Vespera couldn''t help thinking back to Wanda''s conversation with Theodore.
The "Mrs. Hall" Theodore mentioned was Natalie, and Wanda had called him "Mr. Theodore"...
Wanda and Theodore...
"Dear God, it couldn''t be that dramatic, could it?" she thought.
Inside the kitchen, Wanda was speaking urgently into the phone. "Mom, I ran into Theodore at the supermarket! He kept staring at Vera, it''s like he''s figured something out! What should we do?"
Natalie was startled, too.
But she stayed calmer than Wanda and quickly said, "Don''t panic. Back then, all three of them were dered dead. Theodore heard it with his own ears.
"Even if he''s suspicious, he should be rational enough to think it through. What, does he think people can juste back from the dead?"
"But... But the way he looked at Vera wasn''t normal. Maybe he won''t stay rational!" Wanda said anxiously, remembering the intensity in Theodore''s gaze.
Besides, his appearance at the supermarket wasn''t just some random coincidence.
Natalie''s tone turned serious as she thought for a moment. "Then we''ll just have to take it one step at a time. I''ll call Mrs. Locke Senior and see what she says."
Wanda ended the call.
Leaning against the kitchen counter, she took a deep breath. Talking to Natalie had calmed her down a little.
She opened the door and stepped out.
"Mom, you look tired. Sit down and rest. I''ll take care of dinner," Vespera said, hurrying over and gently helping her onto the couch.
Vespera poured her a ss of water, then went back to the kitchen to start cooking.
Wanda sat there, watching Vespera bustling around, and her eyes turned red.
All those times she''d half-joked about sending Vespera back to the Locke Residence, and now it might actually happen...
No. This is her daughter. She wasn''t going to let anyone take her back.
Out on the balcony, Vernon sat silently, staring off into space.
He loved raising flowers and had grown so many over the years. Now, it felt like someone was about to carry off his best, most beloved one, pot and all.
Vespera kept cooking quietly.
The doorbell rang.
"Mom, can you get the door? I invited Ba over for dinner," Vespera called out, bending over from the kitchen.
From the moment she started preparing for her divorce until now, Reba has helped her with so much.
Now that everything was settled and Vernon and Wanda were back home, it was only right to invite Reba over for a proper dinner.
Wanda pushed aside her lingering sadness and got up to answer the door.
"Ba, you''re here—"
She hadn''t even finished her
tall,
when she spotted the handsome man standin
to Reba, and her eyes lit up.
Snapping out of her surprise, she quickly invited them in. Dominic was holding an exquisitely wrapped box.
He greeted her politely, "Good evening, Mrs. Gildon."
"Good evening," Wanda said, her tone unusually warm.
She had seen good-looking men before. After all, her useless ex-son-inw had been handsome too. But this one? He looked like he''d walked straight out of a painting, with skin so fair it practically glowed.
"Ba, is this your boyfriend?" Wanda asked.
"Mrs. Gildon, even in my wildest dreams, wouldn''t dare dream that big," Reba said, clutching her chest dramatically, her regret.
vnal of
"Huh? Then who is he?" Wanda asked, confused.
If he wasn''t her boyfriend, why bring him home?
"He''s Vera''s..."
Reba deliberately dragged out the word, and right as Wanda''s jaw was about to hit the floor, she finally added, "New boss."
Reba figured saying "new husband" might be too much of a shock.
It took Wanda a moment to recover. "Oh, Vera''s new boss at her newpany!
She mentioned she changed jobs recently."
But still, why was Vespera''s new bossing over for dinner?
In the kitchen, Vespera turned down the heat and walked out.
Seeing Dominic standing there in the living room, her eyes widened in shock. "Mr. Reid, what are you doing here?"
"I invited him," Reba said quickly, bravely shouldering the me. "Since everything wrapped up nicely and Mr. Reid helped out a lot, I took it upon myself to invite him to dinner."