Chapter 685: It Was a Misunderstanding Back Then
Chapter 685: Chapter 685: It Was a Misunderstanding Back Then
Hearing this, Wendy Lowe reached out and patted her daughter’s head, chuckling softly. "Alright."
In the end, she couldn’t bring herself to ruin the tender moment, swallowing the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
That evening, after her shower, Phoebe Sawyer was lying in bed, about to scroll through some videos, when her screen suddenly lit up. A call from Sylvia Brooks.
She answered the phone with a smile. "Summer, darling, good evening."
Sylvia Brooks’s voice was soft. "Phoebe, what are you up to?"
"Just got out of the shower. You?"
"I just got off the phone with Renee. She’s actually happy that Aunt Rae’s biological daughter is coming back. It’s really quite rare."
"It really is. Nothing like what you see in novels or TV shows."
"Renee said that even though it feels like fate is playing a trick on them, since it’s already happened, she’s decided to accept it. Besides, she thinks it just means there will be one more person to love and accompany Aunt Rae alongside her."
Phoebe Sawyer blinked, unable to hold back her admiration. "Renee Jennings certainly has a clear perspective. If it were me, I don’t think I could handle it."
Sylvia Brooks agreed. "Yes, it’s a real test of character."
The two chatted for a little while longer before hanging up.
**
In the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve.
This year’s Lunar New Year celebration was even more lively than the last, with the addition of the siblings Willow and Glenn, as well as Glenn Zane, who wasn’t going home for the holiday.
They made dumplings for lunch and gathered around the table for a lamb hot pot dinner.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Renee Jennings booked a private room at a restaurant in advance. They ate both lunch and dinner out, their schedule packed to the brim.
After lunch, they went to see a movie, and after dinner, they went to see a play.
The second day of the Lunar New Year is traditionally for visiting relatives. Rhea Dempsey’s parents had passed away, and her brother and sister-in-law were in another province, so they only exchanged greetings by phone each year.
The ones who lived nearby weren’t very close to her. In the past, Rhea Dempsey had cherished these relatives who lived in the same province and city, and she had tried to maintain a relationship. However, they were snobbish and looked down on her for marrying a man and becoming a stepmother.
Every visit felt like offering a warm welcome only to get the cold shoulder. After a few times, Rhea Dempsey saw them for what they were and decided to cut ties, ceasing all contact.
With no relatives to visit, Rhea Dempsey was happy to have a relaxing day. On the second day of the new year, she decided to stay home and try making some desserts for everyone.
"Aunt Rae, what are you making?" Willow asked, her face full of curiosity as she looked at the ingredients laid out on the counter.
"Egg tarts," Rhea Dempsey said with a bright smile. "I watched a tutorial online, and it seemed pretty simple."
Hearing this, Willow’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she volunteered eagerly, "Aunt Rae, can I help?"
"Of course, I was just about to ask you," Rhea said. "Do you know how to crack eggs?"
"I do!" Willow nodded vigorously.
"Then help me crack six eggs."
"Okay!"
Just as Rhea Dempsey was about to check the next step in the recipe, Glenn Zane suddenly ran up to her. "Rae, there’s someone outside looking for you. They say they’re your relatives."
"My relatives?" Rhea Dempsey frowned skeptically. "What relatives do I have?"
"They said they’re your aunt and uncle."
"Tell them they have the wrong place."
"Okay." Glenn Zane ran over to tell them, then ran back. "Rae, I told them they had the wrong place, but they won’t leave."
"Just ignore them. Don’t open the door."
"Okay." Glenn Zane nodded emphatically.
Half an hour later, Dalton Jenson walked in with a grim expression, followed by a group of men, women, and children carrying gift bags.
Glenn Zane’s eyes went wide with surprise at the scene.
’How did these people get in?’
Dalton Jenson sighed, feeling an indescribable sense of helplessness. He knew he was about to get an earful.
Five minutes later, Rhea Dempsey faced the group with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Well, well, what wind blew you all here today?"
"Rae, what are you talking about?" Rhea Dempsey’s aunt said with a cheerful laugh. "It’s the New Year, such a wonderful time. Your uncle and I thought we’d come visit. It’s been so long since we’ve seen you."
"Is that so?" Rhea Dempsey’s lips twisted into a smirk. "I used to think of you both all the time, visiting during holidays and festivals, but you never seemed to appreciate it. So what’s changed now?"
Her aunt’s eye twitched, but she forced a smile. "Rae, it wasn’t that we didn’t appreciate it! We were just heartbroken to see you spending your money. We never thought you’d misunderstand."
Rhea Dempsey tilted her head and tutted. "Tsk."
’This aunt of hers was always a smooth talker. She could probably talk a dead man back to life.’
"Then why didn’t you just tell me that before, Auntie?" Rhea Dempsey said coolly. "You only ever said that I, a mere stepmother, was too pathetic, that my gifts were cheap junk unfit to be seen, and that even a beggar would turn them down."
The faces of her aunt’s entire family turned ugly.
"Rae, my mom must have just been anxious and said the wrong thing," Rhea Dempsey’s cousin spoke up. "Don’t take it to heart."
"Pfft." Rhea Dempsey gave him a look of disdain. "Do you even believe the words coming out of your own mouth?"
Her cousin gave an awkward laugh. "Of course. We’re telling the truth."
Rhea Dempsey rolled her eyes, crossed her arms, and didn’t even bother to offer them tea.
Seeing her attitude, her cousin turned to Dalton Jenson, trying to make small talk. "Dalton, how have you been lately?"
"Ahem." Rhea Dempsey cleared her throat.
Dalton Jenson got the message instantly and remained silent.
Seeing this, the cousin’s wife frowned unhappily. "Mom, Dad, since Rae’s family clearly doesn’t welcome us, let’s just go."
"Don’t be ridiculous," the aunt chided. "How could Rae not welcome us? Your father is her biological uncle."
"Biological uncle?" Rhea Dempsey found it laughable. "So now he’s her ’biological uncle’? Why did you use to always emphasize that my mother and her ’uncle’ were just half-siblings, sharing the same father?"
"Oh, and by the way, you two looked down on me for being a stepmother. Did you ever stop to think that your own mother was also someone else’s stepmother?"
Her uncle’s face turned shades of pale and green at her words, thoroughly humiliated.
"Oh, Rae, let’s not bring up the past. Everyone makes mistakes," her aunt sighed emotionally. "Let bygones be bygones. It’s the New Year, let’s talk about something happy."
"That’s right." Her cousin’s eyes roamed over the villa’s decor as he asked with a grin, "Where’s Renee? Why haven’t we seen her? It’s been so many years, she must have grown into a young lady by now."
"Have you forgotten?" Rhea Dempsey’s eyes were full of contempt, her tone laced with mockery. "That year I brought Renee to your house for the New Year, what did your family accuse her of?"
At the mention of this, an embarrassed look immediately appeared on the face of a young man sitting nearby.
"Aunt Rae, that was all a misunderstanding back then."
"A misunderstanding?" Rhea Dempsey sneered. "You think you can just say that and brush the whole thing aside? You’ve got some nerve."
Back then, Renee Jennings had gone to use the restroom, thinking no one was inside. She didn’t expect to find Jacob Warren taking a shower, and somehow, the incident was twisted into Renee deliberately harassing him.
How old was she then? She was still a senior in high school!
Jacob Warren’s face flushed with shame. "Aunt Rae, it was my fault."