153 Ch. 153 Anxia-Michele
âHey, Xia, itâs been a while,â greeted Harmonie with her signature smile while hugging her sister-in-law tightly.
Anxia gave a thin smile in response to Moniâs greeting, while Lori was jumping up and down happily as she greeted her two grandparents.
âOpa, Oma! Look at my height!â
âWow, my granddaughter has grown tall.â Stanley offset his granddaughterâs enthusiasm with a big smile and lifted Lori while spinning around, inviting a laugh from the little girl.
âWhoa, is that Lori? Sheâs more adorable than in the photo.â Raymond joined in the laughter as he approached his father and niece.
Stanley took Lori in his arms and glanced at Raymond. âLori, I believe this is the first time you two have met in person. He is your fatherâs twin brother, and his name is Raymond.â
âYou can just call me Uncle Rei.â
âHello, Uncle Rei!â greeted Lori with a cheerful and enthusiastic tone.
Raymond rubbed Loriâs head affectionately, then walked over to his brother and was surprised to see that Richardâs expression wasnât quite well.
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âHey, Richie. Why do I get the feeling youâre not pleased to see me here?â
Richard snorted indifferently at his brotherâs joke. âYou know thatâs not true. Itâs good to see you, bro.â Richard hugged his brother, which Raymond also reciprocated.
âIs this your famous wife?â Raymond noticed a black-haired girl standing behind Richard. âI didnât know we had the same tastes,â Raymond whispered, making Richard smile wryly.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
If he didnât feel nervous waiting for Anxiaâs reaction to Micheleâs arrival, he might have countered his brotherâs joke with another one. But right now, his mind was thinking of his wife, and he wasnât in the mood to joke around. Richard could only smile and then shifted to one side so that his brother could meet his wife face to face.
âLet me introduce you; sheâs my wife. Xia Xia, she is my brother Raymond and also his wife, Michele.â
Like it or not, Richard also had to introduce his sister-in-law to Anxia, ??seeing that Michelle had walked up to Raymond.
âHello, sister-in-law. We have wanted to see you for a long time, but my brother hid you well.â
Anxia only gave a faint smile and then greeted Raymondâs handshake in a friendly manner. While the two were shaking hands, Michelle frowned as she saw Anxiaâs face. For some unknown reason, Michele felt she had met Richardâs wife before but couldnât remember where she had seen her.
When it was Michelleâs turn to shake hands, Anxia put on her best smile and came face to face with Michelle.
âNice to meet you. My name is Qiao. An. Xia.â
Micheleâs eyes widened upon hearing that name, and a flash of memory of a little black-haired girl swirled in her head, freezing all her nerves.
On the other hand, Stanley looked at his two daughters-in-law with curious eyes. They both hated each other but started a new life with their two children and overlooked the past. But now, both of them have to face the past again. Can their husbands reconcile them?
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During the trip from the airport to Richardâs house, everyone was chatting excitedly and happily except Anxia and Michelle. Richard spoke with his sister and mother, while Lori talked with Raymond while caressing Eugeneâs soft cheeks on Stanleyâs lap.
Only Richard noticed the awkwardness between his wife and his sister-in-law, but he didnât let their awkwardness ruin the reunion atmosphere. Even though he was responding to all the chatter of his family, Richard never let go of his wifeâs hand to give her mental support.
Likewise, Raymond knew nothing but noticed his wifeâs sudden silence and circled his hand on his wifeâs slender waist.
Richard and Raymond were of the same mind and decided to pay attention to their wives later when the other family members were not around.
By the time they arrived at the Kensington, Richard had called for a butler to help him carry his familyâs belongings. He also ordered them to place the items into the rooms he had provided for his family. Afterward, Richard invited them to lunch together in the dining room. Today the head chef deliberately prepared all of his familyâs favorite dishes to welcome them all.
Like while traveling in the car, they were chatting warmly, except, once again, Michele and Anxia.
âMichele, why have you been silent, my dear?â
Micheleâs hand, which had been lifting the teacup towards her mouth, suddenly stopped in midair when she heard her mother-in-lawâs question.
âAre you not feeling well?â
âNo, mother. Iâm alright. Maybe itâs because Iâm still jet-lagged; my head is a little dizzy.â
âPoor one. You must be tired,â continued Meisya with great concern.
âDo you want to rest after this?â As a good brother-in-law, Richard asked softly. âYour room is ready for use, and you can rest there.â
âThank you,â Michele answered without losing her polite smile.
Not long after, Michele glanced at her son, who was playing happily with Lori.
When she first saw Loriâs photo, Michele fell in love with the child. Her affection for the girl when she saw the little one in person at the airport became even more significant. But when she found out who the childâs biological mother was, Michele suddenly became less excited to get to know the child more closely.
Michele felt her heart wasnât willing for her son to get close to Lori. In the end, Michele got up to grab Eugene from his toddler chair and placed him on her lap.
At first, Eugene protested and whined because he still wanted to play with Lori, but the baby boy could do nothing.
Lori sighed sadly and then moved seats to sit next to her mother. She felt that her uncleâs wife didnât like her, so Lori knew her place and didnât force her to approach Eugene or talk to Michelle.
Anxia stroked the back of her daughterâs head affectionately and gave her a concerned smile. But her heart was burning to see Michele give the cold shoulder to Lori.
Anxia understood why Michelle hated her, but that woman didnât have the right to shift her hatred to an innocent child.
Is it karma? Anxia once also channeled all her hatred for little Michele, who knew nothing about her parentsâ heinous deeds at that time.