Chapter 178: Karma

Immediately, the car paused at the Austeegard mansion. Maverick picked up the quadruplets in their usual style: Iris sat on his shoulder, Hudson rested on his back, and Iverson and Orson were carried with one hand each. He began to lead them toward the mansion while they talked about the fun they had during their five-day vacation.

“We are home!” Valencia cheerfully announced and pushed the door open. Her words stuck in her throat when she saw that Lessie was the one who opened it.

Lessie smiled and waved at Valencia awkwardly. “Welcome, Valencia. How have you been?”

She unconsciously stepped aside for Maverick and the quadruplets to enter, revealing Mr. Carter and Amabella waiting at the door.

Valencia’s lips parted and her eyes darted, not expecting their presence.

Lessie stepped forward and bowed to Valencia in apology. “Valencia, I have always been filled with guilt for how I treated you. All this time I was jealous. A servant told me you looked down on us and hated us because we took your mom’s place, and it made me unhappy. I was jealous and insecure, and I took it out on you. I really don’t deserve your forgiveness.” She confessed and burst into tears.

Mr. Carter and Amabella also stepped forward in remorse. “We have let you down, Valencia. It’s all our fault. We understand if you don’t forgive us—we deserve it.”

Amabella wiped her tears and admitted, “I should have taken the spot of mother in your life when Raquel died, but I was insecure. Like every mother, I was selfish and wanted it all for my child, forgetting that everything was built in the first place to protect you. I'm so sorry.”

“Valencia, I was a bad father. I didn’t bother helping you heal or move on from your mother's death. All I cared about was the company and… I—” Mr. Carter’s voice broke, and tears fell past his eyes. Amabella hugged him to console him.

Valencia wiped her tears and stepped forward, feeling freer, as if the last knot in her heart had finally been untied.

A smile appeared on Valencia’s face as she said, “Who hasn’t made a mistake before?” In truth, she had spoken harsh words in anger when they had just arrived, but she never expected a servant to twist them to gain Lessie’s favor since she was the new daughter of the family.

Also, even though years had passed, it didn’t erase the fact that Valencia had also been rebellious—causing trouble, embarrassing the family, and chasing after a man in disgraceful ways.

Besides, if it weren’t for the Carter family, who knew what would have happened to the Austeegard family? After all, Mr. Carter could have pretended to be unaware about the Austeegards’ family situation.

Moreover, he could have chosen to throw Valencia out when she wasn’t his biological child and his wife had died—yet he never did.

Perhaps if Valencia had slowed down and not resented them so much after her mother's death, she could have seen the beauty around her. “I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”

Tears slipped past Valencia’s eyes as she engulfed them in a family hug.

“You forgive us?” They whispered in shock, as if they couldn’t believe Valencia would choose to forgive them after everything.

Valencia's face softened, and she whispered, “We have all made mistakes. Let’s call it off and call it equal.”

“Good. Good,” they all smiled with joy.

“Welcome to the family, then.” Valencia opened her arms, and Mr. Carter hugged her, followed by Amabella.

Lessie stepped back, hurriedly collected two strawberry cakes she had handed to a maid earlier, and held one of them toward Valencia.

Valencia’s eyes lit up as she collected it. She had missed this taste—her favorite cake from before her mother died.

The store had long closed and relocated, making it impossible to find again. She hadn’t expected this. The only time she was able to eat this cake was on her birthday.

Surprisingly, whenever it was Valencia's birthday, a mysterious person always sent the cake to her through delivery. Valencia had always believed it was Raquel who arranged it before her death. Unfortunately, since she disappeared abroad, she hasn’t been able to eat it.

“I learned how to make it years ago, but we fought before you could taste it,” Lessie said, sniffing. “I never made it for myself or anyone else. I only make it on your birthday and send it to you through delivery.” She took a bite, her eyes crinkling in a smile as she spoke.

Valencia froze. Didn’t that mean it was after Raquel died? Didn’t that mean Lessie had searched for the owner and learned how to make the cake just to cheer her up? And even when Lessie claimed to fight her, she had still sent the birthday cake to make her smile.

“Thank you, Lessie. I'm so sorry.” She hugged her and wrapped her arms around her.

Lessie smiled sweetly and held Valencia’s arm. Suddenly, she sighed in distress and complained in a feigned unhappy voice, though it was clear she was trying to lighten the mood. “But tell me, why did brother-in-law have to test me like this? He changed my role and made me the villain of the movie. I know I have been bad, but treating me like this…”

Valencia burst into laughter and glanced at Maverick. It turned out Maverick could also hold a grudge, and he would avenge anyone who treated her badly.

Valencia suddenly rubbed her nose. Even though she was the writer of the novel, she was totally unconcerned about it.

Valencia held Lessie’s hand seriously. “Let’s be like this from now on, sister?”

“Sister.” Lessie smiled widely and threw her hand around Valencia, hugging her tightly.

“Aww. Such a beautiful scene. Let’s take a group photo. Pose, everyone!” Aviva yelled out and bolted away from Warrick to set up the camera.

Upon hearing this, the whole family stepped forward and gathered together to take pictures.

After instructing a maid on what to do, Aviva hurriedly joined them. A lot of pictures were taken with smiles, and minutes later, they finally finished.

Suddenly, maids stepped forward and handed each of them a glass of wine—except the children, who were given juice, and the pregnant women, who were given fruit wine instead.

The mothers exchanged glances before speaking up. “We have been thinking about the entire family going on a vacation. We picked hiking…”

“Oh no.” Aviva cried out and shook her head in horror. “We can’t hike throughout the entire vacation.”

“Alright, what do you suggest? Anyone with an idea?” Cora hurriedly picked up a book and began to write as everyone gave their suggestions.

“How about a picnic…

fishing…

barbecue at the beach…

outdoor party…”

“Great suggestions. We are adding them to the list, but it’s not enough,” Raven expressed.

Aneira’s brows wrinkled in confusion. They had already listed ten activities, but it wasn’t enough? “How many days are we going for?” she asked.

“Days?” Fleet paused as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. “It’s two months, daughter.”

They had been working all yeara. A few days of vacation weren’t enough for them.

The parents had even planned that after the children settled down, they would have their own parents-only vacation.

Upon hearing this, tears pooled in Lessie’s eyes. She really wanted to burst into tears without a care for her elegance. She held Valencia’s hand and cried out, “I’m suddenly crying. Why do I have to be the villain?”

Lessie's holiday was ending tomorrow, and she would have to fly back to the country. “I can’t believe I’ll miss all this fun. I'm so pitiful. Wahhh!”

Valencia pinched the dramatic Lessie in amusement before turning to Maverick with large, cute puppy eyes. “Maverick, it’s family?”

How was Maverick able to resist his woman, especially with that cute face she was making? He said, “I’ll call the director.”

Lessie smacked a loud kiss on Valencia’s cheek and hugged her. “Yay, Valencia. I love you the most. Muah muah. I’ll make you strawberry cake every da—”

Before she could finish her words, a jealous Maverick immediately snatched his woman from Lessie’s grip and pulled Valencia into his embrace while giving Lessie an unpleasant look.

Lessie dramatically sniffed and wiped imaginary tears from her eyes. “I’m the only singleton amidst a group of couples. Can I die now? This is karma! Definitely karma!”

The group instantly burst into laughter, and the Austeegard mansion shed its quietness, filling with cheerfulness instead.

In just a few weeks, the quiet house had changed and turned into a home filled with love, warmth, family, and laughter.