Nina was deeply moved. Luca even prepared new slippers for her. It was a welcoming
gesture.
It meant she welcomed her for an extended stay here.
Nina could not resist Luca's kindness, so she changed into the new slippers without taking
off her mask and asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"
“No, it's alright.” Luca shook her head. With Nina's arrival, she had no intention of
pretending anymore. She planned to let Nina spend the night here.
The moment Nina finished her sentence, she saw Aunt Niele with a surprised look on her
face. Did Aunt Neile not take the day off today?
Her questioning gaze then landed on Luca.
"Alright, I lied to you. There's no barbecue today. I found out about your situation. Since
Mr. Mallory is away on a business trip, you might as well crash here for a bit,” said Luca.
Nina was about to ask how Luca found out about it, but then she thought of Sue and
figured that she must have told Luca.
Hence, she changed her statement. "No, staying here would be too much of a bother for
you all."
"What's the matter? Didn’t you spend a few nights here before? Plus, the kids are totally
cool with you staying. Just make yourself at home here. Take a seat. Let me grab
something real quick, then we can head upstairs together.”
Luca pushed Nina to the sofa and headed to the kitchen.
Nina understood Luca's intention. She wanted her to stay.
No wonder she had the new slippers ready. It was more convenient this way.
"Hello, Ms. Nina," greeted the three kids in the living room who were doing their
homework.
"Uh, hi..." Nina looked at the three well-behaved kids, but her mind was on what Luca had
said.
Was it really okay for her to stay here?
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtIf it were just for a day or so, she would not have minded. She did not think it was a big
deal either when she came to stay here last time. After all, it was Luca who asked her to
stay here and take care of the kids.
However, Nina staying here for a whole week to avoid Karen for no apparent reason did
not seem right.
As Nina was lost in her thoughts, Luca returned from the kitchen with an ice pack in her
hands.
"Let's go upstairs.” Luca waved at Nina. The kids were occupied with their homework.
Thus, she planned to take Nina upstairs to apply an ice pack to her swollen face.
Jason had relayed what Sue said about Nina's face being pretty swollen. Even though she
had a mask on, she could still sense something was off.
Nina nodded and followed her upstairs.
They came to the guest room. Nina realized everything was prepared, and even a set of
pajama-like clothes was laid out on the bed.
"Luca, you were planning to take me in from the start, right?"
She calmly took off her mask as the kids were not around.
Luca was shocked. “Why is it so swollen?!"
Nina gently touched her face, feeling a slight pain. Even though she applied an ice pack on
her face right after she got slapped across the face, an afternoon had passed, and it
seemed to have gotten more swollen.
Nina shook her head helplessly and answered, "My body's just built this way. It doesn't
handle hits well."
"Yes, that's why Mr. Mallory should protect you well." Luca thought about Nina's delicate
body, which was quite different from her own. Nina would swell up with just a slight bump,
and it was hard to get the swelling down.
Nina sensed Luca's implication of blaming Percy. She shook her head and said, "It's not his
fault."
Nina did not expect Karen to behave so crazily that she would slap her across her face.
She even asked someone to kick the door open. It was far from the demeanor of an
elegant lady. Instead, she exuded a mafia boss vibe.
Nina could not help but shudder at the thought of how Karen behaved just now. If she had
known Karen would dare to hit her, she would not have gone back. She should have called
security to kick Karen out.
When Luca noticed her little gestures, she felt sorry for her and felt helpless at the same
time. She knew why Nina shivered. Hence, she comforted her, "Don't worry. No one will
dare to come cause you trouble while you're here."
"She wouldn't dare to do anything if I'm staying here, but what about the office..." Nina
replied helplessly. Karen might not find her at the villa, but she could still go to her office.
"Relax. She still needs to maintain the Mallory family's reputation, so she won't act
recklessly. There are so many people at the office. If she were to really go there and cause
trouble, the Mallory family's reputation would be at stake. She wouldn't dare to do that,"
concluded Luca.
Luca had heard that Karen's mental state was not great, but the more someone was in
such a situation, the more they cared about their reputation.
Even if she did not care about her own image, causing a scene at Brilliant would not go
unnoticed by Old Master Mallory.
Moreover, now that Nina was legally married to Percy, it was known among all the
employees working at Brilliant.
Even if Karen stirred things up, it would only look like a conflict between mother and
daughter-in-law. It would not be like before when Nina was labeled as Percy's secret lover.
Nina did not think that far ahead. The pain in her face was still bothering her. She slowly
heaved a sigh and muttered, "I hope so." "Let me apply some ice for you. Otherwise, it
might swell even more tomorrow." Luca looked at the red swelling on Nina's face and
shook her head helplessly.
Nina reached out and said, "Let me do it."
"It's not convenient for you to apply it yourself. I'll do it,” replied Luca as she picked up the
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmice pack and applied it on Nina's face.
"Ouch." The icy touch did not numb the pain right away. Instead, it magnified the
sensation exponentially. Nina could not help but draw in a sharp breath of cool air.
"Hold on, it'll get better soon." Luca knew it was uncomfortable, but for Nina to be
presentable tomorrow, she had to put on the ice pack.
"Even with the mask on, I could tell something was off with one side of your face. If you
don't get the swelling down, when Mr. Mallory comes back and sees your swollen face,
he'll know Madam Mallory slapped you. You wouldn't want him to find out, right?"
"No, I don't want them to erupt into a war again,” mumbled Nina.
Luca understood her meaning and expressed her confusion, "It's really rare to have such a
good- tempered daughter-in-law. Why doesn't a certain someone know how to appreciate
it?"
Nina gently shook her head, not agreeing with Luca's words.
Truth be told, she was not good—not in the slightest. It was just that Percy had a soft spot
for her, making him see her in a positive light.
Considering her past experiences, any average guy from a respectable family would find
her off-putting.
Luca knew why Nina shook her head and said, "You're actually great. Everything about you
is wonderful. Besides, some things weren't choices you made willingly. But let's not dwell
on the past. Things are good now.
"With Mr. Mallory doting on you so much, imagine the happiness of having two little ones
in the future."
When it seemed about right, Luca moved the ice pack away. She looked at Nina's face
which was still red. She let out a sigh and said, "It's still quite swollen."
"How can it instantly go down? But it feels much better now." Nina touched her face. She
could not even smile with one side of her face swollen. It would be painful.
"That's the numbing effect. Starting today, you'll settle down here and wait for Mr. Mallory
to return from his business trip before heading back." Luca insisted that Nina stay here.
"Okay, I'll have to bother you for the next few days." Nina agreed. She did not want to
meet Karen either.
"Don't even sweat about it. With an extra hand watching the kiddos, Mr. Crawford will only
be thankful." Luca smiled and winked at her.