Essie simply sat on the table, and with nothing else to do, so she stared at the two beautiful men sitting
in front of her admiringly.
She had to admit that the two did not look like twins at all.
Zac had a strikingly handsome face, a combination of both his parent's essence and strengths. Besides
that, he was born with an exceptional aura and an alluring charm. However, Walt's good-looking
appearance seemed to only be inherited from the Rong family and did not seem to have any of Mary's
genes.
There was a saying that a mother can have nine children and they would all turn out differently.
This saying sounded reasonable in this case.
While Essie was sitting blankly, lost in her thoughts, Mary and Valery walked in.
Walt was not surprised to find Valery there as he had already known that she moved in the mansion
while he was still in the United States.
What he couldn't fathom was the fact that Essie seemed to tolerate her existence. Living with Valery
must be such a daunting experience for her. He wondered quietly if it was because she loved Zac so
much she would sacrifice such a thing.
When Albert and the other finally arrived, they started to eat.
When they started eating, Walt picked up a pigeon and placed it on Mary's plate. Zac followed by
picking a pigeon for Essie, however, this bothered her so she picked up a pigeon and placed it on
Albert's plate.
Mary deliberately released a deep sigh and said, "Walt is considerate enough to take care of his own
mother first. Zac, ever since you got married, you seem to have forgotten all about your mother."
Albert cast a glance at Mary for a while and finally said, "Just as you say, even our daughter-in-law is
more obedient and filial towards this old man than my own two sons."
When Valery heard this, she curled her lips and thought, 'Filial? It seems more like she's just buttering
him up.' In Valery's perception, since Albert was partial and supported Essie, she was doing this only
trying her best to please him.
Mary placed her hand on his shoulder and said, "Valery is also a filial daughter-in-law. She only couldn't
move as fast because of her pregnancy. Otherwise, she would have picked it up for you even earlier."
"Yes Daddy, I've always been filial towards you," Valery annoyingly intruded.
"Okay, I was only joking. Let's eat," said Albert in a cold tone, without even taking a look at Valery.
Walt was keenly aware that his father was on Essie's side. As expected though, his mother was clearly
not satisfied with her and thought the ideal daughter-in-law would be Valery.
As for Zac, he completely ignored Mary's words and just continued to place food on his wife's plate. He
asked a lot from her the night before, so he knew that today he certainly had to feed her well so she
could replenish her energy.
During dinner, Albert placed down his chopsticks carefully and announced in a low, stern voice, "The
Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching in two months. Since the two elders will arrive back from
Switzerland by next month, everyone needs to prepare everything earlier."
There was an inkling of treachery that appeared on Mary's face but was barely recognizable. She then
said, "Since Essie has been familiar with the family affairs at home, why don't we ask her to take
charge of this Mid-Autumn Festival dinner? It would certainly be an opportunity for her to improve
herself." Mary knew that if she didn't do well, she would end up offending the other relatives and elders.
It would mean the end of her days as the daughter-in-law of the Rong family.
Albert's eyes narrowed sharply. He took a sip from his wine patiently and continued with a low voice,
"Essie had just been married into the Rong family. She hasn't even been able to attend a single family
feast before. Now, you are asking her to take care of such a grand feast all of a sudden? Are you
planning to hand over all matters to her after their wedding?" he said in a light calming tone, but was
tough enough to imply that it was serious.
Mary's face instantly turned pale. It was apparent that her husband wanted to protect Essie.
She couldn't comprehend why he was so satisfied with such a lowbrow woman.
"How could I possibly leave it all to her? All I meant was that she could do it next to me, where she can
watch and learn. I know that the younger ones just want to be happy and relaxed. Of course, they
wouldn't want to be bothered with such family trifles. Only when they are finally steady in the future that
I will finally step down from the burden and save my energy."
"Since you have put your foot down, then do as you say," said Albert with a quick nod. He felt as
though Mary was going too far lately. She wasn't acting like a proper hostess of the family. All of this,
just because she favored Valery over their current daughter-in-law. He thought it was so foolish that
she would step down of her responsibilities just to kick Essie out.
While these thoughts came across his mind, he glared at her with a hint of discernment in his eyes.
Of course, Mary understood what that glare meant. All she had to do was prove to him that this woman
would not be fit to be a future hostess of their family.
When lunch ended, Zac went straight to the company to do some business. Meanwhile, Essie
continued to work on her design sketches in the pavilion of the mansion's garden.
Walt took this opportunity to walk over and talk to her.
"What are you up to, little pineapple?" he asked with an endearing smile.
"I'm just making some new designs for the autumn and winter collection," she answered respectfully.
He sat on the opposite side of the table and glanced at the drawings placed on the marbled table. Then
he said, "Last night when I got home, I watched 'Beauty on Runway'. I saw that you received
permission and praise from Professor Jacob. You are definitely fated to become a shining star of the
design industry."
A humble smile appeared on her face, completely contrasting her display of her mastery in golf just
yesterday. "I'm only touching the brim of it, I have far more to learn."
Walt looked at her with perplexity, and with raised eyebrows he said, "I still like the girl who was full of
confidence just yesterday."
Essie looked at him while she blinked under her thick, long eyelashes. She was only arrogant the day
before because Zac's old lover was belittling her. She only simply had to fend for herself and show off
to defeat her enemy. Her reaction this time was her genuine self as she had always been a humble girl.
"Hard work and aggressiveness is required when you're doing sports. However, when it comes to the
field of design, it is talent and stability that pushes you forward. The two fields require different
strategies to succeed, so I approach them differently."
"That makes sense." Walt touched his chin lightly and smiled at her. The little sun was still as naughty
and charming as she was before.
"I remember back in Maldives, you told me that you went there to find the man you loved. Were you
talking about Zac?"
Upon hearing this, Essie's eyes widened and she hesitated for a while. By that time, she hadn't even
known of this icy guy.
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