Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike

Chapter 567 - 539: Everything Is Fine

As soon as they entered the elevator, Simon Forrester instructed, "You’re pregnant now, so you can’t get too emotional. Speak calmly, otherwise it’s not good for the baby."Sienna Thornton remained silent, her face didn’t look good, and she stared seriously at the changing elevator floor numbers.

Simon Forrester held her hand and said, "You live life for yourself, not for others. Try to keep an open mind."

He knew when to stop, saying too much would irritate Sienna Thornton.

After getting out of the elevator, before entering the house, Sienna Thornton took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.

Auntie King came to open the door, and seeing her, she beamed and pulled her inside: "You’re here! Have you had breakfast yet?"

"Yes, we have," Sienna Thornton said, changing into slippers at the entrance and looking around the house. "Where’s my mom?"

Auntie King: "Melinda Linton and Mr. Thorne went to the market to buy groceries!"

Simon Forrester joked, "Isn’t buying groceries your job?"

Auntie King laughed, "Mr. Thorne said Melinda Linton staying home all the time isn’t good, she could get depressed. So, he’s been taking her out every weekend! In the morning, they go grocery shopping, take a nap, and then go listen to music in the evening after dinner, they go for a walk!"

Simon Forrester patted Sienna Thornton’s arm with a smile, "That’s nice."

Sienna Thornton showed no emotion on her face, no one could tell what she was thinking. After Auntie King went back to her work, she said to Simon Forrester in a low voice, "This arrangement seems more abundant than for young folks. We spend our vacations visiting the elderly, not even time for our dates, and yet, it seems they find more fun outside?"

Simon Forrester chuckled, saying nothing. Carefully, he guided her to sit on the couch as if fearing she might disturb her pregnancy.

"That’s what I’m saying, having the two elderly together does have its benefits. They have each other, life looks forward to something. We won’t need to come every weekend. Isn’t that nice?"

Sienna Thornton gave a sideways glance and scoffed, "So that’s why you worked so hard to match them up? So that they’d have company and you wouldn’t have to come?"

"Don’t you think it’s good?"

Sienna Thornton pursed her lips, not saying another word.

The two sat for a while, then Melinda Linton and Quentin Thorne returned. They hadn’t come in yet, and already you could hear their laughter and chatter.

Sienna Thornton shook Simon Forrester’s arm and reminded him, "Remember to say what I taught you."

Simon Forrester nodded with difficulty.

Quentin Thorne came in first, followed by Melinda Linton. While changing her shoes at the entrance, Quentin Thorne quickly closed the door, helped her to the shoe bench, and with a cheerful smile asked, "How are you planning to cook this fish for lunch?"

Melinda Linton whispered, "Any way is fine."

"A few days ago, I went with someone to eat some farm-style food and saw a method: one fish, five dishes! Fish head for soup, fish meat in vinegar sauce, fish roe with eggs... How about I prepare it this way for you?"

"Okay."

"Then I’ll clean the fish later, while you watch some TV..."

Seeing the two of them engrossed in conversation at the entrance, Sienna Thornton deliberately coughed loudly.

Quentin Thorne and Melinda Linton looked over, noticing that their daughter, who had been abroad for half a month, had returned. Melinda Linton happily asked, "Annie, when did you get back?"

While speaking, she started heading toward the living room. Quentin Thorne followed her; he hadn’t even sat down yet and was already smiling, "Director-General Linton came to chat with me at the yard yesterday, I heard all about it! Annie, you did very well this time!"

Melinda Linton held her hand, speaking with pride and gratitude, "I’ve already heard from your father too, Annie, Mom is so proud of you... You truly are Mom’s pride..." She said this as her eyes reddened.

Quentin Thorne quickly grabbed some tissues and moved closer, "Alright, alright, your daughter has done well, no more tears."

Sienna Thornton and Simon Forrester exchanged a glance; a few seconds later, Sienna spoke first, "Mom, I have something to tell you. Let’s go inside and talk."

Melinda Linton glanced at Quentin Thorne, he patted her hand, nodded, and she stood up to follow Sienna Thornton into the room.

The two settled down on the tatami in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

In the middle of the tatami was an adjustable low table, with a pot of cherry blossom tea that Sienna and Simon had brought back from their honeymoon in Yorai, a small multifunctional water dispenser, and a set of double tea sets in Japanese style.

Sienna Thornton rinsed their cups and leaves, making two cups of cherry blossom tea, handing one to Melinda Linton.

It was early winter, the heat was on inside, and the gentle sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling into the room. Everything was warm and comforting.

With slender and fair fingers circling the cup, Sienna Thornton lifted her eyes, observing everything and asked, "Mom, how do you feel about your life now?"

Melinda Linton replied with a smile, "Very good, I’m happy."

Sienna Thornton shifted her gaze to her, puzzled, "If that’s the case, why reconcile with Dad? Ian Grant only passed away half a year ago, people are going to talk."

Melinda Linton didn’t say anything for a moment, lowering her head, her cheeks turning red. After a while, she pointed to the cabinet under the tatami, "Your Dad was supposed to sleep in your room, but I thought it wasn’t suitable for him to rest in your marital bed since his wife had just died, so I let him stay in my room. But he’s sleeping on this tatami."

Sienna Thornton immediately got off the tatami, opened the cabinet, and sure enough, found two quilts and a pillow inside.

Seeing this, she blushed as well. After sitting back on the tatami, she momentarily didn’t know what to say.

Melinda Linton, however, slowly began to explain, "Your Dad lost his wife and his little daughter who got married. Suddenly his life was missing two close family members, coming home to such a big house all by himself felt very lonely. Over time, it could make him sick. If he stays over here and it makes him happier, what’s wrong with that? We’re just cohabiting now, not planning on remarrying."

She probably meant, in the face of a healthy mind and body, the odd looks and gossip of others aren’t such a big deal.

Seeing Sienna Thornton’s lack of response, she added, "And frankly, if he was living alone over there, what if one day he collapsed, with no one to even take him to the hospital?"

"I said we could hire a caretaker for him," Sienna Thornton sighed, "but he refused."

Speaking of the elderly’s health, her attitude softened; indeed, Melinda Linton understood her daughter well.

Melinda Linton asked, "In a villa area full of high officials, if you hire a housekeeper for someone who just lost his wife, do you think people won’t start talking?"

Sienna Thornton found herself at a loss for words.

Never had she imagined that Quentin Thorne becoming a widower would become such a headache.

She rubbed her temples, trying to think of a way to solve the current dilemma.

She hadn’t factored in Quentin Thorne’s advancing age, what if something happened and he fainted alone at home, wouldn’t that truly be regrettable? Just like what happened with Melinda Linton previously, twice she fell ill, and if not once she was at the Raines Family’s house where people were around, and another time with Jenna Raines present, the outcomes would’ve been disastrous.

Melinda Linton was right; when it comes to life, death, and health, the idle talk of others isn’t worth much.

Sienna Thornton had considered suggesting her parents move in with her, but thought against it, recalling how Simon Forrester wasn’t fond of having others move around in the house, not even her own parents. The thought of him living with her parents felt burdensome, so she dismissed the idea.

In the end, she couldn’t come up with a good solution. When she went out, Simon Forrester and Quentin Thorne were already playing chess.

It seemed they were getting along quite well.

Sienna Thornton quietly walked over, lightly scratching Simon Forrester’s waist. Simon Forrester understood the cue, and as soon as the game was over, he said he was going back to the room to change into something more comfortable before coming out again.