My Child and I Married a Billionaire

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Isn’t It Normal for My Wife to Sit on My Lap?

Everyone instantly turned to stare at him. "?"

Damien Vaughn, his expression unchanged, turned back to meet Cecelia Archer’s eyes.

"I told you to come over. What are you spacing out for? Want me to come carry you?"

’Cecelia Archer had no idea what kind of crazy fit he was throwing.’

’His current girlfriend, Gwen Morgan, was right beside him, and with so many elders watching... For him to tell me to sit on his lap, was he deliberately trying to put me on the spot?’

Fearing that Damien Vaughn would actually come over and carry her, Cecelia Archer quickly waved her hands.

"No, that’s alright. If you think adding a chair would be too crowded, I’ll eat later. I’m not hungry right now anyway."

’She was going to be the death of him.’

’She was being bullied this badly, and she was still giving in. Was there something wrong with her head, or was she really that much of a pushover?’

’He remembered how tough she used to be when others picked on her, and she was more than capable when she stood up to him. Why did she fall apart in front of them?’

’They were just a bunch of useless freeloaders. If you showed them respect, they acted like elders. If you didn’t, they were nothing. What was there to be afraid of?’

"I said come here, so come here. Enough nonsense."

Furious, he shoved his chair back, spun around to grab Cecelia Archer, and pulled her into his lap.

They settled in, with her seated on top of him.

He was already tall, and now with a full-grown person in his lap, he had instantly become the center of attention. Now, it was Mrs. Vaughn who was unhappy.

"She’s a grown woman. Sitting on your lap for dinner—what is this supposed to look like? Damien, you’re getting more and more out of line."

’She spoke as if she were very close to him, as if she understood him at all.’

Damien Vaughn glanced calmly at his mother.

"She’s my woman. It’s only natural for her to sit on my lap. All of you were young once. I thought you would understand."

The Second and Third Aunts found this ridiculous and chimed in, chuckling. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

"Of course, of course, we understand. Young people, you know... full of passion. It’s perfectly normal to be all over each other after being apart for a day. Eldest Sister-in-law, we’re old now. We should stay out of the youngsters’ business. As long as they’re happy, that’s all that matters. Let’s eat, let’s eat."

Mrs. Vaughn picked up her chopsticks, her face grim.

Nearby, Gwen Morgan’s expression wasn’t any better.

’There were only so many seats. Damien had complained that adding one more chair would be too crowded. It was obvious he considered her redundant.’

’Why does he detest me so much now?’

’I’m so jealous of Cecelia Archer. What is so special about her? Why does Damien go to such great lengths for her?’

Sitting sideways on one of Damien’s legs was unstable, so Cecelia Archer had to hook her arm around his neck.

Their skin made contact. Her chest was pressed against his hard torso, and the side of Damien’s face brushed gently against her chin. The gesture was so intimate her face felt like it was on fire.

Moreover, from her angle, she was directly facing Gwen Morgan and could see her expression with perfect clarity.

Compared to the cheerful, lively woman who had first walked in, Gwen Morgan now looked as if she were enduring a great humiliation.

Cecelia Archer understood why Damien Vaughn was acting this way.

’He must have just had... that kind of intimacy with Gwen Morgan before ditching her to go out of town with me for two days. She’s upset, they’re fighting, and that stubborn Damien refuses to apologize. They’re in a power struggle.’

’Fine, have your power struggle. But to use me as a part of their little game? Who did I ever offend to deserve this?’

While Cecelia Archer was stiffly lost in her wild train of thought, Damien Vaughn picked up some food with his chopsticks and held it to her lips.

"Eat."

"..."

She opened her mouth, her gaze fixed on Gwen Morgan’s face. Although Gwen didn’t turn to look at them, her complexion had visibly worsened.

’This is just cruel!’ freewebnoveℓ.com

Watching her good-for-nothing son, Mrs. Vaughn took a bite of food, then set her chopsticks down again, clearly displeased.

"Ms. King hasn’t improved at all over the years. She still makes the same old dishes, and the flavors are just average. I can’t stomach it. Especially these lotus root flour balls. Just looking at them, I lose my appetite."

