Chapter 41 A Man Spoils His Wife, Of Course
At the dinner party, everyone sat around the large dining room enjoying the lavish meal.
Lillian sat next to Alexander, across from Rhett's wife Freya, and they smiled at each other.
"What's up with Alexander? I just asked Kevin. It turns out she's Alexander's secretary," Daisy whispered to Bernice.
Bernice raised an eyebrow, "I didn't expect Alexander to marry someone like her. Sleeping with her is one thing, but marrying her? Her family background isn't even close to Rhett's wife."
"Let's not talk about Rhett's wife. Alexander is one of us, and I think he got the short end of the stick. She's not at all a match for him. Just looking at her makes me angry," Daisy glared at Lillian.
"Keep it down, Dad's here. Don't make a spectacle for Eliana," Bernice warned.
"I know," Daisy said, casting another glance at Eliana. "Did Eliana get Thermage again? Her face looks brighter and much younger."
Bernice snorted, "No matter what she does, you can't compare her presence to our mom's."
"That's right!" Daisy agreed.
Lillian obviously hadn't seen much of the world. She seemed a bit reserved in the midst of the large dinner gathering, not serving herself, waiting instead for Alexander to pass her food which she would then eat.
"Lillian, we're all family here, you don't need to be so formal," Eliana said with a smile, handing her a couple of shrimp puffs.
Seated beside Samantha, Lucas noticed what was happening and raised his voice, "Lillian doesn't like shrimp puffs, she prefers ribs."
Eliana laughed heartily, "Is that so? The ribs have been right in front of Lillian the whole time. Maybe Alexander wants her to eat more of them."
Quinn joined in with a chuckle, "The kid has my good points, knows how to take care of his wife!"
At this, Samantha shot Quinn a glare.
Lillian, feeling like an ostrich, wished she could bury her head in the sand.
"Wait until Lillian has a couple of more kids, Alexander will surely love her even more then," Rhett commented as he placed some peeled shrimp onto Freya's plate.
Alexander smiled and speared another rib onto Lillian's plate, saying naturally, "She's my wife, of course, I need to take care of her. She's innocent, doesn't know the cruelty of the world, I have to protect her."
Eliana teased, "The Sinclair family men are all good husbands!"
Samantha looked at her coolly, slowly saying, "Eliana, are you talking about Quinn as my husband, or your husband?"
Quinn had always preferred Eliana to his wife, and felt guilty that he couldn't have her and Rhett stay at the Sincliair old mansion back in the day.
"Samantha, the children are here, mind your words."
Despite this, Eliana was magnanimous, laughing as she said to Samantha, "Samantha, I've told you, I'll always listen to you. You call the shots."
"Can we drop the past and move on? We're all together now, Lillian has joined us, and there's a new life on the way. Aren't these things to be happy about?" Eliana didn't want to fall out with Samantha. She lifted her glass and said, "Samantha, to you, congratulations on having such a wonderful daughter-in-law like Lillian."
Samantha scoffed and clinked glasses with her, downing her drink in one gulp.
Lillian had thought the family dinner would be a time for everyone to get along. She hadn't expected such "lively" interactions. Seeing Samantha upset, Lillian sensed that Eliana was a tough cookie who must have given Samantha a hard time on a regular basis.
The women ate quickly and left the dining table early to head next door for coffee and a chat. The father and his two sons continued their conversation while having drinks. Samantha and Eliana's relationship was tense; one retreated to her room while the other made a video call in the living room.
"How many months along are you with the baby?" Bernice asked Freya, who lovingly touched her belly and replied, "Just turned four months."
Daisy, brimming with arrogance, didn't like Lillian and looked down on Freya. She commented critically, "Didn't Rhett get you some prenatal vitamins? Why do you still look so pale?"
"I haven't been sleeping well these past couple of days," Freya explained, touching her face.
Unlike Lillian, although Freya couldn't directly refute it because Daisy was Rhett's sister, she couldn't let it slide.
"Daisy, you don't look so good yourself. Cut back on the late nights, and tone down the time on your phone. Being envious of other people's love lives all the time—if outsiders knew, you'd bring shame to the Sinclair family," Freya said with a tease.
Daisy, caught off guard, pressed, "How did you know about that?"
"Kim, from your painting class, she's also in my dance class. She told me."
"Humph!" Daisy huffed with vexation. "So what? What's wrong with looking at other people's relationships? What's it to you if I'm a jealous person? It's my choice!"
Lillian held her cup, chuckled at Daisy's antics, finding her inadvertently adorable.
"What's so funny? How does it concern you?" Daisy felt humiliated and lashed out at Lillian. "You dare laugh at me? And I haven't even asked you yet, how did you manage to snag my brother? What would he see in a plain secretary like you?"
Lillian instantly found Daisy far from adorable.
"Why Alexander likes me is something you'd have to ask him. I don't know."
Freya, curiously mocking, chimed in, "You're Alexander's secretary?" Then scoffed, "Alexander must be desperate."
"Hey! Don't you talk about Alexander like that!" Daisy's anger pivoted back toward Freya.
Bernice intervened, pulling Daisy away. "Stop. Freya's pregnant. Your sharp voice might scare her, and then Rhett and Eliana will come after you!"
"Berenice, don't say that. Isn't Daisy always like this? I'm used to it."
"Still, it's better to be careful."
Unable to bear the company of the three women any longer, Lillian glanced at her phone and wondered, 'Where's Lucas? The one time I need him, he's not around to bug me.'
The dinner that night opened Lillian's eyes to the intricate power plays within a wealthy family, leaving a lasting impression.
After what felt like an eternity, the dinner party finally ended, and Alexander came over to fetch her to go home. She was so delighted she nearly leapt from her chair and asked, "Where's Lucas?"
"My mom is helping him get dressed," Alexander said, taking her hand and leading her to the living room.
Samantha finished getting Lucas into his coat and took his hand as they left the house. Lillian and Alexander said their goodbyes to Quinn and Eliana and followed them out.
In the yard, Daisy was chatting happily with Kevin by his car, her laughter a stark contrast to Kevin's stoic demeanor.
"Daisy, you’re not wearing much. Don't catch a cold. Go back to your room," Samantha called out to her.
Daisy said something to Kevin with a cheerful smile and headed back inside.
