Chapter 55

Saturday plans for extra sleep vanished the moment Amelia's phone buzzed with a call from Dalia in the morning.

"Amelia, I've already sent that person over to the Flynn family's house. She will arrive soon."

Amelia instantly snapped awake at those words.

Thanking Dalia quickly, she tossed off her covers and hurried out of bed.

Without wasting time, she freshened up, grabbed her keys, and set off for the Flynn family's residence.

Inside the Flynn family's residence, chaos had already taken hold.

Janessa, always up before anyone else, wanted to impress Ricky with a homemade breakfast since he was spending the weekend at home.

Stepping onto the stairs, she spotted a figure on the living room sofa and nearly missed a step in shock."YouI...Why are you here?"

Eyes scanning every inch of the luxurious house, Lainey Flynn wasted no time assessing her surroundings.No matter how often she visited, each time, the decor left her awestruck, the greed in her eyes evident.

A beaming smile stretched across Lainey's face when she heard movement. The moment she realized it was Janessa, her expression twisted into a sneer, and she snapped, "I should be the one asking that question!Why are you here?"

Janessa couldn't quite shake her fear of Lainey.

Years ago, when her affair with Ricky had come to light, Lainey had found her at her home and dragged her to the street to beat her up, humiliating her for Katrina's sake.

Janessa's heart was filled with resentment towards Lainey when she thought about that. Careful not to disturb Ricky, who was still sleeping upstairs, Janessa said in a gentle tone, "Lainey, please,let's not argue. Ricky and I have been married for a long time. We're family now."

Lainey scoffed, "Married or not, you're nothing but a mistress who clawed her way up. Don't get comfortable-one day, some younger woman will take your place. My son could have anyone he wants with all his money."

Anger flared behind Janessa's polite facade, but she held back. She knew she needed to uncover Lainey's reason for coming here.

Forcing a faint smile, she asked, "So, Lainey, what brings you here so suddenly?"

"Oh, it's simple. My son invited me here and wanted me to enjoy a little luxury."

Seeing Lainey's smug expression, Janessa didn't believe a single word she had just said.

After more than twenty years being with Ricky, she knew the tangled relationships in the Flynn family better than anyone.

Lainey's favoritism had always been reserved for her younger son; she had barely tolerated Ricky until wealth changed her attitude toward him.

Despite her thoughts, Janessa kept up her hospitalty, signaling the staff to start preparing breakfast for Lainey.

Displeasure flickered across Lainey's face as she eyed the simple breakfast."Milk and bread won't do.l want porridge to start my day."

Janessa cursed at Lainey inwardly, but she still turned to the servant and told them to prepare the dish.

The servant barely took a step when Lainey called out to stop her. Then, Lainey turned her attention to Janessa. "I want you to make it for me."

Janessa opened her mouth to refuse, but before she could do that, Lainey continued, "Ever since you became Ricky's wife, I've never asked you to do anything for me. Making me some porridge shouldn't be too much to ask, don't you think?" Janessa clenched her fists as anger threatened to boil over.

Still, memories of Ricky's growing irritation with her recently cooled Janessa's temper. She forced herself to reply calmly, "Lainey, I'm not much of a cook. Maybe the chef-"

"Oh, don't pretend you are bad at cooking. Back when you first caught Ricky's attention, you often cooked for him, and he was satisfied with the food you made. Are you really unwilling to even make me a bowl of porridge?"

Janessa remembered her hard years growing up; she had had no choice but to learn her way around a kitchen from an early age. Cooking had once been her way to win Ricky's favor, but after marrying him,she seldom cooked.

Lainey's taunting brought those old wounds to the surface. Not finished yet, she kept digging. "You'll never be like Katrina-a real lady from a wealthy family, who never needed to cook anything herself. Why put on an act like that?"

Mentioning Katrina felt like a stab to Janessa's heart, but she could only swallow her hurt for Ricky's sake and quietly head toward the kitchen.

Complaints poured from Lainey the whole meal. Janessa's frustration eventually boiled over, and she abandoned the table, storming up the stairs.

Ricky, still deep in sleep, woke to Janessa's insistent shaking. He glared at her."Why are you waking me up at this hour...Wait,what happened?"

The sight of Janessa's tear-filled eyes startled him into sitting up.

Janessa turned away, struggling to compose herself. "I don't mind that you are inviting your mother here.But you could have given me a little heads-up. After all these years, you know she only favors your younger brother.Has she ever cared-"

"What are you talking about?" Ricky interjected, confused.

Seeing his puzzled expression, Janessa filled him in on everything that had happened. After that, she asked, "You were really not the one who asked your mother to come here?"

"Absolutely not. Why would I do that?" Ricky replied.