Chapter 383
Paige called out, "Tanya, where have you been? I've been looking everywhere!" She'd spotted Tanya sneaking back inside.
Tanya quickly grabbed her mother and shut the door behind them. Paige looked at her, confused. "What are you doing, acting all sneaky? Did you steal something?"
"Mom, I'm fine," Tanya replied. "I'm just super thirsty and starving! I need something to drink and eat." She hurriedly poured herself water, then started rummaging through the refrigerator. Spotting strawberries, she grabbed a handful and ate them directly.
"Hey! You little brat, what are you doing?" Paige scolded, snatching the strawberries from Tanya's hands. "Could you be any less hygienic? At least try to wash them first!" She took them to the kitchen for a proper rinse.
"Come on, Mom! Hurry up, I'm seriously about to starve to death!" Tanya whined.
Paige set the washed strawberries on the table, her face cold. "I told you to find Sienna and move into the Hart residence. Did you do it?"
Tanya almost choked on her strawberry. Shaking her head in terror, she exclaimed, "No, no, no! I'd rather die than go to the Hart residence! Never!" The thought of being locked in that dark room again terrified her.
"What's wrong with you?" Paige asked. "The Hart family is wealthy now, and you're Sienna's cousin. What's so bad about moving in with them?"
Tanya shook her head frantically. "Mom, I'm not going, no way! If you want to live there, you go. I heard you were basically chased out after a beating last time anyway. You're tough, so you go ahead."
"You little brat, what nonsense are you spouting?" Paige snapped, raising her hand as if to strike her.
Tanya clutched the strawberries and dashed upstairs. "Mom, hurry up and make dinner. I'm starving!" she shouted.
In the Hart residence, Winifred was in turmoil upon hearing Sienna was pregnant. She couldn't calm down. "Sienna's actually pregnant? For real? Is the baby Julian's?" she wondered, disbelieving.
"Winifred, Winifred! What's up with you? Dinner's ready," someone called.
This snapped Winifred out of it. She approached Sienna. "Sienna, for real? You're really pregnant? I'm going to be an aunt?" It was the first time Winifred had grinned so broadly.
Amber huffed, slightly annoyed. "It's not like you're the only one becoming an aunt. I'm going to be an aunt too, you know."
"Alright, let's eat," Sienna said.
Vivian was working late at the office when Nathan arrived with a food container. The office building was dark, only Vivian's office light illuminated the space.
"Vivian, work will always be there," Nathan said. "Take a break and eat. I brought some of your favorite dishes. Eat them while they're hot."
Vivian, buried in her work, didn't look up. Without missing a beat, she muttered, "I'm not hungry. You can have it."
Nathan sighed, placed the container down, and gently covered her eyes. "Come on, eat something. Food is fuel. You won't have the energy to keep going if you don't eat," he coaxed.
He pulled her up and led her to the glass table. He opened the containers, and the delicious aroma of fresh rice and savory meat filled the air, making her stomach rumble.
To be continued...