Targeted by the unkind comment from Grandma Eva, Cathy would not swallow it and stay quiet. She had always been doted on by her family since childhood. She could never tolerate being offended, so if Grandma Eva wanted a fight, Cathy would not hold back.
"Alright, alright. Mom, please stop saying anything. Cathy, don't take it personally." Halbert was in such a dilemma. The family had been peaceful before Grandma Eva came to live here. She had only been here for a few days, yet there were quarrels in the house every day.
"Halbert, I'm old. Do you dislike me already? I'm not educated, unlike someone who dresses up so slutty every day. I'm not endearing anymore, am I?" Grandma Eva clutched Halbert's hands and began to cry.
Realizing that she was maliciously accused before she could utter a word, Cathy turned around and stormed off.
Halbert wanted to follow Cathy, but Grandma Eva grabbed him tightly and refused to let go. Halbert didn't mean to say anything hurtful to his mother. She had been very pitiful living alone outside. Halbert brought her home because he wanted her to be happy. But this was too painful.
"Mom, I know you have been wronged. I will talk to Cathy about it. She is a reasonable woman, and I'm sure she'll understand that you did all these out of the goodness of your heart." Halbert brought Grandma Eva to the sofa and sat her down, slowly comforting her.
Richard and his two older brothers were also there keeping Grandma Eva company. Amy and Hilary sneaked away. They didn't have much to say in what happened between them. Besides, Grandma Eva had been specifically mean to Amy, so Amy was biased towards Cathy, who had stood out for her.
"I have a hard time being here alone. Although Sophia is a good girl, I'm still so old. There's a generation gap when I talk to her. I'm so lonely." Grandma Eva sounded so pathetic.
"What do you want, Mom?" Halbert didn't want his mother to leave. Although they quarreled here, they were still families and lived together. Grandma Eva was old, and it was time for him to fulfill his filial duty.
"I knew you always think the best for me, dear. I want to bring Addy over. She is not an outsider. Think about it, she is also the mother of William and Jacob. Although she and you are divorced, she never asked you for anything, did she? She has suffered a lot, too. And I am used to living with her." Grandma Eva said as she observed Halbert's expression.
"Mom, I might need to discuss it with Cathy. She is the one in charge." Deep down, Halbert disliked the idea. But now that his mother brought it up, he was unable to steel himself to reject it directly.
"Grandma has a point, Dad. Ask Mom to move in. She can live with Grandma. Otherwise, Mom will be alone in the countryside when Grandma stays here." William and Jacob had long wanted to live here with their mother.
It was not that they wanted to take good care of their mother. It was just that they wished to reclaim their power in the family with the help of Addy's coming back.
Addy was never a pushover. She hated Cathy's guts. But it never came to her that she and Halbert had divorced before Halbert being with Cathy.
Now that his sons were for the idea, Halbert didn't know what to do. In fact, he didn't want Addy to come. But he hesitated since his mother had suggested it.
"Dad, invite Mom here. We'll cover her living expenses ourselves. We won't use the money of the Carter family." William made an unexpected move.
"Richard, what do you think?" Cornered by their demands, Halbert had no choice but to ask Richard, who had been silent the entire time.
If her mother-in-law moved in, she wouldn't be afraid of Cathy and Amy anymore. The two were difficult to deal with since they were very close. But if Addy came here, Sophia would have another helper. She was sure that her mother-in-law would help her.
"Halbert, can't you even make the decision for the family? Are you driving your old mother away? I'll leave, then. Just pretend I didn't say it!" Seeing that Halbert was swayed, she gave him a push.
"Alright then. William, Jacob, go invite your mother here. By the way, after you bring her back, ask her to live with your grandma. She will not have a meal with us. Let's eat separately. I'll send some servants over." Halbert pondered for a moment. This was the only way out.
Since Halbert gave in, the three had achieved their goal. Anyway, they would bring Addy here first before they slowly reclaimed their power in the family. They would never sit back and watch Richard's mother dominate the family.
Inappropriate as it seemed to be, since his father had made the decision, Richard could not argue. Now that his grandmother was at peace, Richard was relieved.
"Go back to your discussion. I'm leaving to take a shower. I got some meetings tomorrow, so I need to get ready." Richard left the rest of them.
Halbert asked William and Jacob to walk Grandma Eva to her room. He needed to go back and tell Cathy about it.
"What? Addy is moving in? Why? Who made the decision?" When Cathy heard that Addy was coming, she widened her eyes. Did they still want to live together as a family or not?
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