"Did you ask Richard to send the flower baskets today?"
After entering the home, Hannah did not mention the small encounter on the road. After driving the car around the street and listening to "Control" by Halsey, she calmed down a little. After reaching the door entrance she put on the bubbly person mask like she always did. No one was able to detect any fluctuation in her.
Albert nodded hearing her question. "Yes, what's wrong?"
Hannah thought of the flower baskets, and the corners of her mouth curled up. Her laughter was crisp and melodious. Adam, who was sitting in next to her on the sofa, thought of the flower baskets that did not match his father's temperament and could not help but smile.
"Nothing, I knew that my instinct was right." Hannah smiled and asked, "Do you want me to go for a quick walk to the shop? Do you want to take a look at those strange flower baskets? I remember that many neighbours who came to buy things would stop to take a photo when they saw those flower baskets. I think your reputation as a cold-blooded businessman will be ruined by those flower baskets."
Albert: "..."
He didn't quite understand what Hannah meant.
When Hannah saw his expression, she said simply, "Adam, did you take a photo? Show it to your dad. He'll understand after he sees it."
Adam didn't know what was wrong with him. When he heard Hannah's words, he obediently took out his phone from his pocket and showed the picture to his father. Only when his father took the phone did he wonder why he was so obedient to Hannah. He did everything she told him to.
But the phone had already been handed out, and he could not go back. Albert flipped through the photos with great interest. He even zoomed in on them to take a closer look. There was not a hint of anger on his face. "Looks like I can't let Richard arrange these things next time."
"No," Hannah stopped him. "I think Richard is doing quite well. A lot of people who passed by wanted to see the flower baskets up close before entering the shop to buy things. He's attracting a lot of business for me. It's a good mistake. It's quite interesting."
Albert couldn't help but laugh.
"By the way, I have a question that I've been wanting to ask for a long time. How much does a talented person like Richard get paid per month?" Hannah had been eyeing Richard for a long time. Even though she hadn't been in contact with Richard for a long time, this person was very capable. Whether it was work or life, he arranged everything in an orderly manner. He was simply an all-rounded talent!
He knew everything, was smart in everything and could do everything well!
In the future, when she was rich, she would find a talent like this to be responsible for all things big and small.
Albert said, "It's an annual salary."
Hannah waited for a while. Seeing that he did not plan to give a detailed figure, she asked tentatively, "The annual salary, is it 500,000 dollars?"
Albert looked at her strangely. Although he did not say anything, he had already expressed what he wanted to say. Hannah coughed lightly and continued to ask, "If 500,000 dollars is too little, then 1,000,000 dollars?"
Albert thought for a moment. "Slightly higher, but it's about the same."
Hannah: "..."
So that is why her previous secretary always grumbled about her being worked to death. It seems that she was not paying enough!
Seeing that Hannah was interested in Richard's position, Albert told her in detail about Richard's specific work. Hannah also knew that although Richard had the title of an assistant, he had more responsibilities than some managers. Not only did he manage the company's affairs, but he was also responsible for handling some of Albert's personal affairs.
Therefore, even though Richard was young, his future was promising!
Hannah sighed. "No wonder Richard has such a good attitude. No matter what happens, he is always amiable and does his best."
Even the small matter of sending a flower basket was arranged perfectly. It turned out that the money was enough for people, sincerity and concern can be put aside in the face of money. She understood it and today's little encounter jogged her memory well.
The three of them came out of the dining room, after some light desserts and got ready to take a walk outside. As usual, Hannah and Albert walked in front while Adam followed behind.
After the walk, they entered the guest room which was cut off from the rest of the villa to give the family members more privacy they realized that there were guests at home. Mary Chen, Mary, was wearing a short red skirt. Her jet-black hair was permed into large waves and draped behind her head. She was charming. She smiled gently as she watched Albert walk in. When she saw Hannah following behind him, her smile froze. When Adam walked out from behind Hannah, her expression could no longer be controlled.
What's going on? Why are they standing together like a family of three?!
What happened to the scene in her imagination where the stepson and stepmother went against each other? Why didn't that happen?
The scene of the three of them entering the house in harmony stung Mary's eyes. Before Albert and Alissa officially divorced, Mary had already fallen in love with Albert. At first, she felt guilty about liking her brother-in-law, and she even felt ashamed. But later, Alissa and Albert's relationship was not harmonious.
The two of them had been sleeping in separate rooms for several years.
