Chapter 230

Chapter 230

After Preston and Isabella learned Zachary was coming to visit, they started preparing lunch first thing in the morning, acting like they were mounting a major campaign.

No matter how many times Gwen explained that Zachary didn't care about such things, they continued doing things their own way.

Even Cora couldn't intervene. She could only watch from the side as the two bustled about.

Gwen waved Cora over. "Cora, come here. You can't stop them."

Cora had no choice but to walk over and sit on the sofa.

She asked curiously, "When is Mr. Quinn coming?"

"Noon. Twelve o'clock."

Cora's eyes widened. "But it's only eight o'clock right now..."

They were this busy at 8 a.m.? What would it be like by noon?

Gwen sighed. "It's fine. Just let them work. They're too excited. Maybe they'll calm down in a bit."

Cora agreed and sat on the sofa with Gwen, watching TV together.

Time finally reached twelve o'clock, and Isabella had finished preparing the meal.

Looking at the dazzling array of dishes on the table, Gwen couldn't help saying, "Mom, are you preparing an imperial banquet?"

"Not at all," Isabella said, blinking innocently. "I just didn't know what Zachary likes to eat, so I made everything I could think of. Though I haven't cooked seriously in a while—I hope my skills haven't gotten rusty."

"Let me taste a bite..." Gwen was reaching for utensils when Isabella stopped her. "Don't you dare! I carefully arranged all these dishes. What if you ruin my plating?"

Gwen pointed at herself. "I can't even eat?"

Isabella nodded. "No one eats until Zachary arrives!"

Zachary arrived right on time. Just as the clock struck twelve, the doorbell rang.

Gwen walked over to open the door, but suddenly felt something was off. She glanced back to find her parents following right behind her, eagerly watching the entrance.

She couldn't help commenting, "Don't scare him..."

With that, Gwen opened the door.

Zachary wasn't scared, but Preston and Isabella were startled.

Outside the door sat numerous gifts, mostly items suitable for visiting elders.

The gifts filled the entire hallway. Fortunately, this building had only one unit per floor, so there was no worry about the gifts blocking neighbors.

Zachary set down the last gift, looking slightly nervous. "Mr. Winston, Mrs. Winston... good afternoon."

He was handsome, standing there tall with long legs and an excellent physique.

Isabella was immediately satisfied at first sight.

She quickly said, "Why did you buy so many gifts? Come in first."

Zachary looked a bit embarrassed. "Since it's my first visit, I didn't know what you'd like, so I bought everything I could think of. Though it's not really that much."

"This isn't much?" Gwen marveled. "Did you buy out the entire store?"

Isabella patted Gwen's shoulder. "What kind of talk is that? Hurry and let Zachary come in."

Gwen knew her parents would be very satisfied with Zachary. He hadn't even entered the house yet, and they were already being curt with her.

But Gwen was used to it.

Isabella and Preston had heard Zachary had never dated before and worried he might not be a good match. Who knew what they'd been imagining? Now seeing Zachary so handsome and polite, they were naturally delighted.

The gifts couldn't just stay in the hallway. Cora, who'd been idle all morning, immediately volunteered to help move things.

"No need to trouble yourself," Zachary said. "I've already asked my assistant to come help. These items are quite heavy—better to let them handle it."

Walking into the house, Zachary naturally took Gwen's hand.

Gwen's heart jumped. She hadn't expected him to be so bold in front of her parents. But thinking about it, they were already dating—holding hands was nothing unusual.

Preston and Isabella saw this scene, exchanged glances, and both smiled.

They weren't old-fashioned. Holding hands between couples was perfectly normal. And being this intimate in this situation showed their relationship was good in daily life too.

When Isabella first learned Gwen was getting divorced, she'd worried Gwen would become disheartened and perhaps never connect with anyone again.

Seeing Zachary now, she felt relieved.

No matter what, she only had this one daughter. Of course she hoped her daughter would have someone to accompany her in the future.

She smiled. "Come eat first. Let Zachary try my cooking."

Isabella's skills hadn't deteriorated, though she didn't cook professionally, so the taste wasn't exceptional—but it had that homey flavor.

Shortly after Zachary sat down, the bowl in front of him was piled into a small mountain, and Isabella kept adding more dishes.

"Zachary, don't be shy. Eat more."

Gwen quickly said, "Mom, if you keep adding food, how can he eat?"

Isabella laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, I'm just so happy I couldn't control myself. Zachary, take your time eating. No rush."

Zachary agreed. "Thank you."

He ate quite a bit, praising every dish, completely unlike his previously silent, aloof demeanor.

Gwen even suspected that when she first met Zachary, his cool attitude had been an act.

But that wasn't likely. After all, he'd only gradually become like this through treatment alongside Charlie.

Gwen also served Charlie some food, saying softly, "Charlie, eat nicely."

Charlie tilted his head. "Mr. Quinn, Grandpa, Grandma..."

His vocabulary was too limited. He just felt Grandpa and Grandma were being overly enthusiastic toward Mr. Quinn. He wanted to ask why but didn't know how to describe the feeling.

Gwen ruffled his hair, explaining gently, "Grandpa and Grandma are meeting Mr. Quinn for the first time, so they're a bit excited."

Charlie seemed to understand but not quite.

But he still had piano practice coming up, so he didn't dwell on it. After eating seriously, he ran off to the piano room.

After the meal, Cora washed dishes in the kitchen while Preston and Isabella pulled Zachary into conversation.

"Zachary, how did you and Gwen meet?"

"I also heard from Susan last time that you helped treat our Charlie. We're so grateful."

"By the way, what kind of work do you do?"

"It's music-related, right? Did Charlie start liking piano because of you?"

The two asked question after question. Forget Zachary—even Gwen listening from the side was getting dizzy.

She quickly pulled Zachary up from the sofa. "Let him catch his breath. I'll tell you these things later."

"Don't you usually take afternoon naps? Go rest for a bit."