Chapter 100
Sebastian seemed to notice something. He glanced sideways and murmured, “Eat your food and ignore whatever they say. Leave it to me.”
Then, he turned his gaze to Millie. “Only people who often buy knockoffs think others are wearing them too. Just like that handbag you’re carrying, right, Mrs. Spencer?”
Millie’s face turned red in just a few words, and she had no idea how to respond.
Watching her always snobbish and clueless aunt get put in her place, Noelle’s appetite quickly came back.
She admired Sebastian for that. She leaned close and whispered in his ear, “How did you know her handbag was fake? Do you actually study these things?”
Noelle was too close, her whisper brushing against his ear, drawing an immediate reaction from Sebastian at such an inappropriate moment.
He furrowed his brow, then quickly regained his composure and whispered back, “I don’t study this, but I can tell the difference. Her bag is far too extravagant. A woman who brags about her son making a million dollars a year would never carry a bag worth over two million dollars.”
Noelle almost spat out her glazed rib. She couldn’t believe Millie had the nerve to carry it.
Millie was left tongue–tied for a long time, unable to get a single word out.
Caroline cleared her throat twice, stepping in to defend her mother–in–law. “Mom’s older now, so any bag feels the same to her. Maybe she just liked the design and didn’t give it much thought. You don’t need to be so harsh to someone her age.”
Sebastian let out a cold snort, gently took Noelle’s hand, and said slowly, “You keep saying we shouldn’t be harsh to the elderly, so does that mean you think my future mother–in–law is too young?
“If not, then why treat her like this? Your whole family ganged up on her, making her run around doing this and that while mocking and picking on her the entire time. That’s far worse than just being harsh.”
Donald’s family exchanged looks, never that expecting the man Noelle was marrying for the second time would be such a formidable fighter. It felt like he was single–handedly debating each and every one of them.
They finally realized that staying any longer would only make them more miserable, so they slunk away without even finishing their food.
Noelle let out a sigh of relief, feeling some of the weight she’d carried for years from being bullied by her relatives lift from her heart.
Chapter 100
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Still, she looked at the table full of dishes and felt torn. “These are all my mom’s specialties. They taste amazing, but I’m too full to eat another bite.”
Noelle’s always had a small appetite.
When she lived with the Ashfords, Yasmine used to look down on her for eating so little. She insisted that her skinniness was the reason she couldn’t have children.
Yasmine also accused her of caring only about maintaining her figure to please men and never doing anything worthwhile for the family.
Sebastian rolled up his sleeves. “It’s fine. I can eat.”
He wasn’t bluffing. He finished almost everything that Mary had cooked, wiped his mouth with clear satisfaction, and said, “Mrs. Spencer, your cooking is honestly better than the top chefs at my place.”
He gave her a thumbs–up, not holding back on the compliments.
Mary beamed at the compliment. “Sebastian, stop calling me Mrs. Spencer. You and Noelle are
don’t getting married tomorrow, so just call me Mom. From now on, we’re family. If you mind, whenever you’re craving my cooking, just say the word, and I’ll make it for you.” Holding Noelle’s hand, Sebastian called out sweetly, “Mom.”