Chapter 402

The elderly woman suddenly snapped out of her daze.

She wasn't here to put on airs. If she pushed Jonathan too far, they'd be the ones suffering in the end. With a huff, she clamped her mouth shut.

Jonathan exchanged a glance with Maya. "Sweetheart, mind the store. I need to talk with my parents inside."

He wanted to spare Maya from their temper.

Maya shot him a warning look—don't you dare play the fool again.

Warmth spread through Jonathan's chest. His wife was worried about him. He'd been such an idiot before, leaving her with these deep-seated fears.

"Let's talk in the backyard. Too many ears out here," he said, leading his parents away.

Their eldest daughter didn't follow.

Why invite trouble? Those old-fashioned folks only valued sons. She'd rather stay with her mother.

Maya wiped down the shelves with a cloth.

"What do you think your grandparents want this time?"

The girl smirked. "What else? That ungrateful cousin probably messed up again, and they want Dad to clean up the mess." The whole lazy bunch always came running to her father when trouble hit.

"You don't think your father will soften, do you? I can't stand your grandmother's dramatics..." Maya fretted. Their good life had just begun—she refused to go back to the old days.

"Relax, Mom! Dad's changed. And even if he wobbles, didn't you say you'd divorce him if he helped them again?" The girl winked mischievously.

The toddler in her arms looked up. "Grandma, what's divorce?"

Maya's cheeks flushed. "Ask your mother!"

The daughter laughed, pinching her child's cheek. "It's when Grandma refuses to cook for Grandpa anymore."

"Oh!" The child nodded sagely. "Then you're divorced from Daddy now! You never cook for him!"

Maya burst out laughing. Served her right!

The daughter doubled over with laughter, covering her child in kisses.

Their joy floated through the courtyard, reaching the house.

The elderly couple frowned.

How could they laugh when the family was in crisis?

Proof that adopted children would never be like blood relatives.

But Jonathan's heart warmed.

He'd learned his lesson—daughters were just as precious as sons.

Having suffered enough from such outdated notions, he'd never let the next generation endure the same.