Chapter 7
Clearly, Susan was implying that Tobias would never have asked such a question if someone hadn’t purposely taught him.
Julian remained silent, but the thin line of his lips and the tension in the air were telltale signs of his displeasure.
As perceptive as ever, Tobias immediately sensed his father’s frustration even though he didn’t utter a single word.
He opened his mouth and tried to explain, “Mom didn’t say that. It’s—”
Before he could continue, Susan interjected, “I understand, Tobias. Ms. Summer didn’t say that, right? Some stranger must’ve told you that sort of nonsense, right?”
Failing to comprehend her insinuation, Tobias marveled at her instincts instead. The fact that she even knew this left him in awe.
He nodded seriously and replied, “That’s right. Earlier, I heard a stranger from another table say that.”
“Tobias, I believe you,” Susan reassured him.
Tobias was about to break into a smile when he suddenly thought of something. His expression turned grim as he glanced at Susan again.
“Ms. Lynch, will you become my dad’s mistress?” he pressed, desperate for an answer.
Julian frowned. Just as he was about to intervene, Susan stopped him and shook her head.
“Tobias, have you forgotten?” she asked. “I only have, at most, half a year to live.”
The child had always called her by her first name, so his sudden indifference now unsettled her. He might be a five-year-old, but she knew better than to treat him as an ordinary child.
Tobias was stunned, as if only remembering this fact now. He had no idea why he asked that question in the first place.
Guilt and frustration washed through him. Susan had been nothing but kind to him. How could he doubt her? Besides, she didn’t have much time left.
Tobias might be brilliant, but he was still five. Little did he realize that from the beginning till the end, Susan had never given him a definite answer.
He bit his lip. “I’m sorry, Ms. Lynch.”
A smile crossed Susan’s face.
“Alright, let’s not bring this up again, okay?” she said gently. “What do you want to eat later? I’ll treat you to a meal.”
Immediately putting the incident behind him, Tobias began chatting animatedly about food with her.
“Ms. Susie, I’m craving some fried chicken!”
“Sure,” Susan said without hesitation.
“Susan, you’re not in great health,” Julian suddenly chimed in. “The doctor said you should refrain from eating fried food.”
“I only eat it once in a blue moon. I’ll be fine,” she said.
Glancing back at Tobias, she continued, “Besides, Tobias wants to eat fried chicken. It doesn’t hurt to just let loose this once, right? That’s what makes life fun.”
Tobias recalled all the dietary restrictions Estelle had for him and promptly decided that Susan knew him best. His mother was nothing but a control freak.
…
When Tobias came downstairs the next morning, Julian was reading the newspapers in the dining room.
Julian frowned at his son, who was descending the stairs groggily. “Tobias, why are you still home? You’re supposed to be at school now.”
Tobias lowered his head and mumbled, “No one woke me up, so I got up late.”
As Lila Blackwood brought breakfast out of the kitchen, Julian shot a look at her and asked, “Why didn’t you wake Tobias?”
She was also surprised to find Tobias at home.
“Mr. Grant, Mrs. Grant is usually the one in charge of waking Tobias,” she said sheepishly.
Julian’s expression darkened. “She cooks and also tends to him… Why do you think I hired you guys in the first place?”
He had always been aloof and indifferent, and ever since Lila started working here five years ago, she had never seen him throw a fit. But now, his imposing presence was hard to ignore. She couldn’t help but shudder.
Yet remembering Estelle’s efforts that had gone unappreciated over the years, Lila couldn’t help but feel wronged for her.
“Actually, Mr. Grant,” she began. “Mrs. Grant insisted on cooking medicinal meals for you and Tobias because you two have weak stomachs and have to be particularly mindful with your diets. For certain recipes, even boiling the herbs itself takes at least two hours—not to mention how intricate the entire cooking process is.
“In fact, Mrs. Grant did a lot of research on traditional remedies before she started cooking medicinal meals for you two.”
Julian’s eyes flickered. So, it was her medicinal meals at work. No wonder it had been a while since his stomach problem flared up.
“But then…” Lila chanced a glance at him before muttering, “There was once when you gave the medicinal meal Mrs. Grant cooked for you to Ms. Lynch while she was suffering from low blood sugar.
“Ms. Lynch liked it, so after asking Mrs. Grant about it and discovering that it was a medicinal meal, she said the doctor also advised her to eat more of such foods. However, she said it was a shame that she couldn’t find anyone who knew how to prepare medicinal meals while praising Mrs. Grant for her skills.
“Mr. Grant, you said that since she was already preparing the meals for you and Tobias, it shouldn’t be a hassle for her to do the same for Ms. Lynch as well. But Mrs. Grant said Ms. Lynch’s taste is different from yours and Tobias’, so she was worried that Ms. Lynch wouldn’t like her food. Then, you and Tobias said you two would just go along with Ms. Lynch’s preferences.
“You told Ms. Lynch that she could just send the recipes she liked to Mrs. Grant and me. I would be in charge of grocery shopping while Mrs. Grant would do all the cooking.”
Lila’s phone suddenly buzzed.
After glancing at it, she handed it to Julian and said, “See? She’s just sent another recipe.”
Julian noticed that only Susan, Lila, and Estelle were in the group chat. Susan was the one who sent most of the messages.
Susie: “I feel like having a full-course meal today.”
Immediately after, she sent a message. It was a recipe so lengthy that it filled the entire screen.
Before Julian could read it, Lila snatched the phone from him and quickly replied to Susan. He stared at Lila in confusion, taken aback by her urgency.
Sensing his bewilderment, Lila explained, “I wasn’t able to respond to Ms. Lynch on time when I was preoccupied with cleaning one day. When lunch was delivered to her that day, she acted like she had suffered and outright refused to eat.
“She ended up fainting from low blood sugar and had to be rushed to the hospital. After she woke up, she said she was a dying person anyway, so all these efforts to maintain her health would be pointless. She insisted there was no need to trouble Mrs. Grant anymore.
“Mr. Grant, you got really angry at Mrs. Grant back then, accusing her of deliberately neglecting Ms. Lynch. No matter how I tried to explain, neither you nor Ms. Lynch believed me.”
As Lila spoke, she took off her apron and said, “Mr. Grant, Tobias, you’ll have to make do with breakfast for now. I have to go buy groceries now. The vegetables won’t be as fresh if I don’t hurry up now, and Ms. Lynch will assume that Mrs. Grant deliberately made her eat wilted produce to harm her.”
If that happened, Susan would probably go running to Julian to complain again.
Just then, a new message appeared in the group chat, stopping Lila in her tracks.
