Chapter 270 Protect Mommy
Marcus strolled out of the house, holding a steaming cup of tea. "Dad, you're in a good mood today. Did Nathaniel find a new girlfriend? Bring her over sometime so we can all meet her and set the engagement date."
His words seemed friendly but were actually fishing for information.
Everyone knew how much Reed cared about Nathaniel's love life. After losing his granddaughter-in-law and two great-grandkids, he couldn't stand hearing about Nathaniel having a new girlfriend.
Even when Beatrice secretly set up dates for Nathaniel, they kept it from Reed. Normally, Reed would have blown up at Marcus's comment and punished Nathaniel.
But today, Marcus's plans were thrown off. Instead of getting mad, Reed's smile grew even wider. "Marcus is right. Nathaniel has found his wife. Aurelia's alive and well!" he announced.
Reed was so excited he wanted to share the news with everyone in the family.
Marcus was momentarily stunned, his eyes lighting up with undeniable joy. "Nathaniel found Aurelia?" he asked.
Reed nodded, grinning. "Yes, Aurelia is fine. She's living in another city and doing very well!"
Marcus seemed lost in thought and paused for a long time before asking, "Which city is Aurelia in?"
Reed pointed his chin at Nathaniel. "Ask Nathaniel."
The question was directed at Nathaniel. Faced with Marcus's inquiry, he didn't want to answer. Anything about Aurelia involving Marcus made him very uncomfortable, like his treasure was being coveted by someone else.
Nathaniel curled his lips into a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Grandpa, let's eat first. I just found Aurelia, and she's still adjusting. So we shouldn't disturb her too much, plus she's very busy with work right now."
Marcus's hopeful gaze slowly faded.
The family sat down in the dining room. Once everyone was seated, Reed immediately announced the good news.
"Aurelia has been found. She's not dead. She'll be back with us soon. Start preparing gifts for her so we can have a proper celebration and a family reunion dinner," he said happily.
Everyone at the table was shocked.
The most horrified person was Ashley. "Grandpa, are you saying Aurelia came back from the dead?"
Reed's face darkened. "Ashley, you need to relearn your manners. Your words were less polite than a child's. You have no semblance of a proper lady. In the past, I tolerated your rudeness to Aurelia, but if you continue this way when she returns, don't consider me your grandfather anymore."
Ashley closed her mouth in grievance because she feared Reed the most in this family.
Beatrice was skeptical of Reed's words, but she managed to keep her composure. "Dad, are you talking about Aurelia? Are you sure you're not confused? That car accident four years ago was all over the news. I saw how horrific it was. How could anyone survive that?"
Beatrice thought Reed must be confused. He had been taking a lot of herbal medicine lately, and its side effects might be causing hallucinations. She couldn't believe Aurelia survived.
Initially, she didn't dislike Aurelia much. With Reed watching over, she maintained a decent facade.
But after Aurelia had a few conflicts with Ashley, Beatrice started to dislike her. As a sister-in-law, Aurelia didn't know how to give way to Ashley and even reported to Reed, causing Ashley to be scolded. Beatrice thought Aurelia was so inconsiderate.
Matthew also had a disbelieving expression. "Dad, how did you find out about this? There are so many people in the world, and it's possible for two girls to look alike."
He didn't dare directly refute Reed, fearing it would upset him, but he subtly expressed his disbelief.
Reed put his fork down, looking dead serious. "You two need to start acting like proper parents-in-law. Your son's marriage is in trouble, and you're not helping. What kind of behavior is that? If you keep this attitude when Aurelia returns, you can move out."
He shot a disappointed glance at Ashley, who was munching away without a care. "Look at what you've done to these kids. If you couldn't raise them right, you shouldn't have had them."
Beatrice kept her head down, not daring to respond. When Reed got mad, he spared no one. No matter how well she usually behaved, she was still an outsider in this family. In these situations, it was best to let Matthew handle it.
Matthew coughed a few times. He was obsessed with the antique market and left everything at home to his wife, including raising the kids. He usually avoided responsibilities, enjoying his carefree life.
Ashley felt awkward and stopped eating..
Reed had almost scolded everyone at the table. Only Marcus hadn't eaten a bite, sitting there in a daze.
Reed once again admonished his son and daughter-in-law. "You need to set an example. If Nathaniel can't handle something, as elders, you should help. Aurelia is a good girl. She suffered in our family before. When she comes back, we all need to cherish her."
"Understood, Dad." Matthew responded first, and Beatrice nodded with a sullen face.
When no one was paying attention, Ashley pouted in dissatisfaction, thinking to herself, 'Aurelia, that annoying person, is really resilient. She survived such a big car accident and came back. Why should I prepare a gift for her?"
After a long silence, Marcus finally spoke, "Dad, I'm also Nathaniel's elder. As his uncle, I have a responsibility for Nathaniel's marriage. How about I go with Nathaniel to bring Aurelia back this time?"
Reed didn't give a clear response.
Nathaniel felt extremely uncomfortable. "Uncle Marcus, at your age, you should focus on your own marriage. I can handle my own affairs."
Reed nodded in agreement. "For now, you should fly over first. Others going might make Aurelia feel awkward."
Coral Bay.
Aurelia, packing backpacks for her two kids, sneezed several times.
Jacob saw Aurelia touching his backpack and ran over, hugging it to his chest. "Mommy, the teacher taught us to do our own things. Jacob is a big boy now and doesn't need Mommy's help."
Aurelia shrugged, feeling a mix of comfort and bitterness. Watching her kids grow up was also watching them gradually drift away from her. "Alright, it seems you hardly need Mommy anymore."
Jacob wasn't doing it because the teacher taught him to do his own things. He was afraid Aurelia would see his backpack, which was full of his little secrets.
Sensing her sadness, the little guy, wanting to comfort her, spoke warmly, "It's not that Jacob doesn't need Mommy anymore; it's that I can protect Mommy now."
After saying that, he noticed Aurelia's eyes, as if she had cried the night before. His little heart ached. He always felt sad when Aurelia cried and couldn't bear to see her upset.
He threw his backpack aside and snuggled into Aurelia's arms. "Mommy, are you still scared because of the kidnapping a few days ago? Don't worry, the robot I'm assembling is almost done. Once I finish the last program, I'll put it in your office. If any bad guys come near, you can press the defense button, and my robot will enter combat mode and take down the intruders without a problem."
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