Ms. Archer spotted Vincent and Cedric as well and let out a low gasp. "What... what are they doing here?"

Cedric bounced over to his great-grandmother, clutching two zongzi leaves in his hand, and announced loudly, "Great-Grandma, I want to make zongzi too!"

Grandma chuckled, patting his head affectionately. "Of course, of course. We’ll make them together."

Vincent also walked over to Grandma’s side.

He was wearing a white dress shirt, the cuffs rolled up slightly to reveal his firm, strong forearms.

He also picked up some zongzi leaves, slowly twisting one into a pointed cone.

He then took a spoon and began adding rice and various fillings.

’In previous years, Vincent and Cedric would come over for the Dragon Boat Festival, but only because I was the one to invite them.’

’Now that we’re divorced, of course I wouldn’t invite them.’

’So why did they show up on their own?’

Cedric looked up and saw Sophia. A flicker of unease crossed his fair face, but he still called out brightly, "Mama."

Sophia didn’t want to make a scene in front of her grandmother. So, while she didn’t respond, she also didn’t object to him calling her that.

As she and Ms. Archer began to walk again, the atmosphere was not as pleasant as before.

Leah Evans saw Vincent and Cedric, too. She was so disgusted that she completely lost her enthusiasm for making zongzi and ran back into the house.

"Sis, what’s the deal? Why are those two here?"

June Evans glanced outside, her face also full of displeasure.

She sighed softly and said, "Who knows."

"It’s so weird. In the past, Faye had to practically beg them to come, but this year they showed up on their own."

June Evans used to dote on Cedric.

But after all the rotten things he’d done, that affection was long gone.

The sight of them was enough to ruin her mood.

If it weren’t for their grandmother’s feelings, she would have kicked them out without a second thought.

Sophia felt much the same as June Evans.

’In the past, the Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn Festivals were always the most difficult times for me.’

’I’d have to start scheduling with Vincent a month in advance, begging and pleading, asking Jack Holloway not to arrange any work for him on those days, especially not the kind that involved long-distance travel.’

’I didn’t care if Vincent didn’t want to see my family on regular days, but he had to come back to the Shaw family for these two festivals, no matter what.’

’Grandma wanted the whole family to be reunited, and it was also my proof to Yancy Shaw that my own little family was harmonious and happy.’

’But for those festivals these last two years, Vincent was still a no-show.’

’He didn’t offer me a single word of explanation afterward.’

’During the Dragon Boat Festival, I at least managed to coax Cedric to come over.’

’But by the Mid-Autumn Festival, even Cedric had run off after Joanna Sherman.’

’I was left all alone, heavily pregnant, to struggle through the holiday under Grandma’s suspicious eyes and Yancy Shaw’s heavy gaze.’

’These people... nowhere to be found when you need them, but they always pop up when you don’t.’

When Vincent heard Cedric call out, he looked over at Sophia as well.

He arched a long eyebrow, clearly not having forgotten the slaps she’d given him that night, but all he said was, "You’re back just in time. We’re getting ready to make zongzi."

Sophia ignored him, not even sparing him a glance.

She walked up to her grandmother. "Grandma."

"Oh, yes, yes, dear."

Grandma’s voice was so sweet it sounded like it was dripping honey.

Unaware that the two had divorced, she looked from Sophia to Vincent, her eyes crinkling with a smile of pure satisfaction.

"Hurry and wash your hands. Come make zongzi with us."

"Okay."

Sophia went into the back room to wash her hands, and Cedric immediately followed, sticking close to her.

"Mama, my hands are dirty, too."

He held out his hands and washed them alongside Sophia at the same faucet.

When Sophia finished washing her hands and went back outside, he followed her out again.

He once again stood beside Sophia to make zongzi.

’He had missed his mama like crazy while he was sick.’

’He could finally see her now.’

While making zongzi, Cedric took deep breaths, drinking in Sophia’s scent.

The familiar smell gave him a reassuring sense of peace, and he loved it.

Vincent walked over to Sophia’s other side, sandwiching her between himself and Cedric.

From behind, they looked just like a happy family of three.

Sophia was repulsed, but not wanting to cause a scene in front of her grandmother, she could only remain silent.

Leah couldn’t stand it. She brazenly bumped Vincent out of the way. "Move, you’re in the way. I need Faye to teach me how to make zongzi."

Sophia shot her a grateful look and then earnestly began to teach her, step-by-step, how to make zongzi.

