novellhall Chapter 607 - 578: The Eldest Son-in-Law
Chapter 607 - 578: The Eldest Son-in-Law
Simon Forrester and his wife arrived at the hotel, and while waiting for the elevator, they happened to meet Seth Sutton and Mina Thorne, who came a step later.Mina was wearing a simple black dress, her face expressionless. Seth still had that casual demeanor, his gaze lingering on Sienna Thornton’s slightly swollen belly, asking, "How many months?"
This was their first meeting in six months since the wedding, and Seth didn’t expect Sienna to be pregnant so soon.
Sienna didn’t want to talk to him, holding Simon Forrester’s arm, turning her face to the side.
"Five months." Simon Forrester looked at Seth lightly, "Don’t you have any news yet?"
Seth’s expression was unnatural: "I’m child-free."
When he said this, Mina looked at him with a sorrowful glance, as if she wanted to say something, but just then the elevator doors opened, and Seth, not waiting for her, went in with the crowd.
Sienna and Simon waited until the end before entering. Afraid that the crowded elevator might bump into her, Simon held her half in his arms, his other hand protectively on her slightly bulging belly, and he asked her softly, "Are you hungry?"
Sienna shook her head with a smile, whispering in his ear, "My dad made chicken soup for my mom, and I sneaked a drumstick when I went out."
Simon Forrester laughed and playfully tapped her high nose: "Little greedy cat."
The two of them whispered, and when they were almost at the restaurant floor, Sienna lifted her head, preparing to get off the elevator in a moment.
She looked straight ahead and unexpectedly saw the reflection of Seth and Mina standing in the back through the shiny elevator wall. They stood apart, with two or three people between them. Seth was looking down at his phone, while Mina had her eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought, making the couple appear distant.
"Ding," the elevator arrived.
Simon Forrester escorted Sienna out, accommodating her with a slow pace.
Before long, Seth and Mina caught up.
"You’re pregnant, and you’re still going to the grave tomorrow?" Seth asked Sienna, "I heard it’s a three to four-hour drive on the highway round trip. Can you manage?"
Sienna rolled her eyes at him: "It’s not like I’m running there. What’s the problem?"
Seth burst into laughter: "Running there isn’t impossible either. Back in police academy training, we used to run hundreds of kilometers carrying dozens of kilos of luggage."
Sienna didn’t bother with him, holding Simon’s arm tightly and quickly walking ahead, leaving Seth and Mina behind.
Before Simon opened the private room door, he whispered, "That guy’s becoming more annoying."
"Exactly, I really want to sew his mouth shut!"
As they whispered to each other, the room door opened, and a lively, joyful atmosphere greeted them instantly.
Sienna searched for Quentin Thorne, quickly spotting him leaning over to chat with some older relatives.
"Annie’s here, huh?" a relative by the door greeted warmly, "Come on in, come on in."
Sienna smiled and entered with Simon Forrester.
She wore a black cotton long dress, a blue denim shirt, and white Adidas sneakers. If not for her clearly pregnant belly, her outfit alone would make her look like a student.
Old Mrs. Thorne had four empty seats beside her, and when she saw her eldest granddaughter come in, she beamed and waved them over. The next moment, spotting her second granddaughter coming over too, she waved even faster: "Annie, Mina, come to Grandma’s side."
Sienna, holding Simon’s hand, smiled as they walked over and sat in the two empty seats on Old Mrs. Thorne’s left side.
Mina and Seth followed and took their seats.
The aunt sitting at the same table, observing the long-time yet still loving couple Sienna and Simon, admired: "Annie and Ford are truly in love! Just like college sweethearts!"
Sienna chuckled: "Aunt, if you call him a college student, he’ll get a big head."
"Ford looks young; you can’t tell he’s in his thirties."
The relatives at the table agreed.
Simon proudly raised his brows, and under the table, he lightly tickled Sienna’s palm. Sienna patted his thigh with her hand, which he then captured in his palm.
Quentin, done socializing, came over smiling and sat next to Simon: "Was it crowded on the road?"
"A little."
"Are you staying at Annie’s Mom’s or heading back to Fenmore Hill tonight?"
"We’re staying at the mother-in-law’s."
"Great, we can play a few rounds of chess later."
Their voices were low, yet all the relatives present heard them clearly. Everyone smiled knowingly, having realized that Quentin and Melinda Linton were back together.
Mina’s face looked unpleasant, while Old Mrs. Thorne gently patted her hand in comfort.
Female relatives from the family occasionally came over to congratulate Sienna on her pregnancy. Compared to Quentin’s other daughter, people preferred interacting with the easy-going, smiling Sienna.
The hotel gradually served the dishes, starting with cold plates and sweet soup. Sienna wanted to eat jellyfish and iced octopus, but Simon was afraid it might upset her stomach, so he didn’t allow it. After some soft coaxing, he relented and requested boiling water from the hotel, rinsing the jellyfish and octopus before letting her eat.
Later, they served wild shrimp. Simon helped peel the shrimp for Sienna, breaking it down into pieces, dipping them in sauce before placing them on her plate.
His series of fluid, natural movements clearly showed that this was a long-term habit, not an act. Among the relatives at the table, all of whom were seasoned, it was apparent that Simon had been doing this for years; it wasn’t just for show. One naturally served, while the other accepted it calmly...
In contrast, Mina and Seth ate separately, with almost no interaction.
Old Mrs. Thorne observed this and shook her head, sighing.
The relatives also seemed to catch on.
...
By past nine o’clock, everyone had just about finished eating, sitting around chatting, waiting for Third Uncle to return from paying the bill before dispersing.
Third Uncle was Quentin’s cousin. Last time, Quentin footed the bill for the family gathering, so this time it was Third Uncle’s turn.
After a moment, Third Uncle pushed the door open and asked loudly, "Who went to pay the bill just now?"
No one spoke.
The restaurant manager came in holding a receipt: "It was a mister by the last name Forrester who paid."
Everyone turned to look at Simon Forrester.
Here, most people were named Thorne, and while there were bound to be some with different surnames, Simon was the only one with the Forrester name.
Third Uncle asked the manager for the receipt to check, noted the amount, then pulled out a wallet from his suit pocket, took out a stack of cash, and walked over to Simon Forrester.
"Here, son-in-law, today it’s Third Uncle’s treat. No need to be so polite!" he said, pressing the stack of hundred-dollar bills into Simon’s hand.
Simon was about to refuse, but Quentin had already stopped him and stood up, guiding Third Uncle back into his seat, smiling: "Today my eldest son-in-law is treating, give him a little face, Third Brother!"
Third Uncle tried to stand, but Quentin held him down: "Next year you guys can treat, okay? This year, let my eldest son-in-law have this face!"
Third Uncle, tipsy and red-faced, clutching a big handful of cash, shouted at Quentin: "Are you starting a trend of sons-in-law treating? Are you picking on me because I don’t have a son-in-law?!"
The relatives burst into laughter.