Chapter 105
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Jonathan checked the time . It was 6:30 p.m. , around dinner time . He reckoned she was buying either dinner or groceries for cooking . That was until he saw her walk out carrying cans of beer . It nearly drove him up the wall .
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He thought , ‘ She is just ruining herself like this ! Every time she has problems , she drinks . It has been like this for years !!
He did not need to follow her anymore and could easily guess where she lived . ‘ She was not at Rosary Estates anymore – she was definitely living with Miriam , he thought . Teresa drove to Miriam’s residential area – Begonia Estates .
Jonathan did not drive over right away . Once he confirmed she lived in the residential area , he turned around and left .
“ Miriam , I’m back . ” Teresa came in carrying some beer , and the house was buzzing with activity . Miriam , Michael , and Cheryl were there .
Cheryl proudly announced , “ Teresa , I’m here to teach Mike how to draw . ”
Teresa relaxed her furrowed brows and thought , ‘ How great ! Cheryl graduated from Lumina School of Art and majored in painting . Michael has a knack for art , so it’s perfect for her to guide him .
“ Mike . ” Teresa patted Michael’s head . “ Make sure to learn well from Aunt Cheryl . She’s really talented . ”
Michael stated , “ Mommy , I’m not quite happy . ”
Teresa quickly asked Michael why he was upset .
Michael pouted . “ Aunt Cheryl told me Mr. Lime likes daughters ! It’s a shame I’m not a girl . ”
-Cheryl burst into laughter , and Teresa playfully nudged her in the arm , thinking , ‘ She’s
still laughing ! ‘
Teresa urged , “ Don’t bring up anything about Jonathan with Michael anymore , or I won ‘ t keep your secret . ”
“ No. Teresa , I was wrong ! ” Cheryl immediately pleaded .
Teresa finally relented , and just then , Miriam came out of the kitchen holding a spatula . “ Ahem , it’s a failure . We won’t be having grilled fish tonight . ”
Right after that , a cloud of greas Successfully unlocked ! burnt smell wafted out from the
kitchen .
Teresa asked Cheryl to take Michael back to his room , and she put on a mask and rushed into the kitchen . Miriam had indeed tried to grill fish , but since she could not
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even manage to sauteed vegetables , grilling the fish was a complete failure .
Teresa grabbed a pot of cold water and quickly poured it into the smoking pan , then opened the window to let the smoke out .
Miriam , covered in soot , went out to wash her face .
Teresa turned on the range hood to clear the smoke , coughing as she said , “ Hey , don’t force yourself to try things you can’t do . I’ll just order some fried chicken . ”
“ No ! ” Miriam ran over , crying , “ We ate fried chicken for two days in a row . I’m going to be sick . Please , no more ! ”
“ How about pizza ? ” Teresa suggested .
Miriam said , “ No. We just had that the day before yesterday , and I’m tired of it . ”
“ So what should we eat ? ” Teresa said . She asked Miriam to decide so she could order delivery . She had also picked up some beer to go with it .
Right now , Miriam just wanted some simple homemade side dishes , but none of them -Teresa , Cheryl , or herself – could cook . The best they could manage was a pot of gruel or some instant noodles .
Teresa suggested , “ Let’s order some ravioli and maybe some sauteed vegetables , too .
hope we can find some good ones . ”
Miriam said , “ The ravioli from stores don’t taste good . They’re not as good as the homemade ones . Remember last time when Sherry made those beef ravioli ? They
were quite tasty . ”
Teresa stated , “ Sherry is not here , so we can’t make them . Christian’s father is sick , so she’s accompanying him back home . ”
Hearing this , Miriam agreed with Teresa to order ravioli . It was better than greasy fried chicken or pizza , which she was really tired of .
“ I’ll order the ravioli and make some plain gruel for Michael ,” Teresa said .
“ Why ? Why ? I want to have ravioli too ! ” Michael protested loudly .
Teresa explained , “ Kids should have gruel at night . It’s easier to digest . Be good . ”
Teresa was about to order three portions of ravioli when Miriam’s phone rang . Seeing the name in the caller ID , she exclaimed in surprise , “ Jonathan’s calling ! ”
Teresa’s hand froze just before she could confirm the order . She motioned for Miriam to take the call somewhere quiet .
The kitchen was no longer smoky , so Miriam turned off the exhaust and answered the call before putting it on speaker .
Jonathan got straight to the point . “ I’m downstairs in your residential area . I know Teresa and a little boy live at your place . I’m coming up now . ”
After speaking , Jonathan hung up without waiting for Miriam to reply . He took out the
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ingredients he had just bought from the market , including vegetables , meat , crabs , shrimp , and short ribs , and carried them upstairs .
Miriam stood there , stunned , listening to the buzz . She shook Teresa’s arm . “ This is bad ! How does Jonathan know you’re living here ? And he knows Mike is here too ! ”
Teresa said she had heard everything . Then , she thought , ‘ How did Jonathan figure out I was here ? And that Mike was too ? ”
However , it was too late to send Michael downstairs now . They would definitely run into Jonathan . Plus , sending Michael away without a plan was not an option as she had already locked the door at Rosary Estates .
Teresa said , “ There’s nothing to be afraid of . He doesn’t know Mike is his son . Besides , there are three of us . It’s three against one . I’m sure we can handle him . ”
It was indeed three against one . However , Miriam shook her head . “ I’m not smart enough , and Cheryl seems a bit clueless too . You two will have to deal with it yourselves . ”
The moment she finished speaking , the doorbell rang .
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