She doesn't care about Dominic, nor does she want to meddle in others' affairs. It's just because Grandma Carter has been kind to her, so she wants to know the reason.
Bianca shrugged mischievously and winked.
"Sis, it's rare that you care about my brother. If you want to know the answer, you should ask my brother yourself. If you help my brother resolve his issues with our grandmother, you two will definitely remarry immediately."
How did she care about Dominic? From what aspect did Bianca see that she cared about Dominic? Alessia drank water casually, as if this topic had never been brought up.
"Mommy! Mommy!"
Just as Alessia put down her cup, she saw her three little ones running excitedly into the room.
A smile immediately appeared on her face as she opened her arms.
The little daughter climbed into her arms with her short legs; the second son knelt on the sofa, embracing her waist; the eldest son stood aside with a dignified expression, a smile on his face.
"Mommy, Daddy has acknowledged me and my brother. So, our family of five will live together in the future, right?"
Eleanor lifted her little face, poking her finger anxiously.
Alessia wanted to nod, but thinking of last night in the car, when she lied to Christopher, and Dominic's serious expression, she choked back the comforting words.
She would eventually leave with the children.
Since it was bound to happen sooner or later, it was better to prepare the children psychologically in advance.
She comforted her daughter by patting her head, "Darling, Mommy understands your feelings, but our current situation of living together is only temporary."
"So... we can't? I understand." Her hopeful little face immediately drooped.
Even the lively Christian fell silent, and even Christopher, who stood silently on the side, looked dim.
The atmosphere suddenly became oppressive.
Just then, a pair of long legs stepped in from the door.
"Daddy!" Eleanor, who had just been acknowledged by her father, brightened her eyes, but soon lowered her head again, her eyes dimming.
Mommy said living with Daddy was just temporary.
Alessia also froze when she saw Dominic coming in.
She lowered her eyes and recalled that she hadn't said anything she shouldn't have, so Dominic couldn't have sensed her intention to run away with the kids.
She calmly picked up her cup, intending to take a sip of water, but she saw Dominic silently approaching and swiftly picking up Eleanor from her arms.
That rapid movement was truly swift.
Alessia frowned slightly as she looked at Dominic, whose face was tense and full of hostility.
This man, would he hit Eleanor?
Clearly, Alessia wasn't the only one with such thoughts.
Bianca raised her head, looking nervous.
Christian opened her mouth wide.
Christopher clenched his small fists.
Then, to everyone's surprise, Dominic raised his hand, which was even larger than Eleanor's face.
Just as everyone was preparing to step forward to stop Dominic, his slender fingers gently brushed aside the small strands of hair on Eleanor's forehead.
And he soothingly rubbed Eleanor's little face.
The way he treated this precious child didn't seem like he was about to hit someone at all.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the same time, not yet recovering from Dominic's sudden tenderness, when they saw him holding Eleanor and gently coaxing her.
"Elle, don't be sad. Mommy's words don't count, only Daddy's words count. Daddy asked the butler to buy you many princess toys. Daddy will take you to see them."
As he spoke, he carried Eleanor out.
Christopher and Christian, who had been completely ignored, exchanged a glance. Christian jumped off the sofa and chased after Dominic.
"Daddy, do I have toys too?"
Christopher blinked and looked over.
"Now that Daddy has Elle, you don't want me and Big Brother anymore?" Christian, realizing belatedly, muttered as he followed behind.
"Ha, I never thought my brother is a daughter lover." Bianca couldn't help but laugh, leaning over to whisper in Alessia's ear, "Sis-in-law, believe me, a man who loves daughters will treat his wife extremely well. Seize the opportunity and remarry my brother soon."
Alessia: "..."
Besides urging her to remarry Dominic, does Bianca have any other lines?
Alessia, feeling mentally exhausted, breathed a sigh of relief and went to the hospital. She told Riley about moving while she was there.
When she came back, before she even entered the house, she met Mrs. Cate who had just moved in and was tidying up the flower bed in the yard.
After Mrs. Cate glanced into the living room, she lowered her voice and hesitantly spoke. "Miss, when I moved today, Miss Ava happened to come over. When she heard that you were moving, she followed along. As soon as she arrived, she happened to meet Mr. Carter, and Miss Ava seemed unhappy."
