Next One Is a Babe

John got off work on time in the evening and drove straight back to Constance Residence. After parking his car, he slowly walked toward the main building, only to spot the figures in the open space in front of it before he’d even reached. Surprisingly, Isabelle hadn’t left yet.

Mrs. Constance and Isabelle were sitting on the rattan chairs by the entrance with a small table that was brought over by a servant in front of them. There were scented tea and fruits on the table. Meanwhile, Mrs. Constance laughed as they talked about some unknown subject, her face glowing. She seemed an entirely different person from the one who was dashing off tears yesterday.

John walked over. “Mom.”

Upon seeing him, Mrs. Constance instantly got to her feet. “You’re back, John! You’re early today. I thought you’d only be back later.”

Beside her, Isabelle stood up as well. John then inclined his head at her in greeting, while she pressed her lips together and smiled sweetly. Mrs. Constance tugged at John’s hand. “Come, come, let’s go into the house. You’ve been slaving away all day, so you must be tired. Dinner will be served very soon.”

After glancing around, John concluded that Old Mrs. Constance wasn’t in the living room. “Where’s Grandma?”

“Oh, your grandma? The Zimmerman Family is hosting a small gathering today, and they invited your grandma, so she’s probably coming home very late.” The matriarch of the Zimmerman Family was a bestie of Old Mrs. Constance, so the elderly ladies were very close, and they got together from time to time. John nodded.

Mrs. Constance whirled around and beckoned to Isabelle, upon which she promptly hurried up to them. Mrs. Constance then beamed brightly. “Belle has been keeping me company the entire day. All of you are busy all day, so it’s terribly boring for me to stay home alone every day. I really have no idea how to kill time if Belle doesn’t call and visit occasionally.”

Turning around, John glanced at Isabelle and thanked her. The corners of Isabelle’s mouth lifted. “Mrs. Constance and I get along well, so I visit her often.” After looking at her for a while, John then retracted his gaze.

After a moment’s contemplation, Mrs. Constance blurted, “Ah, I’ll have the servants serve the food now since it has been ready ages ago. It’s Belle who cooked this meal tonight, so you must try it, John. Come, come!” She dragged him to the dining room.

John was actually somewhat put off by her blatant matchmaking, but on second thought, it was a good idea now. She has always treated Isabelle in such a manner, even before my divorce from Sophia. Thus, it won’t arouse suspicion if this persists. Upon entering the dining room, he took his seat right away.

Subsequently, Mrs. Constance pulled Isabelle over, and they both sat down across from him. The corners of Isabelle’s mouth curved slightly, her expression gentle and tranquil. She had impeccable manners, so she was neither supercilious nor obsequious regardless of the circumstances.

The servants then slowly served the dishes. “Belle cooked this soup for over two hours to the point that the fish bones inside have all dissolved,” Mrs. Constance said, pointing at the contents of the pot. “Meanwhile, this is her signature dish, so you must try this later. And this dish here is really troublesome. She had to soak the ingredients with water before washing them thoroughly. While it didn’t take long to cook, the prepping was truly troublesome.”