Dinner, table.
Mr. Rouco is seated at the head table, the three families of Adán Rouco are on the right and Julieta Sarinana and Olivia Montes, mother and son, are on the left.
“Everyone make yourselves at home and have dinner.”
Paulita winked adorably, took the fork and spoon from the children and said kindly, “Grandpa will eat first, then we’ll start.”
Sister Rouco smiled happily: “Our Paulita is so understanding, eat, the food won’t be good if it gets cold”.
Estrella Berrocal helped Adán Rouco with the food because he could not see.
Juliet Sarinana saw her take her own used fork and hand it directly to Adam Rouco, and couldn’t help but remind her, “Star, Adam has always had a cleanliness problem, so you might as well use your regular chopsticks to help him with the food.”
Estrella Berrocal froze, not because she didn’t want to use chopsticks, but because she thought it would be too complicated to change her fork.
As he was about to pick up the chopsticks, Adán Rouco said, “What’s wrong with a couple taking a couple of forks to the meal, they’ve done worse.”
Estrella Berrocal: “…”
This man, don’t be so direct with your words.
His face gets hot and he continues to serve Adán Rouco with his own fork.
Julieta Sarinana clenched her fist.
Paulita tilted her head to one side and asked Adán Rouco with curiosity: “Daddy, what excesses have you done with Estrella? Why don’t I know?
Adán Rouco did not hesitate to return two words to his daughter: “Kisses”.
Estrella Berrocal: “…”
Paulita smiled and arched her big eyes, her little white hand clutching the spoon, and said proudly, “I kissed daddy too!”
The conversation became a bit awkward and Estrella Berrocal was quick to say, “The fish is good today, do you want to try it?”.
Adán Rouco emitted a faint “hmm” and sat down to wait for Estrella Berrocal to help him with the fish.
Mr. Rouco warned, “Today’s fish is wild carp and has many bones, so be careful when eating it.”
Estrella Berrocal shaved the bones clean, and since the fish was stuck to her fork, it could not be delivered to Adán Rouco’s bowl, so Estrella Berrocal didn’t care and carried the fish with her own fork to Adán Rouco’s mouth.
Adán Rouco opened his mouth and ate it.
The two moved with harmony and ease, without the slightest hint of pretension, as if they had been together for years, and their understanding was evident.
Olivia Montes and Julieta Sarinana sat across from each other and felt a pang of bitterness.
Paulita pouted and looked at Estrella Berrocal: “Estrella, I want fish too!”.
“Yes, I’ll shave your thorns, otherwise you won’t do well if they get stuck in your throat.”
Estrella Berrocal shaved carefully, making sure there were no thorns before daring to give it to Paulita.
“How does it taste?”
Paulita nodded her little head: “Delicious!”.
At the table, Estrella Berrocal had to take care of the little one and the big one throughout the meal.
By the time Estrella Berrocal had put a piece of kale on Adán Rouco’s plate, Julieta Sarinana said, “I remember that Adán doesn’t like kale.”
Estrella Berrocal frowned a little, why was this guy so full of things she didn’t like?
One minute it’s cilantro, the next it’s fondue, the next it’s kale, he’s got his mouth open.
But Adán Rouco takes a bite of kale from his bowl and says, without changing his expression: “I have changed, now I like kale”.
Julieta Sarinana grits her teeth, but maintains a forced smile.
He would like to see how much Adán Rouco could exchange for Estrella Berrocal.
Paulita ate well, paddling her small bowl of food and sipping her juice, full of food.
Estrella Berrocal stroked her little head: “You’re a good eater today”.
The little girl, a little self-satisfied, touches Estrella Berrocal’s belly with her little hand and asks: “Estrella, has your little brother had enough to eat?
Estrella Berrocal is stunned.
Olivia Montes and Julieta Sarinana, who were sitting across the table, also stopped.
Olivia Montes couldn’t resist being the first to ask: “Estrella, are you … pregnant again?”.
Adán Rouco suddenly intervened: “No, it’s just that Paulita has always wanted a little brother.
Estrella Berrocal shot him a glance and then ate in silence, probably understanding what Adán Rouco meant.
Adán Rouco probably feared that something could happen if some people found out about her pregnancy before the time.
Olivia Montes smiled rather stiffly: “Ah, … that’s right, I thought so, pregnant again”.
Adán Rouco calmly said, “I’m still working on it.”
Estrella Berrocal took a sip of her juice and almost choked, her little face turning red.
Paulita reached out her small, white hand and patted him thoughtfully on the back, warning him with a small frown, “Star, drink slowly!”
“…”
Julieta Sarinana suddenly asked, “Estrella, what’s wrong with your face?”.
Estrella Berrocal said, rather nonchalantly, “There was some accident and they scratched my face”.
“The scar seems to be very deep, it’s hard to remove, isn’t it?”.
Estrella Berrocal didn’t care much about the scar on her face, and these days she was so preoccupied with taking care of Adán Rouco that she didn’t even look at it after washing her face, but she knew that the scar on her face was now so deep and obvious that it was definitely uglier than before.
Estrella Berrocal, naturally, felt a little uncomfortable at Julieta Sarinana’s mention of her.
However, as she had always been hostile to Juliet Sarinana, she did not give in and said, while peeling Paulita’s shrimp, “Anyway, I’m married and have children, so I don’t care whether I’m pretty or not.”
Estrella Berrocal fed the prawns to Paulita, who nodded as she ate them and said, “No matter what Estrella becomes, she will always be the prettiest in Paulita’s heart.”
Estrella Berrocal was happy to hear this, “Paulita is so sweet”.
She is a good girl, she protects her at all times.
Adán Rouco said, with a lighter look, “If a girl is too pretty, she will attract bad luck, but it’s okay to be ugly.”
Estrella Berrocal: “…”
How dare this man call her ugly in front of other women!
Adán Rouco did not say that Estrella Berrocal was beautiful, but he did say that he did not care what Estrella Berrocal had become, and that he was even comfortable with Estrella Berrocal being ugly.
A meal and a lot of gossip.
When the meal was over, Estrella Berrocal hugged Paulita and ran off to play with the children on the sofa, not wanting to get involved in the war between Olivia Montes and Julieta Sarinana.
However, these two women, who are not easy to get along with, are happy to fight with Estrella Berrocal instead of with them.
Juliet Sarinana deliberately asked, “Star, why weren’t you in The Holy City a long time ago, you disappeared for a long time.”
Estrella Berrocal pitifully answered: “Oh, I was traveling, and guess what happened to me”.
Juliet Sarinana was stunned: “What good thing?”.
Estrella Berrocal’s watery, crystalline eyes looked at her and smiled, “I found my real parents, isn’t it amazing?”
“… What did you say? Your real parents are not…”
Julieta Sarinana was a bit confused when Estrella Berrocal said with a sly twinkle in her eye, “My real parents are people from Ciudad del Rey and I have a real brother.”
What?
So now Estrella Berrocal knows that she and Adam are not cousins?
“How, how did you come to be adopted by The Berrocal family?”.
Julieta Sarinana was already distracted when she asked this question.
Estrella Berrocal smiled and said, “I don’t know, but I am grateful for the arrangement, maybe the gods wanted to send me Adam. dr. Julieta, do you think I am right?”
Julieta Sarinana looked at her, only to see a small glint of amusement under Estrella Berrocal’s starry eyes.
That look said it clearly: Adán Rouco was hers and no one could take him away from her, Estrella Berrocal.