Chapter 488
Chapter 488
Facing Faith’s fury, Neil shot me a glance. Was he subconsciously assuming that I was the cause of the uproar?
Well, it was understandable. After all, Faith was in my house at the moment.
“Let’s clarify what actually happened first,” Neil tried to pacify his mother, “Then I’ll handle it.”
Faith took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. Then she repeated my words for the second time. Her emotions were running high, causing her to speak faster than I had, her words interspersed with criticism and distaste for Karina.
Neil’s expression darkened as she spoke, and finally, he turned to me and asked, “Is everything my mom saying true?”
“You asked me about it last night, and I already told you everything. Whether you believe it or not, that’s up to you,” I replied calmly, my conscience clear.
“Irene wouldn’t lie to us. Hiram’s words were clear as day. That woman is manipulative. She even used Hiram as a spy. It’s absolutely outrageous!” Faith was getting worked up again, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
I went to pour her a glass of water. “Here, take a moment to calm down.”
Faith took the glass of water, giving me a deep look before suddenly turning her attention to Neil. “This is all your fault! Irene was so good to you, completely devoted to you, and you didn’t appreciate her. And now look, you’ve invited a wolf into your home, bringing all sorts of trouble upon us!”
I was embarrassed. Despite my exposure of Karina’s deceit, I was honestly at a loss on how to respond to Faith’s praise.
Ryan chimed in, “Yeah, when you first started dating Karina, we were against it. But you wouldn’t listen. Now, she’s secretly had a child, and the child is already so big. What are we supposed to do now?”
“That’s enough. I’ll handle this myself,” Neil said, obviously frustrated. His brows were furrowed, a sign of deep worry and tension.
Faith knew her son’s temperament. If she continued to push, he would only resist more, and that would cause more trouble.
I didn’t say anything else. How Neil would handle the situation was his business.
The room became oppressively silent. When Norah returned, she found the Whitmore family sitting in the living room, no one speaking a word.
Faith and Ryan were each holding Serena and Brandon,
Norah was clearly uncomfortable. She quietly said, “Mrs. Finch, I’ll make dinner.”
“Alright,” I waited until Norah had entered the kitchen before turning to Ryan and Faith. “Why don’t you stay for dinner? I don’t have much to offer, but Norah is a great cook. You should try her food.”
Faith finally smiled and said, “Sure, it’s been a while since we’ve had a meal together.”
I returned the smile and got up to help Norah in the kitchen, leaving Serena and Brandon with Ryan and Faith.
After a while of bustling about in the kitchen, Norah seemed to be holding back
something. Seeing her hesitation, I asked, “Norah, if you have something to say, just say it.”
“Mrs. Finch, I’m just a nanny. It’s not my place to comment on the affairs of my employers,” Norah sighed.
“It’s okay, just speak your mind,” I assured her as I continued with my work.
Norah wiped her hands on her apron, closed the kitchen door, and finally said, “Mrs. Finch, Ljust think that Dr. Russel might not be pleased about Mr. Whitmore’s frequent visits here…”
I knew instantly what she meant.
Neil’s repeated visits to my house had not escaped Norah’s notice. However, to outsiders, Russel and I were the married couple, and we had two children together. This situation could easily be misconstrued as an illicit love affair.
Norah, being in her early fifties, was more traditional in her thinking. Furthermore, Russel had always been good to her, so she was likely uncomfortable with the situation. I appreciated her restraint in not bringing it up until now.
I put down the vegetables I was chopping and explained, “Norah, Neil is my ex-husband. I shouldn’t have any contact with him, but things aren’t as they seem. I hope you won’t misunderstand.”
“But Dr. Russel…” Norah was still concerned about Russel.
“Russel and I… we might not be a good fit,” I didn’t go into detail, but gave her a simple explanation to ease her worries.
Norah stared at me in shock, finding it hard to comprehend. In her eyes, Russel and I had always gotten along well. Russel was a good-looking man with a stable income, and we seemed to be a perfect match.
She stammered, “But… why…”
“Norah, I’m not as fickle as you might think. There’s a lot of complexity involved here that I can’t explain right now,” I interrupted, somewhat helplessly.
Norah sighed deeply, “Alright, I just thought Dr. Russel was truly good to you. You two look so right together, so I don’t understand why…”
The intricacies of relationships are difficult to explain, especially when Norah was unaware of the history between Neil, Russel, and me. I had said all I could.
Fortunately, she was a sensible woman and didn’t press for more details, choosing instead to focus on cooking.
I was there to lend a hand, mainly because I didn’t know what to say while sitting with the Whitmore family in the living room. If we kept talking about Karina, it would seem as if I was intentionally targeting her.
Once all the ingredients were prepared, I returned to the living room. To my surprise, Serena and Brandon had fallen asleep in the arms of Ryan and Faith; their soft snores filled the room.
“These two are such sweethearts. I can’t help but adore them,” Faith said, still cradling the children even after they had fallen asleep.
Neil’s gaze swept over Serena’s face in Faith’s arms, a slight frown forming on his face.
I wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but the affection Ryan and Faith showed towards Serena and Brandon was no less than their love for their grandson, Hiram. This was something I hadn’t expected.
After all, blood ties are often considered paramount.
“Irene, darling, Ryan and I have a favor to ask. Could you possibly grant it?” Faith and Ryan exchanged glances, suddenly finding themselves in an awkward situation.
My heart gave a jolt. I was afraid they were going to ask something about a DNA test or something.
But Faith’s next sentence made me let out a sigh of relief. “Just wondering if we could adopt Serena and Brandon as our grandchildren? Don’t worry, we’ll treat them just like our own, no favoritism whatsoever!”
“Mom, what are you up to?” Neil’s face turned ashen. He couldn’t understand why his parents, who already had a biological grandson, were eager to adopt more, especially considering these kids were born to his ex-wife and his childhood friend.
Faith shot Neil a look that said, ‘mind your own business”. “I simply adore these two little ones. Having Hiram is wonderful, but an extra two won’t hurt. It’s not like we’re short on money. Plus, it gives me a legitimate excuse to spoil these little darlings, doesn’t it?”