So, she suppressed her thoughts and quietly waited for the two of them to divorce. Finally, her dream came true. Alissa and Albert divorced. She thought that she could finally express her feelings after all the hardships. She wanted to be close to Albert as a woman, but she didn't expect that after the divorce from Alissa, Albert was not close to Alissa's relatives.
In the past, she could see Albert a few times a month, but after the divorce, they didn't see each other more than twice a year. She was anxious, but she had no other way. Every time she gathered her courage to come to the Black's villa, Albert would either not be at home or just nodded at her. He would politely say a few words and then leave in a hurry.
It was very difficult to get close to him!
Later, a friend suggested she deal with Adam first. After all, with Alissa's relationship, she felt that her relationship with Adam could be closer, but she was disappointed. Adam's personality was very cold. In the past, he could still call her aunt when he saw her, but ever since Alissa and Albert divorced, he didn't even call her aunt anymore.
One time, she brought delicious desserts to the Black and was caring towards Adam, but he did not care about the things she brought. He even coldly told her not to come over again.
So...
Mary thought that with Adam's personality, he would definitely not let Hannah have an easy time, but what was going on now? Why did they come back from the outside together? This was unacceptable to Mary. It was even more unacceptable than when she heard the news of Albert's remarriage!
Today, she had received the news of Albert's return. She had dressed up beautifully and even bought a lot of dishes for the Black. She was prepared to establish her presence in front of the father and son. Firstly, she wanted to please them. Secondly, she also wanted to annoy Hannah.
Mary knew that Adam did not like her, but she only had feelings for Albert. However, Hannah had already entered the family and threatened his status. Therefore, compared to her, Adam should dislike Hannah even more.
But in reality?
She had been waiting here for several hours, only to see them laughing and chatting as they came out from the inner room.
She was there for several hours in the guest waiting room, and the servants did not inform Albert. They did not want to make the new madam upset with them
Mary was going crazy!
It was said that women understood women the best. Hannah could see through Mary's thoughts at a glance. She did not let her open her mouth. Instead, she firmly took control. "Mary is here. Have you eaten?"
This form of address...
Adam and Albert looked at her at the same time.
Although Mary hated Hannah and wished that she could disappear from this world, in front of the Black father and son, she could only smile gently. "I haven't eaten yet. I was thinking that since Adam is on winter break, I bought some ingredients to make dumplings for him. He loved dumplings when he was little. In Japan, making dumplings for the younger generation is considered as giving them our blessings".
Adam was expressionless as if Mary was not talking about him.
Hannah wall smiled "You haven't eaten yet? That's great. We just came back from the restaurant and packed some dishes. Do you want to try them?"
Mary: "? ?"
She looked at Adam in disbelief. Did he go out goat with Hannah? Did he accept Hannah as his stepmother?
How was this possible!
He didn't even accept her. How could he accept Hannah!
She and Adam were related by blood after all. If she were to be the stepmother, she would treat Adam better than an outsider like Hannah, but why would Adam rather accept an outsider than her?
Thinking of this, Mary felt extremely uncomfortable.
She blamed Alissa, Adam, and Hannah for interfering. But she didn't blame Albert, who had completely ignored her from the start.
Albert was the culprit.
"No need, I'm not hungry yet."
Mary tried her best to stand up straight. She would not lose her grip.
Things had already developed to this point. It was already a battle between women. At this moment, she could not care about Albert and had forgotten the purpose of coming here today. She had to get back at Hannah.
"Adam likes to eat dumplings, especially the dumplings I make."
Mary smiled. "I happen to be free these few days. I'll stay in the villa. I'll make dumplings for you guys tomorrow morning? Miss Rosewood won't mind, right?"
She threw the question at Hannah.
She didn't believe that Hannah would say that she minded in front of the Black father and son. If she did say it, it wouldn't matter. The Black father and son's impression of her would drop. After all, this woman didn't have any tolerance, right?
Hannah secretly thought to herself, this woman is starting a fight with me, right? This is great, I can finally experience the scene of women fighting!
She was secretly excited. She had been itching to fight with someone today. And the goat came to get slaughtered on its own. How can she not be excited?
Now she finally had a chance.
Who knew that before she could speak, a male voice beat her to it and said coldly, "I don't want to eat it though?"
Hannah looked at Adam in surprise.
Mary: "? ? ?"
She also widened her eyes in shock, as if she did not expect Adam to embarrass her in public.
"Adam, you..."
Adam went upstairs immediately.
Before his parents got divorced, his aunt would come over every few days. Later on, when his parents got divorced, this aunt would come even more frequently. Every time, she would use the excuse of taking care of him to approach his father.
