Neither Shandie nor Cindy did anything. Likewise, Cindy no longer begged Henrick to shorten Shandie's punishment. Cindy even took increasingly good care of Arielle, which Henrick approved.
That incident with the venomous snake was explicitly banned. No one was allowed to utter a single word about it. Hence, the manor's inhabitants resumed their following days as if nothing happened.
Likewise, Henrick returned to his and Cindy's bedroom after five days of
sleeping in the study.
By the sixth day. Henrick headed out with a bounce in his step; even Cindy had a glowing and cheery expression. It wasn't hard to guess what happened the night before.
Things became so amiable that Cindy offered an entire drumstick to Arielle during dinnertime.
At this, a delighted smile crept onto Arielle's face. She responded in a sweet tone, "Thank you, Aunt Cindy."
"Call me Mom from now on." Cindy beamed back as she continued, "I'll look after you as my own child. Just like Shannie. She's not my biological
daughter, but I've always cared for her like she is. So, don't hesitate to
ask me if you ever need anything."
Arielle scoffed inwardly. Not your
biological daughter? I don't believe it one bit.
Shandie is only a couple of months younger than me, which means that Henrick had an affair with Cindy during my mother's pregnancy.
Henrick obviously won't allow this scandal to leak.
Cindy must be up to something Why else would she suddenly suggest that I call her "Mom"?
Still, she's got some nerve asking me to call her that.
I only have two mothers: my biological mom and my adoptive mother. No one else is worthy of that title.
Skeptical, Arielle looked at Henrick for help. "Dad. I-it's too soon. I'm not used to calling her that..."
She flashed a pair of puppy-dog eyes at him. Her eyes rounded and became slightly moist as she put on a pitiful act.
If this were an award show, Arielle believed that she would have won the title of Most Convincing Actress.
True enough, Henrick's features softened after glancing over at her.
No man could resist Arielle's puppy dog eyes, not even her own dad.
Henrick cleared his throat and consoled, "That's quite alright. Take it slow and go at your own pace. There's no need to rush into calling her Mom."
"Thanks, Dad." Arielle then cast an apologetic look whilst saying, "And I'm really sorry. Aunt Cindy. I'm sure I'll eventually ease into your new title."
Anger welled in Cindy's chest. This wretched brat! How dare she refuse to call me Mom!
Even so, Cindy was better at tamping down her emotions compared to Shandie, so she feigned a kind smile.
"I understand that this must be difficult for you. Please don't apologize. I should be sorry for pressuring you. Don't worry, dear, take all the time you need to adjust. After all, we've got the rest of our lives as a family for you to do so."
"Thanks, Aunt Cindy."
"It's nothing. child."
The two played out a harmonious pretense as if they were happily getting along at the dining table.
Henrick's spirits instantly improved: the exhaustion he felt from work faded away at the sight of this merry atmosphere.
As the saying goes, a family in harmony will prosper in everything: I'm content as long as they don't pull any more stunts against one another.
YOU ARE READING
A beauty with multiple Masks
General FictionShe saved his life during an accident and he insisted on marrying her to repay the favor. Once the news got out, everyone wondered why a strong, powerful man like him would want to marry an ugly, worthless woman like her. In fact she was far from u...
