Chapter 1783
Tracy quickly played along with her daughter’s ruse. “Yes, Arnold. They’re just a couple of my poker buddies. I thought Sheila had already invited them in.”
Amold seemed to buy their story, though he looked visibly annoyed. “Poker again?! That’s all you do, day in and day out. Stay home and cut down on your outings, Tracy! We don’t have enough money for you to lose!”
Tracy appeared a bit hurt. “Arnold, I don’t lose every day. I won a fair amount today. It’s so boring to stay home all the time.”
Arnold grunted heavily. “You and Sheila, none of you do anything useful! The Mendoza fortune isn’t enough to support your habits!”
Tracy muttered under her breath. “You’re not much better, Arnold. You’re always off fishing and not doing anything productive either.”
It was barely a whisper, but Arnold heard her. “What did you say? Speak up!”
Since her parents were on the verge of an argument, Sheila quickly stepped in to mediate. “Dad, there’s still plenty of pot roast. Eat up, and if it’s not enough, Mom can always make more for dinner.”
After her daughter tried to intervene, Tracy quickly regained her composure and forced a smile. “Yes, Arnold. What would you like for dinner? I’ll cook it for you.”
Arnold, realizing his wife and daughter were attempting to appease him, cooled off a bit. “Fine, just stop bothering me! I didn’t catch a single fish today, so I’m already irritated!”
Sheila quickly jumped on the opportunity. “Speaking of fish, I just remembered. Paul next door recently bought a new fish tank. He’s got some beautiful, rare species. Maybe you’d like to take a look? Mom and I can prepare dinner while you’re gone.”
Arnold, a big fan of fish, seemed intrigued. “Really? I hadn’t heard. I’ll go have a look.”
Sheila encouraged him. “Go ahead! Maybe you can get some tips from Paul. If you like the fish, we could get a few for our house too.” Arnold finished his meal and, encouraged by his daughter, headed over to the neighbor’s place.
With Arnold finally out of the house, Sheila heaved a sigh of relief.
When she turned around to find her mother, Tracy was already in the kitchen, prepping dinner.
“Mom, what are you doing?” Sheila asked, a bit exasperated.
Tracy was pulling some vegetables from the fridge. “Making dinner for your dad. He’s been in a bad mood, so maybe a good meal will calm him down. By the way, Sheila, when did you learn to make the pot roast?”
Sheila snatched the vegetables from her mother’s hands and tossed them aside. “Mom! Now’s not the time for that! Remember, there are two suspicious women waiting for you to deal with!”
Tracy frowned. “Right! I meant to ask you about that! Where are those women? Please tell me Arnold didn’t see them!”
Sheila assured her. “No, Dad didn’t see them. Why do you think I went to such lengths to get him out of the house?”
Tracy wiped her hands on a dishcloth, looking worried. “Sheila, where did you put those women? They’re not in our house, are they?” “Yes, they’re here. I was worried that Dad would get home before you and see them, so I hid them in the attic where Ellinor used to stay.”
