Elena appeared at the threshold, her hands resting confidently on her hips, a mischievous smile tugging at her lips. "Peony, come help me deliver the presents to the guests I had invited for your birthday."
Hazel reclined lazily on her chair, waving a dismissive hand. "No, Mom. I can't. Just have a mail service deliver them and pay the courier. Problem solved."
Elena's brow arched, a sly glint in her eyes. "And what if I offered to pay you?"
Fiona's eyes twitched subtly, though she maintained her composed demeanor, the faintest glimmer of amusement flashing across her features as Hazel shuffled toward her mother, attempting to enlist her in the theatrics.
"No, really, just use the mail service," Hazel insisted, her tone lazy yet insistent, as if she had single-handedly discovered the most ingenious solution in the world.
