Chapter 327: Awkward
Jake and Leah’s birthday happened to fall on a weekend. There was no need for Wendy to make arrangements for their birthday; Timothy had already made a booking at a hotel a week ago for their birthday party. Timothy always made arrangements for their birthday on Wendy’s behalf when she used to be busy with work.
Wendy went to pick them up from school on Friday. On the way back, she asked them, "Have you sent the invitations to your classmates?"
Leah nodded happily, answering, "Yes, I have. They said that they will come tomorrow."
"Well done, Leah," Wendy complimented with a wide smile.
Leah blinked her big innocent eyes and asked cautiously, "Mommy, can I make a call to Daddy? I haven’t sent him an invitation yet."
Leah actually wanted to call Michael one more time to make sure he would be coming.
"Didn’t you call him last time? He will come if he is free. There’s no use pressing him to," Jake replied before Wendy did.
"Jake..." Leah looked at Jake. He looked upset and she didn’t dare to say anything else.
Leah lowered her head. She was sad and also anxious that Michael wouldn’t show up. Yet, she was worried that Michael’s presence would make Wendy and Jake upset.
Wendy took out her phone and handed it to Leah, saying, "Call if you want to."
Looking at the phone in front of her, Leah stretched out her hand, wanting to take it. But then she pulled back her hand again.
Wendy let out a sigh and placed the phone in Leah’s hand.
Leah looked up to see Wendy’s expression. She shook her head and returned the phone to Wendy. She said, "Mommy, I don’t want to call Daddy anymore. Jake is right. Daddy will come if he’s free. There’s no use calling if he’s not coming."
Wendy knew that it wasn’t because Leah didn’t want to call him anymore. Leah merely didn’t want her to be upset. She held Leah and kissed her cheek. She was grateful that she didn’t give up her two children no matter how tough it had been back then.
Wendy called Michael’s number and handed her phone to Leah, "Tell Daddy whatever you want to say to him."
Leah blinked her big eyes, afraid to accept the phone.
On the other end of the phone, Michael’s voice resounded, "Hello? Wendy?"
Wendy silently beckoned Leah to speak.
Leah saw that Wendy wasn’t angry so she picked up the phone happily. "Daddy, what are you doing?"
"I haven’t gotten up yet. What are you doing?" Michael replied gently.
"I just finished school," Leah replied sweetly with her tender voice. She asked, "Daddy, what time is your flight? It’s our birthday party tomorrow. Jake and I invited all our friends in the kindergarten. We also invited the uncles and aunties in Grandpa’s office."
Michael then responded, "My flight is in the afternoon tomorrow. Do you have anything you’d like as a present?"
"Just come to the party," Leah replied with a smile.
"Pass the phone to Jake. Let Daddy speak to Jake, would you?"
"Sure."
Leah held the phone out to Jake. But Jake had no intention of answering the phone.
"Jake, Daddy wants to speak to you," Leah said.
"I have nothing to say," Jake said coldly, looking glum.
"Jake..." Leah’s hand remained outstretched in mid-air.
Jake quickly walked away, putting distance between him and Leah.
Leah tried to catch up but failed to. Panting, she told Michael, "Daddy, Jake said that he has nothing to say to you."
Michael had actually heard Jake’s voice earlier. He knew that Jake was still angry at him. Despite his young age, Jake could bear a grudge better than anyone else Michael knew.
Michael sighed and said, "It’s okay. I will chat with you a little longer then."
Wendy walked behind Leah, listening to her daughter as she chatted happily with Michael. They sounded like they were chatting as usual. She didn’t feel good about it.
The school wasn’t very far away from where Wendy stayed. It only took them about a fifteen minutes walk to reach home, and they arrived very soon.
As Wendy took out her keys to open the door, Leah was reluctant to put down the phone but she said to Michael, "Daddy, we are home. See you tomorrow."
"Alright. See you tomorrow, Leah."
"See you, Daddy."
Leah put down the phone reluctantly and returned the phone to Wendy.
After talking to Michael over the phone, Leah’s smile slowly faded.
Wendy saw this and held her hand, saying gently, "Whenever you feel like chatting with Daddy on the phone next time, just tell me. I won’t stop you. Alright?"
