Zelda's comment made Mary feel a bit guilty, and she retorted, "Who cares about staying at your place? We'll just book a hotel room for ourselves."She stood tall and held onto Angela's arm while muttering, "I came to be with Mom, not you. It's funny how rich people get stingy. You won't even spend money on a hotel room for us."The others heard her not-so-loud complaint and shot glances her way. Mary ignored them and kept muttering to herself defiantly."Enough. Since we're all here, let's grab a meal first. Why gather at the airport? Come on, let's eat! Nothing's more important than a good meal!" James' suggestion broke the tension.Angela looked tired. She glanced at Mary before sighing. Without a word, she caught up with the others by walking with her cane.Mary was aware that her main support at the moment was Angela. She had brought Serena along for a specific reason. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come at all.Angela shrugged off Mary's hand and continued walking ahead. Mary
"How could that be? I saw—"Mary's words were cut off by James, who suddenly opened his eyes and silenced her with a sharp look.Meanwhile, Angela and Serena were also seated in the back seats of the limousine.James closed his eyes again. Mary glanced at him before shifting her attention to Angela, who seemed weary. In the end, she chose to remain silent.James didn't share a home with Zelda and the rest in Fairport. Instead, he lived in a villa just a short five-minute walk from Zelda's place in the same villa area.Even though he had his own place, he liked to join Zelda for meals at her house. He enjoyed waking up early, taking a short walk around the villa area, and then heading to Zelda's for breakfast.After breakfast, James would dive into some fun activities with the young folks. He would engage in games, go fishing with Kenneth, or make a point to visit his grandchildren at the company.In short, retirement brought him a lot of things to do, especially without Angela's
James ignored Mary and shot her a cold look. Upon realizing that she wouldn't receive any kindness from him, Mary turned to Angela for help.Mary ignored Angela's weariness and sat beside her. She linked her arm with Angela's and started complaining, "Mom, look at how Dad's treating me."I've only been at Fairport for a few days, and now, he's acting like this. It's not easy for me to make the trip all the way here. I brought Serena along because I'm worried about him, but he—"James was fuming with anger and burst out, "You're aware it's a long journey too. Can't you let your mom take a break? She's at an age where she needs rest, and you're not a child anymore."Your daughter's already grown up. Can't you see that?"In his younger years, James had a fiery temper and would often shout at the apprentices he was mentoring.He became more indifferent to trivial matters as he grew older. However, it didn't mean he did not have a temper anymore.James and Angela picked Fairport for
James walked out of the room with his hands clasped behind his back. The room went silent in an instant.As soon as Mary heard the front door close, she turned to Angela and asked, "Did I make Dad mad?"Angela felt too tired to talk. Back before she arrived in Fairport, she had chatted with James quite a bit and learned about his life here. It took a lot of bravery for someone her age to leave her hometown.Even though Angela was aware that Fairport offered a better environment, for someone who hadn't ventured far from her hometown her whole life, it was a big deal.Late at night, Angela often dreamed of Zelda's face and pictured scenes with grandchildren gathered around her. Due to James persuading her, she decided to move to Fairport.Angela began her journey with excitement. She hoped to explore Fairport with James when she arrived. However, things took a turn for the worse as they ended up in a heated argument.Though Angela felt annoyed by Mary's words, she couldn't find it
The Johnsons weren't happy that Angela brought Mary and Serena to Fairport without telling them first, but they were still polite about it.Later that evening, a housekeeper knocked on Angela's door to take her to dinner at the main house. Angela didn't look too pleased and stayed quiet for a few minutes.Finally, she got up with the help of her cane when the housekeeper spoke again. As Angela walked toward the door, she asked, "Should I just walk over?"The housekeeper smiled and said, "Mrs. Johnson's place is just a quick walk from here. It's good for your digestion to walk back after dinner."But don't worry, Mrs. Stigg Senior, if you're not up for it, I can have the driver pick you up right now."Luckily, the Johnsons' place wasn't too far, so they wouldn't need to wait too long for a ride.Angela snorted and tapped her cane on the ground. "My leg is practically crippled. Are you seriously expecting me to walk over?""Apologies, Mrs. Stigg Senior. It was my mistake." The hou
"Mom, I don't get it." Zelda was completely puzzled.The atmosphere was thick with tension from the moment she fetched Angela at the airport. However, Zelda felt sorry for Mary and Serena when she learned that Angela told them to stay in a hotel.Back in the day, Zelda's health wasn't great, so she couldn't visit her parents as often. She relied on her kids to bring gifts to her parents as a kind gesture. Slowly, her health improved.She took it upon herself to handle these gestures, especially on special occasions. Regrettably, things would go awry, and Mary and Serena were frequently the source of these unpleasant situations.This time, Angela decided to visit Fairport, and Zelda knew it was mostly because of James. The thought of Angela's visit brought joy and excitement to Zelda.Maybe memories just got better with time. The love Angela gave Zelda in her childhood now felt like something out of a fairytale. Thinking about those moments helped Zelda forget the difficult times s
"Mom, do you think it's okay if we just leave them outside and grab dinner now?" Rebecca asked.Zelda gave her a look and raised an eyebrow. "You were practically dragging me. I thought my arm was going to be torn off."Rebecca playfully made a face and loosened her grip on Zelda's arm. She silently hoped that Zelda wouldn't be visiting Angela in the hospital after Angela's rude comments.The villa area wasn't sprawling, and even though some villas were sizable, it was mostly due to their spacious yards. The villas were designed to fit a family comfortably.Setting up a separate house for James was primarily because they believed the elders preferred peace. Thus, living nearby but without disrupting each other seemed like the optimal arrangement.They understood that personal space was essential not only for children but also for parents. Various issues might crop up if they were to live together.Since the Johnsons owned numerous properties in the villa area, it made more sense
Angela blinked her eyes open shortly after they wheeled her into the hospital ward. She was surprised to see that the people who usually dropped by during her past hospital visits were missing this time. James was the only one there. He was talking with a nurse.In her hospital bed, Angela could only catch a glimpse of half of James' face. Even with the limited view, she sensed his weariness and worry. James heaved a sigh of relief when he noticed Angela stirring awake. He quickly made his way over to check on her condition."Are you feeling any better?" James asked with concern as he pulled up a chair beside the bed.Angela stayed quiet. She looked around the empty room with weary eyes. After motioning for James to raise the bed, she finally said, "Where is everyone? Didn't anyone come?"James settled into a chair and asked, "Who were you expecting? Who should be here?"Angela gave James a stern look and snapped, "Who else? Can't a mom hope her child would visit?"James snorte