Chapter 101: Who’s Cuter
"If you become Brother Ryan’s wife, I would be absolutely happy for you two." Julia continued, her eyes sparkling with excitement and enthusiasm, clearly delighted at the prospect.
"You’re getting a little too mischievous, young one!" as she gently pinched Julia’s cheeks.
Sarah emerged from the kitchen, carrying two steaming plates. "Mommy, my favorite!" Julia squealed, her face lighting up at the sight of macaroni and cheese.
"She told me earlier that you also like this dish too." Sarah said with a warm smile, as she handed Thea her plate of steaming macaroni and cheese.
"Madam, your sister-in-law has arrived." the servant announced.
"Taking that witch’s name, she appeared." Julia said, her mouth still full of macaroni.
Alexia stormed into the dining area, her eyes fixed on Thea. "What is this girl doing here?" she shouted.
"Sister-in-law, she is our guest.I invited her here." Sarah tried to explain, but Alexia wouldn’t listen.
"Hey, you!..Stand up...Don’t you have any shame? Always leeching off rich people,first Ryder then my daughter and now here..." Alexia sneered, marching towards Thea.
Thea’s face reddened with indignation as she met the accusation head-on. "Madam, I assure you, I am not leaching off any of them.I would appreciate it if you didn’t make such false accusations."
"Yes, Sister Thea is not like that... moreover, you two are..." Julia spoke up, her tone defensive and protective of Thea.
Sarah’s sister-in-law sneered, "Look how your daughter is talking after mixing with this type of low-class people."
Sarah warned, "Sister-in-law, don’t try to disgrace them. That’s enough."Sarah stepped forward to defend her guest. "What are you doing? Leave her alone!"But Alexia grabbed Thea’s hand and tried to drag her away. "I should teach her a lesson." she retorted.
Julia rushed to help Thea, biting Alexia’s hand hard. "Ah!" Alexia cried out, releasing her grip and falling to the ground.
"Ha! Ha! Serve her right." Julia exclaimed, bursting into laughter at the sight of Alexia on the floor. "You..." Alexia struggled to get up from the floor, her movements labored, and then marched towards Julia, her hand raised to slap her across the face.
Julia’s father entered the room when he saw the scene happening in front of his eyes.
"What is happening here?" he demanded.
"Father!" Julia ran to her father on seeing him.
"Father, this bad old lady was misbehaving with sister Thea and scolded Mommy."
Sarah’s husband turned to Alexia, his face thunderous.
"Sarah, you better teach your daughter properly."
But then his expression turned icy. "And who gave you the authority to bad-mouth my wife and daughter in front of me, sister-in-law?"
"Being your sister-in-law—" Alexia began, but he cut her off.
"Get out! You are not allowed to enter our house in future or interfere in our matters."
Julia spoke up, still clinging to her father’s embrace. "Father, she has to say sorry to us before she leaves."
Alexia’s parting shot was a venomous, "I won’t apologize to this freeloader!" before she stormed out of the house, leaving a tense atmosphere in her wake.
Julia’s father turned to Sarah and said, "Make sure she never sets foot in this house again, and cut all ties with that family."
Sarah looked concerned. "But they’re your family, dear."
"It’s over." he stated, his voice unwavering yet shaded with a hint of sorrow. He inclined his head slightly towards Thea before ascending the stairs to his study, abandoning the women to ponder the upheaval that had just transpired.
Thea looked like she was about to apologize, but Julia cut her off in her childish voice."No need to say sorry, sister Thea. That old lady always causes a scene whenever she comes here."
"I knew that two-faced mother and daughter pair would cause trouble. And are great to spoil at everything .They’re toxic!"
"Sister Thea, let’s continue eating," Julia urged, trying to lighten the mood.
"Thea, don’t feel bad about the incident. I know you’re not like the people my sister-in-law mentioned." Sarah reassured her.
Thea couldn’t shake off the feeling of hurt when Savannah’s mother accused her of leeching off Ryder. She didn’t understand why she would say that. She spent some time gathering her thoughts before she returned home.
