CHAPTER 46: CHAPTER 27: SILENCE, THAT EXCITING SILENCE

The finale reverberated through the living room that was as large as a plaza, the echoes so resonant.

However, The Pouting Siren didn’t receive any reply.

The butler, wearing gloves, took the pink crocodile leather Birkin bag that Summer Fairmont was holding for Artie Vaughn.

The Pouting Siren learned from past lessons, no longer carrying a bag that would spill everything out when toppled over, requiring use of the sterilizing kit.

"Madam is in the room on the fourth floor," the butler reminded after receiving the bag.

Imagine how it feels when the house is big enough that no one would respond even if you shouted.

Artie Vaughn used the home’s smart access system to connect to Talia Tate’s room intercom.

"Mom, your favorite darling is back with your most desired daughter-in-law, how come you weren’t waiting downstairs~" Artie spoke to his mom a little more normally than when he spoke to Summer Fairmont or Leo Vaughn.

Just a tiny bit more normal, like a strand of hair, no more than that.

Half a minute later, Talia Tate took the elevator from the fourth floor down, arriving in the first-floor living room just as Artie and Summer were changing their shoes.

"Sweetheart, didn’t you tell Mom you’d be back around 9:30? It’s not even 9 o’clock yet. I had only done half of my makeup to meet my daughter-in-law!"

Talia Tate, speaking a lilting dialect, appeared very youthful, a middle-aged woman wearing a meticulously tailored white Dior haute couture jacket with polka dots. The elegant yet mysterious surrealism, accentuated by a thin black belt, displayed her perfectly proportioned figure to the fullest.

Artie looks like his mom.

That was Summer Fairmont’s first impression upon seeing Talia Tate.

"How can someone as beautiful as Mrs. Talia be trapped by random cosmetics? You should give your daughter-in-law, who never wears makeup, a chance too." Artie manually turned Summer Fairmont to face the direction of the elevator entrance in the living room.

"Summer, this is my mom, Mrs. Talia Tate, she’s absolutely smitten with you. To show her happiness, Mom cooked a table full of Artie’s favorite late-night snacks."

Artie’s words about Talia preparing a table full of snacks she loved wasn’t a slip of the tongue.

The reality was just that.

If there was anything slightly inaccurate in that statement, it was that Talia only handled the finishing touches. All the prep and support work were done by the maids of the house.

The first floor of Artie’s house, in addition to the living room, dining room, and swimming pool, had four rooms.

One for the butler, one for the nurse, another large room for six maids responsible for cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry, and one room for Talia to rest in case she suddenly felt unwell.

When Talia was in the kitchen, there weren’t many things she needed to do personally.

Five years ago, Talia spent a month in the ICU. Although she eventually pulled through, her heart and lung functions were severely compromised.

She couldn’t exert herself, couldn’t catch a cold, nor speak loudly.

Talia rarely left the house.

Fortunately, the house was big enough, and Talia was the kind who dressed stylishly and beautifully even when at home alone.

Plus, there was always the Nation’s Gentleman coming home to have dinner with her, so life wasn’t too boring.

Talia had asked Artie several times what Summer Fairmont liked to eat.

Artie’s answer was always the same: "Summer likes whatever Artie likes. As long as Artie likes it, Summer will love it."

So, Talia, along with two aunts helping in the kitchen, worked all day to prepare a table full of late-night snacks, all based on the photos Artie had posted in his social media, dishes Summer had made for him in Scotland.

Whether or not they tasted the same, that was unknown, but visually, they definitely had a 90% likeness to Summer’s culinary creations.

But that’s a story for later, as from the shoe-changing foyer, the dining room was completely out of sight.

For Summer Fairmont, the most pressing matter now was how to greet Talia on their first meeting.

Summer Fairmont rarely visited others’ homes and had little experience greeting other people’s parents.

Especially after hearing Artie repeatedly call her ’daughter-in-law’ and Talia repeatedly calling him ’sweetheart’, she was even more unsure of what kind of opener to use.

Summer Fairmont chose silence to mask her disorientation.