Although he was young back then, he was not stupid. This woman dared to ask him, "From now on, I will stay at your house? You can stop calling me aunt and call me mom, I will treat you well."
Adam decisively called his mother and only then did Mary stopped harassing him. It was the first time she'd directly faced Adam's rebellion.
Hannah sighed in admiration.
From Adam's attitude, it wasn't the first time he'd openly expressed his dislike towards Mary like this, yet Mary continued to show up. It could be seen how thick-skinned this woman was.
Mary stood rooted to the ground in a daze.
Albert glanced at her. Although his tone was gentle, if one listened carefully, one would realize that there was a hint of unfamiliarity in it. "It's getting late. Miss, you should hurry back as well."
It was not easy for Mary to finally meet Albert. How could she be willing to leave just like that? Brother-in-law, I have something to ask you. I recently bought quite a lot of stocks and am worried about losing money. Can you help me take a look?"
Albert's tone was flat. "I don't know much about this. You can ask a professional."
Hannah: "? ? ?"
If she remembered correctly, wasn't Albert a stock trader who got rich by playing with futures? He was an expert in this area!
Mary's face stiffened, but perhaps she had been hit too many times. She recovered her emotions very quickly. "Alright then, I won't disturb you guys."
Ever since Alissa and Albert divorced, she had no excuse to come here. Previously, she had used Adam's name to come here, but after being scolded by her sister on the phone, she didn't dare to do so anymore. After that, Albert also called her to inform her not to casually enter his house and that she needed to communicate with the butler when she came to the villa again.
However, every time she communicated with the butler that she wanted to come to the villa, the butler would find all kinds of excuses to refuse her.
In the end, she could only hope that her sister would come back from abroad to visit Adam and that she could also take this opportunity to come to the Black.
Now that Albert had remarried, she really could not accept it, so she took the initiative to visit him. After so many years, could it be that Albert did not know how she felt about him? He knew, and his attitude was estranged.
However, Mary couldn't let go of him. In the past few years, she had been in a relationship with someone else, even to the point of discussing marriage. But in the end, it still fell through, because she was unwilling to accept it!
Albert didn't need to consider Mary's feelings. He directly said to Hannah, "I'll go up first. If there's not enough supper, ask the kitchen to make some more."
Hannah: "Okay."
Albert didn't even look at Mary. He went directly upstairs. When he walked halfway up, he suddenly turned his head to look at Hannah. Seeing that she stood there without any intention of following him, he paused for a moment and then walked up again.
As soon as he left, only Hannah and Mary were left in the living room. Mary, who was still in a bad mood, instantly entered a state of vigilance. Her previous listlessness was swept away. She was like an unsheathed arrow, full of aggression.
Mary came here today to wipe away her previous humiliation. It was her first time fighting with Hannah and she had lost. This time, she had to get back at her!
Mary smiled. "When I saw you come in with brother-in-law and Adam, I suddenly realized something. Your face is quite similar to my sister, Alissa."
Does she mean that Albert saw Hannah as Alissa's substitute?
Hannah: "..."
This woman's IQ was not high.
She pretended not to understand and replied, "Is that so? Perhaps it was because good-looking faces were all the same, and ugly faces were all strange. Adam's mother is a great beauty, and I am also a great beauty, so it's normal for us to look similar. But you, aren't you Adam's mother's sister? I didn't recognize you the first time I saw you. I thought Adam's mother's sister would also be a great beauty."
After saying that, Hannah realized that her words were too hurtful and quickly made up, "Mary, don't worry. I didn't mean to say that you're ugly. Don't misunderstand."
Mary was furious, she forcefully suppressed her anger. "Yes, my sister and I don't look alike. My sister has a good personality. When she first got married to her brother-in-law, many people praised them as a perfect couple. My brother-in-law is especially good to my sister. He's so good that I'm extremely envious of her. I think that in the future when I find a boyfriend, I have to find one like my brother-in-law."
Hannah curled her lips.
So, this person couldn't find someone like Albert and wanted to settle with Albert? Because her brother-in-law treated her sister very well and she was very envious of her, so she coveted her brother-in-law?
It was one thing to covet him, but to say it so openly, was embarrassing for a woman!
Just as Hannah was about to mock her, a male voice interrupted her, "How annoying! Can you not say those disgusting things in other people's living rooms?"
Hannah and Mary looked at the voice at the same time.
They saw Adam standing by the stairs with a bottle of water and looking at them coldly. To be more precise, he was looking at Mary.
