Chapter 131 Chapter 131
Caroline blinked, looking at her husband's serious profile. However, she quickly dismissed her concern, concluding that he was just being overly jealous. Why would Edward cling to her so blatantly now?
He was already with Claire, expecting a child. He would have no interest in his ex-girlfriend.
In the front seat, Sara bit her lip to stifle a scream of excitement.
If she could, she would have yelled, “My brother-in-law is so powerful and domineering!”
Finally, she felt she could truly relax.
She no longer needed to lose sleep worrying about her sister being bullied or mistreated.
With such an incredible, wealthy, and ruthless brother-in-law to protect her, what would Caroline have to fear?
He spoiled her, protected her, and had the means to crush anyone who dared to look at her the wrong way. Sara decided right then and there that no one would ever intimidate the Ford family again.
In the middle of the trip, the comfortable silence was broken by Nicholas's cell phone ringing, and he looked at the display. It was Mrs. Wolf, his mother.
Nicholas answered, keeping a protective hand on Caroline's shoulder.
“Nick, it's the weekend,” Mrs. Wolf's voice sounded jovial but demanding on the other end. “Shouldn't you be coming home? You didn't show up last week, and your grandmother keeps asking about you. She said she misses you terribly.”
Mrs. Wolf had a youthful voice, which matched her appearance. She had married Tiago Wolf, Nicholas's father, at a very young age and still retained a vibrant energy in her early forties.
Nicholas looked at the girl lying obediently in his arms, playing with a button on his shirt. He hesitated for a moment.
“Okay,” he muttered evasively.
But Mrs. Wolf was not satisfied with the monosyllabic response.
“What do you mean, ‘okay’? Are you coming or not? Let me tell you something: we have a special guest here tonight. So unless you have something life-or-death to deal with, you'd better come back.”
“Guest?” Nicholas raised an eyebrow, indifferent. “Who?”
“Sheila's back home,” his mother announced, and the tone of her voice instantly softened, becoming affectionate. “Don't tell me you didn't know. Oh, that girl is so filial... She barely got off the plane and came to visit us, full of gifts.”
Mrs. Wolf sighed, delighted.
“I didn't spoil her in vain all these years. Honestly, it would be great if she were my daughter. With such a loving girl around, I feel like I would live another twenty years. Unlike you, you ungrateful boy.” I've worried about you since you were a baby, and now that you're approaching thirty, you're still giving me headaches.
Her mother's complaint continued, gaining momentum:
"You're already at this age and you still don't have a steady partner. Look at your childhood friend, Hiago. He changes girlfriends like he changes clothes. At least he has a way with women. Why don't you learn a little from him?
Nicholas listened to the lecture impassively, his fingers absentmindedly caressing his wife's arm, the wife his mother never even dreamed existed.
When she finally paused to take a breath, he replied with his usual calm and a hint of dry sarcasm:
"He's fickle and promiscuous, Mom. I wouldn't call that ‘skill.’
“He's still better than you!” Mrs. Wolf sounded on the verge of a nervous breakdown on the other end of the line. "At least Hiago is normal, unlike you! The only girl who has been by your side since childhood is Sheila. What other women do you know? Sheila is a good girl. I'd be happy if you two got together, but you insist on saying you only see her as a sister!
Her voice rose an octave, laden with maternal frustration.
“I've introduced you to so many excellent girls from high society, and you haven't even deigned to look at them. Are you trying to kill me with anxiety? Will I live long enough to see you married with children?”
Nicholas's expression remained apathetic as he listened to the usual lecture.
However, his eyes told a different story. Dark and deep, they were fixed on the delicate, adorable girl nestled in his arms, and he couldn't resist. He reached out and gently squeezed her cheek. Caroline's skin was fair, soft, and smooth to the touch, like fine porcelain.
Seeing her curled up against him like a docile kitten, the usual coldness in Nicholas's eyes melted, replaced by a tenderness his mother would never have imagined he possessed.
When Mrs. Wolf finally paused to take a breath, he replied with a slight smile on his lips:
“Don't worry, Mrs. Wolf. You'll certainly see that very soon.”
“What?” Mrs. Wolf's tone changed instantly from anger to suspicion. “What are you saying? Has something happened?”
Nicholas was usually tight-lipped about his personal life, but this time he gave a practical order that was worth a thousand confessions.
Looking at Caroline and remembering her physical discomfort, he said in a low, authoritative voice:
“Ask the kitchen to prepare light dishes for dinner. And... ask them to boil water with brown sugar, ginger, and red dates. I want it ready when I arrive.”
“What? Water with brown sugar?” Mrs. Wolf was stunned. That was a woman's drink.
“Yes. Do as I say. I'm hanging up now, we'll talk when I get there.”
He ended the call without leaving room for further questions.
Caroline, who had heard only his side of the conversation, looked at him with her large, dark, curious eyes.
“Your mother called you?”
Nicholas put his phone away and looked at her, a sly smile curving his lips.
“Darling,” he corrected, with a hint of teasing, “she's your mother now too, or have you forgotten?”
Caroline blinked, stunned, and her face flushed violently.
It was true. She was married to Nicholas. His mother was, by law, her mother-in-law. But everything had happened so fast that she still hadn't gotten used to the title “wife,” let alone “daughter-in-law.”
She pursed her lips, embarrassed.
“Your mother... I mean, Mom... does she want you to come home?”
“Yes.” Nicholas nodded, and then his tone became more serious, almost like a solemn invitation. “Do you want to come with me?”
Their marriage had been sudden. He hadn't had time to take her to the ancestral mansion to officially meet the Wolf family.
However, his mother's mention of Sheila reminded him that he needed to mark his territory. He needed to introduce his wife to the world—and to his family—as soon as possible. Since Mrs. Wolf insisted on her return, he would move up his plans.
Caroline's eyes widened in panic.
“Go home with you? You mean... to the Wolf family home? To meet your parents?”
“Yes.”
Nicholas stroked the top of her head, trying to calm her.