Vincent clenched his jaw slightly, but he couldn’t very well interrupt the two of them.

Soon, Leah had finished making one.

"How’d I do?"

Sophia nodded. "Not bad for your first time."

Cedric looked up and saw that Leah’s zongzi was lopsided and misshapen.

The tip was empty, and the string on top wasn’t tied tightly.

He suddenly felt that his was much better than Leah’s, so he held it up proudly as if presenting a treasure. "Mama, what about mine?"

Sophia simply reached for two more zongzi leaves, effectively blocking his from her view, and began wrapping another one with her lips pressed together.

She gave him no reaction whatsoever!

Leah deliberately leaned against Sophia and gushed, "Good heavens, your technique is flawless! How are you so fast and so steady?"

Cedric was left with his hand outstretched, feeling empty and completely ignored.

Before all the zongzi were wrapped, Sophia made the excuse that she needed to prepare baby food for Bun and went inside.

June Evans had already bought food for the two little ones.

Sophia took millet, beef, and vegetables from the refrigerator, chopped them into small pieces, put them in a baby food processor to be puréed, and then cooked the mixture.

Vincent had followed her in at some point and now stood quietly watching her methodically wash the millet and chop the beef and vegetables.

His elegant face wasn’t as cold as usual. He rested two long fingers on the table. "Sophia, Cedric is just a child. It’s not right to completely ignore him, is it?"

Sophia looked up, her gaze clear and cold as it landed on him. "And showing up uninvited isn’t right either, is it?"

"We didn’t come uninvited. Grandma called and asked me to bring Cedric."

Sophia was speechless.

’If Grandma invited them, there was really no way for her to kick them out.’

’The arrival of the Grant father and son didn’t brighten her day in the slightest. Instead, it only reminded her of her humiliating past.’

’In their minds, her pathetic pleas weren’t even worth mentioning!’

When Yancy Shaw got back, he also saw the two of them.

His face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

Sophia gave him a gentle tug.

She motioned for him not to get angry.

Yancy Shaw clutched the medical report in his pocket and forced himself to stay quiet.

It was Old Mrs. Shaw’s medical report. Her cardiovascular health was poor, and she couldn’t take any kind of shock or agitation.

While the zongzi were cooking outside, June Evans and a helper brought the dishes to the table.

Grandma cheerfully arranged everyone’s seats. "Yancy and June, you sit here. Faye, sit between Cedric and Vincent. And Lily, you sit with me."

Sophia didn’t object and took her seat.

Seeing her sit down so readily, Cedric immediately sat down too, as if afraid she would change her mind if he hesitated for even a second.

Once in his seat, he scooted a little closer to Sophia.

’Mama is still willing to sit with me! That means she still acknowledges me, and all those things she said before were just said in anger.’

’Mama has always been a softie; she won’t be able to resist showing she cares.’

Cedric figured that Sophia had only been ignoring him because she hadn’t seen his vulnerable side.

’As soon as she saw it, her heart would ache for him, and she would start taking care of him again, just like before.’

So, he left his bowl empty and didn’t take any food, only picking at grains of rice and putting them into his mouth.

He was the very picture of misery.

He was waiting for Sophia to notice and put some food in his bowl for him.

Vincent also sat down on Sophia’s other side as instructed.

Whether Grandma had arranged it on purpose or not, the space was tight, and the man’s arm kept brushing against Sophia’s.

Sophia ignored it and just kept her head down, eating her own meal.

She didn’t exchange a single word with Vincent or Cedric the entire time.

Yancy Shaw ignored them as well, busying himself with encouraging Sophia and Leah to eat.

Seeing even his doting grand-uncle treat him this way, Cedric felt a pang of bitterness, and his eyes began to redden.

He buried his face even deeper toward his bowl.

Old Mrs. Shaw finally noticed how empty Vincent and Cedric’s bowls were. She quickly motioned to Sophia. "Quick, serve some food to Vincent and Cedric."

"Don’t they have hands?" Leah muttered, rolling her eyes.

’They’re lucky we haven’t thrown them out already, the scumbags.’

June Evans nudged Leah, silently warning her not to cause a scene at the dinner table.

Sophia nodded graciously. "Of course, Grandma. I’ll get them some."

She picked up a large helping of food with her chopsticks and unceremoniously dropped it into Cedric’s bowl.

Cedric’s heart leaped with joy, and he said loudly, "Thank you, Ma—"

The word "ma" died in his throat before he could finish it.