"Sister Thea, next time I would look forward to spending time with you." Julia said, bidding her goodbye with two sweet kisses on the cheeks.
"Thea, it would be great to spend some time with you." Sarah added.
"Thank you, Sister."
"If you’re calling my mommy ’sister,’ then I have to call you ’Aunty,’ but I prefer to call you Sister ..only. .Sister Thea.." Julia said, looking up at her with a smile.
"Julia dear, I asked her to address me as ’sister.." Sarah spoke softly.
"You can call me whatever way you like to address." Thea scooping Julia into her arms and giving her a warm kiss.
"I will stick to calling you Sister Thea."
Later she went home by bus. She was passing by the neighborhood, when she noticed a familiar figure standing in front of Mrs. Evelyn’s restaurant, waiting outside.
"What are you doing here?" She approached him and asked.
"Waiting for someone?" She looked around before asking.
"I have some work, so I came..." Liam answered.
"In the restaurant?"
"No, I was just passing by this restaurant."Liam clarified.
Thea smiled and said, "So, Mr. Flynn, you’re already engaged. Congratulations!"
"Your fiancée is beautiful... you two look like a great match.." Thea praised.
Liam looked a little shaken upon hearing this. "Thanks..." he said, his voice trailing off.
He quickly changed the subject. "Weren’t your classes supposed to end later today?"
Thea responded, "Hmm, I went to visit a little friend of mine."
"A little friend, huh?"
Thea nodded casually. "Just a kid."
"Thea, John’s invited Ryder and me to hang out tomorrow. Care to come along?"
"He didn’t mention it to me. Besides, isn’t it just between you three?"
Liam swiftly pulled out his phone and dialed John. "Johnny, I ran into Thea.Should I bring her along tomorrow?"
After a brief pause, Liam’s face lit up with a smile. "John wants you to join us."
Thea shrugged. "Okay, I’m in."
Liam’s smile broadened. "Great, it’s settled then."And asked, "Do you want to take a walk with me?"
"Now?" Thea asked, slightly surprised.
"Yes." Liam replied. "After all, we’re seeing each other after a long time... and in university, besides classes, we don’t have time to talk."
Thea hummed thoughtfully. "Hmm...okay.
His eyes locked onto the bracelet on her wrist. "What’s wrong?" She felt his eyes on her.
"You’re still wearing that bracelet."
"Hmm, someone gifted it to me." Thea replied, her eyes gazing fondly at the bracelet. "It’s kind of a treasure to me."
"Who is that someone?"
Her expression turned secretive. "I won’t say, or else you’ll make fun of me later."
As she looked down at the bracelet on her wrist, a soft smile spread across her face, and her eyes shone with delight.
The silver bracelet, a gift from Ryder in her childhood, had been her constant companion ever since. She cherished it as his first token of affection and couldn’t imagine letting it go. Remarkably, the bracelet’s gleam remained unwavering, its beauty unmarred by the passage of time.
As they strolled up to her home, she turned to Liam with a warm smile. "Professor Liam, will you come in and visit our little house?"
Liam nodded enthusiastically. "Yes..."
Thea’s expression turned teasing. "But didn’t you mention earlier that you had some work to attend to?"
Liam’s face fell, and he rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah... I did say that, didn’t I? I was going to put it off until later and visit your house then."
"Then see you tomorrow." Thea said with a wave of her hand before disappearing into her room.
Liam stood outside her house, a lingering smile on his face. He waited for a moment, then turned to leave after seeing the light in her room flicker on, indicating she was settled in for the night.
She was scrolling through her phone when she suddenly thought of giving Charlotte a call. After a few rings, the line connected.
"Hey, have you completed your task?" Thea asked, getting straight to the point.
"No, I haven’t," Charlotte replied. "He told me not to take those plants back. He likes them."
Charlotte chuckled. "How was your day with your little friend?"
"She’s so cute!" Thea gushed.
"Who’s cuter, me or your little one?" Charlotte asked in a teasing tone, playfully turning the conversation into a lighthearted joke.
