Chapter 42 Don't Wait Until You Feel Humiliated

Yvonne couldn't figure out why Elijah was calling at this moment.

As usual, she asked, "What's up?"

"Nothing," Elijah answered right away. "I've landed, and you didn't even ask."

"What should I ask?" Yvonne found it amusing. "I don't understand you. Should I ask if you've had a meal or if you're happy?"

"Never mind," Elijah said and hung up the phone.

Yvonne found him inexplicable and cursed, "Stupid man."

She fastened her seatbelt, started the engine, and Elijah's call came in again.

Without waiting for Elijah to speak, Yvonne casually said, "Mr. Harper has arrived in Seattle. How's the weather over there? Are you in a good mood?"

Elijah laughed on the other end and calmed down. "Joseph wants to watch an animated movie. Can you leave work early and accompany him to the cinema, please?"

"I'm not going! I have plans tonight," Yvonne refused outright.

"Who made plans with you?" Elijah's tone was nervous.

"A friend," Yvonne deliberately beat around the bush. "As a well-known lawyer, don't you know how to respect other people's privacy?"

"Before I respect your privacy, please abide by our verbal agreement." Elijah gritted his teeth. "Be a woman who is both physically and emotionally clean."

"I made plans with Hannah. She passed her interview, so I'm celebrating with her," Yvonne directly confronted him. "I didn't expect you to be so clueless."

Elijah's voice sank. "I've been busy lately and haven't spent much time with Joseph. If possible, please spend more time with him."

"I can accompany your son, but don't forget to pay me on time," Yvonne replied, not in a good mood.

She hated how Elijah always put himself first, acting superior to her without any room for discussion.

"Fine," Elijah said coldly. "I'll pay you for three hours of companionship for Joseph."

"Words are empty, transfer the money first," Yvonne said indifferently.

Elijah ended the call and transferred nine hundred dollars. Yvonne, not being melodramatic, accepted it.

She drove back to FA Center Company.

The unfinished work from the morning piled up in the afternoon, and Yvonne busied herself to the point of being overwhelmed.

She promised to have a meal with Hannah and also received money from Elijah. She needed to come up with a solution that would satisfy both sides.

First, she went to Bird Hills to pick up Joseph. Hannah had already arrived at a Korean restaurant to meet him.

Joseph wasn't allowed to go out initially, but Elijah called and got the permission for him. It had been several days since Joseph last saw Yvonne, so he was naturally delighted and didn't really care about watching a movie.

When Yvonne introduced Joseph to Hannah as Mr. Harper's child, Hannah was naturally surprised.

Yvonne didn't beat around the bush and invited Joseph to sit beside her. "Joseph, Hannah is the aunt who invited us for dinner."

Joseph politely greeted Hannah, and she patted his head. "So well-behaved."

Yvonne placed the menu in front of Joseph. “You can order whatever you want, Hannah will be treating us today.”

Joseph began studying the menu, and Hannah joined him. They were getting familiar with each other through conversation.

Meanwhile, Yvonne's phone rang, and it was Elijah.

After answering, Elijah's concerned voice came through, "Joseph has asthma, so it's best to avoid seafood, curry, and overly salty or sweet dishes. Especially avoid peanuts and sesame; he shouldn't touch them at all."

Yvonne couldn't catch everything clearly and said, "I can't remember if you tell me too much, so send me a WhatsApp message with the things Joseph cannot eat."

"Right away," Elijah replied, but the call ended abruptly.

Shortly afterward, Yvonne received a message from Elijah. After considering various options, she chose a simple rice dish and unsweetened corn juice for Joseph.

When the dishes arrived, Yvonne took a photo and sent it to Elijah, waiting for his response before allowing Joseph to dig in.

Joseph was very obedient, not touching anything he shouldn't eat.

When Joseph was focused on playing games on his phone, Hannah whispered to Yvonne, "Are you preparing to be a stepmother?"

Yvonne's face showed disgust, and she replied quietly, "I've suffered enough from being a stepchild. I'll never become someone else's stepmother in this lifetime! Elijah doesn't have time for him, and I'm just a paid hourly worker."

Hannah, knowing that Yvonne was being defensive, said meaningfully, "So you're just an hourly worker, huh?"

With Joseph present, Yvonne and Hannah parted ways after finishing their meal. Yvonne dropped Joseph off at Bird Hills, where her aunt saw that he was in good spirits and started chatting with Yvonne.

She first asked how her recent job was, then shifted the conversation to Elijah.

"Elijah has had a tough few years. He's busy with work and taking care of a child. Ordinary women can't catch his eye or truly accept Joseph, but he also looks down on them. Elijah is successful, but he's cold and distant. I wonder which woman would be able to win Elijah's heart."

Aunt's words were thought-provoking.

Yvonne smiled lightly and changing the subject. "How could Mr. Harper not find a good woman to spend his life with! When fate arrives, he will definitely get married, so you don't have to worry."

