Chapter 144

Chapter 144

“Oh my. You didn’t have to spend so much, Ms. Quillen!”

Ryder was stunned, too.

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He had always found Mackenzie hard to approach, so much so that he would

subconsciously address her as Ms. Quillen. Never did he expect her to be so

generous by giving his son a gift worth eight hundred.

“It’s okay. It’s worth it as long as Tommy likes it,” Mackenzie responded calmly.

She then found a quiet corner and took out her laptop and phone, planning

on handling some work matters.

“Hmph! Show off!” Abellyn muttered under her breath and ignored

Mackenzie. She did not think it was worth talking to a woman who was not on

the same wavelength as her.

Tommy was thoughtful for a kid his age. He approached Mackenzie, asking,

“Would you like to go to my room? It’s quiet there.”

His bright eyes put a smile on Mackenzie’s face. “Sure!”

She did not want to see Abellyn, anyway.

Hence, Mackenzie went to Tommy’s room to work while Ryder entered the

kitchen to help Emmanuel.

Moments later, more people arrived.

It was Abellyn’s mother and elder sister.

Their visit surprised Abellyn, as her family was not originally from Yeringham.

When she was sixteen, she traveled to the South to work in a workshop at an

electronics factory. However, the income was too little for her, and the job

was too demanding. Hence, she joined the workforce at the bathhouse,

where she could earn more money by washing the feet and hair of other

men, as well as serving them with her body.

She continued fooling around until she was tired of it. At that time, she was

twenty–three years old, which was when she decided to settle down and

marry Ryder.

Her mother and sister did not live in Yeringham. It was only during New Year’s

and other important events such as weddings or funerals that they would

travel to the city to visit their relatives. Hence, Abellyn did not expect them to

turn up that day for Tommy’s birthday.

Seeing that, Ryder quickly left the kitchen to entertain them. The two guests

did not bring Tommy any gifts, but the former did not mind it.

Just like that, Emmanuel was left alone in the kitchen.

At that moment, Mackenzie was feeling a little hungry. When she stepped

into the kitchen, she found her husband cooking alone. The idea of her

husband serving Abellyn annoyed Mackenzie. Just as she was about to tell

him to leave, she heard Tommy crying outside.

While Mackenzie was puzzled, Emmanuel muttered with a frown, “Abellyn’s

sister’s son must be bullying Tommy again.”

Abellyn’s sister was Chloe Sheppard. She had a son named Robby, who was

two years older than Tommy. Every time Chloe brought him to Ryder’s house,

he would make Tommy cry.

Sure enough, when Emmanuel and Mackenzie stepped into the living room,

they saw Robby playing with Tommy’s new toy. To make things worse, Robby

maneuvered the toy so high that it hit the ceiling and came crashing down.

Crash!

“Ah! Uncle Manny, my drone!” Tommy sobbed pitifully. Instead of going to his

father, he approached Emmanuel.

Deep down, the child knew his father would not be able to stand up for him.

Emmanuel quickly picked Tommy up and coaxed, “It might not be completely

broken. I’ll mend it for you, okay?”

With that, he approached Robby.

“It’s not my fault! Tommy was snatching the controller from me. That’s why I

lost control of it. The drone wouldn’t have crashed if not for him!”

Robby tossed the controller aside, washing his hands of the matter.

That was not all. As if afraid Emmanuel might teach him a lesson, Robby

burst into tears and ran toward Chloe.

Right then, Chloe quickly approached. When she saw her son crying, she

scolded Emmanuel without bothering to find out the truth, “What is this? The

kids are just playing with a toy. Why would an adult like you want to

interfere?”

A deep crease etched itself between Emmanuel’s brows, and his face

clouded over in a grim expression.