Ms. King, standing respectfully behind them, flushed with shame when she heard this.

"You are right, Madam. I’m getting old, and my cooking has become rather ordinary. I am truly ashamed."

"There’s no need to be ashamed. After all, you’re here at home all day with no chance to go out and study new techniques. It’s a blessing you haven’t regressed. Alright, don’t be so stiff. I was just speaking my mind, I didn’t mean to blame you."

Ms. King was still very ashamed. "The lotus root flour balls may not look the best, but the Young Madam rolled each one by hand. Madam, you should at least have a taste. The Young Madam did it all out of filial piety for you."

His mother had always loved this dish. Damien had known about lotus root flour balls since he was a child and was aware of how complex and meticulous the preparation was. He never expected that today’s were hand-rolled by Cecelia Archer.

Listening to his mother’s nitpicking, he couldn’t help but wonder whether she was looking down on the appearance of the dish or on Cecelia Archer’s effort.

"The Young Madam rolled them by hand? How did she know Mrs. Vaughn liked this dish?"

Ms. King replied, "The Madam requested this dish from me. When the Young Madam heard she liked it, she rushed to the market, then came back to roll the dough by hand. Dinner is late today because we were pressed for time, and to not cause any delays, the Young Madam rubbed her hands until the skin broke..."

"Ahem," Cecelia Archer, having no intention of seeking credit and wanting none, quickly interrupted Ms. King.

"It was just what I should do. Why are you mentioning all that?"

Damien Vaughn put down his chopsticks and took her free hand—the one not wrapped around his neck.

He frowned the instant he laid eyes on it.

"How did your hand get like this? It’s all swollen. Does it hurt?"

To be honest, it did hurt. A lot.

The spines on the shrimp heads had pricked her countless times, and soaking her hands in water afterward had made the pain drill into her bones. But Cecelia Archer couldn’t say that.

"It’s fine. I’m not that delicate..."

"Don’t pull away. Let me see."

She tried to pull her hand back to hide it, but Damien Vaughn held it fast.

Her usually long, fair fingers were now bright red, each one swollen and puffy. He couldn’t control his temper.

"Are you a pig? If you don’t know how to cook, then don’t! Or just tell me, and I’ll have a chef do it. Why do you have to make things so hard on yourself? ’It doesn’t hurt?’ Are you going to wait until your hand is crippled before you care?"

In any case, she had only ended up like this because she was cooking for his mother. How was this rant of his any different from blaming his own mother?

A glance at the Eldest Sister-in-law’s face revealed it had grown even darker. The Second Aunt, however, looked thoroughly pleased.

"Damien, how can you talk like that? Cecelia is our Eldest Sister-in-law’s daughter-in-law. She cooked personally to show her filial piety, didn’t she? I’m sure our sister-in-law doesn’t care whether it’s cooked well or not; it’s the thought that counts..."

"I’ve been alive all these years, and I’ve never seen you, Mom, or Third Aunt personally cook for Grandpa and Grandma. Does that prove you’re all unfilial to them?"

Second Aunt: "..."

Damien Vaughn blew gently on Cecelia Archer’s fingers, his heart aching, and instructed her.

"Remember what I said. In the future, if you want to show your filial piety to Mom, tell me. Veridia is full of famous chefs. Whatever she wants to eat, we can have them make it for her. There’s no need for you to personally cook."

"Taking care of yourself, the child, and Grandpa—that’s the biggest help you can give me."

Everyone: "..."

Grandpa, however, felt he was absolutely right.

"When your mother-in-law was alive, she knew none of you were used to manual labor and never demanded these superficial displays of filial piety. You are all from a younger generation; you should be more open-minded than she was. From now on, don’t place so many demands on the children."

"As long as the children are happy and the young couple’s relationship is strong, that’s better than anything, wouldn’t you say?"

The Second and Third Aunts didn’t dare argue. Although they were unhappy, they still weakly replied, "Yes."

Only Mrs. Vaughn, who crossed her arms and stared at Damien Vaughn.

"Damien, you’re all grown up now, aren’t you? Your wings have hardened, so I, your mother, can’t say a single thing to you anymore. Is that it?"