Chapter 141
Miranda shook the mop and continued swinging it at Karen. Karen shielded her head and ran toward the door. “I’m not done with you! That damned wisteria from your place has spread into my yard. I’m burning it all down tomorrow! It’s so annoying!” Karen yelled, then ran off as Miranda chased after her with the mop.
“Get lost! If you come back, I’ll hit you again!” Miranda called.
After Miranda set down the mop, she sighed with relief. Just as she turned around, she saw Lionel’s serious expression. Her heart skipped a beat.
After a moment, she hesitantly said, “Sorry, Dad, I—”
“When did you learn to do that?” Lionel interrupted.
“Eh?” Miranda was confused.
“Like this…” Lionel mimicked her mop-swinging motion.
Miranda was speechless.
“Ahem! A young lady like you should be more composed and graceful, not act like a shrew.”
“Dad, don’t you feel better now?” Miranda asked, walking forward and putting her arm around him. Lionel hesitated, then said, “Yes, I do.”
“Did the wisteria near our house really get pulled out by her?”
There was a small patch of land between the two houses. Karen had filled it with dirt and planted vegetables, which she watered with wastewater. The wisteria from their yard had only begun creeping over the wall, but she destroyed it completely.
Lionel had always been generous, and Mindy disliked conflict. They had never raised the land issue over the years. This led Karen to believe the land was hers.
“She said the branches were blocking sunlight from her vegetables, so she pulled them all out,” Lionel said with a heavy sigh. “It really upset your mother.”
Miranda bit her lip. Only then did she realize how much her parents had endured in her absence.
“Dad, about what they said…” Miranda began.
“Don’t worry about it! It’s all nonsense. They don’t know anything and are just gossiping. I know my daughter better than anyone; you’re not like that.”
Miranda’s eyes welled up.
“Alright, don’t mention it to your mother later. She tends to overthink things,” Lionel said.
“Okay,” Miranda replied with a smile.
On the second day of Christmas, it was time to visit relatives.
Chapter 141
Mindy dragged Miranda out of bed early that morning. “Get up and get dressed nicely. We’re heading to your uncle’s house soon.”
Miranda’s grandparents, George Sutton and Anna Smith, had four children. Lionel was the third-born, with two older brothers and a younger sister.
Her eldest uncle, Leonard Sutton, left school as a teenager to work on construction sites. After a few years, he started his own business and eventually moved into the building materials industry. He owned a successful building materials company, lived in a villa, and drove a luxury car. In their small town, he was considered a major businessman.
Since their grandparents lived with him, the Sutton siblings gathered at Leonard’s house every Boxing Day.
In previous years, only Lionel and Mindy attended, but this year Miranda joined them.
“Aunt Reña, Merry Christmas!”
Rena opened the door, stared at the elegant Miranda for a moment, and asked, “Are you Mimi?”
Mindy smiled slightly and greeted, “Rena, Merry Christmas.” Then, she handed over a basket of fruit and a selection of gourmet teas for George and Anna.
Rena said, “Why bring gifts? Just come in. We’ve been waiting for you. Please, come in.”
“Oh, isn’t this Miranda? What a rare guest! You haven’t been here for years. What brings you back this year?” asked Jenny Sullivan, who was married to her second-eldest uncle.