“Fine. We’ll move back home today,” Garrett said, which made Laney’s expression change. Nevertheless, he remained firm, and he continued, “My relationship with my mother is bad as it is. If you want it to get worse, be my guest. Just to let you know, I’ll quarrel with her every single day. I’ll even argue with the shareholders in the company too. The Harding family will never be peaceful again.”
Leo cleared his throat. “What are you talking about? Haven’t I told you that the family who stays together prospers together? But since it’s true that your mother has become quite too much, I’ll encourage her to go out more often and meet some friends. That way, she’ll be distracted and won’t harass you anymore.”
Garrett had been running the Harding Group well in the past few months, and Leo did not want to have a fallout with him. With this in mind, he figured it would be best to allow Laney and Garrett to stay where they wanted for the time being.
“But that’s all I can do. When the baby is born, the three of you must come back and live with us. The baby needs a good environment to grow up.”
“Do you think Laney and I aren’t capable of raising the baby well?” Garrett sneered.
He could not help but express his grievances as his parents did not seem to trust them in raising their own child.
Just as Garrett was about to open his mouth to speak, Laney tugged the hem of his shirt, urging him to stop arguing with his father. He merely looked at her and said, “Laney, if you compromise again, they’ll just bully you more in the future!”
Laney smiled at Leo and politely said, “Please don’t take Garrett’s words to heart. He’s drunk, and he doesn’t know what he’s saying. We’ll go back home after I give birth. We moved out because pregnant women can be moody sometimes, and I just don’t want to cause trouble for people around me.”
“I don’t understand how you could be so tolerant!” Natalie interrupted her friend’s narration while showing the same incredulous expression.
“I don’t want Garret to argue with his parents because of me. Although they don’t think highly of me, I’m sure they’ll treat my baby well and only give the baby the best.”
Out of her love for Garrett and their baby, Laney compromised by agreeing to go back to the Harding family house after giving birth. This was her decision after careful consideration.
“If you do this, they will only think you’re a pushover,” Natalie reminded.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll handle everything on my own,” Laney assured. From the sound of it, she had made up her mind.
“If you say so. If you need my help, don’t hesitate to call me.” Natalie stroke Laney’s baby bump and said to the unborn baby, “Take good care of your mother after you’re born, okay? She loves you with all her heart.”
“The baby isn’t born yet. How can he understand what you’ve said?” Laney chuckled. She touched her belly with mixed feelings. It was also hard to tell if her smile was genuine.
Outside the window, the sky was a clear canvas, and the sun was shining on the stone road of the street, casting a warm glow.
The waiter packaged the cakes Natalie had ordered and handed them over to her.
“I think it’s about time. Should we head back to the hospital or go shopping for a while first?” Natalie took the cakes in her hands and inquired about Laney’s opinions. At that moment, the door of the coffee shop was pushed open from the outside. A young girl in professional attire strode in and made her way to Laney’s side. She raised her hands slightly and offered a polite smile to Natalie. “Mrs. Larson, let me take the cakes.”
Natalie studied the girl in front of her. She had a pretty square face with bangs on her forehead.
Noting Natalie’s alertness, the girl explained with a smile, “Mrs. Larson, I’m not a bad person. My name is Lola. I’m the life assistant hired by Mr. Harding to take care of his daughter-in-law. I didn’t want to disturb you when I saw you two chatting happily. So I didn’t come in until I saw you two getting ready to leave. I wanted to see if there was anything I could do for you.”
It looked like Lola was arranged by Garrett’s father. “Nice to meet you, Lola. I’m Natalie. Please look after Laney for me in the future.” Natalie smiled faintly.
She suddenly remembered the mean Kelly and whispered to Laney, “Is this girl trustworthy?”
Laney nodded with a smile and reassured her, “Lola is a sweet and thoughtful person. She’s much better than Kelly. Plus, when Vera caused problems in my house before, Lola was the one who helped me out. Afterward, Lola informed Leo every time she visited, which made Vera think twice before crossing Lola. She’s also not someone to mess with.”
Laney chuckled at the memory. She had never seen Vera suffer such defeat before.
Lola touched her bangs and blushed bashfully, “I was pretty scared myself at the time. Mrs. Harding, please don’t tease me.”
Natalie struggled to contain her smile, finding Lola charming and entertaining.
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“I’ll leave you two alone now. I’ll wait for you outside, Mrs. Harding.” Knowing that this was a date between Laney and her best friend, Lola graciously excused herself, taking the desserts with her. As she turned to leave, Natalie noticed a coffee stain on the coat on her chest area.
“Lola, here you go.” Natalie reached into her bag and pulled out a diamond-encrusted iris-shaped brooch, adding before Lola could protest, “You’re Laney’s personal assistant, and your appearance reflects on hers. Think of this as a little bonus.”
Lola was flattered, her eyes sparkling at the sight of the glittering diamonds on the brooch. “Thank you, Mrs. Larson. I’ll take it with pride.”
Lola caressed the small diamonds on the brooch, which was still warm from Natalie’s fingers. She found herself staring thoughtfully at Natalie, who exuded a serene elegance.
This was the first expensive gift Lola had received while working for Laney.
Lola had to always come up with new ways to deal with Vera on a set monthly salary. Ultimately, she failed to gain any advantages and also ended up offending Vera. For this, Lola always felt a twinge of resentment.
But seeing Natalie’s generosity now, Lola couldn’t help but think to herself that Laney was not promising at all.
Noticing Lola’s prolonged gaze, Natalie simply smiled and said, “You can go ahead and wait for us outside.”
After chatting, Natalie and Laney returned to the hospital. There, they met Garrett, who was wearing a brown long windbreaker. He walked up to Laney with a look of concern on his face.
Laney sighed at the sight of him, feeling like she was being smothered with concern. “I’m fine, really. Lola and Natalie have been taking good care of me.”
Natalie chuckled and coughed to get his attention, reminding him of her presence. Embarrassed, Garrett apologized, “Thank you for looking after Laney. Don’t forget to come to the baby’s birthday party later, both you and Brandon.”
“I’ll be there. Driver safe on your way home.” Natalie waved goodbye to the two with a bright smile on her face.