"Thank you, Mommy," Leah said. Then, she happily planted a kiss on Wendy’s cheek.
Leah was so excited that she couldn’t sleep the entire night when she thought of Michael arriving at the party the next day. As a result, she didn’t even wake up until past ten o’clock the next morning.
Luckily, the birthday party was happening in the evening. Otherwise, Leah probably wouldn’t have much energy at noon. She had no school that day so Wendy hadn’t woken her up either.
Jake, on the other hand, was up very early. After Wendy was done with breakfast, she changed him into a handsome suit.
She put on a bowtie as a final touch and looked her son up and down with a satisfied smile. She nodded, saying, "You look great. You live up to the expectation as my son."
Wendy’s smile faded a little after she said that. He was not only her son, he was also Michael’s son. Wendy looked at Jake’s face. He was starting to look more and more like Michael.
Jake could tell what Wendy was thinking about. He smiled and turned to pick a red dress from the wardrobe. He handed it to Wendy, saying, "Mommy, you should wear this tonight. This looks pretty and festive too."
"Sure. If my son picked this dress, it must be the best-looking one," Wendy replied. She took the dress and went to her room to put it on.
She stood before the mirror and looked at her own reflection. Her smile looked bitter. She recalled the time when she went to register her marriage with Michael.
She had been wearing a red dress then. The only difference was that Michael hadn’t concealed his hatred towards her back then.
Before they’d received their marriage certificate, he had emphasized that he would never love her in his lifetime. Besides the title of Mrs. Lucas, he wouldn’t give her anything else. The funny thing was that she hadn’t even gotten the title of Mrs. Lucas then.
Wendy’s smile grew even more helpless and somber.
Jake looked at Wendy’s expression. He turned to the wardrobe and looked up. He stepped up on a chair and carefully looked through the dresses. This time, he picked out a blue dress for Wendy. "Mommy, why not try this dress? I think this dress might suit you better. Go and try it on." Jake said.
Wendy stroked Jake’s head, nodding. She then turned to change into the blue dress.
Her son, Jake, was perfect in every way. But he was too smart. Wendy didn’t have to say anything and he could sense the change in her emotions.
"Mommy, as expected, you look even prettier in this dress," Jake complimented.
Wendy took a deep breath and spun in a circle in front of the mirror. She then nodded.
Leah slept in until noon. After they had lunch, Wendy changed her into a new dress—a beautiful princess dress. She even tied Leah’s hair into an extremely cute bun.
When Timothy arrived at the house in the afternoon and saw the two children, he couldn’t help but look at them in delight. He said, "My two grandchildren are so good-looking. You are just like a little prince and a little princess."
"Grandpa, you look very handsome yourself today," Leah said sweetly.
"Hurry up and come here. Let me carry you, my little princess," Timothy said, waving at Leah. He sighed, "I wonder when my daughter will get married and have an adorable child so that I can have a grandchild of my own."
"Jill is still young. Don’t be in a hurry, Mr. Woods. It is only a matter of time," Wendy said, smiling.
"Forget about it. Let’s not talk about her on such a fine day," Timothy said, waving his hand impatiently.
Then, Timothy’s assistant walked in from outside, handing over two presents.
"Leah, Jake, these are your birthday presents from me. I wish you good health, fortune, and long-lasting happiness," Timothy said, smiling warmly.
"Thank you, Grandpa." Leah accepted the present, immediately wanting to open it.
"Open the present only when we’ve come back home," Wendy stopped her with a smile. She then explained, "It is not polite to open a present in front of the person who gave it to you."
Leah nodded understandingly and quickly put the present aside.
"It’s okay. We are a family," Timothy said lovingly, coddling his god-grandchildren.
Timothy treated his god-grandchildren in an indulgent way, caring for them from the bottom of his heart.
"Let’s head to the hotel now if you are ready. We’ll be just in time if we head over now. The guests should be arriving soon," Timothy said.
"Alright," Wendy nodded in agreement.
It was almost four in the afternoon when they arrived at the hotel. Not long after, parents bringing their children to attend the party started arriving one after another. Jake and Leah received so many presents.
