Leslie spent the entirety of the morning entertaining Mrs. Wang and Alfred. Delight flickering in the ladies’ eyes, replacing the initial sadness. The ambiance of the lounge also beca better.
Sitting side by side this ti, the two ladies of different ages shared more stories about themselves. They didn’t forget to enjoy the tasty snacks prepared by Aunt Wendy as they chatted.
At the sa ti, Calliope invited Alfred to play a few jigsaw puzzle gas. The recently graduated young man had his back hunched as he picked the puzzle pieces under the little dumpling’s encouragent.
Aside from stories about their lives so far, Leslie also inquired about Mrs. Jiang. She couldn’t forget the cruelty exhibited by the older lady toward Charlene years ago.
What Leslie learned from Mrs. Wang intrigued her, also flooding her heart with a sense of satisfaction.
"I heard her family is in trouble. Her husband and eldest son gambled their entire fortune away. They didn’t have much, to begin with, but, they still acted foolishly."
Mrs. Wang’s tone was full of contempt. From the beginning of her employnt at the villa, working together with Mrs. Jiang only brought unpleasant feelings.
Then, Mrs. Jiang’s blatant barbarity toward Charlene simred more hatred in Mrs. Wang’s heart. The latter didn’t feel sorry for the cruel woman at all.
Leslie nodded once, acknowledging Mrs. Wang’s words before responding verbally, "They made that bad choice themselves. No one held a gun to their heads to force them."
The misfortune that fell on Mrs. Jiang and her family was their own doing.
Leslie shifted the topic to sothing else after the short conversation about the Jiang family. She and Mrs. Wang were back to talking about their lives.
The two ladies were so engrossed in their conversation that none noticed the clock struck a quarter past twelve. They also didn’t catch the low hum of a car’s engine moving on the driveway outside.
"Oh! Papa!"
Calliope’s yelling pulled everyone’s attention toward the entrance of the lounge. Calix erged, still dressed immaculately in his navy blue suit. A smile played on his lips.
"...honey?"
Leslie stared blankly at Calix, never expecting to see her husband appearing at this hour. He hadn’t ntioned anything about coming ho early before going to work this morning.
"Wow! Papa is ho!"
The little dumpling hurriedly sprang to her feet, running deng deng deng to her papa. Her twin pigtails bounced in the air, following her movent.
"Mr. Xu, good afternoon."
Alfred quickly stood up while Mrs. Wang and Leslie still sat on the couch. The lady’s gaze was still on her husband, thinking about his sudden presence.
"Good afternoon, everyone," Calix greeted Leslie, Mrs. Wang and Alfred as he picked Calliope up. Smiling, he said, "I hope you won’t mind joining you for lunch soon."
"Lunch?" Leslie was stunned, "You didn’t say anything about it."
The baffled look on Leslie’s face earned laughter from Calix. Carrying Calliope on his right arm, he approached his wife. His steady steps were quiet on the carpeted area of the floor.
"I finished the most I could before rushing back ho. Mrs. Wang is my wife’s benefactor. I should et her too."
Turning to face the quiet Mrs. Wang and Alfred, Calix smiled before giving them a slight nod. Pleasantness was imbued in his llow voice as he greeted the mother and son.
"Hello. I’m Calix Xu, Charlene’s husband and the father of Calliope. I’m glad to et you both here this ti, Mrs. Wang and Mr. Alfred."
Despite leaving most tasks to Edward, Calix had already talked on the phone with Mrs. Wang twice. He could tell the middle-aged lady was an honest and kindhearted person.
Mrs. Wang slowly stood up. Nodding slightly, she was quite anxious despite seeing how polite yet friendly Calix was.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Xu. Thank you again for bringing us here. My son and I really appreciate the hospitality you’ve shown us."
"My mom is telling the truth. We can’t thank you enough, Mr. Xu."
Alfred chid in, understanding what his mother wanted to convey. Both of them, including their entire family, were still surprised at the ongoing good luck coming their way because of the Xu spouses.
Calix and Leslie exchanged a look, knowing Mrs. Wang and Alfred couldn’t resist thanking them. Unwilling to continue this matter, the forr swiftly changed the subject.
"We should head to the dining room. Aunt Wendy is serving the dishes there."
"Let’s go there, Aunt Sofia and Alfred," Leslie smiled at Mrs. Wang, playing along with Calix, "We can chat more over lunch."
"Yes, Charlene."
Mrs. Wang and Alfred followed the family of three out of the lounge. The forr couldn’t help but watch how Leslie and Calix interacted with each other, including how they treated Calliope.
’He really treats her well. She also does the sa.’
Another wave of relief flooded the shore of Mrs. Wang’s heart. She was beyond happy and grateful to see the positive changes in Charlene’s life.
Not only did the young lady reunite with her missing daughter but, she also lived a blessed marriage life with her husband.
With a powerful husband backing her, she didn’t have to suffer under her vicious family’s claws anymore.
The family of three shared a pleasant lunch with the mother and son. Mrs. Wang and Alfred eventually beca more relaxed when talking to Calix as the man played the role of one of the hosts.
Uncle Raymond drove Mrs. Wang and Alfred back to the hotel around four in the afternoon. Once again Leslie shared a tearful embrace with the older lady while telling Mrs. Wang not to hesitate to reach out if she ever needed help.
"Aren’t you relieved, my love?"
Calix’s voice echoed above Leslie’s head as she watched the sedan disappear from the driveway. The dazzling sumr light illuminated the sleek body of the car, casting sparkles in its wake.
"It’s great to know Aunt Sofia will live a better life. I believe Charlene hoped the sa."
Calix nodded, sharing the sa view as Leslie. This was the least they could do for Charlene’s benefactor.
Standing under the roof of the porch, Calix quietly reminded himself of what would co next. The past weeks were quite peaceful for him and his family but... the tranquility might be ruined soon.
The auction was closely approaching.
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