Chapter 398

Joseph nodded. “Alright, I got it.”

His eyes shimmered with emotion, as if Judy’s words had truly touched him.

Judy, on the other hand, felt nothing but contempt. Why hadn’t she realized before how much easier this man was to manipulate than she thought? She’d barely said a few lines, and he was already moved to the point of tears. How amusing.

Judy rubbed her stomach and leaned in with a playful tone. “Joseph, I’m hungry. Let’s go eat.”

“No problem.”

Joseph stood up immediately, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek before leading her to freshen up. It was the first time he had ever treated her like this, and Judy was slightly taken aback. Back when Aurora was still around, she might’ve acted smug in front of her, but behind closed doors, Joseph had never shown her this kind of tenderness.

Now, it almost felt like he was treating her as some sort of comparison to Aurora. And that was exactly why Judy had never believed he truly loved her. To him, she was just a counterpoint to another woman. That was also why she saw right through him and cared only for his money, not for him.

After they got ready and headed downstairs, they ran into Joseph’s parents. Both wore unpleasant expressions. Seeing them, Joseph’s heart skipped a beat, and unease crept in. Instinctively, he stepped in front of Judy, shielding her. He forced a smile. “Mom, Dad… what are you doing at home?”

Judy caught his subtle movement, and her gaze flickered, but she said nothing. So, this was how disgraceful she was in his eyes? Just being seen in the house was enough to make him panic? If that was the case, why had he even brought her here in the first place? Shouldn’t he have realized this outcome long ago?

But in the end, Judy chose to stay silent. She wanted to see exactly how Joseph planned to handle this.

“Hmph. Don’t bother hiding it. You think I don’t know you brought that woman home?” Melvin’s tone was cold as he stared at his son, never once sparing Judy a glance. At first, he’d assumed Joseph was just fooling around. But now that he had the audacity to bring her into their home, Melvin realized something wasn’t right. Clearly, this useless son of his had developed real feelings for her.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to bring her here. Up until now, Joseph had treated Judy like a passing fling–that much had been obvious to both his parents. But now, Melvin could clearly see that something had changed. If it were just a casual relationship, he might’ve turned a blind eye. But this was unacceptable. He would never allow a woman like Judy to marry into the family.

Judy could see the disdain written all over Melvin’s face and instantly understood what he was thinking. As expected, becoming part of the Hunt family was an impossible dream. It was still the old couple standing in the way.

“Dad, I…”

Joseph hadn’t even managed to say anything before Melvin slapped a hand on the table and stood up abruptly. “What did I tell you before? Have you forgotten already?”

Judy wrung her hands together, lowering her gaze and peeking timidly at Joseph. She, too, wanted to see–between her and his family–what choice Joseph would ultimately make.