Chapter 996: A Wonderful Meal (part one)

"You have spoiled her too much. You always have, and you're still doing it! Look at her. She's too stubborn. She's not nice, she's not polite." Shannon sighed and shook her head helplessly. Her husband was the most responsible for spoiling Claire. As a result, she became willful and arrogant. He always forgave her for whatever she said and did.

From where I'm standing, Claire is a good girl, and makes no mistake. She is a girl, so she is stubborn. As long as she doesn't go too far, it's fine by me." Nathan coughed a bit. Claire was always well-behaved around him. She was usually polite, but meanwhile, she was headstrong. Anyway, she was still young and she would learn better manners as time went by. She was his beloved daughter and she could do no wrong.

"Skip it. I can't expect you to see how she really is. You're a leader of men, you have soldiers at your beck and call. But why can't you see that your own daughter is haughty and rude? Honestly! I don't understand you," said Shannon unhappily and rolled her eyes at Nathan. Claire was this way because he always took her side and defended her no matter whether she was right or wrong. So even when Shannon tried to teach Claire how to behave, Claire would always run to Nathan and ask for protection. That way, Shannon had no way to deal with her.

"Yes, I'm a leader. But a leader is just an ordinary father at home." Nathan rarely refuted Shannon. He always listened to her, even if he didn't always agree. He just remained silent, and held his tongue. But this time, he fought back. He did it deliberately because Leena was here. He wouldn't have his authority questioned in front of his daughter-in-law. That just wasn't cool. Although he complained that he was just a father at home, he still wanted to be thought of as a leader.

"Oh, yeah, I see! Some father, letting her grow up like that!" Shannon was really upset and annoyed when she heard what he said. She was angry, not because what he replied, but because of his attitude towards Claire.

"Stop it, please. Mom, can't you just drop it? It's Dad's birthday today. Did you forget that?" Claire spoke up to try to calm things down. She was the one they were fighting over. Although she was snobby and stubborn, she still loved her parents a lot. There was no fighting over that.

"Huh! I'll stop it for now. But this is not over. Not by a country mile." Shannon also realized that this was not the time. There would be other, better opportunities to discuss this with Nathan. She decided to let go of it for a while. If Claire hadn't said something, she'd still be at it.

Leena could not feel more awkward in that situation. She didn't think she should get involved in their conversation. Yet it made her look so stupid standing there, doing nothing. She had no idea what to do but look back and forth at Shannon and Nathan as they spoke. It was like she was watching some bizarre game of tennis, following an imaginary ball as it shuttled to and fro.

Leena, why are you still standing there? Take a seat, please! Did we scare you? Don't worry. It happens a lot. You'll get used to it." Shannon smiled at Leena and took her hand to have her sit down. Although Nathan was a powerful leader in the military, he was just a husband and father at home. Shannon was his wife, not his junior officer, so of course she argued with him.

Oh, no, Mom. I'm not scared. It was a bit sweet though," replied Leena. Such a situation would never happen in her home. So even though she was actually a bit concerned, she still felt quite interested in all this as a new member in their family.

"I'm sorry. I forgot your home life." Shannon looked at Leena with caring eyes. She very well knew how Leena might feel because she grew up without her mother around when she saw that kind of scene being played out.

"It doesn't matter. I'll go check if Kevin is done," Leena replied in a sweet tone. She tried to be close with Kevin in front of his family because she did not want them to be suspicious of her. Even though Kevin cared for her and wasn't actually in love, she still could not help herself and fell in love with him. It was her fondest wish that Kevin would return those feelings and fall in love with her too. That was simple, yet difficult.

"You don't need to! Just sit here. I taught my son well." She laughed as she said this. Shannon put a hand on Leena's shoulder to stop her from standing up and going to the kitchen. If she guessed right, Kevin would be done in a few moments. He seemed so confident in the kitchen that he would have no problem. It was a piece of cake for him. The military had changed Kevin for the better.

Mom, how could you allow Kevin to cook? He is a major general! He's not supposed to slave away in the kitchen. What's more, he's married! His wife is supposed to take care of all the kitchen stuff." The nicer Shannon was to Leena, the more hateful Claire was. She just hated it when her mother showed affection for Leena. So she would get every chance to tease or make fun of Leena. She was supposed to be her mother's princess and enjoy all of her parents' love. But why did her mother focus on Leena so much and just ignore Claire? The girl could not feel more jealous.

"So, in your opinion, a major general shouldn't do housework, right? Well if that were true, he'd be helpless and couldn't get married at all," Shannon said and chuckled. Well, yes, there was already a man who did nothing at home; Nathan, her husband and their father. Shannon did not want her son to become another Nathan who treated his family like his army.

"What are you talking about? Get married? Who's getting married?" Kevin walked out of the kitchen, holding the pancake he just made. He asked curiously as he could swear he heard something about marriage. He had no idea that they were talking about him.

"Nobody's getting married. Sit down and finish your breakfast! You can show Leena around after the meal. She's not familiar with this city." Shannon changed the subject quickly. She didn't really want to put her son on the spot.