Bianca couldn't hold back her explanation. But halfway through her words, she felt someone stepping on her foot under the table.
Bianca looked at Alessia.
Alessia drank her water expressionlessly, as if the person they were discussing wasn't her.
Bianca bit her lip. It seemed her sister-in-law was very unhappy.
"Well, what's the explanation then?" Clara urged, crossing her arms and sneering sarcastically. "Can't come up with anything?"
Bianca blushed and was about to speak again when she felt the foot on hers press down harder.
Bianca could only take a sip of juice and said stubbornly, "I don't want to talk about it."
"Don't want to talk about it? That's because you feel guilty," Clara taunted, smirking triumphantly.
Bianca choked, about to retort, but Grandma Carter spoke up to stop her. "Enough, if you don't want to eat, leave."
With that, everyone fell silent.
Alessia lowered her eyes, smirking slightly, and subtly withdrew her foot from beneath Bianca's.
Dominic tilted his head slightly, keenly noticing Alessia's subtle movement, his gaze darkening.
Twice stopping Bianca from speaking out, what was she hiding?
Dominic suddenly stood up, coldly addressing Alessia, "You want shrimp, right? Let's go check if there's any in the kitchen."
Alessia raised her head inexplicably, not moving.
Was the despicable man crazy? When did she say she wanted shrimp, and their relationship wasn't good enough for them to go to the kitchen together.
However, a hint of impatience flashed in Dominic's eyes, and he suddenly reached out and grabbed Alessia.
Alessia was about to resist when she saw Grandma Carter looking at them.
She couldn't let her grandmother down.
The slight annoyance in Alessia's heart instantly dissipated. She followed Dominic as he stood up, "Grandma, we'll go take a look."
"Go ahead," Grandma Carter smiled in relief.
The two of them left the dining room one after the other. Before they reached the kitchen, Alessia suddenly turned her head, lazily looking at Dominic, "Mr. Carter, what can I do for you?"
Dominic approached aggressively, placing both hands on the wall, locking Alessia in the middle, and got straight to the point, "Why did you step on Bianca's foot twice, and stop her from speaking? What are you hiding?"
Alessia was stunned.
This despicable man was too sharp. It was troublesome to make any small movements under his nose.
Alessia's eyes flickered with mockery as she raised her lips.
"There's nothing to hide. It's just that I got pregnant out of wedlock with my ex, and it's not convenient for everyone to know. Mr. Carter, why are you so interested in my affairs?"
Pregnant out of wedlock?
That wasn't how it was written in the information he had checked back then.
Dominic stared at her. "So you're not a widow?"
"My ex passed away. As the father of the child, I politely maintain his dignity."
Dominic furrowed his brows. The explanation seemed reasonable, but it inexplicably sounded harsh to him.
"What about you two...?"
Dominic wanted to ask further, but at that moment, a servant passing by with dishes noticed someone by the wall, especially in such a suggestive posture. His face turned red, flustered.
Dominic glanced at the servant, then released Alessia and turned to walk towards the dining room.
Alessia waited for a moment before leaving. When she returned to the dining room, she noticed that there was an extra person at the table.
Sisca was sitting in the position where Alessia had been sitting before, chatting happily with Clara.
Alessia didn't mind. Being away from the despicable man was more comfortable. She graciously sat down next to her son.
Dominic, from the corner of his eye, saw Alessia's movements and pressed down his annoyance.
Seeing Alessia sit down, Clara introduced her with ill intentions. "Alessia, this is Miss Sisca Fraser, a good friend of Dom's. I don't know if you two have met."
"Auntie, I know Miss La Rosa. In a way, we've met through a memorable encounter," Sisca said, smiling gently as she picked up the juice from the table, looking at Alessia. "Miss La Rosa, I toast to you with juice to congratulate you on finding your biological mother."
Biological mother?!
Except for Grandma Carter present, no one knew that Alessia was an orphan. Everyone only knew that she came from the countryside.
Everyone looked at Alessia with some surprise.
Grandma Carter sincerely felt happy for Alessia and asked with concern, "Sia, is it true? When did this happen?"
Alessia glanced at Sisca and lightly hummed in agreement. "Just yesterday."
Sisca smiled, hiding the malice in her eyes, more enthusiastic than the person involved. She echoed, "Yes, I also happened to be at the hospital this morning, and I heard from Nolan that Miss La Rosa's biological mother is Miss Ava Ramirez."
The dining table fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.
Then, Clara burst into laughter. "So it turns out she's a bastard after all, and her mother was once locked up in a mental hospital as a lunatic."
Grandma Carter's face turned ugly, Bianca was angry, and Christopher clenched his fists.
Sisca pretended to drink water to hide the malice in her eyes.
However, before she could touch the rim of the glass, it was snatched away.
Christopher stood up at some point, his obsidian eyes ignited with flames as he glared at Sisca. "Leave. My family doesn't welcome you."
Sisca's eyes flashed with annoyance, pretending to be embarrassed as she stood up.
Bianca spoke with disgust, "Sisca, when will you apologize for plagiarizing my sister-in-law... my Alessia's song?"
Sisca bit her lip. Grandma Carter and Dominic were both present, and to maintain her image, she couldn't argue or fight back. She could only look to Clara for help.
It was Clara who had called her this morning.
However, Clara just watched without any intention of helping.
Using her and then discarding her, Sisca clenched her fists, cursing inwardly.
Sisca could only resort to her last resort, crying pitifully, "Dom...," finally looking towards Dominic.
Dominic had been quietly eating throughout the meal. It wasn't until now that he furrowed his brows upon hearing the conversation.
He paused with his spoon and uttered two words, "Eat up."
But for Sisca, these two short words felt like redemption.
She breathed a sigh of relief, and the tears that had just been streaming down her face were replaced by a hint of shyness.
She knew that Dom wouldn't ignore her.
Sisca wiped away her tears, feeling triumphant as she sat back down.
Bianca stabbed at her food fiercely.
Alessia drank some water nonchalantly. She knew that staying indifferent meant no emotional fluctuations.
***