. "This suits me perfectly!" She touched the necklace then spun around. The more sparkles appeared, the more often laughter escaped her lips. "I'm very lucky to have a son as rich as Frank. Otherwise, how could I have gotten a diamond this be
"Yes, I personally asked for my position not to be printed. I really like this ID card. I want to keep wearing it, even if my position has been promoted." Barbara shrugged as if it was nothing big. Hailey snorted. "You're not lying, right? You're really the creative director at Savior Fashion?" Barbara immediately frowned. "You don't believe me?" "Many things can be faked, nowadays, including identities and ID cards. We need more concrete evidence." "You want me to broadcast live from my office?" Hailey raised an eyebrow. "Yes, do it. And show me the results of your design. Only after that, I and the others will stop doubting you." Barbara subconsciously swallowed hard. Her shoulders rose and fell faster. "Okay. Just wait until Monday. I will show you my office and work results." Hailey smiled slyly. "Yeah, let's see." However, a second later, her eyes fell on the sparkling necklace on Barbara's neck. "Darling, what is that new item of yours?" Barbara gasped. Realizing that
In the blink of an eye, the comments column was flooded with messages. People asked if that was really Barbara's design. Even Hailey submitted a request to join the broadcast. But this time, Barbara ignored her. "How is it, Girls? Are you interested in buying this gown?" Seeing the enthusiasm and praise from the audience, Barbara laughed faintly. "Of course you are interested. I designed it with the concept of gleam and glamour. I chose the best materials. The making was neat and very careful." Barbara held her phone closer to the gown. Another hand touched the fringes so that the beads looked sparkling. "You see these beads? My team carefully installed them one by one. I even made 69 pattern samples before choosing the most suitable one." Once again, Hailey submitted a request to join. Feeling uncomfortable, Barbara couldn't help but accept it. "Hey, Girl! It turns out you really work at Savior Fashion? This is very interesting." The blonde girl's tone had turned friendly. Sh
“I want to apologize,” Barbara choked. “To be honest, I'm just an assistant here and the gown is Emily's design. Once again I am sorry. I just want to amaze you all. I don't want to be constantly belittled by you girls." In an instant, the comments flooded. Barbara could not bear to read it. She grabbed the phone and ran out of the room. "Auntie, where are you going?" Louis' question hung in the air. Barbara disappeared without a word. "Will she be okay?" Emily asked while wiping her eyes. Kara stroked Emily's chubby cheeks, helping her dry her face. "Auntie needs time to be alone. Her heart is currently in turmoil. But later, she will definitely smile again." Emily exhaled a long breath. After getting out of Kara's arms, she looked at Philip. "Thank you very much, Philip. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known that Auntie was planning to steal my work." Philip nodded. "Actually, it was just a coincidence. I saw her doing a live stream. So, I secretly watched it. Hopeful
"Mom? You slapped me?" Barbara's voice was hoarse and thin. Melanie gaped and sighed in disbelief. She looked at her own hand then shook her head quickly. "Sorry, My Dear. I didn't mean to hurt you." Barbara laughed bitterly. Stepping back, she muttered, "I hate you." A second later, she ran into her room. Melanie suddenly became confused. Barbara's words kept ringing in her mind. When she came to her senses, she screamed in annoyance. "Aaargh! What actually happened? Why is it so messy?" With a rumbling breath, she checked Barbara's account. As soon as she found the insults, her jaw throbbed violently. "How dare they attack my daughter like this?" With burning eyes, Melanie growled. "This must be because of Frank and those devil kids! They put Barbara in a difficult position. How dare they?" Closing her eyes, Melanie tried to lower her blood pressure. However, the dizziness never subsided. Like it or not, she had to return to her room and rest. She wouldn't be able to fight if
