“Should I go with you and Candace at night?” Cristelle worriedly asked as they got in their car, “I don’t think your dad wants me to be there.”
She sounded like a wife who was nervous about seeing her husband’s parents. But she was totally unaware of that.
“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care if he likes you or not. I like you. This is what matters,” Linford smiled.
Cristelle looked away, blushing, “You’re ridiculous.”
She was genuinely worried about the dinner, but he always tried to change the topic.
“And… It’s weird,” Cristelle suddenly recalled something else, “Clara seemed weird. Did you two have a fight before?”
Linford faltered, “Why?”
“I don’t know. Just that I could sense something.” Cristelle was so confused, “The way she looked at me is weird. She seemed to be…hating me secretly.”
Linford’s face fell, “Just ignore her. She doesn’t deserve your attention.”
The look on Linford’s face was pure disgust as he mentioned his sister-in-law. They must have had a fight before.
Cristelle shook her head. She only wished the dinner would be less troublesome tonight.
****
They spent a couple of hours in their house before getting dressed for dinner. Cristelle and Candace were both wearing pink cocktail dresses. Linford was in a sharp grey suit.
The car pulled over before the gate. A butler held the door open. The car sprinted as they got in.
When they arrived, Linford put his hand on Cristelle’s tiny waist, “Let’s go.”
Cristelle nodded as she pushed Candace’s small wheelchair.
Even though the dinner was called a family dinner, Tanya’s mother and Clara’s mother still stayed. They were both here to check out Cristelle. They were both interested in this woman who secretly gave Linford twins and managed to keep him with her.
“Welcome, Linford,” Tanya smiled, “Come in. We’ve been waiting for you guys.”
On the long couch of the parlor sat an elegant woman in a blue dress. She looked quite like Clara.
Another woman in a red dress looked like Tanya.
“That is Clara’s mother, Beth. And this is my mother, Anna,” Tanya introduced.
Cristelle smiled and nodded.
Beth and Anna smiled back.
This Cristelle had a pretty face. She even gave Linford a beautiful daughter. Candace was still young, but they could tell she would definitely become a beauty when she grew up.
“It’s time for dinner. Let’s go to the dining hall,” Tanya invited them, “Just take your seats randomly. It’s a family dinner. Don’t get too restrained.”
Darwin made Candace sit by his side and tried to feed her. Taking care of Candace seemed to make him happy.
Darwin was actually still waiting. He couldn’t wait to see his oldest son and oldest grandson through FaceTime. He knew they would definitely call him because this was his birthday.
To be honest, Darwin also missed Cody so much.
This was Bradley’s family dinner. Even though Anna and Beth decided to stay, they still decided not to talk too much. They were both smart women who knew their boundaries.
And then, out of nowhere, Clara suddenly asked, “Cristelle, have you prepared any gifts for our father?” She was smiling as she asked the question. But the dinner table suddenly fell silent.
She talked pretty friendly, as if she and Cristelle had been best friends for years.
Cristelle was so speechless.
She didn’t know she needed to prepare a gift. Linford didn’t like his father. And she was his “honorary” wife. To make their fake combination look convincing, of course, she needed to pretend to be on Linford’s side.
Besides, Darwin tended to look at her as if she was something coming out of the gutter. Cristelle didn’t care about gifts, but she didn’t want people to think that she was trying to suck up at him.
“She gave the Bradley family two lovely twins. This is the best gift,” Linford said calmly as he stood up and poured Cristelle’s wine, “You can drink more tonight, my love. I’ll drive you back home.”
Cristelle looked at the man before her and let out a smile.
Two lovely twins…
The three words cut Clara like a knife. Was Linford mocking her that she didn’t have a baby?
But she had been a widow for years. How could she even get any babies?
She used to have one baby, but she had a miscarriage. The memories still hurt.
Tanya also didn’t like this topic. She forced a smile and abruptly changed the topic, “Why are you mentioning gifts, Clara? Being together and having this lovely dinner is already the best gift for everyone. Am I right, darling?” Tanya turned to look at Darwin.
Darwin held her hand lovingly under the table, “Of course, hon.”
The couple seemed to get more affectionate and more loving as the days passed by.
Pop frowned as he took a sip from his wine. Why did this Clara have to bring this topic up before everyone? She had absolutely no sense.
“Cristelle, do you like wine? Feel free to drink as much as you like. You can stay at my house with your husband and baby tonight. None of you need to worry about driving back home,” Pop gave a gentle smile to her. He had made an obvious remark that he liked Cristelle.
Clara dropped her gaze; her face went red out of hidden anger. Pop’s words were like a slap across her face.
Beth squeezed her daughter’s hand secretly, letting her know that she should tolerate everything she heard.
Clara didn’t say anything as she took a sip from her glass as well.
Anna, on the other hand, had drawn a conclusion.
This Cristelle was loved by both her husband and Franco. She would definitely enter the Bradley House one day.
Cristelle lowered her gaze and enjoyed her meal quietly. She could sense Clara had been playing tricks to humiliate her in front of these people. She didn’t even know her reason for doing these nasty tricks.
If Clara hated Linford so much, why did she often target her? Why didn’t she retaliate directly after Linford?
It was so unfair. She didn’t even do anything to put her shame.
The atmosphere in the dining hall went a bit depressive. However, a rapid knock on the front doors suddenly attracted everyone’s attention.
“This is quite late. Who’s knocking?” Tanya was curious.
The maid went to take a look and came back to report, whispering something beside Darwin’s ears.