Penelope continued, "You can stop making excuses. I’m not from the city, and I can’t stomach food from outside. For goodness sake, I’m your elder. Is it such a big deal to ask you to cook me some breakfast? If you refuse, I’ll talk to your mother-in-law about this!"
She then started groaning, saying that she was so upset she had a headache. Then, she claimed that she was dying of hunger. The others heard this and immediately joined in the chorus, criticizing Mindy.
Mindy looked around at the group and saw through their disgusting facade. They probably always banded together to bully others by taking advantage of their numbers.
"Fine," Mindy said. "You want a home-cooked breakfast? I’ll ask Lionel to make it for you. Just wait a little while."
"No, can’t you understand me? I asked you to make it, not Lionel! Men are supposed to earn money, and women should be in the kitchen. That’s just how it is!"
"I heard you, but…" Mindy replied with a smile, "In our household, I make more money than Lionel. I even bought this villa. By your logic, it is only right that Lionel cooks."
"Bullshit! How could you afford to buy such a big villa?" Penelope’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Mindy simply said, "Well, I did."
Standing nearby, Theresa bumped into Penelope’s shoulder awkwardly and whispered in a low tone, "I asked Lionel yesterday. It’s true that his wife bought this villa…"
Penelope was stunned. Without another word, Mindy turned and returned to the study.
No way… How could a woman make that much money? And enough to buy a huge villa? Penelope was completely dumbfounded.
Theresa pursed her lips. "I wouldn’t cook either if I could make that much money. I’d let my husband do it. Who would want to be stuck in the kitchen if they were rolling in cash? If you were in her shoes, would you?"
Penelope was at a loss for words.
That was true. If she had that much money, she wouldn’t be slaving away in the kitchen to serve her husband.
Miranda returned with breakfast and immediately sensed that something was off with the atmosphere at home. Before she could figure out what had happened, she heard a loud crash coming from the backyard. It was where Lionel kept his beloved potted plants.
Miranda’s eyes twitched as a bad feeling welled up within her.
Sure enough, Lionel’s orchid had been smashed to pieces when she went to check. The other potted plants had also suffered varying degrees of damage.
Lionel trembled all over, feeling as if his heart was stabbed by a knife. His precious orchid…
He had woken up early and gone to bed late in order to care for this specific shoot. He tended to it carefully and wrote pages of notes regarding his observations.
Now that he had finally gotten the orchid to bloom, the plant was destroyed by these unruly kids!
The kids were completely oblivious to the gravity of their actions. They even laughed and asked Lionel, "Uncle Lionel, isn’t this flower pretty? We just picked it for you! Aren’t you happy?"
Miranda glanced at the darkened expression on her father’s face. She was worried that his blood pressure might spike at any moment.
Fortunately, Lionel had learned to keep his emotions in check after years of being a teacher. Although he didn’t scold them on the spot, he certainly couldn’t muster up a smile.
Happy? Not at all.
Miranda couldn’t bear to watch the situation any longer. She took her laptop and left the house. They just had to put up with them for one more day.
Miranda could escape the relatives, but Lionel and Mindy couldn’t. After all, they had to be good hosts to the relatives who had come to visit. Or else, Anna would never let them hear the end of it.
Harold and Jenny deliberately came over later in the afternoon. On the surface, they came to pay a visit, but in reality, they were only there to watch the chaos unfold.
At least Harold had some sense of decency. Though he couldn’t help Lionel, he didn’t want to add salt to his wound either. He greeted them and was about to leave when Jenny pulled him back. She even shot him a warning look.