Maxwell was pleased to see how much his mother liked Jennifer. He smiled. "Yes, your daughter-in-law has even given you a grandson and granddaughter. They're already five years old.""Really?" Camila was overjoyed, but then she said nervously, "Oh, it's a pity I didn't prepare any gifts for my grandchildren."Jennifer held her arm. "Our family has everything we need. The only thing missing was a grandmother. You are the best gift."Maxwell was grateful to Jennifer. Though he had forgiven his mother, he found it hard to express affection. After so many years apart, he and his mother still felt distant. But Jennifer had welcomed his mother home on his behalf. Maxwell felt lucky to have married Jennifer.And so, they brought Camila home.On the way, Camila still appeared nervous. She was terrified that Hugo might find her. For years, she enjoyed an easy life in the Shaw family, but that was only because of Nicholas, who had been in charge. Now that Nicholas had passed, she was like a
Maxwell said, "By the way, call your brother and ask if he's free today. We'll take my mom shopping first, then invite him for dinner tonight as a family."Jennifer looked at him in surprise. "You... You mean you're accepting my brother?"She had always thought that Maxwell disliked her brother.Maxwell put his arm around her shoulder and smiled. "What else can I do? He's your brother. I can't keep putting you in a difficult position between us. Let's use this opportunity to have a meal together and resolve any past issues."Jennifer smiled and pecked him on the cheek. "I'll call him right now."However, Hugo replied, "Why are you inviting me over out of nowhere? You should at least give me a few days' notice beforehand. I just left this city.""What? You've left again?" Jennifer was puzzled. "Weren't you just back a few days ago?"Hugo replied indifferently, "I still have some matters to take care of back home. I'll get in touch with you when I'm back."Thus, Jennifer hung up
Camila feared her lies would be exposed. To avoid giving herself away, she suddenly sobbed, "I don't want to talk about it! That human trafficker has long disappeared! And the village they sold me to was deep in the mountains. It's impossible to find them. I don't even know how I managed to escape. I really can't remember the exact location of that village."Seeing this, Jennifer said to Maxwell, "Let it go. Don't push Mom if she doesn't want to talk about it. There are so many villages in the mountains. It's hard to pinpoint the exact one."Maxwell clenched his fists. "But I can't let this slide."Camila hurried over and sobbed, "Maxwell, sometimes it's better to let things go! I don't want to pursue this anymore. The fact that I'm back and reunited with you is already a blessing.""Let it slide?" Maxwell looked at his mother in disbelief. "They sold you, and you spent more than 20 years suffering. Yet you want to let those people off?"Camila became more flustered and could only
Jennifer wondered if she was destined to never have parents."What?" Camila quickly said, "Oh dear, I asked without understanding the situation first. I hope I didn't bring up any painful memories."Jennifer smiled and shook her head. "It happened a long time ago. My story is quite unusual."Since Camila was her mother-in-law and treated her well, Jennifer felt she should be honest with her. So, she shared the truth about her background with Camila.But Jennifer didn't notice Camila's change in expression as she spoke. The smile Camila had earlier froze on her face. By the time Jennifer finished, Camila had paled considerably."Mom? Are you... okay?" Jennifer looked at Camila worriedly. "Are you feeling okay?"Camila snapped back to reality and forced a smile. "I'm fine. I'm... I'm just shocked. You've been through so much."Jennifer was worried that her story had upset Camila and quickly tried to comfort her. "It's all in the past now. Luckily, my parents left me with a brother
Camila stayed in her room the entire day.By evening, Jennifer was in the kitchen making soup."Mrs. Lance, you don't need to do this. Let me take care of it," Martha said from the side. "You're so nice to Mrs. Lance Senior. We can handle these chores."Jennifer hummed as she cooked the soup. "She's been in her room all day. Maybe she's feeling unwell. I wanted to make her some soup to help. My mother is gone. Since she's Maxwell's mother, she's like a mother to me too. It's only right to treat her kindly."Martha listened to Jennifer's gentle voice and couldn't help but recall how arrogant Rachel was.Both were human, but how could there be such a vast difference between them? Wait, Rachel couldn't even be considered a human.Martha praised, "Mrs. Lance, you're the kindest person I've ever met."After the soup was ready, Jennifer poured a bowl and took it upstairs. She told Martha, "There's plenty left in the pot. Martha, you should have some too. It's good for your health."M
Camila hid her hand behind her back like a child caught in their act.Jennifer quickly explained, "It's my fault. I accidentally spilled the soup while handing it to Mom, and it burned her."Maxwell's gaze sharpened. "Mom, let me see your hand."Camila hesitantly extended her hand.When Maxwell saw the burn on her hand, he clicked his tongue lightly. "You should've been more careful."Camila stiffly replied, "It's fine. Jennifer didn't do it on purpose. I'm going back to my room to rest. I'm tired."With that, Camila silently went upstairs.Maxwell watched his mother's figure, feeling a bit troubled.Jennifer sighed dejectedly. "Is Mom mad at me? It's my fault. I shouldn't have made the soup."Maxwell patted her shoulder and comforted her, "It's okay. She knows you meant well."When Jennifer tried to hug him, Maxwell noticed that her hand was also burned. He immediately took her hand. "You're burned too? And it's this bad?"Jennifer couldn't help but smile at his unhappy exp
After saying that, Camila began to cry again.Maxwell couldn't bear to see his mother like this and explained, "Mom, Jennifer and I have been through so much together. These experiences have taught us to trust each other. It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that I trust Jennifer. She truly cares about you. Maybe you've become more sensitive because of all the hardships you've been through. But that's okay, we can take it slow, and you can gradually work on that."Camila was speechless. She couldn't believe her son was telling her that she was too sensitive and needed to change. This proved that Jennifer could not be allowed to stay by Maxwell's side any longer.If Maxwell discovered that she was the one responsible for Jennifer's history, would he ever forgive her? He might even refuse to acknowledge her as his mother!Maxwell comforted her again. "Mom, don't overthink it. Get some rest. I promise Jennifer wants you here more than I do."With that, he left Camila's room.
Camila glanced coldly at Jennifer. "How could I have slept well? My hand hurt all night."Jennifer was taken aback. Was Camila still upset?She apologized, "Mom, I'll be more careful next time. If your hand is hurting, I can take you to the hospital. I'm heading to work soon, and I can have a colleague look at it for you.""No need." Camila forced a smile. "My hands aren't capable of performing surgeries and saving lives. They're not as precious as yours."Maxwell couldn't take it anymore. "Mom, what are you talking about? Jennifer also got burned, and she's been apologizing to you. You're older, so please don't hold onto such a minor mistake, okay?"Camila was annoyed her son was disrespecting her in front of Jennifer.Just then, Cassidy and Caleb came downstairs.Jennifer hurried them, "Come on, you two. I have a surgery to perform later, and I need to take you to school. Hurry and eat your breakfast!"The two children obediently sat in their seats.Maxwell always felt that