Chapter 42

"Yes, blood is thicker than water, this way, Nancy and I can meet more often." Melissa carried on Grandma Julia's words. She wanted to put pressure on Nancy. "That would be the best. If Liam and Nancy have time in the future, they can often come to grandmother's house to hang out and chat with Melissa." Grandma Julia sincerely invited Liam and Nancy to visit often. Melissa smiled and raised her eyebrows, only to see the faces of Liam and Nancy turn pale. They probably couldn't even dream that one day they would appear in front of them with such identity. "Why dream of today if they could foresee the past?" she would definitely let Nancy and Liam know that she, Melissa, is not to be messed with! "Aunt Sarah, go and ask if the kitchen is ready with the food?" Grandma Julia instructed the nanny next to her and gestured for everyone to sit down. "The food is prepared and we are ready to dine, Madam" Aunty Sarah said, reminding Grandma Julia as she came out of the kitchen. Grandma Julia nodded "Let's start the meal." Several waiters took off the iron caps covering the food on the table, and then stood orderly on one side. Grandma Julia looked at the waiters and gently told them to get their meals. "Yes." Aunt Sarah respectfully responded and took the waiters to have their meal in the small dining hall. The dishes on the table tonight were very lavish. At first glance, Liam spotted the Lotus Leaf Fresh Mushroom Soup next to him; how could he not recognize it? Grandma Julia picked up her chopsticks, looking at the children on both sides of the table, her grandchildren, granddaughters, grandsons-in-law, granddaughters-in-law, and her great-grandchildren. The old lady couldn't be happier. "Start eating!" reminded Grandma Julia with a beaming smile. For the first few minutes of their meal, no one on the table uttered a word. Nancy stared at Melissa angrily as she poked her chopsticks into her rice. "Great-grandmother, eat this." Alvin placed a fragrant and crispy shrimp ball into Grandma Julia's bowl, his little cheeks stuffed full, chewing and praising "This is so tasty." Seeing her brother serving food to their great-grandmother, Alvina, who was sitting too far from her, also got off her chair and served her great-grandmother her favorite sweet and sour cod fillets. "Great-grandmother, this fish is also very tasty." After saying that, Alvina cheerfully ran back to her little chair and quietly ate her meal with a little spoon. Grandma Julia took a bite of the cod fillet and looked blissfully at the children. "Ever since Alvin and Alvina came, they've made me gain weight. These two little clever clogs - so understanding and sweet-talkers, it's adorable." Grandma Julia looked affectionately at the two children as she praised them, her great-grandson and great-granddaughter were truly her pride. "Mother-in-law!" Nancy murmured in irritation aside. Dealing with Melissa alone was difficult enough, now there were two more children. Melissa was likely on cloud nine. "It's a blessing to be able to eat more. With Alvin and Alvina by grandmother's side, we are at ease." Joshua, who usually didn't talk much, also chimed in at the dinner table. It seemed everyone held a good impression of Melissa's family. "Eh? Who made this soup?" Grandma Julia saw Liam ladle his third bowl of soup, and was curious. She asked Joseph to serve her a bowl as well. Alvin glanced at the pot filled with soup, then confidently responded "My mom made this soup, it has lots of mushrooms." "Is that so? It's quite delicious." Grandma Julia took a sip - it was smooth and mildly flavored; quite to her taste. "Melissa, what is this soup called?" "It's Lotus Leaf Fresh Mushroom Soup. With shredded lotus leaves and different types of mushrooms added, the soup has a refreshing and smooth taste." Melissa answered warmly, like a picture-perfect housewife. Joshua also liked the refreshing taste and served himself a bowl. Joseph didn't want to fuel this charade, he felt that Melissa was putting on a show tonight, with ulterior motives. He was already quite merciful by choosing to not expose her. "Mmm, it's indeed refreshing." praised Joshua succinctly. "Melissa, you even cooked today. Tell grandma, what did you cook?" Grandma Julia more and more admired Melissa, and the food she cooked also wasn't as bad as what her two darlings had said last time. "It's nothing important. Tonight, I only cooked this and some sweet and sour ribs because I heard someone was coming over. I got a bit excited and showed off my skills. However, these are all very basic dishes, they can't compare to the chef's at home" Melissa explained, lowering her eyes in a display of modesty and virtuousness. Liam heard that there were sweet and sour ribs—this was the dish that Melissa was best at making in his memory. Even though this dish was quite common, the taste of the version Melissa made was different. Liam used to be able to eat a whole plate by himself. Liam picked up his chopsticks, wanting to take a piece of the sweet and sour ribs. But his chopstick was hit by the one Nancy extended, and he could only helplessly withdraw it. "Melissa, being able to do this already shows how remarkable you are, not like our Nancy here, who can't cook at all. From childhood to adulthood, she has always been hand-fed, acting every bit the part of a young lady." Upon hearing her grandmother comparing her to Melissa, the rage in Nancy's heart flared up even more. She squinted her eyes and shot a glare at Melissa. "Grandma, isn't it better to enjoy ready meals?" Melissa agreed with Grandma Julia. She turned to Nancy and said "When I was in school, I was quite envious of Nancy. She is strong-willed, good-looking, and always gets the teacher's favor. Now she's the wife of the CEO of Humphrey Group, while I'm just a housewife. How could I dare to compare myself to Nancy?" Melissa's tone was sincere, yet it held a hint of sarcasm. Since childhood, Nancy had a heart that liked to compete. When she was in high school, she often used her beauty to flirt with male teachers for cheating in the exams. Six years ago, Nancy took everything that originally belonged to Melissa by despicable means. Isn't this also the same as enjoying a ready meal? And Liam, he must be a rotten dish! "Melissa, you mustn't say things like that. Alvin and Alvina are your most precious possessions" Grandma Julia quickly said to Melissa, fearing that she might overthink things. "Thank you, grandma. Joseph is also my treasure" Melissa shyly spoke softly, her voice filled with a faint sweetness. She casually placed a piece of sweet and sour ribs in Joseph bowl, making it seem more like a familiar habit than anything else. Liam was filled with jealousy on the side. Melissa, his former wife, was now serving food to Joseph right in front of him, even mentioning that this guy was her biggest treasure in this life? She must be pretending on purpose, just wanting to make Liam angry. Looking at the sweet and sour ribs in his bowl, Joseph was astonished and glanced at Melissa. Melissa mouthed at him, "Eat it!"