Chapter 22 Maggie Discovered Her Past
The lady was Fiorello's mother, Eleanor Johnson.
Eleanor had been worried sick over Fiorello's marriage, nearly going as far as to introduce men to her son.
Fiorello got married without even informing his family. If it wasn't for Holden letting it slip, Eleanor would still be in the dark.
Eleanor craned her neck, eager to see what her daughter-in-law looked like.
Fiorello quickly grabbed Eleanor's arm, stopping her from entering, and whispered, "Mom, why didn't you call ahead before coming?"
He regretted letting Holden search for a house now, as Holden' mouth was like a sieve, not even a welding machine could seal it shut.
Eleanor gave Fiorello a stern look and scolded, "You didn't even notify the family when you got married, I'm here to see my daughter-in-law, not you."
Fiorello was speechless.
"Don't scare her..."
"I know, I don't bite. Look at you, all nervous," Eleanor laughed, his grin so wide he could hardly close his mouth. He couldn't wait to see just what kind of woman had made his usually clueless son so anxious.
Maggie, who was eating breakfast inside the house, could hear Fiorello talking to someone at the door, but she couldn't make out the words or who he was talking to.
Curious, Maggie walked over and called out, "Fiorello."
She saw Fiorello in a tug-of-war with a stylishly dressed woman and grew even more puzzled.
When Eleanor saw Maggie, her eyes lit up and he complimented her warmly, "Truly beautiful, she looks so fresh, like you could squeeze water from her."
From the moment she laid eyes on Maggie, Eleanor was smitten. She found her daughter-in-law exceptionally pleasing and to her liking.
Maggie, completely baffled, turned to Fiorello.
Fiorello started to say, "This is..."
"A distant relative, you can just call me aunt," Eleanor cut in with a smile, sparing her son the difficulty. She had heard from her younger son Holden that the older one had lied about their parents being deceased to win over his bride.
If the truth was exposed and it messed up her son's affairs, and they lost the daughter-in-law, it would be a huge loss.
Fiorello glanced at his mother, a half-smile on his lips, then said, "Maggie, say 'hello' to aunt. Aunt, this is my wife, Maggie."
Another distant relative?
Maggie was beaming when she heard the term "distant relative" and warmly said, "Aunt, come on in and take a seat."
She wasn't exactly clear on all the relatives Fiorello had. Last time it was some distant cousin, and now an aunt had arrived at her doorstep.
Eleanor was over the moon. she had been worried that her two sons might be pulling a fast one on her, so she had decided to come over and see for herself. Now, meeting her daughter-in-law, her mind was put at ease.
Maggie poured water for Eleanor, "Aunt, have some water."
She even washed some fruit for her, "Aunt, have some fruit."
Eleanor's smile couldn't be wider as she said, "Oh, Maggie, stop fussing around. Sit down and take a break, let Fiorello do something. Men need a little training. Don't spoil him too much. I heard you got married, and I'm just ecstatic."
As she spoke, Eleanor removed a ring from her finger, "I was in such a rush leaving the house, I didn't bring much. This ring is for you. It's a wedding gift and you must accept it."
Being a jewelry designer, Maggie immediately realized the ring was not cheap, even though she couldn't afford expensive materials for her work. She had a discerning eye.
"Aunt, this is too precious, I can't accept it," Maggie said, surprised and touched by the gesture.
"What are you talking about precious? I've got plenty of these," Eleanor insisted as she put the ring on Maggie's finger, chuckling, "Look how well it suits you, it really complements your skin tone."
Maggie felt conflicted. Fiorello chimed in, "Accept it, it's a gesture of affection from aunt."
However, Maggie was weighed down by the thought of such an expensive gift from a distant relative. It wasn't polite or reasonable to accept something so valuable.
She took off the ring and handed it back to Eleanor, "Aunt, I really can't accept this. I am moved by your blessings, but please take back the ring."
Seeing Maggie's persistence, Eleanor became even more fond of her.
This ring was worth millions, and Maggie didn't accept it—that meant she wasn't greedy for money.
Eleanor said with a smile, "Okay, I'll keep it for now, but one day it will still have to be passed on to you."
Maggie didn't quite understand. Fiorello was just a distant relative. Why pass such a valuable ring to a distant relative instead of to someone closer?
Maggie wasn't sure and it didn't seem appropriate to ask too many questions.
Fiorello was also worried that Eleanor’s excessive warmth might give something away. After Eleanor had stayed for a while, Fiorello found an excuse to escort him downstairs.
When Eleanor was leaving, he seemed so reluctant. As she got into her car, she repeatedly instructed Fiorello not to mistreat her daughter-in-law and urged Fiorello to bring her daughter-in-law back to the Flores family soon.
Fiorello simply said, "No rush."
Eleanor said, "Fiorello, you can't just because you've been deceived in the past..."
Fiorello's brows knitted coldly, interrupting, "Mom, it's time for you to head back."
Realizing she had touched on a sore point for her son, Eleanor said no more and drove away.
With Fiorello seeing off Eleanor, Maggie took the opportunity to tidy up the house. By the time Fiorello returned, she had just finished her chores.
"I'll be heading to the stall at five this afternoon. I’m going to visit my mom now and will be back this afternoon," Maggie said.
Maggie too hadn't visited Arya for a few days, and she also had something she wanted to ask her mother. With Fiorello busy, Maggie decided to drive back by herself.
Arya was off work today and was delighted to see Maggie return.
"Maggie, why did you come back alone? Where's my son-in-law?" Arya inquired.
"He had things to do," Maggie replied, slipping off her shoes and entering the house. "Yesterday, I remembered some things but it's all hazy. I’m not sure what I forgot during the time I was depressed. Mom, did I forget something really important?"
Upon hearing this, Arya's face underwent a drastic change, and she stammered, "You're overthinking again. Haven't I told you before? You were falsely accused of plagiarism, and then, with that guy Samwise moving abroad, you got a shock, fell ill, and you haven't spoken about this for a long time. Why are you bringing it up again?"
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