Chapter 97
For dinner, Victoria made bagels, mainly because she didn't want to bother cooking a proper meal.
Emma pulled up a small stool and stood beside her, mimicking her movements as she shaped a bagel. Her chubby little hands kneaded the dough, and in no time, a bizarrely shaped bagel emerged.
Victoria laughed. "Well, you'll have to eat that one yourself."
Emma blinked. "Ms. Victoria, I made this bagel myself. It represents my heart. You must accept it!"
"Oh, is that so? Then I'll take it. Make some more!" Victoria accepted the misshapen bagel.
Just then, a sullen voice sounded from nearby.
Victoria turned and saw Jude, also perched on a chair. His small face, stern yet childish, held a hint of awkwardness as he said, "Mom, I want to make some too."
Surprise flickered across Victoria's face. "Why?"
"So I can give them to you," Jude replied. He looked up at her, his eyes filled with sincerity, not the usual coldness and impatience.
But Victoria felt strangely calm. "You're still not feeling well. Go and rest. I'll be done soon."
Jude grew anxious. "Why can she make them with you, but I can't?"
"If he wants to make them, let him." Henry's voice chimed in.
Victoria was really getting annoyed.
She muttered under her breath. "What on earth do they want? Can't they even let me make a bagel in peace?"
"Fine, you do it then," Victoria said flatly, tossing a piece of bagel dough in front of him.
Jude immediately got to work, first observing Victoria's technique for a moment, then mimicking her actions.
Victoria didn't hold out much hope.
Emma, also around four or five years old, had been trying hard to learn, but her bagels still came out looking like abstract art. She expected Jude to be about the same.
"Mom, look!" Jude's excited voice piped up less than a minute later.
She turned her head and saw a good formed bagel nestled in his tiny palm.
The bagel was almost as big as his little hand, good formed and nice. Her gaze fell on his face, dusted with flour, his eyes shining with excitement.
He was usually so reserved, rarely displaying such strong emotion.
He was pleased to have made such a good bagel.
He looked at her, eyes sparkling, clearly anticipating her praise.
Victoria, of course, wasn't one to hold back. She nodded. "You did a great job."
Jude immediately held it out to her. "This is for you."
Emma, watching from the side, said, "Copycat."
Jude ignored her, focused only on the fact that he had made a good bagel and his mother had praised him. Did this mean she liked him now?
But Victoria's response was as indifferent as ever. "Just put it there. We'll boil them all together later."
There was none of the joy and delight he had expected.
Jude couldn't help but feel disappointed. He put his bagel down and silently continued his work.
"Alright, you two can go out now. Wash your hands and face! Dinner will be ready soon."
The two little ones scurried out, and the maid removed their chairs.
Inside the bathroom, Emma couldn't help but gloat a little. "Ms. Victoria likes me best."
Jude pressed his lips and said nothing. He turned on the faucet and started washing his hands.
But a look of determination flashed in his eyes.
"I'll make Mom like me! I'll do my best!"
The bagels were ready, and Victoria sat down at the table. Emma's misshapen bagel immediately caught her eye, and she picked it up.
Emma beamed. "Ms. Victoria, I made this one!"
"Yes, I can see that," Victoria replied with a nod. It was quite a unique shape. It was hard to miss, really.
"Mom, where's the one I made?" Jude asked.
Victoria paused, her expression unchanging as she scanned the plate. "I don't know," she said finally.
Jude was taken aback. "Don't you like the bagel I made? Does it look bad?" he asked.
Meeting his gaze, Victoria replied calmly, "It looks very nice. That's why it's not easy to find."
But she didn't say whether she liked it or not.
Jude was fixated on this point. "But do you like the bagel I made?"
Victoria fell silent. An awkward silence filled the dining room.
When Henry walked in, he saw Jude looking aggrieved and staring at Victoria.
"What's wrong?" he asked in a deep voice.
Jude lowered his eyes and said, "Mom said the bagel I made looks good."
"Uh–huh," Henry replied, his expression stern. "And?"
Jude pressed his lips. "Mom doesn't seem to like it."
Victoria's heart skipped a beat, and she gripped her fork tightly. Was Henry going to give her a hard time and accuse her of upsetting his son?
If it was like this on the first day, how was she going to get through the rest of them?
Just the thought of it made her anxious.
"Who says that just because you made something, someone else had to like it?".
Jude looked up at him in surprise.
Henry continued, "People have the right to like or dislike things, understand?"
Jude looked uncertain.
Victoria, sitting opposite them, was taken aback but quickly masked her emotions.
He was good at lecturing others, but he didn't practice what he preached.
She didn't like him. She wanted a divorce, but he disagreed and even tried to stop her.
He didn't like her, but he wouldn't let her go.