Hayden was in a good mood and informed the servant to bring Valeria her favorite juice after they were seated. William sat cross-legged next to Valeria and subconsciously wrapped his hand around her waist. “Dad, what’s for dinner?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Why would you keep things to yourself when we are already here? I’m telling you, my pregnant wife is being very fussy nowadays. It would be a waste of effort if she is not interested in the dishes that you have prepared.”
Hayden still didn’t want to spill the beans and said, “Valeria is in the spotlight today instead of you. How would I not prepare the dishes according to her appetite? Don’t worry about it as the food for dinner tonight is very suitable for a pregnant woman.”
“What is it then?” William could not resist anymore and stood up, “I’m going to take a look at the kitchen.”
The servant grinned and said, “Mr. Hayden had bought some truffles to make soup for Valeria. I also came to know that truffles are nutritious and boost the immune system of pregnant women.”
“Really? Honey, you’re in luck. Does it mean that I can also get to taste it because of you?” William smacked his lips and continued, “Dad, you’re so biased. You would only treat me mediocre dishes but would treat your daughter-in-law for a meal that is worth tens of thousands. How is this fair to me?”
“I would do the same thing if you were the one who is pregnant, okay?”
“I knew it,” William then sat down and took a sip of Valeria’s fruit juice. She stared at him and said, “Honey, this is mine.”
“I know. You should share some fruit juice with me when you already have the chance to enjoy truffles!”
Valeria couldn’t help but let out a grin when she saw William’s aggrieved expression.
Hayden also giggled while he brushed his beard upon seeing their interaction. William still wanted to continue his act but was cut off by a phone call. He then answered it, “What’s the matter?”
“Mr. Howard, we found something about Emily.”
His face lit up with bliss and asked, “Really? Who is she?”
“Mr. Howard, Emily is the sister of Azalea’s mother.”
He was taken aback and questioned, “How is that possible? Azalea’s mother is not from the Poland Family, right?”
“That is because Emily had taken her mother’s family name instead,” Marcus explained.
“I see. Is there any other important information about her?” William asked.
“We have only managed to gauge her identity as we need more time to investigate further.”
William knew that it was not an easy task as it was a past that happened thirty years ago. It would require a huge effort and time to dig things deeper.
He had no further opinion and agreed, “Alright, I’ll wait for your updates then.”
Hayden frowned as he looked at William after he ended the call. “Why are you trying to get ahold of Emily?”
William paused for a moment before asking, “Do you happen to know her?”
“Yes, she was a friend of your mother and they used to be very close with each other,” Hayden replied.
William did not expect Hayden to know about her and asked, “Really? Dad, you do know what happened to her, right? Tell me about it.”
“I was not very close with Emily and all I knew was that she had a very friendly relationship with your mother as well as your uncle, Callum. It seems that…”
Hayden then glanced at Valeria and hesitated for a moment before he continued, “Your uncle once wanted to marry her.”
“Who are you referring to? Is it Emily?” William asked in shock.
“Yes! But I have no idea what happened next as Emily eventually returned back home and cut ties with your uncle. Your mother had even lost contact with her.”
William was taken aback by this incident and thought for a moment before he asked, “What was Emily like?”
“What would you like to know about her?”
“I am curious about her personality and behaviour.”
Hayden thought for a moment before replying, “I’m quite foreign with her but she was your mother’s best friend. I suppose that Emily must be a kind person as your mother had always missed her dearly, don’t you think?”
The conversation eventually came to an end when the servant had informed them that dinner was ready.
Hayden had also informed the servant to prepare more dishes that were of Valeria’s favorite apart from the white truffles.
She enjoyed her meal very much and William kept giving her additional servings. Her satisfied belly consisted of a big portion of rice and two huge bowls of white truffle soup.
Hayden believed that she had not taken much and urged, “You should have more as you look so thin. My grandchildren in your belly would not be strong and healthy as you have not eaten much. Servant, do give her more rice!”
Valeria was already feeling full and refused, “I can’t eat more as I have had something to fill me up when I was out today!”
William grinned and tried to break the ice upon seeing her gaze of crying for help. “Dad, she had some pastries just now and I’m concerned that she would have indigestion if she had too much food. Let’s call it a day and I’ll urge her to have more during our next visit.”
Hayden then immediately asked, “You had something when you were out? Valeria, you left home again today? Who did you hang out with?”
William replied calmly, “Dad, she hung out with me.”
Hayden was satisfied with the answer and reminded her, “Try not to simply consume the food that was not prepared in-house as there are people with bad intentions and you have to be cautious about it. I’ll ask someone to make some snacks and send it over to you if you have any cravings.”
Valeria nodded like a woodpecker and said, “Alright! I’ll keep that in mind!”
William stood up and took Valeria’s hand to avoid Hayden from making the situation being awkward and said, “Dad, I’ll take her to the garden for a stroll.”
“Alright, off you go.” Hayden agreed and instructed the servant, “Do tidy up William’s room as they would be staying here tonight.”
William brought Valeria out of the living room and she stuck out her tongue and said, “Thank God that you had my back, or else I would have received an earful from your dad today.”
“Aren’t you fearless?” William couldn’t help but chuckled when he thought about how Valeria had chickened out just now.
“What are you laughing at?” Valeria rolled her eyes at him.
“You were so hilarious and I did not know how cute you were when you nodded obediently,” He imitated Valeria’s nod and said, “Honey, I’m dying of laughter upon seeing you behaving that way just now.”
“What are you laughing at? Is it that funny? Are you asking for trouble to mock me like this? I shall punish you to kneel for the entire night.”
“My wife is a violent woman!”
“How dare you talk back at me? I shall teach you a lesson soon!” Valeria pretended to grab his ear and he quickly glanced over while letting out a cry, “Dad is here!”
“Where?” Valeria was afraid and halted her moves while looking in the direction. He then exploded into laughter again as he had successfully deceived her.
“Naughty William, how dare you lied to me! I’m pissed off! Ouch, I’m so furious that my stomach is feeling uncomfortable!” Valeria was whining on the ground.
He rushed forward and asked, “Is your tummy really hurt or are you just cracking a joke?”
“I’m faking it!” Valeria smugly reached out to grab his ear but a dry cough was suddenly heard. Hayden slowly walked towards them with his hands crossed behind his back alongside Lucas following behind him.