Cody arched an eyebrow. It seemed like Linford wasn’t on good terms with his dad.
Tanya tried to help her husband, “Linford, your father did that to make Grandpa happy. Nothing made Father happier than seeing you have your own family. Besides, Cody and Candace were gonna see us sooner or later. We’re a family. People will laugh at us if we don’t stay together harmoniously.”
Cody blinked as he asked with a clear voice, “If we are a family, why don’t you guys bring my Mom here as well?”
Candace also nodded, regarding her daddy with those wide eyes.
Why couldn’t Cristelle come?
Linford smiled, “Mommy will be here soon.”
Clara’s face fell. Seriously? Were they really gonna let that woman enter the door of the Bradley house?
Franco nodded happily, “I agree. It’s time to invite Cristelle here. She’s a great mother and a brave young woman. We need to have dinner at least together.”
Tanya was smiling, but she didn’t feel very comfortable. She didn’t know what kind of person her new stepdaughter-in-law was. She didn’t feel safe inviting her in at the moment.
Clara felt worse. She had been the only daughter-in-law in this house until now. She couldn’t bear that woman thinking of how much Linford loved her.
Cody grimaced secretly as he noticed the looks on those people’s faces. This Bradley house seemed toxic. He didn’t want his Mom to stay with these people for too long.
The boy walked toward Linford, sounding a bit angry, “When will my Mom be here? You’re not playing tricks right now, are you? I won’t give in if you try to hide me from Mom. You can’t fool me.”
Franco laughed, “Look at the little man. He’s indeed a Bradley. He’s got backbones!”
Linford shook his head, smiling.
****
Cristelle had been discussing the new designs of the season. Alfred, however, suddenly showed up and whispered a couple of words into her ears.
Cristelle was so shocked that she shot up from her seat, “What? How did that happen?”
Alfred looked a bit hesitant, “Please… Please don’t be panicked. Mr. Bradley asked me to take you there right now.”
Fritzi was curious, “What’s wrong, Cristelle?”
Cristelle didn’t want to hide anything from her as she cleaned her things up. “The babies were taken away by the Bradley family. I need to be there right now.”
Fritzi knew something must have gone wrong. So she tried to comfort her friend, “Don’t get too worried, hon. You need to trust Linford. He’s a reliable man. He will handle this properly.”
****
Cristelle’s head was spinning as she sat in Alfred’s car. The Bradley house was the most powerful family in this city. No one could stop them from doing what they wanted to do. Right now, Cristelle was more scared than that night 6 years ago.
She was so scared that she would never see her babies again.
What if those people decided to take them away?
“Cristelle, we’ve arrived,” Alfred reminded her as he stopped the car.
Cristelle took a deep breath, stepped off the car, and walked into the palatial mansion.
Alfred explained as he led the way, “Mr. Bradley is a great man. You don’t need to get nervous around him, and you can tell him anything.”
Alfred had described all the family members of the Bradley house when they walked toward the main house, trying to make her understand the basic relationships between the family members,
“Mom!” Cody was excited to see her. The boy dashed forward and hugged her one arm the moment she walked through the door.
Cristelle smiled as she ruffled the boy’s hair, feeling reassured seeing her babies. Candace stretched out her arms, asking to be carried by her mom.
“Can I hold you for a while, Princess? Mommy’s just back from work. She’s tired,” Linford cooed.
Candace thought for a while and nodded.
Cristelle walked toward Linford and stood by his side calmly. She instantly became the center of attention. She was wearing a black suit dress, giving off a professional and mannered vibe.
And she looked both elegant and beautiful.
They just had to admit that Cristelle was a perfect match for Linford.
Clara, however, clenched her teeth secretly.
Franco was glad to see the happy family of four. Linford was a handsome man, and he got himself a pretty wife. The babies were also beautiful.
However, there was one thing that Franco was not very happy about. Linford shouldn’t have kept this from him so long.
“Cristelle, take a seat already,” Franco fussed, “Do you want a cup of tea? Or coffee?”
Cristelle nodded as she took her seat beside Linford, “Tea would be great.”
Cody climbed onto her lap. The longer Franco looked at the perfect family, the happier he got, “Jack! Jack? Grabbed some cakes for the babies.”
Jack went to the kitchen, knowing Franco was genuinely happy this time.
Darwin thought Cristelle was just a girl from a small city and she would be timid when she first came here. But she looked at ease, not being intimidated by their wealth or power at all. She acted like a lady from the upper class and she didn’t look like she was pretending.
Tanya had also been observing Cristelle. The young woman looked elegant and ladylike. And she didn’t look like an arrogant person. They should be able to get along.
Clara didn’t say or show anything. But she was, in fact, going to explode. This woman was so bold! How could she show off in front of her? She must have done this on purpose.
“Cristelle, how long have you been in this city?” Clara asked with a fake smile on her face.
“I came here before Christmas. It’s almost been 3 or 4 months,” Cristelle answered with a soft tone.
Clara nodded, “Then why didn’t you find Linford until now?”
Cristelle didn’t want to discuss this matter. She wanted to say something to change the topic. Linford, however, suddenly cut in, “She didn’t find me because she didn’t want to. Why does it have anything to do with you?”
Clara blushed, “I-I’m just caring about you guys.”