Philip rushed in and grabbed Barbara's hand. Before he could say anything, Barbara was pushing again. After Briony came out, Barbara breathed a sigh of relief. “Philip .... Our child has been born.”Even though his head was nodding, Philip blinked in confusion. His mouth was agape, not knowing how to respond. "Yes ...," he sighed after a few moments. Briony's cries helped him regain his senses. "Wow," Philip blinked. He bent down, stroking his wife's hair with mixed feelings. "You're so great, Babe. You can give birth that fast." Barbara smiled proudly. "Our efforts weren't in vain, Phil. I was actually scared earlier. Briony's urge was very strong. But Louis and Emily forbade me to push. I tried to hold it in until finally, I gave in." Philip sighed in amazement and disbelief. Still looking stiff, he kissed Barbara's temple. "You're amazing, Babe. I'm glad you didn't encounter any major difficulties." Philip wiped the tears from her face. "I'm happy too. But where were you? I to
"Louis, Auntie is about to give birth!" Emily rose with a high arch of her eyebrows. "You’re right! We have to take her to the hospital!" Wasting no time, Louis grabbed Barbara's hand, pulling her to turn around. "Come on, Auntie. Let's go back to the car." However, Barbara shook her head. Her face was pale, her body tense. Her feet seemed to be glued to the earth. "What's wrong, Auntie?" "Call Philip," she muttered softly. "What?" "Call Philip!" The twins flinched. After one nod, they ran towards Philip. "Uncle Philip! Uncle Philip!" "Hey, where are you guys going?" Barbara exclaimed again. The twins braked. When they looked back, Barbara was waving. "Why did you leave me here alone?" Her voice was shrill. "You told us to call Uncle Philip!" Louis shook his head, not understanding. "Yeah, but don't leave me here." While limping, she inched closer to Louis and Emily. "One person calls him. One more person, hold me!" The twins blinked. Not because they didn't understand, b
"Hello, Orion," Emily whispered as the tiny baby in the box opened his eyes. Her hand reached out, trying to reach his chubby cheek. From the other side of the box, Louis also looked inside. "Hello, Oscar." "Louis?" Emily scolded with round eyes. "Why do you call him Oscar? This is our first meeting with him. Don't make a bad impression." Louis pursed his lips. "Okay, sorry. I'm used to it. Let me repeat." After clearing his throat, he looked down again. "Hello, Orion. It's me, Louis. I'm your cousin." Emily smiled slightly and nodded. "That's just right." After giving Louis thumbs up, she waved her hand downwards. "And I'm Emily. Nice to meet you, Orion." For a few moments, the two toddlers were busy observing Orion. Philip and Barbara were amused by their comments. "It turns out that Uncle Philip was right. Orion looks like both of his parents. His eyes are like Auntie's, while his nose and mouth are like Uncle's." "His chin also looks like Uncle’s, but his hair looks like
A nurse tried to calm Ava. However, the woman still shook her head, rejecting all the words directed at her. She was very weak. The pain seemed to knock out all the bones in her body. Her brain could no longer function normally. "No. I have no strength anymore. I can't continue." After taking a heavy breath, Jeremy bowed. The nurse had shifted. Jeremy had more freedom to stroke Ava's hair which was wet with sweat and her face which was flooded with tears. "Ava, can you hear me? Ava?" Their gazes finally met. Jeremy could see the desperation in those brown eyes. "I can't take it anymore, Jeremy. I can't. Let the doctor take it out. I can't take it anymore." Jeremy's chest felt like it had been torn apart. He almost choked with pain. Stroking Ava's shoulder, he shook his head. "No, I know you. You're not someone who never gives up, Ava. You can do it." "But I don't have the energy anymore, Jeremy." "There is. There definitely is." Jeremy grabbed Ava's shaking fingers. "This is f
"Look at this, Brandon." Louis placed a stack of photo paper on the table. Then, he showed them one by one to his friend. "This is a picture of Russell crying. This is a picture of him laughing. And this is a picture of Russell being angry." "Can babies get angry? Isn't he still too young to understand anything?" Brandon shook his head faintly. Louis shrugged. "I don't know about that. But when Russell sees something he doesn't like, his hands keep flapping and his mouth makes sounds ...." Louis imitated a baby's moan which made the librarian glance. "Russell also has sharp eyes, Brandon. If he feels annoyed by us, he will glare while furrowing his eyebrows." Emily touched the base of her eyebrows, checking to see if they were the same shape as Russell's eyebrows in the picture. Brandon smiled at Emily's expression. "I think he must be really cute when he's angry." "Yes!" Emily nodded quickly. "He's always cute, all the time. Louis, show him a picture of Russell in the shower."