Todd arrived at the hotel soon after them too. He carried Leah in his arms and the assistant behind him brought in two big presents. Looking at the packaging, Wendy could already guess what he’d given them. It was probably two sets of clothes that he had personally designed and made.
She had to admit that Todd was a fantastic designer. The clothes he made for the two children every year looked great.
"Thank you, Uncle Todd," Jake and Leah said in unison.
Todd bent down and carried Leah, saying, "The two of you look great today. You are going to be a lady-killer and femme fatale when you grow older."
Leah was still young so she couldn’t understand what it meant. She looked terrified, saying, "I’m not a killer and I won’t be a killer."
Todd heard her response and he let out a burst of hearty laughter. He tapped the tip of her nose, explaining, "It’s not what it sounds like."
"What is it then?" Leah asked curiously, blinking her eyes.
"It means..." Todd was thinking about how to explain to make Leah understand. He then continued, "It means you’re very pretty and everyone likes you."
"Oh, really? Hehehehe..." Leah chuckled.
"Stop flattering her. Everyone has been flattering her and she’s been getting carried away." Despite Wendy’s words, she obviously sounded delighted.
"Mr. Lewis, when are you going to let her down?" Someone teased.
"Yeah, Mr. Lewis. Don’t just think. You must take action."
"Corrine’s come back from Rheinsville for good. If you let her go again instead of seizing the opportunity, you might regret it for the rest of your life."
"Look at you. You like the two kids so much and they like you too. Mr. Lewis, work harder for it."
The jeering crowd was made of employees from HG and Lewis Design Company. They had always viewed Wendy and Todd as a matching pair. No one could turn a blind eye to Todd’s obvious yearning.
But Wendy had been obsessed with getting revenge in the past, with no space for Todd in her heart. She had returned to Michael later on, leaving Todd no choice but to keep whatever he had yet to say in his heart.
Then, Wendy had left Lake City no longer fueled with hatred. It was indeed a great opportunity.
However, before Todd could say anything, Wendy smiled at them, saying, "You can eat whatever you want but you can’t say whatever you wish. It doesn’t bother me much but Todd is still a bachelor. Don’t make fun of him all the time. His admirers wouldn’t dare to approach him."
Suddenly, Wendy’s smile faded when she spotted the man walking towards them.
Michael saw Todd carrying Leah as he walked in, with Wendy standing next to Todd while Jake stood by their side. They were chatting happily, looking just like a family.
At that very moment, Michael felt like an outsider. He couldn’t help but lower his chin, wearing a bitter smile. Wasn’t he an outsider? He’d made the decision himself. He had no right to complain.
Wendy’s expression redirected everyone’s attention to where Michael stood.
"Daddy..." Leah was the first one shouting happily for Michael.
She struggled to get out of Todd’s embrace, eventually being let down.
Todd’s smile grew stiff too.
"Daddy, you are here!" Leah immediately ran into Michael’s arms.
The crowd had initially been cheering Todd and Wendy on, wanting to bring the two of them together. When they saw Michael’s sudden appearance, they lowered their gazes awkwardly. They didn’t know what to say.
They thought Wendy and Michael were on bad terms. After all, it had been complete chaos in Lake City back then. Who would have guessed that Michael would come to Rheinsville in the end? They’d been making such remarks and Michael heard them all. Besides Leah, there seemed to be no one else who welcomed Michael.
Wendy glanced at Michael. Then, she turned to greet the other guests.
Todd smiled, saying, "Let me help you take care of the guests."
Looking at both Wendy and Todd turning their backs to him, Michael watched them for a moment before he looked away.
He saw that Jake was still standing on the spot. He smiled and greeted, "Jake, Daddy’s here..."
As expected, Jake didn’t even bother glancing at him. He immediately turned and immersed himself among the crowd.
Michael’s arrival had made the mood at the banquet very awkward. Everyone had initially been chatting and playing happily. Now, they were speaking quietly amongst themselves.
Some people, who didn’t know who Michael was at first, learned the story from whispered discussions. Everyone felt awkward then.
Michael’s gaze was fixed upon Wendy who walked to the side. Suddenly, he saw that Wendy had twisted her ankle by accident. He subconsciously quickened his pace, wanting to go help her.
But before Michael could reach her, Todd was already helping Wendy up...
