"Ah, itâs... Soph. Hello, hello." Madam Hemingway froze at first, then recollected herself and greeted Sophia with a smile, "Soph, you look so much more beautiful than what Lucy described you to be. You call this a beauty? This is simply a fairy who has descended from the heavens!"
Sophia smiled. "If it weren't for Dr. Hemingway, I would be calling you Big Sister because I wouldnât have pinned you to be his mother."
"What a sweet mouth!" Every woman liked to hear compliments about them looking young. Madam Hemingway touched her face with delight. "Looks like my persistence in doing facials is worth it after all!"
Victor coughed dryly. "Mom, please understand that itâs normal for others to return the compliment."
"Did I ask for your opinion?" Madam Hemingway harrumphed at him, then looked at Sophia again with a smile. "Come and sit down, Soph. Aunt Lucy has cooked all your favorite food today. Make sure to eat more later!"
"Iâll be doing my stomach an injustice if I donât eat more of Aunt Lucyâs cooking," Sophia said.
Suddenly, Aunt Lucy rushed out of the kitchen with a ladle. "What were you babbling about earlier, Laurel? I couldnât catch any of that in the kitchen!â
"Nah, itâs nothing." Madam Hemingway waved her hand again and again before changing the subject swiftly. "You brought these fruits, Soph? You really didnât have to bring anything."
Sophia replied, "I just happened to see some fruits on our way here. I thought they looked pretty good, thatâs why I bought some."
When the dishes were ready, Aunt Lucy called out for someone to serve the food.
Sophia got up and was about to go over to serve the food when Madam Hemingway pressed her down. "You are our guest. Just remain seated and enjoy your meal. A girlâs hands arenât meant for doing manual labor but to look pretty!"
"Just wait here, Ms. White." Victor said with a smile, "If you insist on serving dishes, my mom and my aunt will take turns to beat me up after you leave!"
Madam Hemingway was dissatisfied with the way he described her. "Don't listen to his nonsense, Soph. I am not a violent person."
It did not take long before the table was filled with dishes. Like what Aunt Lucy said, these were all Sophiaâs favorite foods.
Sophia looked at the table filled with home-cooked food and started grabbing the hem of her shirt with her fingers. Apart from Aunt Lucy, the only one who could remember her favorite foods was Sterling...
"Vic, hurry up and take some shrimp for Soph!" Aunt Lucy turned to Victor's direction and kicked him hard under the table.
Victor responded and put a couple of shrimps in Sophiaâs bowl.
"Take some fish for Soph. She loves eating the fish I cook!" Aunt Lucy thought he was not taking enough initiative, so she ordered him and kicked him again.
After a few times, Sophia could not stand it anymore and started rubbing her aching right leg. "Aunt Lucy, I just had acupuncture on my right leg today."
Aunt Lucy, "..."
She had aimed her shadowless kick at the wrong person!
Then, there was panic. "Right leg? Vic, hurry up and check Sophâs leg!"
"Let me take a look." When he heard Sophia saying that her right leg had been kicked, Victor put on a solemn face and pulled his chair away. As soon as his fingers touched Sophia's skirt, she evaded him.
Sophia looked at Victor who was squatting at her feet. "... It should be fine."
"You're not a doctor, how do you know if itâs fine or not?" Aunt Lucy had always been a straightforward and rough person. She walked over straight away and lifted her skirt up to her knees. "Hurry up and check her leg, Vic!"
Victor asked, "Which part did she kick?"
"My calf," Sophia said, "It's not really painful, though."
Aunt Lucy darted her a glance. "You think I have no idea whether the kicks were painful or not?"
"You kicked someone that hard and now youâre trying to argue?" Victor asked, pressing Sophia's calf.
Aunt Lucy knew better than to keep talking.
Victor pressed several areas in a row and asked her if it hurt. He breathed a sigh of relief when Sophia said that it did not hurt. "Her injuries are the most serious on her knee and the upper part of her knee. If itâs just the calf, then it should be fine."
He stood up.
"Is her leg really fine?" Aunt Lucy asked.
Victor gave her a sidelong glance. "Well, not exactly fine."
Aunt Lucyâs heart shot up to her throat at once.
"There may be a bruise or two. You kicked too hard," Victor said.
Aunt Lucy breathed a sigh of relief and smacked his forehead. "You brat. Trying to fool me?"
They returned to their seats. Aunt Lucy dared not kick anymore. She was just constantly reminding Victor to put food in Sophiaâs bowl.
With Aunt Lucy yelling at him and his mother ordering him, he ended up taking only a bite or two in the last half an hour or more.
"Thank you, Aunt Hemingway. Thank you Aunt Lucy." Seeing that he had not eaten anything for a long time, Sophia said in a hurry, "Actually, I don't need Dr. Hemingway to put food in my bowl all the time. My bowl is filling up."
Aunt Lucy was quick to react as she immediately got up. "I'll get you another bowl!"
"Take two, Lucy. I don't think one is enough." Madam Hemingway swallowed what was in her mouth and added.
Victor, "..."
"Thereâs no need for that, Aunt Lucy. I'm almost full!" Sophia stood up and trotted over to stop Aunt Lucy. If she did not stop her, Aunt Lucy would definitely bring two more bowlsâthe biggest ones too.
It was already an hour later when they finished their meal.
With the hints that Madam Hemingway was constantly throwing her way, Aunt Lucy chuckled and asked, "Is Vic doing his job and treating your leg well lately, Soph?"
"Yeah," Sophia said, "Dr. Hemingway is a very responsible doctor."
Madam Hemingway chuckled and leaned forward a little. "What do you think of Vic, then?"
"Dr. Hemingway is a pretty nice person. Heâs good-looking, has a good temper, and is capable," Sophia replied.
Madam Hemingway tugged the loose strand of hair behind her ear and said with a smile, "Soph, let me first tell you about our family."
"I am the dean of the city's First Hospital. Victor's father is a researcher, researching mainly on missiles. We only have one child and thatâs Vic..."
Atrophy of Love: Mr. Harris, Stop Fooling Around!
ï¤Chapter 183 What Do You Think? Beautiful, Right?
At this point, Sophia could not help but interrupt her. "Aunt Hemingway, I was sentenced to two years in prison for attempted murder and was working in Dream Club some time ago. There are bad rumors out there about me. You must have heard about them already."
A touch of dilemma and hesitation flashed in Madam Hemingway's eyes. She turned her head to look at Aunt Lucy who was sitting next to her and saw her eyes that were filled with hope and expectations.
She turned to Sophia again and laughed. "Lucy told me that you were sent to prison because someone framed you and that you were working in Dream Club because someone forced you to.
"Our family doesn't care about undeserved reputation in this respect. If you and Vic can see each other eye to eye, then I will be quite happy to have you as my daughter-in-law."
Madam and Mr. Hemingway were DINKists and thought that having children would lower their living standards and affect their work.
Unfortunately, Madam Hemingway got pregnant by accident as they failed to take proper precautions.
At that time, Madam Hemingway was busy fighting for the deputy dean position whereas Mr. Hemingwayâs research had reached a critical stage.
Initially, the two wanted to get an abortion, but Aunt Lucy chastised them and promised to raise the child for them after she gave birth.
When Victor was born, Aunt Lucy took Victor away and raised him herself, telling him that she was his biological mother. It was only in recent years that they told Victor the truth.
Madam Hemingway was aware that she had not been a good mother, so she acquiesced to handing over the power to make important decisions for Victor, including his marriage, to Aunt Lucy. She promised to never interfere.