105.Chapter 105
Jonathan checked the time. It was 6:30 p.m., around dinner time. He reckoned she was buying either dinner or groceries for cooking. That was until he saw her walk out carrying cans of beer. It nearly drove him up the wall.
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He thought, ‘She is just ruining herself like this! Every time she has problems, she drinks. It has been like this for years!!
He did not need to follow her anymore and could easily guess where she lived. ‘She was not at Rosary Estates anymore–she was definitely living with Miriam, he thought. Teresa drove to Miriam’s residential area–Begonia Estates.
Jonathan did not drive over right away. Once he confirmed she lived in the residential area, he turned around and left.
“Miriam, I’m back.” Teresa came in carrying some beer, and the house was buzzing with activity. Miriam, Michael, and Cheryl were there.
Cheryl proudly announced, “Teresa, I’m here to teach Mike how to draw.”
Teresa relaxed her furrowed brows and thought, ‘How great! Cheryl graduated from Lumina School of Art and majored in painting. Michael has a knack for art, so it’s perfect for her to guide him.
“Mike.” Teresa patted Michael’s head. “Make sure to learn well from Aunt Cheryl. She’s really talented.”
Michael stated, “Mommy, I’m not quite happy.”
Teresa quickly asked Michael why he was upset.
Michael pouted. “Aunt Cheryl told me Mr. Lime likes daughters! It’s a shame I’m not a girl.”
-Cheryl burst into laughter, and Teresa playfully nudged her in the arm, thinking, ‘She’s
still laughing!‘
Teresa urged, “Don’t bring up anything about Jonathan with Michael anymore, or I won‘ t keep your secret.”
“No. Teresa, I was wrong!” Cheryl immediately pleaded.
Teresa finally relented, and just then, Miriam came out of the kitchen holding a spatula. “Ahem, it’s a failure. We won’t be having grilled fish tonight.”
Right after that, a cloud of greas Successfully unlocked! burnt smell wafted out from the
kitchen.
Teresa asked Cheryl to take Michael back to his room, and she put on a mask and rushed into the kitchen. Miriam had indeed tried to grill fish, but since she could not
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even manage to sauteed vegetables, grilling the fish was a complete failure.
Teresa grabbed a pot of cold water and quickly poured it into the smoking pan, then opened the window to let the smoke out.
Miriam, covered in soot, went out to wash her face.
Teresa turned on the range hood to clear the smoke, coughing as she said, “Hey, don’t force yourself to try things you can’t do. I’ll just order some fried chicken.”
“No!” Miriam ran over, crying, “We ate fried chicken for two days in a row. I’m going to be sick. Please, no more!”
“How about pizza?” Teresa suggested.
Miriam said, “No. We just had that the day before yesterday, and I’m tired of it.”
“So what should we eat?” Teresa said. She asked Miriam to decide so she could order delivery. She had also picked up some beer to go with it.
Right now, Miriam just wanted some simple homemade side dishes, but none of them -Teresa, Cheryl, or herself–could cook. The best they could manage was a pot of gruel or some instant noodles.
Teresa suggested, “Let’s order some ravioli and maybe some sauteed vegetables, too.
hope we can find some good ones.”
Miriam said, “The ravioli from stores don’t taste good. They’re not as good as the homemade ones. Remember last time when Sherry made those beef ravioli? They
were quite tasty.”
Teresa stated, “Sherry is not here, so we can’t make them. Christian’s father is sick, so she’s accompanying him back home.”
Hearing this, Miriam agreed with Teresa to order ravioli. It was better than greasy fried chicken or pizza, which she was really tired of.
“I’ll order the ravioli and make some plain gruel for Michael,” Teresa said.
“Why? Why? I want to have ravioli too!” Michael protested loudly.
Teresa explained, “Kids should have gruel at night. It’s easier to digest. Be good.”
Teresa was about to order three portions of ravioli when Miriam’s phone rang. Seeing the name in the caller ID, she exclaimed in surprise, “Jonathan’s calling!”
Teresa’s hand froze just before she could confirm the order. She motioned for Miriam to take the call somewhere quiet.
The kitchen was no longer smoky, so Miriam turned off the exhaust and answered the call before putting it on speaker.
Jonathan got straight to the point. “I’m downstairs in your residential area. I know Teresa and a little boy live at your place. I’m coming up now.”
After speaking, Jonathan hung up without waiting for Miriam to reply. He took out the
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ingredients he had just bought from the market, including vegetables, meat, crabs, shrimp, and short ribs, and carried them upstairs.
Miriam stood there, stunned, listening to the buzz. She shook Teresa’s arm. “This is bad! How does Jonathan know you’re living here? And he knows Mike is here too!”
Teresa said she had heard everything. Then, she thought, ‘How did Jonathan figure out I was here? And that Mike was too?”
However, it was too late to send Michael downstairs now. They would definitely run into Jonathan. Plus, sending Michael away without a plan was not an option as she had already locked the door at Rosary Estates.
Teresa said, “There’s nothing to be afraid of. He doesn’t know Mike is his son. Besides, there are three of us. It’s three against one. I’m sure we can handle him.”
It was indeed three against one. However, Miriam shook her head. “I’m not smart enough, and Cheryl seems a bit clueless too. You two will have to deal with it yourselves.”
The moment she finished speaking, the doorbell rang.
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