"Oh, look at Russell, Louis. Isn't he very handsome? He's clean and smells good." Emily put her nose closer to Russell's face. When she managed to kiss that very soft cheek, she giggled holding back her laughter. She didn't want to disturb Kara who was sleeping in Frank's arms. "Yes, he is very handsome. He looks like me. Isn't that right, Grandma?" Louis raised his gaze towards the woman holding Russell. Susan smiled amusedly. "Yes, he looks like you. Only his nose is a little sharper." Louis' lips immediately pursed. His forefinger pointed at his own nose. "How sharp do you want Russell's nose to be? My nose is already very sharp." Susan chuckled at Louis' answer. "I’m just joking, Louis. It doesn't matter whose nose is sharper. What's important is that you're both healthy." Louis nodded in agreement. His hands then rose to touch the baby's feet. "Grandma, is Russell heavy?" Susan raised her eyebrows. "Do you want to carry him?" Louis glanced at Emily. "How about you try fir
"Hello, Good Boy," Kara held Russell carefully, as if the little creature was a very fragile pearl. Tears could not stop running down her face. After kissing the baby who was covered in a towel, Kara whispered again, "This is Mommy, Russell. I'm happy that I can finally hug you like this." While biting his lips, Frank also bowed. He stroked the tiny back then kissed his head. "And this is Daddy, Russell. Daddy is also happy that you are finally here." Still with a wide smile and red eyes, Frank looked at Kara gently. Before the pool of emotion dripped again, he quickly kissed her forehead. Kara closed her eyes accepting the warmth. "Thank you for giving birth to our son, Queen Bee," Frank whispered hoarsely. Kara smiled wider and nodded faintly. "Thank you for accompanying me here." "That's what I should have done a long time ago." Frank stroked her cheek before kissing her again. "Daddy, we want to see Russell too! Can we come closer?" Emily asked, jumping a little on the chai
Kara was sitting on the bed. Her head rested on the broad shoulder next to her. Closing her eyes, she tried to catch her breath."Is there any news from the Twins?" she asked quietly. Frank shook his head. His hands kept to massage Kara's fingers. "You don't need to worry about them, Queen Bee. They are independent and intelligent children. They will understand that you have to give birth soon. Let's celebrate their birthday after Russell is born, hmm?" After a short nod, Kara turned her head further. "Are you crying?" Frank's eyebrows pulled together. Moving his head away so that it would be easier to see her, he shook his head. "Why do you think I'm crying?" "Your voice is shaky, Frank." Pursing his lips, Frank took a deep breath. "I'm not crying." "Then why are your eyes red and watery?" Frank blinked firmly. "I'm not crying," he repeated with more emphasis. Still out of breath, Kara let out a laugh. Her head tilted slightly, waiting for his tears to fall. "Are you sure?"
"Hello, Brandon. Welcome to our event," Louis shook his classmate's hand. "Hello, Louis. Happy birthday. I hope you live a long and healthy life," the blonde boy said, occasionally glancing at Emily. "Thank you, Brandon. Did you come alone?" Brandon nodded. "Yes, my parents had to attend another event. So, only the driver took me here." After one blink, Brandon offered his hand to Emily. "Happy birthday too, Emily. You're so beautiful tonight." Emily shook Brandon's hand with a sweet smile. "Thanks, Brandon. You also look cool tonight. The jacket suits you." Brandon blushed. His lips twitched to suppress the excitement in his chest. "Thank you, Emily. I deliberately asked my mother to look for the best outfit. I want to look cool at this event." "Your mom has a good sense of fashion," Emily nodded before glancing to the side. "Louis, I think you should try a regular tie like Brandon. You're five years old. It's time for you to leave that bow tie behind. You should try somethin