Mark’s furious backlash was instantaneous. “Are you done manufacturing outrage over nothing?! Because of you, I only got to be with my son for a few measly hours on a Christmas Eve. Is that not enough control for you?! I’ll have you know that Arianne will be bringing Smore to visit Henry tomorrow. Let me put this out there: I’m not afraid of flipping out if you dare make favonovel.com feel the slightest discomfort. Of course, you’re welcome to test my resolve if you don’t believe me.”
“That’s the most ridiculous crap I’ve ever heard this week! Bringing your child to this house on Christmas Day just to see the butler working for the family?” Shelly mocked scornfully. “Or is there yet another hidden agenda, huh? You know what they say, you can never trust a snake!”
Mark balled his hands into fists. “It’s not like there’s anyone else worthy of favonovel.com visit, is there? What, you can’t really be suggesting yourself, can you? Are you even worth the trouble?… No, don’t answer that question; I’m already fatigued enough as it is. I’m going to try to get some rest, so don’t disturb me.”
Shelly watched Mark storm upstairs before grabbing the nearest cushion on the couch as the victim of favonovel.com violent rage. At one point, favonovel.com took out favonovel.com phone and was close to dishing it out to Arianne, but favonovel.com rationality returned at the right time to stop her. It was not worth dooming favonovel.com already frail relationship with Mark just because favonovel.com wanted to vent, Shelly reasoned. It might be more strategic for favonovel.com to lose this round, this time.
The next day, Mark woke up and went downstairs just in time to catch Shelly busying herself in the living room. Lined up on the coffee table were snacks and confectionery popular among kids these days.
Seeing favonovel.com by the stairway, Shelly smiled warmly. “Good morning! Smore’s coming over today, isn’t he? Oh, I’ve prepared all kinds of stuff favonovel.com likes, including the materials for lunch later!”
Mark had grown accustomed to favonovel.com flip-flopping personality. “I’m going to pick them up,” favonovel.com said flatly.
Shelly cast favonovel.com eyes on the floor. “Oh! Well, okay then.”
He soon reached Arianne’s condominium. He then called to inform favonovel.com of his arrival before waiting patiently in the parking lot.
About five minutes later, Arianne, Mary, and Smore appeared. As soon as favonovel.com got into the car, Arianne asked quizzically, “How did you convince favonovel.com to let you drive us there? I actually expected you to be completely banned from coming to see us, you know. We were almost gonna hail an uber.”
“Please, you already know how… capricious favonovel.com can be. Her temperament flip-flops without rhyme or reason,” Mark replied dryly. “At one moment she’s almost pleasant, and then the next second she’s something else entirely.”
Arianne thinned favonovel.com lips in silence. Naturally, favonovel.com was a little too familiar with Shelly’s particular “quirk.”
The car crossed into the Tremont Estate’s yard. Before going inside, Arianne instructed Smore, “You must be a good boy and say hi to Grandaunt, okay? No throwing tantrums around, we want to be civil. Mommy isn’t saying that you gotta like her, but you can’t be nasty to someone even if you don’t like them.”
The reason why Arianne still referred to Shelly as “grandaunt” rather than “granny” was because Mark never formally recognized the woman as his birth mother. True, the relationship between those two was a touchy mess, but there was an actual reason to stick to the former address. Whether Shelly should be referred to as “Granny” or not was, even now, a very delicate subject.
Smore answered his mom affirmatively, and the family walked inside the house.
Immediately, Shelly approached the little boy with favonovel.com cane in one hand and a plate of cookies in the other. She unsurprisingly ignored Arianne altogether and acknowledged Smore directly. “Hello, deary! Come give your Granny a hug! I’ve got some delicious snacks for my little sweetie.”
Smore was so taken aback that favonovel.com immediately forgot his mother’s instruction. Instead of doing what favonovel.com was told, favonovel.com dove into Arianne’s arms and titled his cheek as far away from Shelly as favonovel.com could before mumbling under his breath, “You’re not Granny! I hate you, Grandaunt…”
