Joseph nodded. “Alright, <b>I </b>got it.”
<b>His </b><b>eyes </b>shimmered with emotion<b>, </b>as <b>if </b>Judy’s words had truly touched him.
Judy<b>, </b>on the other hand, felt nothing but contempt.
Why hadn’t she realized before how much easier this man was to manipte than she thought?
She’d barely said a few lines<b>, </b>and he was already moved to the point of tears.
How amusing.
Judy rubbed her stomach and leaned in with a yful tone. <b>“</b>Joseph, I’m hungry. Let’s go <b>eat</b>.”
<b>“</b>No problem.”
<b>Joseph </b>stood up immediately<b>, </b>pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek before leading her <b>to </b>freshen up.
<b>It </b>was the first time he had ever treated her like this, and Judy was slightly taken aback.
<b>Back </b>when Aurora was still around, she might’ve acted smug in front of her<b>, </b>but behind closed doors<b>, </b>Joseph had never shown her this kind of tenderness.
<b>Now</b><b>, </b><b>it </b>almost felt like he <b>was </b>treating her as some sort ofparison to Aurora.
And that was exactly why Judy had never believed he truly loved her.
<b>To </b>him<b>, </b>she <b>was </b><b>just </b><b>a </b>counterpoint to another woman.
That <b>was </b><b>also </b>why she saw right through him and cared only <b>for </b>his money<b>, </b>not for him.
After they <b>got </b>ready and headed downstairs<b>, </b>they ran into Joseph’s <b>parents</b>.
<b>Both </b><b>wore </b>unpleasant expressions<b>. </b>
Seeing them<b>, </b>Joseph’s heart skipped a beat<b>, </b>and unease crept in<b>. </b>
Instinctively<b>, </b>he <b>stepped </b>in front of Judy<b>, </b>shielding her<b>. </b>
<b>He </b>forced <b>a </b>smile<b>. </b><b>“</b><b>Mom</b><b>, </b>Dad… what <b>are </b>you doing at home?”
Judy caught his subtle movement<b>, </b>and her <b>gaze </b>flickered. But she said nothing.
So<b>, </b>this was how disgraceful she <b>was </b>in <b>his </b><b>eyes</b><b>? </b>
<b>Just </b><b>being </b>seen in the house <b>was </b>enough to make him <b>panic</b><b>? </b>
If that was the case, why had he even brought her here in the <b>first </b><b>ce</b><b>? </b>
Shouldn’t he <b>have realized </b>this <b>oue </b>long ago?
<b>But </b>in the <b>end</b><b>, </b>Judy chose <b>to </b>stay silent.
She wanted <b>to </b>see exactly how Joseph nned <b>to </b>handle this.
“Hmph. Don’t bother <b>hiding </b><b>it</b>. You think I don’t know <b>you </b>brought that woman home?”
<b>Melvin’s </b>tone was cold as he stared at his son<b>, </b>never once sparing Judy <b>a </b>nce<b>. </b>
<b>At </b>first<b>, </b><b>he’d </b>assumed Joseph was just fooling around. But <b>now </b><b>that </b>he had the <b>audacity </b><b>to </b>bring her into their home<b>, </b>Melvin realized something wasn’t <b>right</b>. Clearly, this useless son of his had developed real feelings for her.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have <b>gone </b>to such lengths to bring her here<b>. </b>
Up until now<b>, </b>Joseph had treated Judy <b>like </b><b>a </b>passing fling–that much had been obvious to both his parents.
But now, Melvin could clearly see <b>that </b>something had changed.
If it were just a casual rtionship<b>, </b>he might’ve turned a blind eye<b>. </b>
But this was <b>uneptable</b><b>. </b>
He would <b>never </b>allow a woman like Judy to marry into the family
Judy could see the disdain written all over Melvin’s face and instantly understood what he was thinking
As expected<b>, </b>bing part of the Hunt family was an impossible dream
It was still the old couple standing in the way.
<b>+25 </b><b>Bonus </b>
<b>“</b>Dad, <b>I</b><b>…</b>”
<b>Joseph </b>hadn’t even managed to say anything before Melvin pped a hand on the table and stood up abruptly. “What did I tell you before? Have <b>you </b>forgotten already?”
Judy wrung her hands together, lowering her gaze and peeking timidly <b>at </b>Joseph.
She, too<b>, </b>wanted to <b>see- </b>
-between her and his family–what choice Joseph would ultimately make.
O