Mr. Warner, Your Wife is Running Away Again!-Chapter 217: A Special New Year’s Eve

"It’s almost time to eat, how about putting away the mahjong for now and continue after dinner?" Hazel Yates suggested, glancing at the wall clock.

Norman Sutton immediately complained, "Mom! My brother-in-law bullied me! I lost money!"

Hazel Yates shot him a look, "If you gamble, you must accept losing. Weren’t you proud when you just won your sister’s money?"

"No way! You guys need to give me more red envelopes."

Helen Holloway chuckled, "I think this young man is quite amusing. Does your son-in-law have a partner, by any chance? Should I help him with an introduction?"

Hazel Yates laughed, "He’s not in a rush, but if you, dear, have someone suitable, you could introduce them to my older sons."

"It’s one of Shane’s distant cousins. She’s twenty-four this year, also giving her family a headache because they’re urging her too."

Hearing this, Audrey Sutton instinctively asked, "Could it be Sister Phoebe?"

Helen Holloway was slightly surprised, "Audrey, you know Phoebe?"

Audrey nodded with a smile and glanced at Stephen Sutton, noticing that his action of rolling dumpling wrappers paused at the mention of Phoebe King’s name, indicating it had an impact on him.

Hazel Yates said, "Twenty-four, huh? That’s closer in age to our third and fourth sons."

The fourth son sitting beside Hazel Yates immediately tossed this hot potato to the third son, who was handling business on his tablet nearby, "Naturally, the older brother should date first, can’t mess up the order."

Arthur Sutton glared at Scott Sutton, while Shane Warner said, "I think you’d better not. If she comes, the house will turn upside down."

Helen Holloway laughed dryly, "That’s true. Phoebe’s personality is quite fiery. I think, though, that your younger brother’s temperament is more in tune with hers."

Norman Sutton, typically outspoken, quickly said, "Already twenty-four? I don’t want such an old lady; I’ll only turn twenty-three after the New Year."

Hazel Yates shot him a look, then quickly laughed and said to Helen Holloway, "That’s just how this kid talks, don’t take it to heart, dear."

"Haha, kids these days have a good sense of humor."

With the mahjong game wrapped up, Shane Warner walked over to Audrey Sutton and watched her roll dumpling wrappers.

Audrey Sutton turned her head with a grin and asked, "How much did you win? Did you win it all back?"

Shane Warner didn’t immediately answer her question, but seeing the white flour on her face, he instinctively reached out and gently rubbed her cheek with his thumb.

Audrey didn’t expect this move, her face turned bright red as everyone watched.

When Shane pulled his hand back and lightly dusted the flour off, Audrey realized he’d been wiping the flour off her face.

"I probably won it back." He pulled out a stack of cash from his pocket and handed it to Audrey, adding, "Later your brother ran out of cash and transferred some to me via WhatsApp."

"Wow! Was it all from him losing?"

Norman Sutton grabbed a strawberry from a nearby fruit basket, popped it into his mouth, and coldly replied, "Hmph, targeting only my tiles, who else could have lost?"

Audrey teased, "Serves you right."

Seeing Norman inching closer sneakily, Audrey, knowing him too well, quickly seized the stack of cash from Shane’s hands and stuffed it back into his pocket, giving Norman a wary glance and cautioning Shane, "Keep it safe, don’t let the little thief get it."

Shane watched her flour-dusted hands brush off on his coat, chuckled silently, gently patted it off, and stood behind her, watching her skillfully roll dumpling wrappers.

Just seeing her happy was enough.

And this year, it was probably the happiest New Year’s Eve he’d had since his brother passed away.

Soon enough, his fifth brother returned, and a few minutes later, Franklin Sutton arrived with Laura Yates.

The whole family was lively and cheerful.

In an apartment by the river.

Vanessa Sterling stood in front of the fridge, looking at the fully stocked refrigerator, yet only took tomatoes and eggs.

To her, this was the simplest and easiest dish to make, and among the few dishes she could cook, the most delicious.

Holidays for her were no different from ordinary days.

The biggest gift the New Year brought was that Miles Sterling would come home each year. Usually, he would return around the fourth or fifth day; she got to enjoy the time without him briefly.

But this year was different from what she expected.

As Vanessa was carefully picking eggshells out of the bowl after cracking eggs into it, she heard sounds coming from the door.

Soon, Miles Sterling pushed the door open and entered, looking displeased but not angry; instead, he seemed downcast, as if something was troubling him.

"...You’re back?" Vanessa initiated the greeting to Miles, who was changing into slippers at the entrance.

Though she wanted to ignore him, she feared he might get upset, and if his mood soured, she’d be the one to suffer.

Miles put on his shoes and came over, glanced at the simple ingredients on the counter, sighed, and said, "Let’s go out, I’ll cook."

Vanessa paused, thinking she might have misheard.

Seeing Miles take off his coat, turn, grab the apron hanging on the wall, and put it on, Vanessa confirmed she hadn’t misheard.

"Take my coat out."

She dared not defy him, obediently taking his coat out and watching from afar as he busied himself in the kitchen.

She didn’t know whether she should go in and help; since he hadn’t asked, it seemed better to stay out of the way.

Noticing his unusual behavior today, she resolved to be extra cautious.

He didn’t call for her, and after more than half an hour, the delicious aroma wafted from the kitchen, making Vanessa’s stomach rumble.

Miles came out with two plates and said to Vanessa, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room, "Come in, grab some cutlery, it’s time to eat."

Vanessa immediately got up to go over; she’d been wondering if he had only cooked for himself and didn’t plan to share.

After all, he had never cooked for her before.

At the dining table, the two of them sat across each other.

With Miles present, Vanessa was cautious, so much so that she didn’t dare reach for the chopsticks or start picking food. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Five dishes and a soup, which were plenty for her.

The colors and aroma of the dishes were enticing; it was the first time she realized he could cook.

"Eat, there’s no poison," Miles took a sip of his own small bowl of soup, seemingly as proof to Vanessa that it was safe to drink.

He was spot on; Vanessa wondered if he suddenly cooked for her to poison her.