Chapter 347
Laura noticed nothing odd in their responses, so she let it go.
Before leaving, she gently reminded them, “If Rupert ever does something out of line, please let me know immediately. Give him a chance, and we’ll work through it together.”
Both Vic and Jeremy nodded with a simple, noncommittal acknowledgment. Then Laura returned to Rupert and relayed the whole exchange.
With a relaxed smile, she said, “See? I told you it’s fine. Don’t overthink it. They’re just slow at warming up to people they are not familiar with. Boys their age tend to act cool like that. I’ll send you their WhatsApp contacts later, Just try chatting with them or hanging out a bit. Once you get to know them, it’ll be fine.”
Rupert smiled faintly, but he still somehow felt helpless.
He trusted his instincts. There was a clear difference between someone being reserved and someone being actively cold
Still, seeing how happy Laura looked, he didn’t press the issue.
Instead, he quietly saved their WhatsApp contacts and sent a message to each of them.
I’ll handle this myself,” Rupert decided inwardly.
Not far away, Vic pulled out his phone to check a notification. Expecting a message from a friend, he was momentarily surprised to see a text from an unfamiliar number.
He immediately knew who had sent the message with just one look at the profile picture, which was styled similarly to
Laura’s.
Just then, Rupert happened to glance in Vic’s direction and caught the entire scene.
He watched as Vic looked at the message, then locked his phone and slipped it back into his pocket, as if nothing had happened.
Rupert could’ve brushed it off as a coincidence if that had been the only time.
But over the next few minutes, he saw Vic take out his phone several times, replying to other chats while his message remained ignored.
“That’s way too obvious, Rupert thought. ‘What on earth did I do to offend these two boys?‘
Rupert sighed internally, debating whether to approach them again after the banquet. Suddenly, he heard someone call his
name.
“Rupert, come over here.”
It was Carol, smiling as she returned from a conversation with Richard. Judging from the satisfaction on her face, she’d gotten what she wanted.
She beckoned Rupert over, then turned to Vic and Jeremy with a warmth she’d never shown them before.
“Vic, Jeremy, don’t just stand around,” Carol said. “Come sit and chat with us, and we shall take a family photo together.“.
She had just secured Richard’s agreement for a group photo and was determined to make the most of it.
Carol then arranged everyone’s positions with subtle precision.
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Chapter 347
She got Laura to stand on the left, holding Yvonne, while Rupert stood on the right, with Richard between them.
Carol moved to stand beside Laura, bringing Widi with her, while placing Vic and Jeremy next to Rupert.
Wonne, dressed in matching white with Laura, looked like her perfect little shadow.
However, she found Yvonne rather heavy and was concerned about her daughter getting tired.
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Pleased with the setup, Carol originally intended to hold Laura’s arm. But seeing that Laura had Yvonne in her hands, she smoothly switched to holding Widi’s hand instead.
Widi immediately stiffened.
She glanced at Carol’s hand, feeling a chill down her spine as goosebumps rose on her arms.
What was going on? Widi thought. ‘Why is she suddenly so affectionate?‘
Standing beside Rupert, Jeremy also looked uncomfortable. He subtly tried to edge away, hoping to escape the forced arrangement.
But Vic didn’t budge, blocking his path.
The two fidgeted so much that the photographer struggled to get a clean shot and eventually looked toward Richard for .help.
Just then, Richard turned and caught Jeremy shifting around.
Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Jeremy, what are you squirming for? Can’t you stand still?”
Jeremy froze as all eyes turned to him. But he quickly recovered and, without missing a beat, said, “I don’t want to stand here. I want to be next to Yvonne.”
Hearing her name, Yvonne perked up. “What?”
In her soft and innocent voice, she asked, “Jeremy, did you call me?”
Jeremy nodded and walked over with an exaggeratedly serious face, glancing at Richard. “Grandpa, why do you get to hold Yvonne’s hand in the picture? I want to hold her too,” he whined.
Richard’s face darkened upon hearing Jeremy.
He instinctively glanced down, looking for his cane. When he didn’t find it, he raised his hand instead, aiming for Jeremy’s head.
“You little rascal! Of all times, you choose now to compete for attention with me? I ought to give you a good smack!” Richard chided.
Jeremy ducked away just in time while Laura struggled not to laugh. “I didn’t know Grandpa and Jeremy got along like this.
That’s cute.”
Then, she turned to Yvonne with a warm smile. “Yvonne, would you want your brother to hold you instead?”
Before even hearing Yvonne’s response, Carol’s smile stiffened.
She glanced sideways at Laura, feeling frustrated and helpless.
Her daughter was terrific, but she was too kind and trusting.
Richard still cared deeply about appearances, especially in front of guests. Though he was fuming, he kept it together for
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Still glaring at his grandson, he growled, “Jeremy, just wait. I’ll deal with you when we get home.”
Jeremy shrugged and approached Yonne, weighing his options.
Laura smiled and offered. Jeremy, you can hold Yvonne. You and Grandpa can stand in the middle.”
“No it’s alright,” Jeremy declined without hesitation. He knew well that standing in the center of the photo meant earning at double scolding from both his father and grandfather.
So, he wisely stepped aside and stood beside Vic instead.
Looking at Laura, he said, “Laura, you hold Yvonne. It’s just one photo, so it won’t be long before I can play with Yvonne. again.
Finally, Jeremy said something pleasing to Richard’s cars.
However, Richard’s brow twitched, clearly still annoyed. “You knew it wouldn’t take long and still made a fuss? You’re really asking for a beating today!” he growled.
Jeremy stayed quiet, scratching his nose sheepishly.
But his plan worked. He had safely got to the edge of the group, leaving Vic stuck next to Rupert.
Once the photo was taken, Jeremy swooped in to take Yvonne from Laura’s arms.
He was about to sneak away when a voice stopped him.
“Wait a moment.” Rupert stepped forward. “Vic, Jeremy, can we talk? I think there may be some misunderstandings between
us
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