Chapter 194

S21 24. Welcoming the Guests

As Nora left, Melanie pursed her lips. Her eyes narrowed cynically. ” They dare to throw a party and invite people? Do they think this is

their house?”

“People nowadays are shameless and greedy, Mommy. We give them an inch, they take a mile,” Barbara replied sarcastically.

Melanie sighed. “Well then, we have to prepare too, Dear. Let’s show them who the real queen is in this house. If possible, we should be the ones to welcome the guests.”

“Time to wear a new dress?”

Melanie raised an eyebrow. “Yes. But before that, let’s go to the spa. We have to look fresh tonight.”

Barbara nodded vigorously.

However, later that night, Melanie’s face turned gloomy. Her

shoulders rose and fell as her breath roared. “You….” Her elegance

had been erased by the presence of the guests.

Vivian put on a thin smile. “Good evening, Mrs. Harris. Nice t

you. It’s been a very long time, right?”

Hearing the greeting, Melanie snorted. “Did you come here to t me?”

Vivian raised an eyebrow, glancing at Jeremy briefly. “Am I wron Her husband’s name is Paul Harris, right?”

Jeremy nodded. “That’s right, Mom. She is Mrs. Harris, but I heard she claims to be Mrs. Harper.”

Melanie became increasingly furious. Barbara furrowed her brows,

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seeing her mother grit her teeth. “Mom, you know her? How dare she call you that?”

As Melanie didn’t answer, Barbara got confused. They come to the entrance to surprise the guests. However, why were the two of them surprised?

“Auntie …!” Frank’s voice suddenly came from behind. Chuckling, the man spread his arms. “Finally, we can have a dinner again. It feels like it’s been a long time.”

Seeing Frank’s familiarity with Vivian, Barbara’s head was pressed back.

“Is she the courier’s mother? But why does Frank call her ‘Auntie’? Is she my late stepfather’s sister? The courier is his cousin?”

Before Barbara had time to digest, the twins came with happy cheers. “Uncle Jeremy! Mrs. Bell!”

Laughing, they greeted the woman. Their bodies wiggled as they hugged her. Witnessing that, Barbara’s frown increased.

“But Louis and Emily don’t call her Grandma. So who is she?”

Suddenly, the twins pulled Vivian’s hand in front of Melanie and

Barbara.

“Grandma, Auntie, let me introduce someone special to you. This is Vivian Bell, Jeremy’s mother. But she is like a mother to Daddy and also a grandmother to us.”

“Yes! Because she’s our family, she’s your family too!”

Melanie snorted. She didn’t want to look at Vivian for more than two

seconds.

“Then who is Jeremy?” Barbara asked curtly.

Emily leaned her body against Jeremy’s legs. “This is our Uncle.

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Daddy’s brother, your brother too!”

Barbara glanced at her mother. Her eyes flickered asking for an explanation. Just at that moment, Kara came.

“Mrs. Bell.”

She gave Vivian a warm hug. After that, she patted Jeremy’s arm. Thank you for sparing your time tonight. Now that we’ve gathered, how about we go straight to the dining room?”

“Yeah! Grandma is waiting there!”

As Emily made a small jump, Louis raised one hand high. “Let’s get the party started!”

Everyone walked towards the dining room with happiness, except Melanie and Barbara. They both looked at the guests with disapproving looks.

“Mom, who are they? Why do those kids say Jeremy is my brother? You secretly have another child besides me and Frank?”

“Watch your mouth! Don’t talk carelessly! That illegitimate son was not born from my womb.”

Barbara gasped. While Melanie sped up, she tilted her head.

“Illegitimate son? Did my late stepfather have an affair? Is that the real reason Mom left the Harper family?”

After shaking her head quickly, Barbara followed. She would have to investigate later. Now she had to take part in the game first.

During dinner, Melanie and Barbara were silent. Even though the others were chatting happily, they were only focused on enjoying the food. They seemed estranged, until Louis asked, “Auntie, you are very calm tonight. Does your stomach hurt again?”

Jeremy raised an eyebrow. “Did she get sick?”

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Barbara gasped. Before she could interrupt, the twins nodded enthusiastically.

“Yes, Auntie was rushed to the hospital yesterday. But we can’t tell you the details because it was Grandma’s birthday party.”

“Emily is right. The party will be ruined if we speak about it. Now, since we’ve finished dinner, how about we present the birthday cake we made, Emily?”

Susan widened her eyes. “You guys made a cake?”

“Yes, Philip and Nora helped us. All this time, Grandma always made us cakes. Now is the time for us to make cakes for Grandma,” Emily explained in her sweet voice.

A second later, she turned to the kitchen door and nodded. Nora

came in bringing a fruit tart.

“Wow, this beautiful cake was really made by you? Thank you, Twins.”

Louis and Emily’s eyes sparkled. “Come on, Grandma! Let’s sing and blow out the candles! After that, we have another gift.”

Susan chuckled. “Another gift? This alone is more than enough.”

“No, Grandma. Cake alone is not enough. Grandma is a good per So, Grandma must get lots of gifts!” Louis spread his arms as v

as possible.

“Mrs. Bell and Uncle Jeremy also have gifts for Grandma, right?” Emily blinked with a sweet smile.

Vivian’s heart warmed. “Of course. We couldn’t possibly just come empty-handed.”

Melanie’s eyes grew dim. Vivian’s words were an insult to her.

After singing together and enjoying the cake made by the twins,

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everyone took out the gifts they had prepared. Barbara could only watch silently, while Melanie sneered in her heart. “What’s wrong with these people? Why do they like to show off so much? Do they want to irritate me on purpose?”

Then, she snorted. “How expensive are the gifts they could buy? They think I will be influenced by those cheap things?”

However, when Susan opened her first gift, Melanie’s jaw dropped. Her eyes flashed with envy. Vivian gave Susan a pair of rare pearl

earrings.

When Susan opened Jeremy’s gift, Melanie became even more furious. She considered the set of antique cups too valuable for

Susan.

“Thank you, Mrs. Bell, Jeremy. You’re both very kind.” Susan’s heart warmed.

“It’s not comparable to your kindness towards us, Mrs. Martin,” Vivian replied.

“Do you know, Mrs. Martin? My mother really likes the plants you gave her. She never forgets to water them. Even when she is free, she like to wipe the leaves.”

Susan laughed lightly. “Wow, I’m so glad you like taking care of thos plants. Thank you, Mrs. Bell.”

“You’re welcome, Mrs. Martin.”

Suddenly, the twins slumped down from the chair and approached Philip. After getting the package, Emily approached Susan first.

“Grandma, all this time, you’ve always sewn our clothes. But, we have never sewn your clothes. Instead, I designed a beautiful cardigan for you. I hope you like it, Grandma.”

When the cardigan was shown, everyone was stunned. Small pearls

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added to the elegant impression of the knitwear.

“Wow, it’s really suitable to wear with those earrings,” Vivian

exclaimed.

“Yes, Grandma can wear it any time and still look beautiful.” Emily nodded confidently.

Susan hugged the cardigan. After whispering thank you, she kissed Emily’s head.

“Grandma!” It was Louis’ turn to hand over his gift. He had difficulty dragging a large package which was placed on a flatbed cart.

“Oh my God, Louis.” Susan moved from her position. “What are you carrying?”

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