The situation had been ongoing for several days. Faced with the sudden protective and friendly behavior from her sister-in-law, Jolene felt a bit overwhelmed.
She couldn't help but worry, wondering if something troubling might be happening at her in-laws' household.
Why else would they suddenly warm up to her?
As the saying goes, "Something out of the ordinary is definitely suspicious."
Jolene couldn't be blamed for thinking this way; after all, her sister-in-law had been mocking her for almost half her life. Her manner was always sarcastic and strange. When her attitude suddenly softened, anyone would feel a bit uneasy, unsure of what had happened.
Jolene, who lacked decisiveness, couldn't figure out the reason, so she told her husband about it.
Hugh was also somewhat surprised and puzzled after hearing it.
After a long silence, he said, "So, you mean your sister-in-law has been very friendly with you recently, always finding time to chat with you? Being overly warm towards you?"
Jolene nodded, then, feeling concerned, said, "Um..."
Hugh frowned. After thinking for a good while, he offered a possible explanation in a solemn tone. "Perhaps, your sister-in-law thinks that Lambert is no threat to Arnold's inheritance, so she starts acting friendly in a roundabout way? Is she preparing for us to be on Arnold’s side if there should be contention over the inheritance between Arnold and Finely?" He couldn't think of any other reasons.
After living in such a family for so long, Hugh came up with this idea almost instantly.
Whether that was true or not, he wasn't certain.
He knew all too well about his sister-in-law; she was not an easy person to deal with.
Upon hearing her husband's words, Jolene was taken aback. She gazed at her husband blankly for a while before finally nodding slowly and said, "Um...that might be it." Jolene was somewhat at a loss for words. Neither she nor her husband ever thought the final heir of the Stone family would be Lambert. After all, they were well aware of Lambert's background.
There was no way it could be possible.
Upon realizing that her sister-in-law was so enthusiastic about her for such a reason, Jolene really didn't know what to say.
Was all their previous ridicule and sarcasm because they thought Lambert would usurp their son's inheritance?
However, the gobsmacked Jolene did not catch the fleeting depth and complexity in Hugh's eyes. It was just a moment, and Jolene didn't see it when she turned her head. Hugh fleetingly glanced at his wife, his eyes flashing with something.
Then, he sighed and said, "Forget it, don't bother with the others. Isn't it good that your sister-in-law is enthusiastic about you? At least when I'm not at home, someone can stand up for you."
Although this person's motives are not great, what does that matter? If they could be utilized, that would be quite advantageous.
At least he doesn't need to worry about his wife being bullied by his two sisters-in-law all the time.
In fact, he has always known that his wife is sometimes wronged, but there's nothing he could do. On one hand, he is a man and it's inappropriate to intervene, and on the other hand, the other party is his sister-in-law, and he couldn't say anything. Moreover, they just belittle with words. If he stood-up for his wife over these trivial issues, he fears that his wife would be further despised by his father.
Thus, he's been holding back and hasn't said anything.
Now seeing his sister-in-law behaving this way, he's rather pleased.
Hearing her husband's words, Jolene also agreed. It was indeed the case, and because of the change in her elder sister-in-law's attitude these few days, her life had been much better than before.
If it could always be like this, naturally she wouldn't object.
...
While Hugh and his wife were worried about their son and daughter-in-law, Lambert and Ariana were busy in their own small home. Ariana was preparing for a small gathering, and she had invited Allison and Stefan over.
This was to celebrate their narrow escape from death.
Allison, the real foodie, naturally rushed over as soon as she heard about the food. Stefan was helplessly dragged over by his food-loving girlfriend.
Since all four of them were good friends, this gathering wasn't lacking in atmosphere despite the small number.
Right now, Ariana was in the kitchen preparing tonight's dinner.
Naturally, the one accompanying her was Lambert.
As Ariana's eyes sparkled brilliantly, she continued kneading the dough. Lambert, who was mixing the filling, sneakily took a glance at her and then retreated his gaze as though pretending to be blind, afterwards closing his eyes deeply. He silently felt sympathy and sorrow for the two who were about to accept this challenge today.
He wondered if he still had time to go out and purchase some items for them...
Ariana suddenly turned her head to look at Lambert and asked, "Are you still not done with the mix?"
Lambert twitched the corner of his lips and answered, "Almost there."
Upon hearing this, Ariana's eyes immediately curved into a smile as she sighed 'uh' and said, “Yeah, the dough I'm kneading is coming along too. We can start making dumplings soon.”
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