“I…” John trailed off uncertainly with a troubled look on his face.
Nicole, however, agreed with Juan’s idea. “John, why don’t you remain here with the four kids and continue being my bodyguard? When they want to leave, you can take them away with you. You would have done your duty as best as you could under the circumstances.”
John looked between Nicole and the kids, who stared back at him defiantly. Left without any other choice, he nodded.
“Alright. Sorry to disturb you then.”
“It’s fine.”
Evan was absolutely furious when he heard that John and his children would be remaining at the estate.
“John, you and the kids don’t ever need to come back again!”
“Mr. Seet, I…”
Poor John did not get a chance to speak before Evan hung up.
Davin shot his brother an anxious look and stated, “Evan, Mom keeps calling and demanding we go back. She says Dad’s heart condition is acting up with how angry he’s been. We have to hurry back! What do we do now?”
At this, Susan stood up and walked toward Evan. “Evan, maybe we should go back first. Of all the virtues one should have, filial piety is the most important. Mom and Dad are getting rather old so we shouldn’t make them worry so much.”
Sheila secretly rolled her eyes at Susan’s words. If you were so worried about the elders of the Seet family, you wouldn’t have insisted on having a wedding ceremony here! Who was the one kicking up a huge fuss, hmm? Now that you’ve gotten what you want, you’re pretending to be such a nice person. What a hypocrite!
“Fine. Check for flights. We’ll take the earliest one possible back home.”
Susan smiled sweetly at his agreement.
This is just perfect! Those brats are going to be left here with Nicole, which means Evan and I can have a new beginning after we return!
…
At the Seet Residence.
There was a distinctly unhappy expression on Sophia’s face as she watched her sons and their significant others. She had noticed the missing members immediately.
“Where are my grandchildren? Where are the kids!”
Evan had a cold look on his face as he kept quiet.
Davin and Sheila exchanged glances, not sure what to say either.
Sophia loved her grandchildren dearly. If she knew the kids had not come back with them, she would be furious.
Since nobody was answering, Susan pasted a small smile on her face and stated, “Mom, the kids have decided to stay with their mother. They absolutely refused to return with us no matter what we said. Don’t worry, John is staying behind to look after them.”
Sophia’s expression was chilly as she swept her gaze across Susan.
“Susan, please don’t call me Mom. I can’t possibly accept that title. If you had even the slightest bit of respect for us, you wouldn’t have forced Evan to marry you so hurriedly. And out of the country too!”
Susan was stunned at the blatant disapproval she could hear in Sophia’s voice. She got up and walked over, holding up the elder woman’s hands.
“Mom, remember back when I saved Evan and you visited me? You told me you were going to treat me like your own daughter. Now, I’m your actual daughter-in-law! That brings us even closer, doesn’t it? So no matter how you look at it, I should be calling you Mom!”
Sophia sneered at the younger woman’s words. This was an obvious attempt by Susan to capitalize on their gratefulness for saving Evan back then.
Having always been someone who made her feelings known, Sophia looked Susan in the eyes as she replied, “Susan, our entire family is very grateful to you for saving Evan back then. But just because I’m willing to treat you as my own daughter doesn’t mean I accept you as a daughter-in-law. These are two completely different matters.”
The smile on Susan’s face froze. She heard the implication behind Sophia’s words—she didn’t like Susan as her daughter-in-law. Having already expected this, she widened her smile. “Mom, I know they’re two different things. However, I’m already your daughter-in-law now, which means we’re all family. I’ll take good care of you and Dad from now on.”
With that said, she flashed a smile over at Jonathan as well.
Jonathan sighed. Seems like Evan and Nicole just aren’t fated to be together. Since he’s already married Susan, I guess we can do nothing but go with the flow.
“Susan, we leave Evan in your hands. He’s rather stubborn, so please look after him well.”
“Don’t worry, Dad. I will.”
Frustrated, Sophia rolled her eyes at her husband. If it had not been for the fact that Susan had once saved Evan, she would have chased the younger woman out of the house without any qualms.
