Dean jumped in, siding with his grandson, âBalfour, youâre spot on! Xenia, you scared off my savior here, arenât you going to apologize to her?â
Xenia was a proud woman. There was no way sheâd apologize to a young girl like Ellinor.
But Dean had spoken. She had to listen, right?
With all her extensive knowledge and experience, she knew she needed to suck it up sometimes to get things done. Sheâd wait for the right moment to deal with Ellinor.
So, Xenia forced a smile and said politely, âMs. Mendoza, I apologize. I didnât realize your importance earlier and was disrespectful.â
Ellinor smiled back, âItâs okay. I know it wasnât intentional. No one told you I was the guest today.â
Xeniaâs smile froze. What was this girl implying?
Was she hinting that Xenia wasnât important enough to be informed about the guest?
Damn! This kid had some tricks up her sleeve. Xenia couldnât underestimate her.â
Balfour didnât think there was any double meaning in Ellinorâs words. If there was, then someone was overthinking.
After Xenia apologized, Balfour was relieved to see Ellinorâs expression lighten up.
He walked to a chair, pulled it out like a gentleman, âEllinor, come sit here.â
To spite Xenia and her daughter, Ellinor didnât refuse Balfourâs kind gesture and naturally walked over to sit down.
The seat was next to Alyssa, which was usually occupied by Patricia.
Patricia was fuming when she saw Ellinor take her spot. She nearly lost control of her emotions and gritted her teeth.
Today, Balfour actually invited Ellinor to sit next to Grandma. That was too much! Ellinor was an outsider!
As soon as Ellinor sat down, Balfour pulled out another chair and sat next to her.
Alyssa picked up a chicken wing with her fork, âEllinor, are you hungry? Eat up!â
Ellinor smiled politely, âThank you, Grandma Alyssa. But thereâs so much food, we cant possibly finish it all.â
Alyssa kindly said, âDean and I didnât know what you liked, so we asked the kitchen to prepare a variety. Feel free to eat whatever you like.â
Dean chimed in, âYes, Ellinor, donât be shy! Eat whatever you like, and anything you donât like, just have Balfour move it aside.â
Ellinor felt a bit overwhelmed while looking at the spread, âBut thereâs so muchâ¦â
âGrandpa and grandma are just not sure how to treat you right. Just eat more, thatâs allâ Balfour said warmly while sneakily adding some of his own cooking to her bowl.
He remembered Pearl loved this dish. Would she still like it now?
Patricia couldnât help but dig her nails into her palm as she watched the overly harmonious scene at the table.
Then, McNeil Howard walked over, greeting his parents politely, âDad, Mom.â
Dean nodded, introducing to his son, âMcNeil, this is the kid who saved my life.â
After sitting next to his father, McNeil Howard looked up at Ellinor, nodded slightly, and smiled, âActually, we already met in the garden. Ms. Mendoza, I didnât get a chance to thank you earlier. I really appreciate your help; you were just in the nick of time to save my dadâ
Ellinor wasnât too keen on dealing with her unreliable father. She simply responded, âNo need to thank me; I just did what I should have.â