Alessia's almond-shaped eyes twitched slightly as she nodded in acknowledgment and walked into the house.
As soon as she entered, she saw Ava sitting in the living room.
Seeing her return, Ava, contrary to her usual demeanor, did not show any hospitality. Instead, she looked at Alessia coldly, as if suppressing her anger.
Alessia glanced upstairs and didn't hear the children's voices, so she understood that the children should all be with Dominic.
She walked calmly to the side of the sofa and sat down, casually picking up a magazine to flip through.
Ava remained silent, and Alessia didn't speak either. The living room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
Ten minutes passed, and in this silent confrontation, Ava couldn't hold out any longer. A hint of gloom flashed in her eyes.
She adjusted her ocean-colored dress and spoke up, "Sia, what's going on between you and Dominic Carter? How come you've moved to the house opposite his?"
Alessia didn't look away from the magazine as she asked calmly, "What do you think I'm up to?"
Alessia's non-denial directly caught Ava off guard, and she stood up from her seat, blaming Alessia with a tone that she probably wasn't even aware had changed. Sharply, she said, "Do you even know what your status is?"
"What status do you think I am, Miss Ramirez?" Alessia lifted her head leisurely and finally looked over.
"You're a divorced woman from the countryside, still with two children. How could a normal wealthy family possibly look up to you? You'd better not daydream, it's a waste of effort. You'll end up with nothing, crying your eyes out."
Ava, already nervous and anxious, had waited for Alessia for an hour or two. Coupled with Alessia's apparent indifference when she entered, her emotions had reached their breaking point.
Her guard had already weakened, so when Alessia asked, she almost instinctively blurted out her words, just wanting to suppress Alessia. Although deep down, she believed that Dominic could never be interested in Alessia, a divorced woman with two children.
But just in case.
Just in case Alessia got involved with Dominic, it would affect her plans.
After all, Dominic's reputation in Toronto was well-known.
Ava's seemingly mocking remark made Alessia close the magazine in her hand and look at her.
"So. Is this your true opinion? All your kindness to me before was just pretend."
"No." Ava denied instinctively. At this moment, she suddenly realized that she had let her emotions get the better of her and had spoken out of turn.
She gritted her teeth, her eyes flickered, and she tried to backtrack. "Sia, I don't look down on you. I just want you to see yourself clearly. If you want a boyfriend, I will definitely introduce you to suitable ones in the future."
Alessia didn't speak, just looked at Ava.
Ava felt uneasy under her gaze and began to grow impatient. How could this country bumpkin have such sharp eyes?
If it weren't for... she wouldn't have the patience to interact with such an uncultivated child.
Ava opened her handbag and took out several invitations, handing them to Alessia. Changing the subject, she said, "Sia, I promised you earlier to hold a kinship banquet for you. The date has been set, it's in six days. You can use these invitations to invite your friends. In the next few days, I'll also have Jessie come over to help you try on dresses and teach you the etiquette for the banquet."
Alessia's gaze fell on the invitations in Ava's hand. The invitations were red with gold lettering, very ostentatious.
Nolan had just been sent abroad, yet the Ramirez family still had the mind to prepare such a grand kinship banquet for her, the culprit.
Alessia's eyes flickered as she took the invitations.
Seeing Alessia accept the invitations, Ava secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It was almost as if she had changed her expression back to her usual hospitable one in the blink of an eye.
"Sia, I'll leave first then. If you need anything, feel free to call me anytime."
"Mm." Alessia responded and got up, "I'll walk you out."
Ava was stunned. Since she had taken the initiative to seek recognition, no matter how hospitable she was, Alessia had always been indifferent to her.
Today was the first time she had proposed to see her off.
Could it be because of the upcoming kinship banquet that moved her? Ava speculated in her heart and came to a conclusion.
Sure enough, no matter how light and breezy she seemed on the surface, she was inherently vain.
Once the kinship banquet was held and Alessia had the title of Miss Ramirez, her value would skyrocket. The quality of the suitors around her would also increase.
As Ava analyzed, she felt a bit displeased. She suppressed the feeling and nodded.
At the door, Alessia suddenly reached out to Ava.
***