Love Affair in Their Youth
“Yes, that’s me,” Elise said. Wry-necked, she took a peek behind the plump-looking woman. It’s my
house, alright.
In the next second, Quentin appeared behind the woman and greeted Elise with a cheerful smile on his
face, “Ellie, you’re back!”
“Papa?” Elise stayed frozen in place. “W-Why are you here?”
“To come and see you, of course.” Quentin stepped forward. Then, he started introducing the woman.
“Meet my wife, your Mama, Layla. Say hi.”
“M-Mama?” Elise repeated the word again, feeling uncertain.
However, Layla responded. “Hi. Why don’t you come inside first?” After saying that, she turned around
and headed inside the house.
Elise looked at Layla’s plump figure. Then, she looked at the thin yet elegant-looking Quentin and
whispered, “Is that Joey’s mum?”
Upon hearing that, Quentin nodded slightly. His eyes trailed after Layla, his gaze full of love and
happiness. “Isn’t she pretty?”
Elise was at a loss whether to cry or to laugh. Nevertheless, she nodded her head, acknowledging
Quentin’s words. “She is!”
“And here I thought you only wanted Joey and would abandon Joey’s mum,” Elise teased Quentin as
she took off her shoes.
“How could you accuse me like that?” Quentin rolled his eyes. “Do I look like an irresponsible man to
you?”
From top to bottom, Elise scrutinized Quentin all over again. He is still dapper in appearance and keeps
his body in such good shape at this age… Papa has the prerequisite to be an irresponsible man
indeed.
As smart as Elise was, she would never say her thoughts out. Instead, she answered, “Of course not.”
She paused for a while. Then, she lowered her voice again and leaned closer to Quentin’s ear. With a
gossipy manner, she probed, “Tell me how you and Mama met back then.”
Slightly embarrassed, Quentin said, “Sigh! Who never once had a love story in their youth before? I
may be old now, but I recall I used to have admirers that could stretch across the globe!”
“Why are you two still chit-chatting over there? Hurry up and come in!” Layla’s loud voice was suddenly
heard from inside.
Elise unknowingly widened her eyes and exchanged glances with Quentin. “Wow… Mama sure has a
strong vocal cord…”
Upon hearing that, Quentin smiled but did not answer anymore. Then, he patted Elise on the arm, and
the two entered together.
As soon as they made their way into the living room, Elise realized that Joey was also there, wearing a
pair of headphones. She was minding her business and immersing herself in her own world.
“You two sure are close, with your non-stop tête-à-tête,” Layla suddenly spurted out of the blue.
“Huh?” Elise did not understand what Layla meant. Papa and I haven’t seen each other for a long time.
Of course we need to catch up with each other.
“Tsk!” At once, Quentin signaled Layla with his gaze. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
“If you don’t harbor any hidden intentions, why would you care what I’m spurting out of my mouth?”
Layla rolled her eyes fearlessly. Then, she turned her eyes to look at Elise again. “Your Papa told me
that you’re a great cook. We haven’t eaten anything yet because we’re waiting to have a taste of your
cooking. I know it’s late, but can you make us a meal, considering we came all the way here? It won’t
be too troublesome, right?”
“No… Not troublesome at all,” Elise said with a good temperament. Then, she took off her coat and
walked into the kitchen. “Why don’t you all rest for a moment while I cook us a few simple dishes?
Since all the ingredients are ready-to-cook, I just need to stir-fry them. I’m sure I’ll be done in a jiffy.”
“Don’t go over the top, alright? To have a full belly at dinner is not good for one’s health.” Quentin
advised.
All of a sudden, Layla gave Quentin a slap on the arm before he could finish speaking. “Why do you
like making other people’s businesses part of your business?”
Feeling helpless, Quentin sighed. “What’s ruffling your feathers again?”
“None of your business!” Layla got up and sat on the other side.
Baffled, Quentin turned to Joey for help. “Joey, has your mother been this grumpy all these years?”
