âIs it necessary to seek his help?â Arabella thought, feeling frustrated with herself. Is she really that incapable?!
Dean understood now. Ms Bennett was a powerful careerâoriented woman who was selfâreliant and didnât need any external assistance to handle her affairs.
âMs. Bennett, my admiration for you has grown even stronger. What should I do?â Deanâs eyes sparkled with admiration.
Arabella kept her head down, not even glancing at him, âIf you have time, you can help the janitor clean the toilets.â
âIâll get to work right away!â Dean hurriedly left the office. He definitely did not want to clean toilets.
Night fell Louisa sat on the couch, whipping out her phone to ring up her boys.
âYour sisterâs been found, sheâs on summer break. You guys need to wrap up your work and whoever can, come home ASAP. Whoever canât, needs to make some time!â
âI know you guys are busy, but your sister is back, all five of you need to come home for a while! Got it?â
âAnyone who dares to ignore their sister or mistreat her, Iâll be the first to oppose!â
âYou can come home without luggage, without work, but you must bring gifts for your sister!â
After four calls, Louisa finally dialed her youngest sonâs number and repeated the message.
âBut mom, Iâm your son, youâre giving me a hard time over a sister who just showed up?â David Collins was a bit peeved on the other end of the line.
âHuh, at least you remember youâre my son, how many times have you come home to see me this year?!â
âWell, Iâve been swamped with work, no? And Iâve sent plenty of gifts and gift cards!â Davidâs tone was rather aggrieved.
Louisa was unimpressed, âHumph, who cares about your money!â
Well, his mom didnât exactly need his money.
âAnyway, you must come back! Ohâ¦â Louisa seemed to remember something and added, âTell me in advance when youâre coming back.â âWhy, you gonna make me something tasty?â
âYouâre famous and all you think about is eating? Have I ever let you starve when you were little?â
Louisa sounded disgusted.
David was indignant, âEven famous people need to eat!â
âThe Bartleyâs girl has been over a lot lately, sheâs pretty, wellâeducated, wellâmanneredâ¦â
âOkay, stop, I get it, I donât have time right now!â
âYou little rascal, let me finish.â Louisa didnât let him interrupt, âYouâre not young anymore, you should think about getting married.â
âMom, I still have my elder brothers, why donât you urge them? Why me?â
âThey wonât listen to me! The Bartleyâs girl has a crush on you, what can I do?â
âYouâ¦â David clutched his heart, this was definitely his mom!
âRemember to bring a gift for your sister when you come home, bye.â
David felt wronged, if not for this sister, how long has it been since his mom called him?
Louisa completed her mission, finally able to let go of her worries.
âDear, are you thirsty? Have some coffee first.â Kenneth tenderly served a cup of coffee, smiling warmly.
After five calls, Louisa was indeed thirsty, so she took the cup and had a few sips.
âI started brewing the coffee when you were making the fifth call, the temperature is just right now,â
Kenneth waited for her to finish her coffee, put the cup back on the table, and continued to massage her, âDear, youâve worked hard, are your hands sore? Let me give you a massageâ¦â
âYou take a break too.â
âIâm not tired!â Kenneth lovingly squeezed her hand, âBy the way, this big news about Bella coming home, when are you going to tell our other relatives?â
When theyâre emotionally stable, then we can share the good news.
If they canât accept it at once, blood pressure would spike, old illnesses would flare up, thatâd be a hassle!
Once they know Bellaâs back, relatiyes from both families will certainly find out. Visitors would be endless, just thinking about it is annoying!
If they disturb us, thatâs fine, but if Bella gets annoyedâ¦
âWeâve gone through a lot to find Bella, I want to spend more time with her, make it up to her.â Kenneth massaged her hand, âIf too many relatives show up, our time with Bella will be reduced, donât you think so?â
âI donât want anyone to disturb our family reunion.â
Just as Louisa finished speaking, her phone rang. It was Arabella calling!
Kenneth looked on with anticipation, a sour feeling in his heart: when will his daughter call him?
Louisa cleared her throat and answered the phone joyfully yet solemnly, âHello? My baby girlâ¦â
âMom, Romeo McMillian and I are eating out tonight.â
âOkay, I got it. Ever since Romeoâs been around, Iâve stopped saving dinner for you!â
Why did Arabella suddenly feel a pang in her heart?
âTake your time and enjoy! Donât worry about home!â Louisa wanted to talk more with her daughter, but didnât want to annoy her, so she quickly said, âIf thereâs nothing else, hang up first.â
âOkay.â After hanging up, Arabella turned to the man in the car, âWhatâs wrong with you now?â
âDonât call me by my full name in the future.â Romeo held her, speaking affectionately, âWhen can I hear you call me honey?â
Arabella didnât want to deal with him. She couldnât bring herself to say it, âI think Romeo is a nice name.â
âNonsense, âhoneyâ sounds much better.â
Could they have a peaceful conversation?
Romeo kept pestering her, âCall me âhoneyâ once.â
âIf you annoy me again, Iâll get out of the car.â
Romeo immediately quieted down, just hugging her and occasionally kissing her forehead and lips.
âYouâre pushing your luck more and more!â Arabella was getting a bit pissed off. When would he learn to have some boundaries?
âMaybe I need someone to keep me in line?â Romeo replied, grinning in a way that was both charming and smitten. âMaybe you should step in more, keep me in check. I need a partner who can rein me in.â
Romeoâs eyes were full of warmth and affection.
Arabella was a bit overwhelmed and turned her head away, deliberately avoiding his gaze.