Chapter 34 - Poor Relatives?

Chapter 34 - Poor Relatives?

When the thought formed, Melissa, whose eyes were shining brightly, looked at Justin. "I may have to trouble you with something, Justin. Can you help me look up some information about Miss Smith whom we met just now?"
An unaware Simon asked, "What's going on?"
A smile formed on Melissa's face. "If I'm not wrong, your niece is probably the one that saved your life!"
"…"
When Justin heard this, he said to Lawrence who was standing behind him, "Bring a copy of Miss Smith's information to Uncle Simon and Aunt Melissa."
After Lawrence brought the investigation report over, both parties cross-referenced the data. An overjoyed Melissa exclaimed, "It really is her!"
Simon's eyes were all red. "Nora… What a nice name. Call her over and let me have a look at her…"
If it wasn't because he had just had an operation and couldn't get out of bed, he would have raced over right away.
Unfortunately, when Lawrence went to the VIP ward next door to look for Nora, she had already left after giving Irene a checkup and ensuring that she was fine.
However, he managed to get Henry's number.
Justin's help wasn't needed anymore after that, so he returned to the hotel to spend some time with his son.
On the top floor of Hotel Finest.
Pete was in the study and talking to Cherry on the phone.
Cherry was as sweet as honey when she spoke. "You're so smart, Pete! If Mommy does that, she'll be able to clear your name!"
Praised by his sister, Pete, who had never openly shown his emotions, blushed. "You're great, too."
Cherry grinned. In a sweet and cute voice, she then said, "You went off while wearing Little Pink yesterday, Pete. Remember to return it to me next time, okay?"
Pete, who was holding some books, paused. "Little Pink?"
"Uh-huh! You know, the pink princess dress!"
His sister even gave her clothes names. What an adorable little princess she was.
As soon as the thought formed, he heard Cherry saying adorably, "Wait a second, Pete. I gotta tell my teammate something, okie?"
Pete nodded. "Okay."
Then, he heard Cherry go on a sudden rampage: "Do you really know how to play as a support? Have you used your ultimate skill correctly even once? And, the open world fights! Do you have a feud with the wild monsters or something? Why are you staring only at that patch of grass there?! Do you even know what support is… Also, ##%¥%&*@..."
Pete was dumbfounded. "…" That really came out of nowhere.
After dissing her teammate for a whole two minutes, Cherry finally turned off the game voice chat and said, "Don't forget Little Pink, okie? It's my favorite dress!"
"…"
After hanging up, Pete immediately placed his books down, got up, and went to the bedroom to search for the dress.
He remembered taking it off the day before and tossing it on the sofa. Why was it gone?
While he was looking for it, the door opened and Justin strode in. The tall figure stopped in front of him. "What are you looking for, Pete?"
Pete replied casually, "The princess dress."
Justin stiffened in the midst of taking off his jacket. With mixed emotions, he replied, "Oh. Don't bother anymore. I might have tossed it."
Tossed it?
Pete thought of his sister's verbal might and panicked. "Why did you throw it away without asking me?!"
Justin frowned. A resolute look flashed across his deep-set eyes and he said solemnly, "You're a boy. Don't ever wear dresses again!"
This was his absolute limit!
Pete's face tensed up and he said angrily, "You're such a despot and a dictator! No wonder Mommy hates you!"
Justin handed his jacket to the nanny, walked over to his son, and squatted gracefully.
He always looked at Pete at his eye level whenever he talked to him. This way, the child would feel like they were being respected. Seeing how his son was glaring at him with his big round eyes, he suddenly asked, "Did Miss Smith say she hates me?"
Pete replied, "…Yes!"
Justin let out a low chuckle. Even the mole at the corner of his eye exuded a bit of charisma as he said, "Women sure are creatures that say one thing but mean another."
If she really disliked him, why would she approach his son again and again?
Pete was perplexed.
He took a silent step back. "Have you seen a psychiatrist, Daddy?"
"…"
Justin got up and said, "I have a dinner appointment with a family friend tonight. Let's go together."
Pete didn't answer, but Chester, who was sprawled on the sofa and playing games as if no one had noticed his presence, said, "Okay!"
Meanwhile, Nora just received a call from her father. Her eyes widened. "My uncle? Really?"
Henry sneered, "They even know your mother's name is and what she looks like. How can it be fake? They've arranged to come over at 3 pm today. Come back and receive them."
Nora frowned after hanging up.
To be honest, her mother was quite a distant concept to her. Ever since she could remember, the only impression she had of her mother was her last words to her. It was a voice recording. The person had a gentle voice, and had told her to stay low-profile…
However, her family had never had any contact with her mother's family. Even her aunt abroad was just her mother's god-sister.
The sudden mention of her uncle today made her very curious—what kind of person was that mysterious mother of hers, exactly?
She took a cab back to the Smiths.
As soon as she entered, she heard Wendy ask, "Did Nora's mother ever mention her family, Henry?"
Henry replied disdainfully, "I asked her about them before. She said that her family lives in the mountains and is very poor. She escaped from there, so she never made any contact with them after that."
When Wendy heard that, she hesitated for a moment before asking, "What? Will Nora's uncle pester us after he comes, then?"
Henry was also troubled over the same thing. "Just now, they specially mentioned that her uncle was sick and hospitalized, so her aunt will be coming by herself. She won't ask to borrow money for medical expenses as soon as she enters, will she?"
Wendy curled her lip. "Do we lend it to her if she does?"
Henry immediately sneered, "That's Nora's uncle. What does he have to do with the Smiths? If there's anyone who should be lending them money, it's her!"
Outside the door, Nora, who was listening to their conversation, cast her eyes down. Her clenched fists suddenly loosened and she let out a scoff of laughter. Only then did she finally step forward and enter the house.
Angela was leaning on Henry's shoulder and acting like a baby. The family of three looked happy and blissful.
At the sight of Nora, Angela curled her lip and said smugly, "Tsk, no wonder you've never mentioned anything about your mother's family. So, it's because they're such an embarrassment! But Nora, you shouldn't forget your roots. They are your mother's family; surely you should still acknowledge those penniless relatives of yours?"
With her eyes down and as if she didn't hear her at all, Nora walked over to the one-seater sofa and casually took a seat. She ignored them completely.
Despite that, Angela spoke with a sense of superiority and said, "My uncle just bought me a handbag some time back. I wonder if your uncle will buy anything for you, Nora? Oh dear, I forgot. He's currently sick and hospitalized, so he probably can't even afford his own medical expenses. Mom, Dad, let's show them some pity later and give them a few hundred dollars."
After saying that, she frowned again and called out, "Mrs. Lane, get the disinfectant and air purifiers ready. I heard that people from the countryside smell!"
At this moment, Mrs. Lane called out, "They're here!"