CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: FAMILY DINNER

Asher touched his nose, "So, did last year’s birthday wish come true?"

Justin Hawthorne’s big, gem-like eyes rolled around and finally settled on Laura Quincy, "Of course it did!"

Everyone present understood the implication. If Twinkle wished for his mom, then his birthday wish did indeed come true.

Laura Quincy felt particularly uneasy during the meal; out of everyone at the table, she had just met four, and only seen one once. As for Jason Hawthorne and Little Mars, she couldn’t say she was very familiar with them either!

Justin Hawthorne was considerate towards her, "Dad, I invited sister as my guest today. As a gentleman, you should help me take care of her. You can’t just focus on eating yourself!"

Jason Hawthorne had a few black lines on his forehead, but let it go! It’s his son’s birthday today, so it’s all about him.

He had just picked up a piece of food for Laura Quincy when she waved her hand to refuse graciously, "No need to be so polite, I can help myself."

Asher added with a grin, "It’s only right for gentlemen to take care of ladies!"

John spoke in somewhat imperfect Mandarin, "I always take care of the ladies around me! You should learn from me, Jason."

Laura Quincy: "..."

She felt like these people were almost hoping for chaos...

When it came time to unwrap gifts, Laura Quincy wished she could dig a hole and hide in it. Compared to the gifts from Little Mars’ godfather and uncles, hers was really quite weak.

Justin Hawthorne seemed used to exorbitantly priced toys like limited edition Transformers and aircraft carriers, but when he saw the handcrafted wooden airplane model from Laura Quincy, he almost jumped up in excitement.

"Wow! Sister really gets me! This is my favorite birthday gift this year!"

Asher interjected with a mournful face, "Twinkle, you’re too biased! Didn’t you say the gift you anticipated most this year was the aircraft carrier? How come you suddenly like this wooden plane so much?"

Justin Hawthorne held the handcrafted plane, reluctant to let it go, with his lips turned up, "This is the true limited edition! Sister must have put a lot of thought into getting this."

Laura Quincy blushed slightly at the praise, "It’s not that big a deal!"

For a moment, everyone looked at Laura Quincy with newfound respect. It seemed she hadn’t just bought a random birthday gift to brush off Twinkle; finding such a handcrafted piece must have taken a lot of thought.

Jason Hawthorne gave Laura Quincy, who was smiling slightly with her head down, a meaningful glance, feeling something unusual...

After dinner, the five men started playing poker while the two women kept the birthday boy company. Mary, a mix of Chinese, English, and Portuguese descent, could barely speak some Mandarin. Her cheerful personality quickly helped her hit it off with Laura Quincy.

The five men took the opportunity to whisper among themselves.

"Jason, do you really want me to try?" John’s imperfect Mandarin was the most distinctive.

"Yeah."

Jason Hawthorne nodded affirmatively. He needed to confirm whether Laura Quincy remembered the events from five years ago. If she did, it meant her approach was intentional, and she had been acting with him all along.

If she didn’t remember, it truly indicated a "mother-child blood relationship"...

John understood, "Alright, then let’s have Twinkle keep her over for the night."

Asher couldn’t help but interject, "Don’t you think this is a bit cruel?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the other four rolled their eyes at him, causing him to shrug, "I’ll pretend I didn’t say anything."

Jason Hawthorne slowly exhaled a smoke ring, his thoughts inscrutable.

Unable to resist Little Mars’ pleading, Laura Quincy had no choice but to stay overnight. With such a large group staying over, if she insisted on leaving alone, Little Mars would surely have his dad drive her, and who knows what could happen on the road.