Chapter 159
"What a good boy," Debra and Patrick murmured, showering Lillian and Kevin with adoring glances. "We're so glad to have them in the family." Debra leaned down, kissing Kevin. "We hear you," she said firmly. "She's not working anymore."
Theodore repeatedly tried to enter the residential area, but to no avail. Rebecca wouldn't answer his calls. He knew she didn't want to see him, not with the children around. His face hardened. He lingered at the gate before turning away, defeated.
Back at the hotel, he found Jenny. His expression softened instantly, Rebecca's anger melting away. Jenny understood him, he knew; she'd been his solace for over a year, no matter what. After every fight with Rebecca, Jenny had appeared, calming and guiding him, easing his despair. He'd chosen Rebecca over Jenny, despite Jenny's sadness and her continued, quiet support—maintaining the Edwards-Smith collaboration for his family's sake.
"Jenny's a wonderful woman," Theodore mused, but the image of Rebecca's face flashed in his mind, bringing a frown. Rebecca had become so arrogant since rejoining the Carters—ignoring him, even urging them to undermine the Edwards family. Jenny and Rebecca? Incomparable.
Then he remembered Rebecca's tender care during his vegetative state. He sighed, trying to quell his irritation. "It's alright," he thought. "I'll weather this. She'll come around."
Three days later, Stacey got good news. "The Empress" had a release date—one month away! And they could do a variety show appearance to promote it. Director Vicky messaged Lynn, asking if Becky wanted to guest on "Happy Little Mangoes" with Malcolm.
Lynn forwarded the message to Stacey. Before Stacey could respond, Charlie excitedly texted: “[Becky, got the ‘Happy Little Mangoes’ invite?]”
“[Yes. Why?]” Stacey replied.
“[Grab it! My new drama's coming out, and we're doing ‘Mangoes’ the same episode. Let’s go together!]”
Stacey gasped. “[Charles, are you serious?]”
“[Totally. I’ve been on ‘Mangoes’ tons of times, know the hosts. Don’t worry, I’ll look after you. We can interact! I miss you!]”
“[Okay. Lynn’ll arrange it.]”
Charlie sent a hugging sticker and added, “[Love you.]”
Stacey thought he was so playful. Smiling, she replied with a “Love Brother” sticker. Then, a message popped up in the family group chat. She clicked it to find Charlie had proudly shared their exchange.
“[Hahaha! Stacey said she loved me! You guys are missing out!]”
Mortified, Stacey found herself flooded with personal messages from Adrian, Bryce, Patrick, and Debra. Adrian: “[Becky, I love you too.]” Bryce: “[Me too! Can I get that sticker?]” Patrick: “[Becky, a ‘Love Dad’ sticker?]” Debra: “[Becky, saw the group chat? Ignore them, psychos. ‘Love Mom’ sticker for me?]”
Stacey searched her stickers but couldn’t find a high-res version. She fired up Photoshop and spent an hour creating stickers for everyone—even Lillian and Kevin. She sent them all to the group chat.
Everyone was waiting. Then, stickers appeared one by one. Adrian, Bryce, Patrick, Debra, and even Charlie instantly downloaded theirs. Seconds later, Adrian changed his profile picture to his new sticker.
Everyone stared. Charlie frantically changed his picture, only to find the entire family had done the same. Patrick texted, “[Speaking of, new group name? Family of Eight?]”