Chapter 287 Trouble Brewing
Janna knew all too well.
Fiona wouldn't easily get over what had happened with Jane.
For years, she had maintained a low profile within the Rhoads family, always avoiding encounters with Alice and her spouse.
Although everyone in the Rhoads clan was aware of her existence, not one had ever met her.
She still harbored feelings about the past.
She resented those in the Rhoads family who had wronged her mother.
So, when Fiona had said she would always need her, Janna couldn't hold back her tears.
Fiona patted her back gently, comforting her for a while before they resumed their previous activity.
They were discussing Ashton.
Janna mentioned that she had prepared some gifts for Kenny's parents.
When she saw the gifts, she instinctively glanced at Kenny.
Kenny, puzzled, asked, "What's up? Is there something on my face?"
"I get why Janna is so fond of you," Ashton expressed sincerely, "You two are cut from the same cloth..."
Ashton turned to look at the gifts again.
The trunk was too small to fit them all.
After taking the gifts out, Ashton briefly checked two of the boxes.
She peeked inside and immediately closed them again.
"What happened?" Kenny asked, amused by her surprised and adorable reaction.
"Such a clear bracelet!" Ashton whispered, "Does Janna think I've been kidnapped by you and these are the ransom?"
Kenny's laughter became even more genuine.
He knew that at home, the elders were eagerly competing over who would give the best gift to their new family member.
Kenny was also preparing a return gift for Ashton.
Seeing that Ashton had elders in her life fussing over her this way filled him with joy.
"Oh my!"
Upon opening the second box, Ashton sat down on the ground.
"What is it?" Kenny asked with curiosity.
"A necklace. Janna must have spent so much money at the auction last year," Ashton was dumbfounded.
She knew Janna had a lot of jewelry, but she hadn't expected such an extravagant gesture.
"She really dotes on you," Kenny mentioned.
Ashton was still perplexed. "No, I can't keep living off my parents. I need to get a job right away. I have to earn money and support Janna!"
Kenny's laughter intensified.
The house staff seldom loitered at home.
Kenny didn't want his wife to feel uncomfortable, so he told the staff to keep their distance.
At that moment, one of the staff couldn't contain their curiosity upon hearing the laughter and took a peek.
And then they were utterly shocked.
They hurried to the small garden to call the lady of the house.
This staff member, in her fifties, had come from the Walker family to take care of Kenny.
Could they be considered Kenny's mother's confidant?
"Ma'am, there's been a serious incident!" The staff member exclaimed in a panic.
"What's the problem? Did Kenny bring a man home? That girl is just a front, isn't she?"
Mrs. Walker was in the middle of a beauty treatment and sat up abruptly from the beauty bed.
She had been overjoyed a few days ago when the staff told her of the new daughter-in-law moving in.
But soon, the news came that the couple wasn't sharing a room and were seemingly separated.
Just then, she was playing mahjong with the speakerphone on.
After hanging up, the enthusiasm for the game had evaporated.
"I think Kenny brought a woman home as a cover, he..." Her sister-in-law pressed her forehead, recalling the romance novels she had read in silent flashes of thought.
From that day, Mrs. Walker was dispirited.
She stopped dieting, abandoned her fitness regime, and started discussing with her husband whether they should try for another child.
What if it turned out to be another daughter?
The next day, Kenny's father, terrified, flew off to the Mediterranean.
The staff member was thoroughly confused.
"There were no men; they were just playing around."
"Playing? Playing what?" Mrs. Walker asked, her voice trembling with a glimmer of hope amid desperation.
"Unwrapping gifts, I think?" The staff member replied.
Silence on the other end... "Unwrapping gifts caused an uproar? Can you just leave me alone? I'm really vulnerable right now, don't you..."
"No, it's not that, Mrs. Walker," The staff member interrupted urgently, "He was laughing, the kind of laugh that has him bending forward and backward. It scared me!"
The staff member had watched Kenny grow up from birth.
As a child, Kenny was even more intimidating; he rarely fussed and was stoic even at a young age, always seeming beyond his years.
His parents feared he was on the spectrum, maybe autistic.
They took him to countless doctors, all of whom claimed he was completely fine—healthy and bright.
It was only as he grew older that he gradually became the gentle and cultured man they knew today.
The staff member had never seen Kenny laugh with such abandonment.
Despite his politeness, there was an underlying fear of him within the family.
Many staff members usually whispered about their concern that one day, if Kenny got in a foul mood, he might do something drastic.
"Really?" Mrs. Walker was taken aback.
"I even recorded a video and sent it to you!"
Mrs. Walker couldn't wait to see it.
On the screen, a darling girl was sitting on the floor, tilting her head up at Kenny, saying something indecipherable.
After she spoke, Kenny broke into laughter.
Mrs. Walker zoomed in closer and could clearly see—when Kenny smiled, his gaze was fixed on the girl, and his eyes sparkled.
"Oh, my goodness!" She exclaimed while clapping her hands.
"This is it! Perfect!" Mrs. Walker was over the moon. She even skipped her beauty treatments and handed the esthetician a tip, "Here's a little extra for you."
With a change of clothes from the coatroom, she left in high spirits.
The esthetician stood there, utterly bemused.
Meanwhile, Kenny had no idea.
Soon after, the video appeared in the family chat group (sans Kenny), prompting a lively discussion.
"Look how adorable my future daughter-in-law is, sounding so plaintive—I wish I could've been there!" Mrs. Walker gushed with maternal pride in the chat.
"She's so cute! Just imagine if they have a daughter just as charming—she'd be spoiled rotten!"
"So that's Kenny's type! Here I thought he'd bring home either a scholar or, I dunno, maybe a guy!"
The rest of the relatives joined in the chatter, each with their own take on the situation.
The relatives, previously caught in a competitive frenzy of gift-preparing, now felt compelled to add jewels to their offerings to match the caliber of their new family member.
Late into the night, they made urgent calls to their personal shoppers with strict instructions. "We have to act fast and get the best there is!"
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