Tracy was determined to marry into the Holcomb family, and Sally seemed to be quite satisfied with her. Maybe Tracy would bring a big dowry when she got married. Sally would absolutely be excited about it. But right now, the one thing stopping this happy moment was Jared.
“I don’t want her to be my mom. You’re my mom,” Yvonne said, pouting. She clung to my neck, sobbing. “You gave birth to me.”
I looked at her in surprise. Yvonne had grown up a lot lately. I wondered if it had something to do with my divorce.
I couldn’t deny that her words made me feel better. At least she still remembered who her real mom was. But even though I appreciated how thoughtful she was, it still didn’t stir up those old motherly feelings.
I wasn’t going to let my emotions guide how I treated her, and I definitely wasn’t going to scold her out of frustration. I simply told her the truth.
“Yvonne, these are things adults decide, not you. If your dad wants to remarry, whether it’s Tracy or someone else, you’ll need to get along with her,” I said.
Yvonne stared at me, her eyes full of tears, and her face showed a mix of confusion and panic.
Just then, Nathan came over. Seeing Yvonne crying, he asked, “What’s wrong with her? Is she sick?”
Yvonne was still under the weather. Her lips were pale, and she seemed so fragile.
“She’s been sick and just had an injection at the hospital,” I replied.
Nathan immediately asked me in a low voice, “Should she avoid eating anything? I can tell the waiter.”
I glanced at Nathan. He was so attentive. Jared probably wouldn’t have thought about what Yvonne should eat, but Nathan did.
“I don’t want to eat anymore. I’ll throw up if I eat too much,” Yvonne pouted.
I nodded. “Alright, just have a few sips of soup.”
Yvonne quietly started eating the minestrone soup that had been brought over.
We were just sitting there when an older man suddenly walked over, looking at Nathan in surprise. “Aren’t you Mr. Wallace?”
Nathan quickly stood up and greeted him. “Professor Schneider! What a coincidence running into you here.”
“So it really is you, Mr. Wallace. I heard you’ve been working on some new research products lately. Very impressive,” Josiah Schneider said with admiration.
Just then, his wife showed up with some takeout, and he added, “Can I have your business card? I’ll visit your company sometime.”
Nathan quickly handed over his card with both hands. “I’d be honored, Professor Schneider.”
“You’ve really made something of yourself, young man,” Josiah praised Nathan before leaving.
Nathan sat back down, and I stared at him, surprised. “Why did that man call you Mr. Wallace? Do you have another name or something?”
Nathan smiled and explained, “Wallace was my mom’s last name. When I was a kid, I used her surname. After she moved overseas, I switched back to my dad’s last name, Hallman. I actually went by Wallace all through college.”
I blinked in shock, saying, “Nathan Wallace? So your real last name is Wallace.”
Nathan looked at me in amusement. “Is that really so surprising? I mostly go by Hallman, but on my ID card, I’m still officially a Wallace.”
My eyes flickered, and I looked down, lost in thought. I’d heard that name before in my previous life. Nathan Wallace was a quiet tycoon who briefly made it onto the billionaire list, only to vanish just as quickly.
I looked at Nathan with a sharp gaze. There was no way I’d let this guy slip away now. He was definitely someone I needed to hold onto.
Nathan noticed the ambitious look in my eyes and was thrown off. He waved his hand in front of my face. “Victoria, why are you zoning out?”
Yvonne blinked, glancing at me and then at Nathan before quietly going back to her soup.