"Why haven't you left yet? Do you want to stay in our house?"
Adam's personality was not good, to begin with. He usually stayed out of Hannah's way, but now that he was provoked, he did not hold back at all. He did not care whether she was an elder or not, if he had to scold her, he would scold her. "You should still have some dignity. You always use me as an excuse to come to my house. Do you think I can't tell? Or do you think I'm as stupid as you? Get lost quickly. If I ever hear you enter my house in my name again, don't blame me for not holding back!"
Before his biological mother came to the villa, she would still call to inform them beforehand. Only Mary, who was impolite and did not know her limits, had repeatedly crossed the line.
Mary: "..."
Hannah swallowed her saliva. Holy shit, was Adam so fierce? From the looks of it, he had already given her face by not speaking to her before. Once this person opened his mouth, it was full of destructive power!
After saying these words, Adam turned around and went back to his room. Mary was scolded directly at him. She was too embarrassed to stay in the villa any longer. She angrily walked out of the door.
By the time Hannah came back to her senses, Mary had already walked out of the villa.
Hannah: "!"
Wait a minute, she hadn't even performed yet!
Adam had cut her off and even made her leave, but she was not Adam! If she didn't make a move yet, won't she continue to feel irritated throughout the night?
Hannah wasn't narcissistic and thought that Adam was standing up for her. It was probably because he had been displeased with Mary for a long time that he could no longer hold back.
However, this was her battle with Mary. She had not even performed yet, how could she let it go!
Thinking of this, she jogged out and chased after her. She called out to Mary outside the villa, "Mary!"
Mary was in a daze and walked out like a wandering soul. When she heard Hannah's voice, she seemed to be energized again. She sneered and turned around, "What?"
Hannah stepped forward, "I have something to tell you. Just now, you said that Adam's father was very good to Adam's mother. I believe that their relationship must have been very good during their marriage. Otherwise, you wouldn't have called him brother-in-law so many years after their divorce. The reason why you continue to call Adam's father brother-in-law is because of their previous good relationship, right?"
"As for me, although I'm young and haven't experienced much, I'm broad-minded and I don't mind. So even though you still address Adam's father as brother-in-law so intimately after they divorced, I don't even take it seriously."
Mary's eyes widened. She was about to speak, but Hannah didn't give her a chance to, her small mouth opened and closed like a machine gun. "Speaking of which, I have to say a few words about you. You're not sensible. Adam's mother remarried and has a husband. If he heard you call Albert brother-in-law so intimately, wouldn't you be causing an argument?"
"But I think that Adam's mother has good taste. The husband she married has a good personality and temper. He won't hold it against you, but I still have to remind you. Look, Adam has a stepmother and a stepfather now. If you keep coming to the villa like this, others might think that you have some hidden intentions even though I know you care about Adam. It won't sound good if people talk behind your back, right?"
Mary was so angry that her face turned red, and her chest kept heaving up and down.
What did this woman mean? Was she mocking her?
Hannah smiled. "Aiyo, my words are a little harsh. Don't take it to heart. But I'm also telling the truth. You'd better not address Adam's father as a brother-in-law in the future. I don't mind it, but Adam is young and sensitive, so he might feel uncomfortable. You said that you love Adam the most, so you shouldn't make him unhappy, right?"
Mary clenched her fists tightly, and her face was ashen. The way she looked when she wanted to say something but was unable to make people feel particularly happy.
Hannah was satisfied. Looking at her leaving, she smiled complacently.
This was her first battle after transmigrating into the novel. It's a complete victory!
She was immersed in joy, so she didn't notice that Albert was standing on the balcony on the second floor, with a faint smile on his handsome face. It looks like after the verbal spat, she has calmed down. He called his hidden guards to investigate what went wrong with her trip to send the kid back.
...
Since Mary had left, Hannah was not planning to stay outdoors to enjoy the cool breeze.
She replayed the conversation with Mary in her mind and was very satisfied with her performance. The matter had developed to this point, and the conflict between her and Mary was no longer about Albert, but a battle of dignity between women.
Just like how Mary didn't stare at Albert today. From the moment they entered the door to the moment Albert went upstairs, Mary had only glanced at Albert a few times. Hannah even felt that Mary had come for her today.
But after saying all the things on her mind, she felt refreshed and calmly strutted to the bedroom to retire for the day.
And Mary, who did not know that she only served as a punching bag to the Black family today, went to her home with endless regrets.
Vote. Comment. Follow