Chapter 990 Comparison
In the end, Beckett and Kimberly found themselves relegated to seats much farther from Abella.
Blake and Winston exchanged bewildered glances. They'd simply wanted to enjoy breakfast with their sister—when had seating arrangements become such a competitive sport?
Dennis stepped forward with determination. "Grandpa, at your age, you should focus on serving yourself. Let me take care of Abella's plate."
"You little rascal, cursing me just to steal my seat!" Carl feigned indignation.
"I'm just saying you should look after yourself—"
"You young people can sit over there!" Carl wasn't having any of his explanations.
Dennis stood his ground. "Abella's young too."
"In this family, Abella gets the same treatment as me! Now move along." Carl's authoritative tone left no room for argument, forcing the brothers to retreat to distant seats where they could only watch helplessly as everyone else doted on their sister.
"I can already picture what the family photo session is going to look like," Winston muttered, accepting defeat.
At Muse Manor, Henry sat at the dining table, carefully hand-wrapping ravioli for Lola. She watched from beside him as he completed another perfect dumpling, unable to suppress her admiration. "They look wonderful."
Henry had learned the technique on the spot from the chef, who continued preparing various fillings—all Lola's favorites.
"I've never seen Mr. Hall make ravioli for anyone before," Briar couldn't help but comment. "Mr. Hall treats Ms. Medici so specially—he's broken so many of his own rules for her!"
"Who would have thought Mr. Hall's first attempt at ravioli would turn out so perfectly? He truly excels at everything he does. Ms. Medici is so fortunate," Celestia added with genuine praise.
Just as Henry was about to respond, his phone buzzed on the table. One glance at the screen darkened his expression considerably. He wiped his hands clean and spoke gently to Lola. "I need to take this call."
Lola nodded understanding. Normally, Henry never stepped away to take calls in her presence.
But now he walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows, swiped the screen, and spoke quietly. "Mother."
From his lip movements, Lola could guess the caller's identity, though her expression remained perfectly serene.
The voice on the other end sounded furious, prompting Henry to glance back at Lola with concern. She continued watching him with an understanding smile, giving no indication of distress.
Henry worked to keep his expression neutral, not wanting her to detect any trouble. "I'll be there shortly, Mother."
The moment he finished speaking, the caller's patience apparently snapped, and the phone was handed to someone else. Henry heard his father's voice and was forced to say quietly, "Father."
The man on the other end unleashed a torrent of criticism, followed by stern demands. Finally, Henry had no choice but to concede. "I'm coming now."
The call ended. Henry stared at his phone screen before reluctantly approaching Lola, struggling to find the right words.
Earlier, he'd informed his parents about Lola's background, including how she'd nearly lost her life and was now staying at the manor. His intention had been to care for her properly and spend Christmas together, avoiding the family's series of holiday obligations.
His mother already harbored negative feelings about Lola, so to preserve her reputation, he'd omitted the details about her biological parents Jacob and Maria's despicable actions.
However, two nights ago at an auction, his parents had encountered Bonnie, who'd shown no mercy in exposing Lola's behavior over the past six months, along with Jacob and Maria's contemptible schemes.
His parents had been livid on the spot. During their drive home, they'd taken turns calling him with one clear message: he must break up with Lola immediately.
Not only had he refused to end the relationship, but he'd also planned to skip this afternoon's activities and tonight's family dinner. His parents found this completely unacceptable.
In the phone call just now, they'd given him an ultimatum: either he join the family celebration immediately, or they'd come to the manor themselves and personally remove Lola from the premises.
For Lola's sake, Henry had been forced to comply, but explaining the situation to her seemed impossible.
Seeing his conflicted expression, Lola intuited the situation and asked gently, "Do you have urgent business to attend to? It's perfectly fine—go ahead. Briar and Celestia will keep me company, so I won't be lonely."
"Lola," Henry struggled to find an explanation. "I do have some unavoidable obligations—family activities this afternoon and a family dinner tonight. I'll return as quickly as possible to be with you."
At worst, he'd eat at both places—hurrying through dinner with his family before rushing back to share another meal with Lola.
"Of course," Lola nodded with gentle understanding, showing not a trace of reproach. Instead, she reached out with her bandaged hand to caress his cheek. "Handle your business. We're living together now, aren't we? We can share meals anytime."
Her considerate words only deepened Henry's guilt. He was about to instruct the staff to cook the ravioli immediately so he could at least share a few with Lola before leaving.
She'd been waiting since morning, fasting in anticipation of their meaningful breakfast together.
But his phone chimed with a text message at that exact moment. His parents had given him thirty minutes—barely enough time to reach them, let alone wait for the ravioli to cook and eat together.
Henry's dilemma intensified.
"Is it an emergency?" Lola gently urged him. "Go take care of it—don't worry about me!"
Henry's guilt deepened further. "Lola..."
"Go on, be good," she insisted softly.
"Cook the ravioli for Lola immediately. I'll be back as soon as possible," Henry instructed the staff before caressing Lola's face once more. "Wait for me—I'll be home soon."
Lola nodded, though disappointment flickered in her heart.
Watching Henry's hurried departure, Lola understood perfectly that the Hall family would consider her beneath Henry's station. Without substantial family background or influential relatives to support her, capturing Henry's heart completely had become her only chance at redemption.
She would never allow anyone to sabotage her carefully laid plans.
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