My Pretty Sweetheart (Arianna) novel Chapter 273

Since receiving the porcelain, Yohannes had been holding it dearly. His smile never dropped, and he mannerly said, "Thank you both for keeping me in mind!"

"Hendrix has always been like this," Nerissa beamed. "Now that he's about to become a father, he's behaving even more like a grownup."

Hendrix smiled softly and replied, "Actually, I almost forgot about it when I came here. Fortunately, Arianna had reminded me."

I was stunned at Hendrix's reply. I only knew about the dinner not long ago, let alone knowing that he had prepared a gift. However, it wasn't wise to disprove Hendrix. So, I stayed silent.

Yohannes put the porcelain back into the gift box and passed it to Nerissa, emphasizing its importance to him, "Keep it well!"

Then, he looked at me and asked, "The baby is due soon, right? You're such a thoughtful child. I trust that you've already made arrangements with the hospital? It's better to be over-prepared than to be under-prepared when it comes to childbirth."

I nodded, "Yes, Uncle Yohannes. It's all well-arranged. Hendrix has made the preparations early."

Nerissa smiled and said, "Don't worry, Yohannes. Hendrix and Arianna are attentive. I'm sure they've got it all thought out."

As we talked, Irvin came through the front door, and dinner was soon ready. Everyone moved to the dining room and settled down to their seats. We enjoyed the dinner and talked for a bit more. Then, Nerissa looked at Irvin and asked, "Irvin, how about you? Hendrix is about the same age as you, and he's already going to be a father soon. Do you have any girl that you like?"

The air thickened a bit as the focus of the conversation had shifted to Irvin. He didn't like it much, only answered coldly, "No."

His answer was curt.

Nerissa only smiled and didn't say anything else, seemingly used to his brusqueness. Yohannes, however, scoffed, "Look at him, still wet behind his ears. Who would take a liking to a man like him? Who would trust him to be a father?"

At that, Irvin sneered, "Look at who's talking."

And his retort got under Yohannes' skin. Enraged, Yohannes slammed his hand on the table, "Watch your mouth, young man!"

"Alright, Yohannes. Irvin didn't mean it. You shouldn't take it to heart," Nerissa put her hand on Yohannes' hand on the table and soothed him. "It's a family dinner. Let's finish this happily, okay? Come, I think everyone should have a taste of this wine. I bought it from my friend's vineyard."

The Granger manor was grand and luxurious, and it had a spacious courtyard. In it, there were many exotic plants. I began to feel a little tired after only strolling for a while.

I found a big but flat-surfaced rock and was about to sit on it for some rest before the maidservant stopped me. She pointed at a pavilion not far away and said, "Mrs. Roberts, the rock is cold. Perhaps you'll want to rest under the pavilion? There are loungers over there, and I think it will be more comfortable if you lie down."

I nodded and followed her to the pavilion. As I was told, it was indeed comfortable laying down on the lounger.

However, even only resting my eyes, I was on the edge. Noticing my anxiety, the maidservant said softly, "You don't have to worry. Mr. Roberts has instructed me to stay by your side at all times. Plus, we regularly spray anti- parasitic drugs here in the courtyard. So, please rest well-assured, Mrs. Roberts."

I was surprised after listening to her words, only nodded after a few seconds, and said, "Okay then. Thank you."

I had never set foot in our backyard since the snake incident from before. I thought I had hidden it well, but I didn't expect that Hendrix would have noticed it.

Perhaps because of the assurance, combining with the perfect ambiance in the evening, I fell into a deep and sound sleep.