Chapter 153 - 153 Ch. 153 Anxia-Michele
153 Ch. 153 Anxia-Michele
“Hey, Xia, it’s been a while,” greeted Harmonie with her signature smile while hugging her sister-in-law tightly.
Anxia gave a thin smile in response to Moni’s greeting, while Lori was jumping up and down happily as she greeted her two grandparents.
“Opa, Oma! Look at my height!”
“Wow, my granddaughter has grown tall.” Stanley offset his granddaughter’s enthusiasm with a big smile and lifted Lori while spinning around, inviting a laugh from the little girl.
“Whoa, is that Lori? She’s more adorable than in the photo.” Raymond joined in the laughter as he approached his father and niece.
Stanley took Lori in his arms and glanced at Raymond. “Lori, I believe this is the first time you two have met in person. He is your father’s twin brother, and his name is Raymond.”
“You can just call me Uncle Rei.”
“Hello, Uncle Rei!” greeted Lori with a cheerful and enthusiastic tone.
Raymond rubbed Lori’s head affectionately, then walked over to his brother and was surprised to see that Richard’s expression wasn’t quite well.
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“Hey, Richie. Why do I get the feeling you’re not pleased to see me here?”
Richard snorted indifferently at his brother’s joke. “You know that’s not true. It’s good to see you, bro.” Richard hugged his brother, which Raymond also reciprocated.
“Is this your famous wife?” Raymond noticed a black-haired girl standing behind Richard. “I didn’t know we had the same tastes,” Raymond whispered, making Richard smile wryly.
If he didn’t feel nervous waiting for Anxia’s reaction to Michele’s arrival, he might have countered his brother’s joke with another one. But right now, his mind was thinking of his wife, and he wasn’t in the mood to joke around. Richard could only smile and then shifted to one side so that his brother could meet his wife face to face.
“Let me introduce you; she’s my wife. Xia Xia, she is my brother Raymond and also his wife, Michele.”
Like it or not, Richard also had to introduce his sister-in-law to Anxia, ??seeing that Michelle had walked up to Raymond.
“Hello, sister-in-law. We have wanted to see you for a long time, but my brother hid you well.”
Anxia only gave a faint smile and then greeted Raymond’s handshake in a friendly manner. While the two were shaking hands, Michelle frowned as she saw Anxia’s face. For some unknown reason, Michele felt she had met Richard’s wife before but couldn’t remember where she had seen her.
When it was Michelle’s turn to shake hands, Anxia put on her best smile and came face to face with Michelle.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Qiao. An. Xia.”
Michele’s eyes widened upon hearing that name, and a flash of memory of a little black-haired girl swirled in her head, freezing all her nerves.
On the other hand, Stanley looked at his two daughters-in-law with curious eyes. They both hated each other but started a new life with their two children and overlooked the past. But now, both of them have to face the past again. Can their husbands reconcile them?
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During the trip from the airport to Richard’s house, everyone was chatting excitedly and happily except Anxia and Michelle. Richard spoke with his sister and mother, while Lori talked with Raymond while caressing Eugene’s soft cheeks on Stanley’s lap.
Only Richard noticed the awkwardness between his wife and his sister-in-law, but he didn’t let their awkwardness ruin the reunion atmosphere. Even though he was responding to all the chatter of his family, Richard never let go of his wife’s hand to give her mental support.
Likewise, Raymond knew nothing but noticed his wife’s sudden silence and circled his hand on his wife’s slender waist.
Richard and Raymond were of the same mind and decided to pay attention to their wives later when the other family members were not around.
By the time they arrived at the Kensington, Richard had called for a butler to help him carry his family’s belongings. He also ordered them to place the items into the rooms he had provided for his family. Afterward, Richard invited them to lunch together in the dining room. Today the head chef deliberately prepared all of his family’s favorite dishes to welcome them all.
Like while traveling in the car, they were chatting warmly, except, once again, Michele and Anxia.
“Michele, why have you been silent, my dear?”
Michele’s hand, which had been lifting the teacup towards her mouth, suddenly stopped in midair when she heard her mother-in-law’s question.
“Are you not feeling well?”
“No, mother. I’m alright. Maybe it’s because I’m still jet-lagged; my head is a little dizzy.”
“Poor one. You must be tired,” continued Meisya with great concern.
“Do you want to rest after this?” As a good brother-in-law, Richard asked softly. “Your room is ready for use, and you can rest there.”
“Thank you,” Michele answered without losing her polite smile.
Not long after, Michele glanced at her son, who was playing happily with Lori.
When she first saw Lori’s photo, Michele fell in love with the child. Her affection for the girl when she saw the little one in person at the airport became even more significant. But when she found out who the child’s biological mother was, Michele suddenly became less excited to get to know the child more closely.
Michele felt her heart wasn’t willing for her son to get close to Lori. In the end, Michele got up to grab Eugene from his toddler chair and placed him on her lap.
At first, Eugene protested and whined because he still wanted to play with Lori, but the baby boy could do nothing.
Lori sighed sadly and then moved seats to sit next to her mother. She felt that her uncle’s wife didn’t like her, so Lori knew her place and didn’t force her to approach Eugene or talk to Michelle.
Anxia stroked the back of her daughter’s head affectionately and gave her a concerned smile. But her heart was burning to see Michele give the cold shoulder to Lori.
Anxia understood why Michelle hated her, but that woman didn’t have the right to shift her hatred to an innocent child.
Is it karma? Anxia once also channeled all her hatred for little Michele, who knew nothing about her parents’ heinous deeds at that time.