In the car on the way back, Rachel was holding the wheel, but her gaze fell on Jolly. Ever since they left the Dolton Residence, Jolly had been silent, much unlike her usual self.
Rachel said, “Let’s not go home for now. We can find someplace to eat, my treat. I’ll ask Victor and Gloria to come, too. What about seafood? I know a restaurant that serves wonderful sea urchins.”
“Great! I’m craving sea urchin risotto!” Charlotte’s cheering could be heard from the backseat. Beside her, Samuel gestured for her to be quiet, but she stuck out her tongue before falling silent. “Barbecue sounds nice too. Or, we can go to a Japanese restaurant and have some sukiyaki.”
“Chris, I’m fine.”
Jolly finally lifted her head and glanced at Rachel. “I’m really okay. I can’t bother with whatever she says. She had gone crazy just to be with Ryan, so why would I argue with a crazy person? I even pity her a little.”
“What’s there to pity about her?” Rachel was pissed. “It’s just a divorce with Ryan, and she received enough money to live the rest of her life comfortably. So what else does she want?”
“Unrequited love is always pitiful,” Jolly said, “so Ryan and Old Madam Sutton probably never told her about his heart problems or that he has to undergo bypass surgery for that.” Stunned, Rachel thought for a bit, then nodded slightly. She has a point.
If Estelle knew that Ryan was hospitalized because of his heart disease, she wouldn’t be laid back enough to return to her old home to attend her nephew’s birthday party. She would probably stay at Ryan’s sick bed all day long, serving him and waiting for him to be moved by her actions.
At that point, Rachel said, “You don’t have to pity her. She’s the one who brought this upon herself.” Jolly heaved a sigh of relief, a relaxed expression on her face. “Yes, they did this to themselves.”
She realized she was fortunate to get out of this weird circle in time.
“Let’s go get some seafood. I hadn’t eaten any in a while. My treat.”
“Then I’ll ask Victor and Gloria along?”
“Of course! Are you worried that I won’t be able to pay for them as well?”
Rachel didn’t say anything in reply. Meanwhile, at the Dolton Residence. After getting shamed by Jolly in public, Estelle wasn’t interested in the party anymore. Instead, she shut herself in a room and refused to get out, no matter who asked her to.
Estelle’s sister-in-law was a patient person, so she hastily went to her husband. “I hope nothing happened to Estelle.”
“What could possibly happen? She did this to herself.”
Estelle’s brother, on the other hand, was a reasonable person. “It’s been so long since she and Ryan divorced, but she still refused to leave his house. What a disgrace to our family!”
“Hey, don’t say that. I feel sorry for her.”
“Sorry? Is that reason enough for her to chase away Fred’s classmate and her parents? Fred has always been an introvert, and he never had many friends in school. Now he finally found a nice little girl who’s lively and adorable, but this happened. I think Estelle just wants everyone to suffer like she did!”
“Don’t worry about that. I noticed that Fred seemed quite happy when he came back. He was going on about how Charlotte gave him a present. Adult matters wouldn’t get in the way of children.”
“That’s because Charlotte was raised well. Miss Hudson was one of the most refined people I’ve ever met.”
Since there were still guests outside waiting to socialize, they shouldn’t spend too much time on this matter, so Estelle’s brother said, “All right, you should just ignore her. She can live or die as she pleases.”
With that, he went out and greeted the guests. Meanwhile, in the guestroom on the second floor, Estelle was smoking on the balcony. Her actions suggested that she was an avid smoker, and she even looked a little wild.
As she watched the smoke dissipate into the air, she frowned harder. She kept replaying those insults Jolly threw at her, and she grew even angrier. What right does she have?
What right did Jolly have to live a luxurious life right from birth and get engaged to Ryan early on? Even when she got pregnant, she could leave as she pleased, and even when she turned up years later, Ryan still longed for her.
Estelle turned on her phone, and after unlocking her device, an entire row of missed calls popped up on the screen. It had been a long time since Ryan willingly picked up her calls.
While she was still dumbfounded, her phone screen suddenly lit up. It turned out to be a call from Mariam. Panicking, she hastily stubbed out her cigarette, as if she feared Mariam would see it. However, it was just a call, so Mariam couldn’t have seen it.
“Hello? Mom?”
“Estelle, when are you coming home today?”
“I might be home late, since it’s my nephew’s
birthday. Mom, did you call me for something?”
“Yes, I want to ask something of you.”
“Mom, we’re family, so you don’t have to put it like that. You can just tell me right out.” Mariam fell silent on the other end of the line, as if she was trying to pick the right words.
“It’s about Ryan. You haven’t seen him in a while, right?”
“Yes.”
At the mention of that, Estelle’s heart sank as she said pitifully, “Mom, he stopped answering my calls ever since New Year’s Day. I called his assistant, but they always said that he was busy. I have no idea what he’s busy with.”
“He’s in hospital.”
Hearing that, Estelle was deeply shocked.
“What?”
On the other end of the line, Mariam talked about Ryan’s condition, then said, “I’m not too worried about the surgery. The Carters are powerful in Riverdale, and all the surgeries before this one couldn’t get that child to come back. Also, that child is all grown up now, so even if we forced her to come back, she might still be occupied with something else.”
Estelle was still shocked at the news that Ryan had heart problems and would be undergoing surgery soon. She was so panicked that she didn’t quite catch what Mariam was saying.
“Mom, where’s Ryan right now? Which hospital is he in?” “Calm down. I called you today to tell you about this. You can go after I’ve explained everything.”
Estelle was stunned.
Mariam continued, “Ryan is ill now, so he shouldn’t be as stubborn as he used to be. The Sutton Family wants an heir, and the heir doesn’t have to belong to that child. Estelle, if you can find a way to get pregnant, I’ll be able to make the decision for you to come back.”
As the words resounded in her ear, Estelle gripped her phone. Perhaps this was an opportunity bestowed upon her.
It was nightfall. In a seafood restaurant situated on Green River Street, Rachel and the others sat at a long table, which had barbecued seafood and beer piled on top. “The best season to eat seafood would be around July to August. Now, these aren’t too good.”
“It’s already nice enough that we get to eat seafood, so what are you complaining about?”
“I’m the one paying for the food, so I can complain however I like.” Jolly rolled her eyes at Gloria. “Is the food so little that it can’t shut your mouth?”
Gloria was eating while she rolled her eyes back at Jolly. “Yes, what a wonderful restaurant you brought us to; it’s even open air. I should eat until you go bankrupt.”
“It’s not her fault,” Rachel explained. “I’m the one who suggested this place.” Feeling the breeze would help release some emotional stress. She wasn’t worried that Jolly might overthink what Estelle said. Obviously, Jolly’s breakup with Leroy upset her even more.
Gloria, unfortunately, picked the wrong topic as she said, “Wait, where’s Leroy? Is our celebrity too busy to come along for supper?”
The smile on Jolly’s face instantly froze.
“What’s the matter?” Holding her fork mid-air, Gloria was stunned for a moment. “Did I say something wrong? Didn’t you two get back together?”
