Anathea hesitated only for a few seconds before slipping oft the diamond ring and tossing it into the box . Just then , Jenny knocked on her door . " Mrs. Sinclair , Mr. Xander and Mr. Sinclair are back . Would you like to start preparing dinner for them now ? Anathea had always prepared meals for Gregory and Xander herself , so Jenny simply passed along their requests as usual . " Mr. Sinclair wants herb - baked mussels with white wine sauce , and Mr. Xander asked for formato and ham risotto that's on the sweeter side , not too tangy . " Jenny glanced at Anathea . " All the ingredients are ready . " Everyone took Anathea's efforts for granted . Yet before she'd gotten married , she'd been a pampered heiress , someone who'd never even stepped foot in a kitchen . " Oh , and Ms. Whitman came back with them too. " Jenny carefully watched Anathea's sexpression . Anthea didn't have much of a reaction . She simply headed downstairs Meanwhile , Xander and Natalie were reminiscing about the fun they had at the amusement park " Ms. Whitman , you were amazing ! You caught so many fish ! " Xander beamed , clutching his small fishbowl . Since Anathea's accident , he'd been feeling a bit uneasy to call Natalie " Mommy Nat " in front of her . But that didn't change the fact that he adored Natalle just as much as before . " I want to go to the amusement park with you again ! " " L " Natalie glanced toward the staircase and caught sight of Anathea coming down . Smiling , she suggested , " Xander , I bet it's been a long time since you went to an amusement park with your mom . How about we take her along next time ? " Xander's face immediately fell . " No way ! Mom only lets me go on boring rides like the carousel , and she never buys me ice cream ! I don't want to go with her . I want to go with you ! " Anathea paused mid - step . For a child Xander's age , thrill rides weren't the best choice , so she'd always carefully picked activities that suited him and still matched his interests . Besides , his stomach was sensitive . Too much ice cream could trigger gastritis . That was Anathea packed homemade snacks in advance every time she took him out . She always made sure he had something to eat when he was hungry and water when he was thirsty . But the only things Xander remembered were the things she didn't let him do . Anathea didn't even have the energy to care anymore . " Ms. Whitman , you'll go with me again , right ? Please ? " Xander clung to Natalie's hand . " Next time , I'll ask Dad to come The three of us can go together ! " Gregory , who'd been sitting on the couch reviewing financial reports , suddenly asked , " Xander , have you finished your homework ? " The moment homework was mentioned , Xander immediately quieted down . He lowered his head with a guilty look . He'd spent the whole day having fun with Natalie at the amusement park and hadn't done a single bit of his homework yet . " Don't be so strict , Greg . " Natalie chided gently before leaning toward Xander with a smile . " It's okay . You can start with it after dinner . I'll help you . How does that sound ? " " That sounds great ! " Xander's eyes lit up . When he spotted Anathes coming down the stairs , he immediately pulled Natalie toward her . " My mom is the best cook ! Ms. Whitman , you can ask her to make you anything you want ! " " Is that … okay ? " Natalie looked at Anathea apologetically . " Wouldn't it be too much trouble for Ms. Jacobson ? " She knew full well that Anathea and Gregory were married . The entre household staff addressed Anathea as " Mrs. Sinclair " , but Chapter 8 +25 BONUS Natalie deliberately called her " Ms. Jacobson " instead . Her intentions couldn't have been clearer . Anathea didn't bother responding . She simply opened the fridge and reached inside for the ham. " It's no trouble , " Gregory answered for her . Natalie was a guest , and Anathea was already making dinner anyway . One more dish wouldn't kill her . As far as he was concerned , Anathea wasn't the type to be petly over something sanall " Really , Ms. Jacobson ? " Natalie looked at Anathea expectantly. " No. " Anathea's voice was calm and indifferent . She bypassed the ham , picking up a sandwich instead . She wasn't to the mood for a full meal . A sandwich would do . As for the others ' dinner … " I'm not cooking " Upon hearing Anathea's refusal , Gregory instinctively lifted his gaze to look at her . In his memory , she'd never refused his requests . This was the first time . Before he could say anything , Natalie stood up first and apologized to Anathea . " I'm sorry . That was my fault . I'm already so grateful that Greg let me stay here . I shouldn't have expected you to cook for me too … I mean , I'm just an outsider . " " You're not an outsider ! " Xander immediately protested , running up to Anathea . " Mom , why are you being so petty ? You won't even make Ms. Whitman dinner ? " Looking at his puffed - up face , Anathea felt a dull ache rise in her chest . Still , she kept her expression neutral . She grabbed her sandwich and milk and turned to head back upstairs . Gregory took a step forward and caught her wrist . " What now ? " Anathea stopped in her tracks . " What's this about ? Are you throwing a tantrum I now ? " Gregory frowned . His voice was low and displeased . So this was how it was . He didn't care about her , so no matter how hurt she was , he'd just see it as her " throwing a tantrum " . Anathea pulled her hand free and pointed at the bruise on her face What do you think ? " Gregory pressed his lips into a thin line and said nothing . Anathea didn't spare e him another glance . She just walked away . " Since Ms. Jacobson isn't up to it , why don't we eat out instead ? " Natalie suggested sweetly . Xander perked up instantly . " Yes ! " Gregory watched Anathea's retreating figure but didn't say a word " Let's go , Greg " Natalie walked up to Gregory's side and continued gently , " If we keep staying here , Xander will starve ." Her light , teasing tone was a stark contrast to Anathea's cold indifference . Gregory finally looked away and hummed in acknowledgment . " Should we invite Ms. Jacobson to join us ? " Natalie asked . " No ! I I don't want Mom to come ! " Xander objected immediately . If Anathea came along , she'd never let him order fried chicken ores . But Natalie was different . She let him eat whatever he wanted . Being with her was so much more fun and carefree . " I only want to go with you ! " he declared , clinging to Natalie . Chapter 8 +25 BONUS Seeing Xander so determined , Gregory didn't say anything further As their footsteps faded down the hallway , Anathea , who'd lingered at the top of the stairs , finally turned back around and made her way down again . Her sandwich was cold . She wanted to heat it up . Now that they were gone , the massive dining table was empty prept for her . She ate slowly , taking her time . Seeing this , Jenny quietly made her a side of potato salad . " Thanks . " Anathea managed a faint smile . " Mrs. Sinclair . " Jenny hesitated before saying , " If you keep going on like this , you're going to lose both Mr. Sinclair and Mr. Xander . " Today's Bonus Offer