Renee looked at Rhea Dempsey's troubled expression and said earnestly, "Mom, don't worry. I'll treat Diana like my own sister from now on."
"She *is* your sister!" Rhea Dempsey said irritably.
Renee nodded furiously. "Right, she's my sister. I promise I'll be good to her and stop giving her a hard time."
Rhea Dempsey was skeptical. "Are you serious?"
Renee held up three fingers. "I swear."
"Tell me the truth." Rhea Dempsey didn't believe she'd had a change of heart. "You just want a new car, don't you?"
Renee: "..."
'Great. I have zero credibility with my own mother.'
Blueberry, nestled in Rhea Dempsey's arms, seemed to be snickering.
"Did Dad go to the market?" Renee plucked a green grape from the coffee table and popped it in her mouth.
Rhea Dempsey: "He just left. You didn't run into him downstairs?"
"Nope." Renee picked up her phone and called Dalton Jenson, reminding him to buy more meat.
Rhea Dempsey glanced at her. "Are you really going to ask your sister to come over for dinner?"
Renee: "Just you wait and see. I'm being super nice to my sister now."
With that, she dialed Diana's number.
"Sis, bring Zane and Jasmine over for lamb dumplings tonight."
On the other end of the line, Diana instinctively wanted to refuse.
But before she could say anything, Renee preempted her. "If you don't come, Sis, I'm not eating tonight."
Diana was helpless against her and could only agree.
Renee put down her phone with a grin. "My sister will be over in a bit."
The more Rhea Dempsey thought about it, the more something felt off. Her brow furrowed. "Renee, fess up. Are you plotting something against your sister?"
Renee: "..."
She turned her back on her mother.
Rhea Dempsey smacked her lightly. "Say something."
Renee said lazily, "Nothing to say to you."
Rhea Dempsey was both angry and speechless.
She sat for a moment, then, remembering that Diana and her two little grandchildren were coming for dinner, she hurried to the fridge to take out more meat to thaw.
Coming out of the kitchen, Rhea Dempsey quickly changed her shoes and went out.
Half an hour later, Renee saw her return with two big bags of snacks.
"For me?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rhea Dempsey shot her a look. "In your dreams."
When Diana arrived, she also brought some vegetables and meat.
Rhea Dempsey said gently, "Bella, you only needed to bring Zane and Jasmine. Why did you buy so much? We have everything at home."
"It's okay, Mom." Diana looked at her two children. "Say hi to Grandma."
Zane and Jasmine obediently greeted her, their hearts already fluttering toward Blueberry in the distance.
"Good children, come sit down." Rhea Dempsey greeted her two little grandchildren with a beaming smile. The coffee table was already covered with snacks.
Diana headed to the kitchen with the meat and vegetables. "I'll go help Dad."
"No need, just let your dad handle it." Rhea Dempsey hurried over, nudged Diana onto the sofa, and whispered, "Your dad's been buzzing with excitement ever since he heard you were coming."
A small smile touched Diana's lips. "Where's Renee?"
Rhea Dempsey smiled. "In her room, on the phone."
Diana nodded, following Rhea Dempsey's gaze to the two little ones who were playing with the cat.
"They seem to have gotten taller again." Rhea Dempsey's eyes filled with loving affection.
Diana: "They have."
"Kids grow up so fast," Rhea Dempsey sighed. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she asked in a low voice, "Bella, Renee hasn't been giving you a hard time lately, has she?"
Diana shook her head gently. "Mom, Renee is very good to me. Don't worry."
"That's good, that's good." Rhea Dempsey said the words, but in her heart, she wasn't reassured.
'She knew her own daughter better than anyone.'
'If Renee was being nice to Diana, she was probably up to no good.'
In her room, Renee was oblivious to her mother's thoughts.
She received a call from that Mr. Zephyr Lockwood, the man who had given her his business card last night.
He wanted to schedule a time with her to check on Krylia.
Probably considering that Renee was a young woman, Zephyr Lockwood took the initiative to suggest, "We can meet in a park. You can pick the location."
"Okay." Renee asked for his address, thought for a moment, and chose a midpoint. "How about tomorrow at 4:30 PM at Blue Bay Park?"
"Alright. I won't disturb you any further, then. See you tomorrow."
"Goodbye."
**
The meal was a joyous and harmonious affair.
After washing the dishes, Rhea Dempsey came out with a platter of sliced fruit.
Everyone sat in the living room, eating fruit and playing with Blueberry. The atmosphere was warm and peaceful.
The doorbell suddenly rang. Renee got up to open the door and saw three uninvited guests.
Old Hag Crawford had come over with her husband and daughter.
"Well now, Renee, you're actually home?" Old Hag Crawford feigned surprise. "I saw Diana bring the two little ones over earlier. I just assumed you were out again."
In the past, Rhea Dempsey would always wait for Renee to go out before catching Diana at the kindergarten gate to invite them over for dinner.
Old Hag Crawford's words were clearly meant to stir up trouble.
The smile on Rhea Dempsey's face vanished. She said coolly, "What brings you here again, Tina? Did you forget something here this afternoon?"
"It's just rare to see Diana back for a visit, so we came to chat." Old Hag Crawford's family made themselves at home, pulling up a few stools to sit down.
"Diana, is taking care of the kids wearing you out?" asked Old Hag Crawford's daughter, Joy Warren. She was dressed in a red fur coat, her hands—laden with gold and silver—resting on her knees, as if afraid no one would notice.
Seeing that she was being addressed, Diana replied politely, "It's fine."
"Is it?" Joy Warren lifted a hand to flick her hair back, revealing a diamond stud in her ear. "I don't know, I think you've aged a lot. Don't have money for skincare?"
Diana: "..."
She pressed her lips together and said nothing.
Zane and Jasmine retorted in low voices, "Our mommy isn't old!"
Renee eyed her, a half-smile playing on her lips. "And do *you* have money for skincare?"
Joy Warren looked at her, covering her mouth with a hand as she giggled coquettishly. "I have a suitor who owns a beauty salon. I don't have to pay for my treatments."
Renee raised an eyebrow. "Then his salon must get people making a scene there every day, right?"
"What?" Joy Warren was confused.
Renee beamed and explained, "Because I can see those treatments aren't having any effect on you at all. You look almost as old as Aunt Crawford. With a doctor that unskilled, I'm surprised nobody's gone there to raise hell."
Joy Warren turned beet-red with anger. "There's something wrong with your eyes!"
"There's something wrong with *your* eyes!" Renee rolled her eyes and retorted coldly, "My sister is so much younger than you, and you call her old? Are you blind? Why don't you take a look in the mirror and see what you look like!"
"You... you..." Joy Warren hadn't expected Renee to be so vicious. She whined aggrievedly, "Mom, Ms. Dempsey, listen to how Renee is talking!"
Renee crossed her arms, looking like a total rogue. "I'm talking with my mouth. Can't you see? Guess I was right when I said you were blind."
Joy Warren: "..."
'Old Hag Crawford wanted nothing more than to tear Renee to shreds,' but remembering she was here on business, she could only force a dry laugh.
"Renee, my girl, you've loved to argue since you were little. That's a habit you'll never change!"
"With a tongue that sharp, you'd better be careful or you'll never get married!"
"Thank you for the concern, Aunt Crawford," Renee said with a grin. "But you should worry more about Joy Warren. So young, yet she already looks like she's middle-aged. Who would dare marry her?"