Chapter 164: Strained Relations (Part 1)
Sophia placed a piece of meat in Alison’s bowl and asked. “Mommy, what are you thinking about? Is it Daddy?”
Alison gently tapped Sophia’s forehead. “Mommy was just thinking about what porridge to cook for you tomorrow morning. I wasn’t thinking about Daddy at all.”
“Mommy’s face is red!” Sophia playfully rubbed her own cheek.
Alison pulled her close and patted her bottom. “I’ll spank you if you say that again.”
“Mommy, please let Daddy come back soon. I’m starting to forget what he looks like,” Sophia pleaded.
“If you’ve forgotten, just look at your brother. He looks most like your daddy,” she said with a smile, not falling for the trick so easily.
“That’s not the same! Brother is brother, Daddy is Daddy,” Sophia shook her head stubbornly.
These two children were so clever that sometimes she found it hard to keep up. “Alright, Mommy will call Daddy later. If he has time to come over, it’ll satisfy your longing for him.”
She dialed the familiar number.
The phone connected, and his ringback tone was still as pleasant as ever. Waiting for him to pick up, her heartbeat quickened.
Was he losing sleep and appetite because of his mother’s illness?
When Jack picked up, she called out, “Jack…”
“Oh my, that’s awfully familiar — ‘Jack’? Who are you? What exactly is your relationship with him?” Aimée’s voice came through the line, startling Alison so much her hand trembled.
Alison took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. “Aimée, where’s Jack? I want to talk to him.”
“Still calling him ‘Jack,’ I thought it’d be fun for Isabella to hear that.” Aimée’s voice dripped with malice, clearly relishing the chance to humiliate Alison. “Running low on cash? Want my fiancé to wire you some more? How much? Ten thousand dollars? Or a hundred thousand dollars?”
“Aimée, you’re going too far!” Alison finally snapped. She’d never asked Jack for a penny. That twelve million dollars was just a loan — she’d pay it back.
“What? Did I miss something? Feels nice being supported by a man, doesn’t it? That’s why you cling to him so relentlessly,” Aimée said angrily — because Jack had threatened to call off the wedding, despite Isabella still being sick in bed.
“Watch your mouth. If Jack isn’t here, I’m done.” Alison refused to waste words on Aimée.
“Hold on, let me see if Jack’s back,” Aimée said.
“No need,” Alison replied, about to hang up.
Just then, Aimée and Isabella’s voices came through the receiver. “Auntie Isabella, it’s Miss Fairchild calling — the one who went to Paris with Aidan and Jack last time.”
Though she couldn’t hear Isabella’s response, Alison felt a twinge of worry. After all, Isabella’s health must be fragile.
Tentatively, she asked, “Aimée, is Auntie Isabella feeling any better now?”
“Alison, you’ve finally learned some manners? Now you know how to ask about Auntie Isabella’s health. Why don’t you even visit her? That’s downright rude,” Aimée retorted sarcastically.
“No, I’m not refusing to visit her,” Alison hastened to explain.
“So why haven’t you come?” Aimée’s tone was accusatory.
Alison paused before replying, “I… I’ll go visit her today. Ask her first — if she doesn’t want to see me, then I won’t go.”
She wasn’t afraid of Isabella or Aimée. She simply didn’t want to argue with a patient or a pregnant woman. She’d never been unreasonable.
“Alright, I’ll ask her right now.” Aimée paused, then added, “Come over. She agreed. We’ll meet this afternoon. Bye.” With that, she hung up.
Alison slowly lowered her arms, her mind in disarray.
She hurried out of the room.
The moment she opened the door, the kids burst in, looking a bit awkward.
Ethan asked, “Mommy, any news about Daddy?”
“Daddy is busy with work. He has important matters to handle, so he can’t come over for now. Mommy needs to step out for a bit. I’ll be back soon. You two be good.”
Before the kids could react, Alison grabbed her handbag and left hurriedly.