Chapter 174

I thought Mr. Guzman and Mrs. Guzman would have just dismissed me with some money, ordering me to stay away from their son. Or they’d do exactly what they did now—mock me under the guise of a courteous gesture.

Truthfully, I had no idea why they invited me over for dinner.

“I’m starving,” Aria suddenly said, tapping the table in frustration. “Can’t we eat first? What’s with all this cryptic talk?”

Mrs. Guzman narrowed her eyes. “Shut up!”

Only then did Aria fall silent, pouting at her plate.

Then Mrs. Guzman turned to me with a smile. “Actually, it was quite impulsive of Frederick to announce that you were his god-sister at Alicia’s birthday party.”

So it turned out to be about this.

I smiled. “I thought you would’ve sought me out earlier. Turns out you were more composed than I thought.”

Setting down my utensils, I dabbed my mouth with a napkin. I’d had more than enough of this meal.

I looked at Mr. Guzman and Mrs. Guzman. “You can ask your son about it. In fact, it also caught me off guard when he made the announcement. I was just as stunned as everyone else.”

Frederick immediately backed me up. “She’s right. She really didn’t know anything beforehand, so there’s no reason to hold her responsible.”

Mr. Guzman and Mrs. Guzman looked rather awkward.

“When did I ever say we were blaming her?” Mr. Guzman boomed. “She’s Jonathan’s wife, after all. What could I possibly do?”

That statement alone was enough to draw a clear line between Frederick and me.

I was Jonathan’s wife. So, no matter how little they respected me or how highly they regarded Alicia, my title as his wife still stood.

In other words, there was an unbridgeable gap between Frederick and me. Not that I needed him to say it—I was already well aware of that.

I just smiled. “Like Frederick said, I didn’t know anything about it in advance. But I still benefited from the situation, so I’ll take responsibility for the fallout.”

Both Mr. Guzman and Mrs. Guzman were surprised. Their gazes flickered as they exchanged a glance, then they lowered their heads.

I knew exactly why they invited me over—to make sure I’d bear the consequences.

“People out there must be mocking us now, right?” I rested my hands on the table, calm and collected.

Mr. Guzman’s expression turned heavy. After a moment, he gave a small nod and said, “Our family has never wanted to get involved in messy situations like this. We sympathize with what’s going on between you and Jonathan, but we hope you can handle it privately.”

“Ms. Sawyer, as a fellow woman, I understand how hard this must be,” Mrs. Guzman chimed in, her eyes filled with what seemed like genuine concern. “But Fred’s innocent. In fact, you must’ve noticed his feelings for—”

Frederick immediately cut her off with a frown. “Mom! I don’t even like her anymore. Don’t say things like that.”

Mrs. Guzman shot a glare at him. “I hardly finished my sentence. Why are you getting so worked up?”

Then she turned back to me, her tone soft again. “As a mother, I hope you can understand where I’m coming from. I just don’t want my son to become the butt of people’s jokes, or a target for ridicule.”

With a loud clatter, Frederick tossed his utensils on the table and stormed off to his room.