A Love Rekindled (Nancy and Bruce)

Did she think she could humiliate my uncle in public just because my uncle stuttered?

I steadied myself and said firmly, "Ma'am, since the situation has been clarified, don't you owe us an apology?"

The woman, who was about to leave, turned back in surprise and glared at me. "An apology? What for?" Her arrogant tone made it seem like we were the ones causing trouble.

I pulled my uncle protectively to my side and reiterated, "You must apologize to my uncle."

The woman rolled up her sleeves, about to retort. But before she could say a word, a voice cut in. "Mom, what's going on here?"

That voice sounded familiar.

I looked toward the voice and saw a Maybach parked by the roadside. Both Bruce and Cindy stood by the car.

Bruce was holding two bottles of Mateus, looking like a nervous son-in-law visiting for the first time.

Suddenly, I realized why the place had seemed so familiar when I first saw my uncle at work. Cindy lived here as well.

Clearly, the middle-aged woman was Cindy's mother, Maeve Hopkins.

Cindy, dressed in a light blue knit dress and ankle boots, walked up to me. She looked surprised. "Nance, what are you doing here?"

Hearing that, Maeve gave me a wary look. She adjusted her slightly ill-fitting Chanel jacket and asked, "Cindy, so she's the Nancy Fisher you've been telling me about?"

Cindy seemed momentarily taken aback but quickly recovered. "Yes, Mom. Nance has been taking great care of me at work."

Maeve looked at me again, her tone softening considerably. "Ms. Fisher, I apologize for the misunderstanding. Let's put this behind us, shall we?"

She had already tried to smooth things over, so it would be ungracious of me to keep pushing the issue.

I didn't want to cause any more trouble for my uncle, especially since he had to continue working there. So, I decided to downplay the situation. "It was just a misunderstanding. Let's let bygones be bygones." Maeve visibly relaxed and shifted her gaze from me to Bruce. She smiled at him and said, "Cindy, is this Mr. Harold?"

Bruce was dressed in a dark suit, looking every bit the successful professional. No wonder Maeve was smiling from ear to ear. After all, who wouldn't be impressed by his looks and wealth?

Bruce put on his best son-in-law demeanor and greeted her politely. "Hello, Mrs. Lane."

As soon as he spoke, my uncle, who was standing beside me, tensed up. I grabbed his arm and said, "We have something to attend to. We'll take our leave now."

But my uncle seemed unwilling to

leave. He kept his gaze fixed on

vel.net

Bruce, and his eyes filled with undisguised hostility. The animosity was impossible to ignore.

Bruce noticed the hostile glare and frowned slightly.

My heart skipped a beat, and I broke out in a cold sweat. In a panic, I said, "Uncle, I'm hungry..."

My words seemed to snap my uncle

back to reality, like a bolt of

lightning. He averted his gaze from Bruce and looked at me with concern. His expression softened a bit

That was the first thing I said after waking up from that incident.

Then, Cindy suddenly spoke up. "Nance, if you don't mind, why don't you have lunch at my place? My dad's a great cook."

I was momentarily speechless.

It seemed strange that their son-in-law was visiting and yet she wanted to invite us over. What was that about?

A moment later, I realized she was just trying to be polite in front of Bruce.

But my uncle's face hardened, and he declined, "No need. I... I'll cook for Nance."

His attitude was so firm that it almost felt rigid.

Back at the workers' dormitory, my uncle cooked two dishes and a soup for me in the shared kitchen, just as he had promised. The ingredients were all grown by him and my aunt back at home.

Looking at the middle-aged man in front of me, a man I respected so much, I felt my eyes well up.

"There are... lots of good men out there." He mechanically served me food. "Nance, you're outstanding. You'll... You'll find someone."

I swallowed a mouthful of rice. My heart ached with a heaviness that felt almost suffocating.

On the way back, I called Caroline immediately.

"Reach out to Richard Fowler?" Caroline was puzzled. "But he's a big shot. Would he even pay attention to us?"

I said calmly, "We have to try."

Only by trying would we know if there was another possibility.