Chapter 365 Becoming a Family

Chapter 365 Becoming a Family

Soon, the kitchen was tidied up. Oliver went to the storage room and came out with several high-end gifts, both hands full of bags.

Daniela couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. "What are you doing?"

Oliver grinned foolishly. "Didn't we just register our marriage? Legally speaking, we're family now. Going back to Maple Estate is like visiting my wife's family home. These are for my mother-in-law. Quick, help me check - is this enough?"

Hearing Oliver say this, Daniela laughed even harder.

She had never seen someone who could be so endearingly simple in the way they handled things.

"That's too much. It looks like you're not visiting your mother-in-law but opening a store." Daniela walked over and forcibly pulled several bags from Oliver's hands.

"No way, bringing so little would be inappropriate. I need to bring more. Oh right, I have a box of premium coffee beans that I should bring to Martha too."

Ignoring Daniela's protests, Oliver turned back to the storage room and came out carrying a box of coffee beans.

Daniela hadn't expected that a simple visit to see Martha would require such formality.

"Well, let's go then."

Since Oliver insisted, Daniela stopped objecting.

From their place to Maple Estate was just a short walk.

"Let me carry some for you." Daniela reached out to help Oliver share the load, but he refused.

"You think I can't handle this? This is nothing. From now on, I'll be responsible for earning money to support the family, and you just need to stay beautiful. I'll do all the hard and dirty work - you just relax."

His sweet words made Daniela's heart feel warm too.

On the way home, she found her steps becoming lighter, bouncing along happily.

Oliver and Daniela returned right when Martha was busy preparing dinner.

Quinley had gone with the nanny to pick up Riley, and Zachary hadn't come home from work yet.

"Mom."

Daniela called out, changing her shoes in the entryway.

Martha was busy in the kitchen and said without looking up, "Coming back only now - I guess you don't want me as your mother anymore."

Last night, Daniela hadn't come home. Martha had sent her several messages, but Daniela hadn't replied.

Martha was a bit angry with Daniela.

"Mom."

Oliver's voice suddenly reached Martha's ears.

Thinking she'd heard wrong, she poked her head out from the kitchen and saw Oliver standing with Daniela, both hands full of gift boxes, smiling.

Her heart immediately sank. Without responding, she grabbed Daniela and pulled her into the kitchen, quickly closing the door behind them.

"Daniela, tell me the truth - what happened between you two last night? Didn't I teach you? Before marriage, don't easily live with a man - it makes you look cheap."

Martha said in a low voice.

"I didn't."

Daniela denied it.

Martha had just fried some chicken pieces. Daniela reached out to grab one and put it in her mouth.

Seeing this, Martha angrily swatted at Daniela's hand, but she dodged in time.

"Then what did you two do last night?" Martha pressed.

"Nothing much."

Daniela deliberately kept her in suspense. She opened the door and walked out, handing the half-eaten chicken piece to Oliver.

He naturally took it and put it in his mouth. "Still tastes the same. Mom, your cooking is amazing."

"Mr. Oliver, what did you just call me?" Martha wasn't one to let things slide. She looked at Oliver in surprise.

A smile tugged at Oliver's lips. He naturally put his arm around Daniela's shoulder. "Martha, Daniela and I got married."

Martha was completely stunned.

She looked at the two of them in disbelief. "What? You got married?"

Martha repeated.

Daniela nodded. "Yes, we registered today."

She pulled out the certificate from her pocket and handed it to Martha.

Martha opened it and examined it carefully many times.

The photo showed Daniela and Oliver, their names were there too - it was an undeniable fact.

Daniela had finally gotten married. As a mother, she should have been happy, but somehow, she couldn't feel happy.

She folded the certificate and placed it on the dining table, then returned to the kitchen.

She continued preparing the dishes in silence.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

Daniela sensed something was off and asked.

Martha didn't make a sound, as if she hadn't heard.

Oliver had never seen Martha like this either. "It's all my fault. For something this important, I should have discussed it with Martha first."

He felt very guilty and was about to apologize to Martha, but Daniela held him back.

