Chapter 345

Jennifer paused, then said, “Evelyn’s still living in Fernlandia. She signed Isabel up for some early education classes, but honestly, I have no idea how she’s really doing these days.”

Teresa looked shocked. “Isabel’s not even in preschool yet and is already taking early education classes?”

Jennifer shrugged, her eyes cold. “How she raises her kid isn’t my business.”

Teresa snorted. “You don’t care about her, but you sure love meddling in my life. I guess, Hannah, bossing me around is the only way you feel good about yourself.”

Jennifer was speechless. She thought Teresa should stop treating her this way since she had already apologized. She had said she’d change, promised to control her temper. She wondered what else Teresa wanted from her.

Jennifer said, “Let’s just talk calmly for a few minutes, about Mike, and the baby you’re carrying.”

Teresa said Jennifer had to agree to a few things first. First, once she moved back, she absolutely wouldn’t live with Jennifer again. Whether it was about Teresa or Michael—like which school he’d go to—Teresa would handle it herself. It would have nothing to do with Jennifer.

Second, if Jennifer married Donald, Teresa wouldn’t go to the wedding or any other parties, dinners, or family gatherings the Lynn family had. In short, Teresa didn’t want to see anyone from the Lynn family.

Third, Jennifer must stop picking on Jonathan and saying things to embarrass him.

If Jennifer could agree to these three things, Teresa would consider coming back to Nareigh.

Teresa said, “I divorced Jonathan over three years ago. You’re my sister. He’s my ex-husband’s cousin. Don’t let my issues keep causing drama between the two families. I’m really tired.”

Teresa said, “It’s my life, not yours.”

Jennifer said, “As long as that old witch Irene doesn’t mess with you, I won’t mess with him. Honestly, I’d be happy if he just stays away.”

Teresa said, “He’s Donald’s cousin. If you marry Donald, he’s your family. Of course, he’ll come back for the holidays. Sis, I’m still calling you that. I just hope you won’t dislike Jonathan because of me. He’s pretty good to his family.”

Jennifer muttered, “We’ll see.” She still couldn’t stand Jonathan, mostly because of Irene.

Teresa said, “Sis, you’re really ungrateful, you know that?”

Suddenly, they heard Miriam’s voice from behind them. Jennifer turned around. Teresa turned around too, wondering, “Isn’t Miriam supposed to be with Edward?”

Miriam explained to Teresa, “I needed my ID to check in. I left it here, so I came back to fetch it.”

After that, she immediately turned to Jennifer and walked over to her.

Miriam said, “Did you forget that you nailed your job, the deputy director at Nareigh General Hospital, because Jonathan pulled strings for you? Or you probably are…”

Teresa was the only one who looked completely lost now. “What does that mean?”

Based on their faces, Miriam could tell that Jennifer knew she got her job through nepotism, but Teresa didn’t.

Miriam put her arm around Teresa’s shoulders. “When you left Nareigh, Jonathan told me the truth. He was freaking out and didn’t know what to do for you. He got your sister the job through his connections.”

Teresa asked Jennifer, “Is that true?” She asked slowly, “Did Jonathan help you get your job?” She always thought Jennifer was good at her job, so the director promoted her.

Jennifer said, “Donald asked his cousin for help.” Jennifer added, “I didn’t know it at first. When I found out, Donald said he’d already returned the favor. I didn’t think much about it, and I couldn’t reach you to explain it.”

Teresa shot back, “So you didn’t have a chance.” “Then why didn’t you say anything just now? You could’ve told me when we met in Everport. Hannah, when did you become like this? No,” Teresa corrected herself, “You’ve always been like this. You never change.”

“What do you want me to do?” Jennifer retorted. “Okay, I’ll quit. I never begged him for help. I didn’t even know it at first. Even without connections, I’d be promoted in two or three years.”

“Oh, come on!” Miriam couldn’t hold back her anger anymore. “Jonathan only did it for Teresa’s sake, not for you. Did you ever think about who’s going to have to return the favor? Teresa!”

Jennifer said, “Let Donald handle it. He and his cousin can sort things out. Teresa, you don’t need to worry about it.”

Teresa said, “I know it. How can I pretend that I do not know? This happened before I left Nareigh.”

Jennifer murmured, “I…”