Once a Doormat Now Untouchable (Caleb and Sydney) novel Chapter 788

Diana understood exactly what her mother meant. Florence was not trying to pressure her, but she still hoped Diana would move forward.

Holding her plate, Diana gave a quiet murmur of agreement, as though she had taken the words to heart.

Across the table, Hugo ate with his head lowered. The rim of the bowl paused against his lips for a brief moment before he resumed eating as if nothing had happened. He picked up another pan-fried flatbread, but this one tasted nothing like the last. It was like chewing wax, and his throat tightened as he forced it down.

He reached for the glass of milk and took a sip. Without drawing attention, his gaze drifted toward Diana. With her eyes lowered, she was typing on her phone. She was probably replying to Callum.

Hugo looked away and stared at the soup still sitting in his bowl. All at once, he realized he had lost his appetite.

Just then, Diana's phone buzzed. She glanced at the caller ID, and an involuntary smile touched her lips.

She answered immediately. "Hey, Sydney, you're early today. What's up?"

On the other end, Sydney's warm, cheerful voice came through. "Diana, are you free tonight? It's Julian's birthday. I was thinking we could all get together and celebrate. Oh, and your mother and James should be able to come too, right? I had Polly prepare a ton of food."

Tenderness filled Diana's eyes. "Of course we can come. If you're inviting us personally, we'll definitely all be there."

"That's great! I'll be waiting for all of you at home tonight. Come over as soon as you're free."

"Okay. I'll let Ray know in a bit too."

After hanging up, Diana barely had time to speak before Florence smiled and asked, "Was that Sydney? What did she say?"

Although Diana had never mentioned Sydney's name during the call, Florence recognized the caller immediately. Her eldest daughter only ever sounded that gentle when she spoke to Sydney.

"Yes. She said it's Julian's birthday and wants all of us over for dinner tonight."

Diana set her phone down, then picked it up again and deleted the half-finished reply to Callum.

She quickly typed a new message.

Diana: [We have a family gathering tonight. Let's plan for another day.]

After sending it, she turned the phone face down on the table and looked at Florence.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify