Chapter 23 No matter how much Mr. Hughes disapproved of Isabelle , the truth was , she hadn't actually done anything wrong . He was a man who wore his heart on his sleeve , so he was merely polite but distant toward her ; he was ! about to take his anger out on an innocent girl . Mrs. Hughes , holding Aubrey , tried to smooth things over . " Isabelle , dear , please thank your parents for us . This is so thoughtful . " Isabelle quickly replied , " Oh , you're too kind , ma'am . After all , to be blunt , the reason Mr. Hughes was in the hospital last time was because of me . I still feel terrible about it . " Mrs. Hughes's expression froze . Even Hayden , who had been eating his breakfast in silence , paused for a fraction of a second . I started to panic internally . Isabelle was so naive it was almost a liability . I mean , it was true , but talk about picking the worst possible topic ! The atmosphere had been fine , so why bring up old grievances ? Any second now , the Hughes men would be at each other's throats again . Sure enough , I snuck a glance at Mr. Hughes . His face had already darkened , and he'd put down his chopsticks . He shot a glare at Hayden , about to let him have it . I quickly jumped in with a smile . " Mr. Hughes , I heard this collagen stew is a superfood ! Back in the day , they said only new moms got to eat this stuff to recover after childbirth . This is the good stuff . " I had successfully drawn his attention . He gave me an exasperated look . " Stop trying to change the subject . " " I'm not ! I just wanted to remind you , even though it's called a ' stew , ' it's made from fish , not flowers . If you don't eat it while it's hot , it's gonna get stinky ! " " You think I don't know that ? You're just trying to shut me up . " I giggled , my tone halfway between teasing and nagging . " Speaking of new moms , Mr. Hughes , would you rather have a grandson or a granddaughter ? " Mr. Hughes's mustache twitched , " We're not a family that favors boys over girls . A grandson or a granddaughter would be a treasure . Besides , in this lifetime ... I might not get to hold a grandchild at all . " " Who says ? " I immediately shot back . " Hey , I heard the Goddess of Mercy Shrine in the Eastern Suburbs is super effective for people wanting kids . Once you're feeling better , why don't we all go make an offering ? " Mr. Hughes finally lifted his eyelids . " What are you plotting now ? " 2/4 Chapter 23 The last time we were at the Serene Peace Temple , they had received the devastating news that Hayden and I were not fated to be a couple . Mrs. Hughes had been heartbroken . And Mr. Hughes , knowing about my illness , buried his own sorrow even deeper . The thought of going to another shrine made both of them visibly hesitant . Mr. Hughes changed the subject . " Right , I almost forgot to ask . What happened with that young man , Julian , the one who took me to the hospital ? " " He and I ... " I had barely gotten a word out when Hayden , who had been silent all this time , suddenly looked up . " You're still in touch with him ? " I shook my head . " No , but you're right , Mr. Hughes . I really should give him a call , just to be polite and see how he's doing . " Hayden immediately frowned . " Don't you call him . I'll contact him later . " Seeing Hayden's obvious dislike for Julian Coleman , Mr. Hughes finally cracked a smile . But he didn't forget to give me a mock - stern lecture . " Aubrey , you're really something else . Hiring an actor to trick me . If I weren't so sharp , I might have actually fallen for it . " " Hehe , of course ! You know what they say , the older the wiser . " " So , you don't have a boyfriend at all , do you ? You were just lying to us the whole time ? " Hayden had been standing by the whole time without a word , but hearing Mr. Hughes say that , he frowned and chimed in , scolding me , " And the guy you hired was no good , either . It was just an act , and he was actually going to kiss you ? What a creep . " I shot him an annoyed glare . " He's handsome and talented , so what's wrong with a little kiss ? Who knows , maybe our fake relationship could have turned into a real one . " " No , " Hayden said . " I won't allow it . " " What right do you have to not allow it ? I gave my full support to you and Isabelle , you know ! Hayden , you can't just be a hypocrite . " " Because I'm your brother . " " So what if you're my brother ? Let me tell you , Hayden , a girl's gotta get married someday , and a married sister is out of your hands ! If you ever dare to mess with my boyfriend again , don't blame me for disowning you . " " Chapter 23 " Not only will I disown you , I'll get Isabelle to team up against you with me ! We sisters - in - law will stick together . If I can't handle you , I'll let Isabelle put you in your place . " I shot Isabelle a look . " Big sis , you'll be on my side , right ? " Being called " big sis " made Isabelle blush . A little intimidated by Mr. Hughes , she could only give a small , shy nod . " Great ! See , bro ? I've got backup now . You'd better not try to bully me anymore ... " " With me jumping in to joke around , the tense atmosphere finally began to die down , the air no longer thick with conflict . Isabelle gratefully held onto my hand , not letting go . Mr. Hughes seemed to understand my intentions but still wore a slight frown . Only Hayden ... he stared at me the entire time , but I couldn't tell what he was thinking .