“Yup,” Joey said calmly. “Lately, she’s been grumpier than before.”
“Why? Did you anger her again?” Quentin asked in a serious demeanor.
Joey was a little speechless. She took off one earphone and turned her head. Poker-faced, she said,
“Don’t put all the blame on me! She’s your wife, not mine! Who was the one who pampered her so
much, resulting in her current feistiness?”
Joey’s words successfully shut Quentin up, and the atmosphere in the living room finally settled down.
The food was served about 40 minutes later, and the four of them sat around the table.
Grasping onto her seniority, Layla waited for Elise to set up the table before picking up her utensils
while pulling a long face.
Layla’s sole purpose for the visit was to declare her right as Mrs. Fassbender. She had heard a lot
about the scandalous rumors between Elise and Quentin. Rumor had it that Quentin was very
protective of Elise. She even heard a rumor that Elise had an abortion because of Quentin before.
Layla was aware that everything that had been rumored happened when she and Quentin were
separated. But now that she was back, and Quentin had acknowledged the legitimacy of both her and
Joey, Layla would absolutely not turn a blind eye to anything. It’s fine if there’s nothing going on
between Elise and Quentin. However, if other issues were to arise, I won’t let them happen under my
watch.
After all these years, she had learned to take things easy. However, she was ready to risk everything
for her daughter’s sake.
With an expressionless face, Layla picked up a piece of the roasted chicken and put it in her mouth.
Originally, she intended to take advantage of this meal hour and humiliate Elise.
However, the moment Layla put the piece of chicken into her mouth, the wonderful taste spread
instantly. At once, her taste buds subdued to the deliciousness of the dish, and she felt as if she was
taking a walk in the clouds. The taste was remarkably enjoyable!
Refusing to believe it, Layla then picked up her utensils and tasted each dish on the table.
After having a taste of everything, she wordlessly became a hungry monster—stopping at nothing, the
woman who kept talking about keeping fit actually downed two bowls of rice.
“Burp!” Layla put down her utensils and burped.
“How was it? Told you Elise is a great cook!” Quentin said proudly.
“I-I was just hungry… Burp!” Layla tried to be stubborn and denied. However, she was startled and
embarrassed by the sudden burp.
“Joey…” Layla stood up with the help of the table. “Accompany me outside. I want to ease my
digestion.”
“But I’m not done yet!” Joey seldom got to taste such a delicious meal before. She was indulging
herself in the good taste of the food. Why would she possibly want to leave the dining table now?
“Haven’t you visited this manor before? The manor’s brightly lit, so you’ll do just fine walking around by
yourself. If you’re scared, you can take the dog at the entrance along with you.”
“Why are you so useless?” Layla immediately thought of slamming the utensils in Joey’s hands away.
“The tiniest spec of favor could easily win you over. Answer me quickly! Are you coming or not!?”
“Fine. I’ll go! Geez, I must have owed you in my past life!” Joey drawled and reluctantly left the dining
table with Layla.
After ensuring both Layla and Joey were off at a distance, Elise braved herself up and asked, “What’s
wrong with Mama? Why do I have a feeling that she doesn’t seem to like me?”
“Don’t mind her.” Quentin waved his hand which was holding the utensils. “Women tend to hold
grudges when they’re around this age. And, to think that she gave birth to my daughter… Oh, I can
already feel that my headache will be twice as painful in the future.”
“But you still love her regardless. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have looked for her…” Elise teased.
“Why, you little mischievous girl! How dare you tease me!” Pretending as if he wanted to teach Elise a
lesson, Quentin raised his hand. Nonetheless, he was reluctant to punish Elise. Then, Quentin sighed.
“Can you scoop me another bowl of tomato soup? I haven’t tasted your tomato soup in a long time. I
really miss its flavor!”
“Yes~”
In a kindly manner, Elise served Quentin another bowl of tomato soup. At that moment, Elise had
completely forgotten about the harm inflicted on her by the Anderson Family. Quentin really filled in the
void of her long-lost fatherly affections.
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