"Marriage is my own business, I make my own decisions. Besides, didn't she want me to marry you?"

Oliver's heart began to feel uneasy.

Things had come to this point - apologizing seemed pointless now.

Both of them fell silent until Quinley came back holding Riley's hand.

"Uncle, why are you here so early? I want to ride the horse."

Riley ran up to Oliver and naturally wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Not today, how about tomorrow?"

Oliver negotiated.

Today was his first day of marriage. He had deliberately worn new clothes and was reluctant to kneel on the ground playing horse.

"No, today, it has to be today."

Riley was naturally gifted at acting cute. Her voice was sweet and whiny, and soon Oliver gave in.

"Okay, I promise. Let's go to the game room upstairs."

As Oliver spoke, he picked Riley up.

While Oliver was away, Daniela got up and tucked the marriage certificate from the dining table into her pocket, but she didn't realize that Quinley had seen everything.

Though Quinley saw it, she didn't say anything.

At dinner time, Zachary came home.

All the dishes were on the table, but Martha refused to come to the table. She held a cloth, wiping endlessly in the kitchen.

"Martha, come eat. You can clean up after dinner."

Quinley went to call her, but Martha wouldn't listen.

"Granny, let's eat."

Riley went to call her, but Martha still wouldn't listen.

Oliver looked at Daniela. He was now one hundred percent certain that Martha was angry.

"Mom, let's eat first."

He walked into the kitchen and reached out to take Martha's hand, but she shook him off.

"Mr. Oliver, you're addressing me incorrectly."

Martha said with a stern face.

At the dining table, Zachary heard the sounds from the kitchen. He looked at Quinley questioningly.

Quinley understood and shrugged slightly.

"Martha, I'm sorry. Daniela and I were too impulsive and didn't think things through. You're an elder - we should have discussed it with you first."

Oliver continued apologizing.

"Your marriage is your business, it has nothing to do with me. You don't need to discuss it with me."

Martha quickly walked out of the kitchen. She was heading to her bedroom when Daniela stopped her.

"Mom, the reason I didn't tell you was because I didn't want to see this scene. Didn't you say before that you didn't care who I married? So now that I've married Oliver, why are you giving him attitude?"

Daniela was somewhat angry.

Quinley stood up. "Daniela, don't talk to Martha like that. Martha just feels bad for you - she can't bear to part with you."

After those words, the room suddenly fell silent.

Daniela quietly lowered her eyelids, while Martha's eyes couldn't help but redden.

"Mom, please sit down."

Oliver supported Martha's arm, gesturing for her to sit at the dining table.

Then he looked at Zachary. "Zach, today is my fault, it has nothing to do with Daniela. I like her so much that I was eager to marry her as soon as possible, which is why I did something so impulsive and thoughtless."

As he spoke, he knelt on the ground.

Martha couldn't bear it and tried to pull Oliver up, but Zachary said sternly, "Let him kneel properly. If he says he was wrong, should he just continue being wrong?"

Oliver quickly shook his head. "I won't. Martha, although Daniela and I got married without your permission, please rest assured that I will take care of her for the rest of my life."

He pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to Martha. "This is the bride price for marrying Daniela. It's not much, but it's everything I've saved over the years."

Then he took out several property deeds. "These are all my properties. I've already had my lawyer transfer them into Daniela's name."

Daniela was shocked.

"When did you transfer them?"

They had gotten their certificate early this morning - it hadn't even been twelve hours - yet Oliver had done all this.

"From the moment I was certain that Daniela was my wife for life, I did all this."

Oliver said honestly.

Honesty is the most powerful thing in the world.

"Mr. Oliver, you should keep these." Martha pushed the card and property deeds back.

Oliver pushed them back again. "Martha, this is what I should do. Oh, and I've also arranged the wedding. Daniela and I will have our wedding in a week. The wedding dress, the venue, all the related matters - I've arranged almost everything. You and Daniela don't need to worry."

Zachary leaned back in his chair, squinting at Oliver. This was the first time he felt this seemingly unreliable younger brother was acting like a real man.