"That kid Elijah is fine in every way, but he likes to keep things to himself. Even if he likes a girl, he would pretend to be cold. Yvonne, I hope you won't be scared away by his cold words." Aunt's words were already very clear.

Yvonne continued pretending to be clueless. "How could it be! Mr. Harper and I are good friends. He has helped me, so it's only right that I take care of Joseph for him."

Aunt wanted to say more, but she saw Yvonne getting up to leave, so she had to swallow her words.

The next evening, the Winston family held a family banquet.

Yvonne wanted to fulfill her "professional ethics" and immediately rushed over after work with Ryan.

There were no outsiders invited, only relatives from the Winston family's extended branches.

Yvonne was afraid of revealing any flaws, so she remained tense throughout, even having to think several times before making a joke.

After dinner, Mr. Winston and the men went to the balcony to drink tea. Mrs. Winston had her own way of socializing and took all the women upstairs to admire the prepared engagement gifts.

Ryan called Yvonne to the first-floor study and said in a low voice, "Your father has asked my parents three times to attend our engagement ceremony, but my parents rejected him."

"Well done." Yvonne gave Ryan a thumbs up.

Ryan pulled out a card from a stack of invitations and handed it to Yvonne.

"All the invitations were handwritten by my dad. This one is for Elijah, you can handle it yourself."

"Thanks." Yvonne folded it and put it in her pocket.

"Elijah and Uncle Harper are at odds, so my dad wrote separate invitations for them. I can only give you Elijah's, I can't decide for Uncle Harper." Ryan carefully put them back in place.

Leaning against a small table, Yvonne raised her eyebrows and self-mockingly muttered, "Knowing that it's a deception, but still wanting to deceive oneself."

"Since you care about him, once we establish clear boundaries, take the initiative and capture him quickly, then everything will be fine." Ryan smirked.

"I care about him?" Yvonne took out a cigarette, but Ryan snatched it from her and threw it in the trash.

"Don't smoke in my house at this time! Otherwise, my parents' good impression of you will disappear instantly."

Yvonne slightly bit her lip, feeling somewhat dull.

Her phone rang, and she saw it was Elijah.

She made a "shush" gesture to Ryan, smiled, and answered the call, "Hello."

"At Rhode Hills?" Elijah asked.

"I'm busy with the competition drawings. There are a few places that need to be modified. We'll talk later." She didn't expect Elijah to be so verbose and became a bit impatient.

"Alright then." Elijah ended the call.

Ryan, who had been quietly listening, sensed something and said, "Besides having a son and an unpleasant personality, Elijah doesn't have any other flaws."

That's true, but Yvonne didn't comment.

Ryan shrugged and laughed deeply. "I have some bad news. Emily will be returning to Winslow soon."

"When Emily comes back has nothing to do with me." Yvonne stood tall. "Elijah and I are not what you think. While I may not have grand ambitions, I will never be a stepmother to someone else's child."

"That's ambitious. I'll remember that from now on." Ryan smirked, "Don't be surprised if one day you end up contradicting yourself."

"Ryan, Yvonne, what are you doing?" Mrs. Winston's voice came from the living room.

The two exchanged meaningful glances, then left the study one after the other.

Yvonne returned to Rhode Hills, took a shower, and lay in bed but couldn't fall asleep no matter what.

The day after tomorrow was her engagement ceremony with Ryan, and she was constantly worried that Elijah would call and berate her.

When she woke up, she habitually picked up her phone and realized that Elijah had sent her a WhatsApp message half an hour ago: [Are you awake? How's the modification of the competition drawings going?]

Yvonne felt guilty and didn't reply.

In Seattle, Elijah was out for his morning run while occasionally glancing at his phone.

After finishing the five-kilometer run, he still hadn't received the response he was hoping for.

Not even a simple "hm" or "okay".

“Maybe she is still sleeping,” Elijah comforted himself with this thought.

At noon, Elijah received a call from Frank.

Frank couldn't contain his excitement. "Elijah, I have some good news for you. Ryan is getting engaged tomorrow. I had Ryan personally deliver the invitation to the law firm, but I thought it would be safer to call you as well."

"Is Ryan really ready to end his bachelorhood?" Elijah had a bad premonition. "Who is he getting engaged to?"

"It's Yvonne, George's daughter. You've met her before. She's a great girl..." Frank was too busy sharing his joy and didn't notice Elijah's reaction.

"Elijah, in my eyes, you and Ryan are like blood brothers. You must come to Ryan's engagement ceremony tomorrow."

Elijah reassured him, "Don't worry, I'll definitely attend Ryan's engagement ceremony."

Gripping his phone, Elijah felt a thorn piercing his heart.

He had a strong suspicion that Yvonne was making a deal with Ryan, but he couldn't suppress the anger in his heart.

He found Yvonne's number and dialed it. Just as the ringtone was about to end, he heard a soft voice.

"Do you miss me again?"