Chapter 620: Chatting Over Drinks
Joyce Monroe glanced around again, then leaned close to Adeline Mendoza's ear and whispered, "Today's Alberto's discharge day, right? Has he gone to find Connie already?"
"Yes," Adeline nodded. "He just called me. From what he said, they've already made up."
Hearing this, Joyce felt happy for them but also a bit worried.
"What about their future..."
Adeline was also concerned for them.
However, since they had chosen to stay together, they would surely face whatever came next together.
Their worrying wouldn't help; silently supporting them was the best thing.
"Does Monica know about this yet?"
"She just found out," Adeline said. "Then, she said Pharrell was sleepy and took him back to his room."
Joyce pursed her lips, unable to hold back.
"She wasn't unhappy because Alberto went to be with Connie, was she?"
"Hard to say."
"Adeline, I think this woman is definitely not simple," Joyce said. "It's better to be cautious."
She wasn't deliberately trying to badmouth Monica.
Although she was certainly more inclined towards Connie, there was no need to intentionally attack another woman.
She was just expressing her true feelings.
This woman had suddenly appeared with a child, constantly presenting a fragile, delicate in front of them. She claimed she only wanted Pharrell to grow up healthy, yet first moved into the Mendoza residence, and now was upset because Alberto didn't come back.
Actually, if Monica had been upfront from the beginning about what she wanted, they probably wouldn't have thought much of it.
After all, she had a child with Alberto.
Wanting wealth and status was pretty normal, wasn't it?
But she was being this duplicitous.
It just felt very strange.
"Harrison and I have had people investigating," Adeline said. "But nothing unusual has been found yet."
Aside from Monica's previous boyfriend, everything else seemed normal.
Joyce was about to say more when she suddenly heard footsteps.
She turned to see Monica walking towards them.
She quickly swallowed her words.
"Joyce, you're awake?" Monica said with a smile.
"I didn't see you come down for breakfast earlier, so I knew you must have been sleeping in again."
She acted as if she were very familiar with Joyce.
Joyce could only offer a faint smile in return.
"Pharrell's being soothed to sleep by the nanny," Monica said. "I don't have much to do now. What do you usually do?"
"Us? Drink tea, chat, things like that," Joyce said.
"Want to have a tea party with us?"
The smile on Monica's face stiffened slightly.
A tea party? The more you talk, the more likely you are to slip up.
She was afraid of being tricked into revealing something by Adeline and Joyce.
Wanting to build a good relationship with them didn't mean she was willing to chat too much with them.
If they found any loopholes, all her efforts would be in vain.
"Alright, you don't seem willing," Joyce shrugged.
"We won't force you."
"No, it's just that l'm not very articulate. And as a mother, once I start chatting, I can't help but talk about my child. I'm afraid if I talk too much, you'll get annoyed."
"How could we?" Adeline said with a smile.
"Pharrell is my nephew. I couldn't possibly love him more."
"Exactly," Joyce said. "Adeline is my best friend, so her nephew is like my nephew too. I also adore Pharrell. We'd be happy to hear more about him."
Monica's expression grew even more rigid.
She wanted to find another excuse, but Joyce didn't give her the chance.
"Then it's settled! Actually, forget the tea party. Why don't we just have a drink together? Tonight!"
"Sure, I'll have someone prepare some good wine," Adeline said.
"And have the kitchen make some dishes to go with the wine. Tonight we can drink, chat, maybe even watch a movie together. Sounds great," Joyce said, getting more excited as she spoke. Now that things had reached this point, Monica couldn't refuse again.
If she kept firmly refusing, upsetting Adeline and Joyce would be the least of her
problems. If they started to suspect something was off, that would be a big issue.
"That sounds wonderful, of course," she could only force a happy expression and join the planning. "Could we have the spicy chili chicken we had for lunch yesterday? I thought it was very tasty."
"Of course! Spicy chili chicken goes great with drinks."
After saying this, Joyce secretly exchanged a look with Adeline.
Late at night, drinking together, chatting... Once Monica got tipsy, she might end up saying things she shouldn't, whether she meant to or not.
Monica smiled on the outside but inwardly groaned.
She told herself firmly that she must drink less tonight, stay in control, and absolutely not let anything slip.
However, some things are easier said than done.
That night, the three of them gathered in
a room.
A servant brought the wine and dishes and then left.
Monica specifically checked the alcohol content of the wine.
It wasn't very high.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Adeline noticed her little action and smiled slightly.
Of course, they couldn't start with high-proof liquor right away.
Monica would definitely try everything to avoid drinking it or drink as little as possible.
Start with regular wine.
Not high in alcohol, but enough to slowly build a buzz.
By then, bringing out stronger liquor wouldn't be refused.
"Here, let me pour for everyone."
Joyce filled all three glasses to the brim, then raised her glass. "You know, the three of us are around the same age. Since we're living under the same roof now, we're like sisters. Tonight, we must drink until we're merry!"
"Sounds good," Adeline also raised her glass.
Monica picked up her glass as well, saying with forced enthusiasm, "Yes, drink until we're merry!"
Joyce grinned and then downed her glass in one go.
Adeline drank hers too.
Then, both of them looked at Monica, who had only drunk half her glass.
Monica felt a bit embarrassed under their gaze.
She had no choice but to finish the remaining half.
"Ah, that's more like it," Joyce said with a smile.
"Since we're good sisters, of course we should drink together!"
After saying that, she poured another full glass for Monica.
"Shouldn't we... not just drink? Let's have some food too?" Monica asked weakly.
"Eat! Eat plenty," Joyce said, still smiling.
Monica lowered her head to eat, stealing a glance at the full glass of wine beside her hand, feeling like crying.
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