The weight on Martha's heart finally lifted. She sighed and said, "Daniela has suffered a lot with me. As her mother, I'm not capable of much - I just hope she can marry a good person. Money doesn't matter, but he must treat her well. She's stubborn and has a bad temper - you'll need to be patient with her."

"Yes, don't worry. I will definitely be an excellent husband and make Daniela my happiest wife."

After speaking, Oliver seemed to remember something and pulled out a key to give to Martha.

"Mr. Oliver, I can't accept this."

Martha didn't understand and instinctively refused.

"Mom, this is the key to our home. Our place is very close to here. From now on, if you want to continue working at Zach's place, we respect your choice. If you want to come home, our door will always be open to you."

Martha took the key. She kept her head down, looking at it for a long time.

A large teardrop slid from her eye. She nodded heavily, then clutched the key without saying anything.

Quinley whispered to Zachary, "Shouldn't we also give something?"

Zachary smiled mysteriously. "You handle yours however you want. I'll give mine now."

"Martha, it's Oliver's blessing to marry Daniela. From now on, we're all family. I'm Oliver's older brother, and this is a small token from me."

He handed a card to Martha.

"Mr. Jennings, I can't accept this."

Martha quickly refused, but Zachary stopped her. "You must accept this. It's my support as an older brother for their little family."

Just as Zachary gave out his card, Quinley stood up. "Daniela, I heard from Zachary that you've always liked motorcycles. I'm not great at picking them out - I hope you don't mind."

She placed a car key in Daniela's hand.

"Mrs. Jennings, I can't accept this."

"Still calling me Mrs. Jennings?" Quinley asked.

Daniela's face reddened. "Quinley."

"Yes." Quinley responded sweetly.

With everyone giving gifts, Riley didn't want to be left out.

She quickly ran back to her room and brought out her favorite raccoon stuffed animal.

"Daniela, I'm giving you this. When you're scared at night, you can hold it - it will protect you."

She looked so adorable with her sweet childlike voice.

Oliver took the stuffed animal and gave it back to Riley. "You can't call her Daniela anymore. Starting today, you need to call her Auntie. Also, your auntie won't be scared at night - your uncle will be with her."

Everyone enjoyed the meal immensely.

After dinner, Oliver and Daniela walked back the way they came.

"We should return this card and car key to Quinley."

Daniela felt uneasy. The things Zachary and Quinley gave felt heavy on her conscience.

But Oliver comforted her with a smile. "How can you return gifts that have been given? These really aren't much to them. Just accept them with peace of mind."

It wasn't until the next day that Daniela learned Zachary's card contained six million dollars. She counted the digits over and over, completely stunned.

And the motorcycle Quinley gave her - she saw it in the parking garage.

It was a red limited edition motorcycle. She had seen one before - supposedly they were priceless and hard to find.

"Oliver, I think we should really return these to them. They're too valuable."

Daniela still felt uneasy.

Oliver pulled Daniela into his arms. "Honey, how about we keep them for now, and when it's Riley's birthday or when Quinley has a second child, we'll add a bit more and give something back?"

Daniela was someone who didn't like owing others, so she immediately agreed to Oliver's suggestion.

"Yes, that's a good idea. I remember Riley's birthday is in May. What should we give her then?"

She was impulsive by nature, always ready to act immediately.

Seeing Daniela so serious, Oliver felt extremely happy.

He was truly satisfied with this side of Daniela. He deliberately scraped his finger across her nose. "How about we give her a little sister or brother?"

Daniela's quick mind immediately understood, and her face flushed red to her ears.

"Honey, I love you."

Oliver's sweet words rang out again, and his passionate kiss landed on Daniela's cheek.

Lost in the moment, she couldn't control herself.

Though they had been entangled for a long time last night, love rose again at this moment. Oliver scooped Daniela up in his arms and strode toward the bedroom.

"But it's broad daylight."

Daniela protested weakly, but her soft hands couldn't push Oliver away.

"This is our home, just the two of us."

As Oliver spoke, he was already kissing Daniela's lips.

That sweet fragrance spread through his heart.