Mrs Lu was a little unsettled leaving Violet alone or unentertained in the home theatre, so she would peep in to check on her every hour. When her maid returned to the kitchen from cleaning the other parts of the house to prepare dinner, she noticed Violet was restless after a movie ended. As tea time approached, Mrs Lu decided to serve a slice of butter cake she had whipped earlier, along with some photo albums to keep her entertained.
"Violet! Here… You must be hungry from solving his dramas' puzzles." Mrs Lu teased as Violet chuckled before helping herself to the fork and plate of cake.
"Aww, you didn't have to, Auntie Nancy, but thank you… This is very nice. Smells so good." Violet praised after savouring a bite.
"I will help you to bed after tea, alright? You looked tired." Mrs Lu suggested as Violet shook her head.
"Ah, no. It's fine. It's just the nightmares." Violet admitted as Mrs Lu smiled sadly.
"Here's chamomile tea. Decaffeinated. Drink more. It used to help Sebby with his insomnia." Mrs Lu said as Violet nodded.
"Thank you very much, Auntie Nancy."
"It's nothing compared to your efforts. I have heard a lot about you from Carrissa." Mrs Lu said as Violet smiled shyly.
"Just trying to help him feel better…" Violet said with a hint of sadness, lamenting their current situation.
"Here, some photo albums of Sebby to keep you entertained later… My boy had a tough time chasing fame since his teenage years. He spent hours and days learning his songs and scripts instead of studying. That was when my husband and I decided we should let him pursue the entertainment industry…" Mrs Lu reminisced, which piqued Violet's interest to learn about the family even more.
"What happened to Mr Lu?" Violet asked while taking another small bite of cake. Mrs Lu sighed a little.
"I'm sorry. It's fine not to share." Violet quickly apologised.
"We divorced when Sebby left. Besides, Cassie was married young. I'm glad she found someone from our old hometown. She took after me by a lot. Sebby was an accident baby, but I'm glad he came to me… Sigh, it was meant to be. I was just hoping for my boy to not join the academy and perhaps stop me from ending all of it with that old man. But fate just decided for me to let go of a man who loves his career and money more than his family. It somewhat taught me that people change because of what they want as they grow older. It takes two to juggle together, but it seemed his father decided to let go…" Mrs Lu sighed, which Violet could relate to.
"I could relate. I understand. I went through it too. But it's fine. At least we are living happily now." Violet smiled, trying to comfort her.
"I could tell he cares very much for you…" Mrs Lu pointed out as Violet sighed a little, preparing herself for the rejection talk.
"I understand your concern since I'm divorced and he is, and that it would not be suitable for us to…" Mrs Lu reached out for her hands. "I went through it myself too. Why would I not encourage you both to be together? My dear, you have gone this far for him; you don't want to make me the villain here?" Mrs Lu teased her as they laughed together.
"The moment he wanted to marry Janice, I knew it was his impulsive move. But I still let him. Who asked him to be the youngest, and I spoiled him too much. There's something different with you, Violet. I have never seen how he could change like this. He's slowly searching for his old self." Mrs Lu said, which made them both smile.
"Between my two children, he worries me the most. I hope you would be there till he finds himself and continue together." Mrs Lu conveyed, as Violet sighed a little, not daring to guarantee but hoping it would happen.
Meanwhile, instead of being busy with Lucky Clover affairs, Jade was busy rushing from picking up Sam from the studio with Sebastian before sending Sebastian back first cause the couple would have to head to the airport to pick up Dexter and Mr Chu. The traffic was always insane in Qi Tai at any hour, for being a metropolitan capital city of Wang Wan. Jade was glad her morning sickness phase was getting over as quickly as it came. Probably because being by Sam's side and his scent was always very soothing, though he was only sleeping by her side while she drove.
Up in the sky, Dexter and Mr. Chu's flight was about to land, and Dexter had noticed Mr. Chu who was sitting in the middle of another snoring uncle, had been deep in his own thinking throughout the flight. Dexter did not want to disturb him as he looked outside the window at the sunsetting view and, for once, was feeling relief.
For the past few months, he had been busy with social workers and helping many old folks in the community of Lagopool; though he did not make much, he was content. He was glad Mr. Chu and his friends were no longer gambling though they still play 'mahjong' but their healthier punishments of cleaning up the community centres or treating healthy snacks were working out for them.
Again, he had not been in contact with his own family ever since the day Violet took him out of the will reading, but it felt like he had been surrounded by the warmth of family. Looking after Mr. Chu was enjoyable for him as he slowly got accustomed to his slow-paced life. It was never in his wildest dreams that he dared to take this leap of faith when his mother was around or even stayed married. He was amused by all the contradictions of his life with the norm as the plane landed smoothly.
Though Mr. Chu was eager to visit Violet, Sam held him back since she was staying over with Mrs. Lu. It was not convenient for Violet to move around. Hence, she could not make it for dinner at the private room restaurant he booked. It was going to be too late after dinner to visit Violet too, since she needed a lot of rest. Hence, they decided to visit her the next day.
Lucky for Sam to have Dexter around, where things were not too tense and awkward for Mr. Chu and Sam. Jade was acting very nonchalant with Mr. Chu too.
"Uncle Chu, have more hot tea. It's getting very chilly nowadays." Jade said while pouring into Mr. Chu's teacup as he cleared his throat and glared at Sam, who was averting his gaze.
"Wear warmer since it's chilly. It's going to be very hard to recover from a chill when you're pregnant." Mr. Chu reminded him with a little hint of ego as he sipped his tea.
"I will, Uncle Chu. Don't worry too much. Sam is taking very good care of me." Jade purposely praised Sam.
"Still Uncle?" Mr. Chu hinted as Jade smiled before correcting herself. "Dad." Mr. Chu may have plenty of ego, but being addressed that way by a soon-to-be daughter-in-law made his lips curl unwillingly upwards. To cover his accidental approval, Mr. Chu cleared his throat again, waiting for an explanation from Sam with an upset face. Both Jade and Dexter could tell the hints, but Sam was very oblivious. Partly cause he was very nervous, yet he needed to keep his cool as Dexter nudged Sam under the table with his right leg.
Sam's gaze met Dexter's, raising an eyebrow, questioning his act as Dexter nudged towards Mr. Chu's direction with his chin as Sam's shoulders dropped a little before clearing his throat.
"Dad, we will head to the bureau as soon as Vi recovers…" Sam said while serving him some vegetables.
"Have you met the in-laws?" Mr. Chu asked while grabbing his chopsticks, ready to eat what was served but waiting for Sam's response.
Sam met with Jade's gaze. They both knew it was not possible, as when Jade stepped into the industry, her parents decided to cut ties with her.
"You don't have to. I never had a family either…" Jade replied instead, which surprised Mr. Chu.
"They disowned me when I chose this career. It's fine. Look where it has gotten me? A new family." Jade shared a warm smile with Sam, who could not resist rubbing her belly.
Mr. Chu was proud of her positivity but still was concerned about her family.
"If you have a chance, try reaching out to them much later. You never know what will happen, especially with a little one coming." Mr Chu concluded before taking a bite of the vegetables served as the couple shared a comforting smile.
"Dad, come have more food! The dishes are getting cold! We need to visit the princess tomorrow, so you must tell her how good the food here is. Let her envy more and get well quicker!" Everyone laughed at Dexter's intentional joke as they continued dinner with small conversations to keep Mr Chu entertained and not worried about Violet.