Seeing Sylvia Lancaster still on the sofa, Elaine Hughes frowned in displeasure. "Sylvia, why are you still sitting there? What happened to your manners? Get over here and greet your sister-in-law!"

A moment ago, Sylvia Lancaster had been waiting at the door with Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes, ready to welcome Holly Rhodes.

But after standing for a while, she felt her abdomen grow uncomfortable again. A heavy, aching pain surged through her, leaving her breathless.

So she had quickly sat back down on the sofa, taking deep breaths. It was a long while before she could finally catch her breath.

Hearing Elaine Hughes’s words, Sylvia Lancaster quickly stood up and gave Holly Rhodes a faint smile. "I’m sorry, Sister-in-law. I wasn’t feeling well just now."

Sylvia Lancaster wore an apologetic expression, but inwardly, she was filled with disdain. ’Before the cataclysm, a girl like Holly Rhodes would have been nothing more than a poor relation to a wealthy family in my eyes—from a fallen house, someone I wouldn’t have given the time of day.’

Before Holly Rhodes could figure out how to respond, Simon Lancaster chimed in anxiously from the side, "Holly, my sister’s pregnant and not feeling well. She can’t really worry about formalities right now. You can understand that, can’t you?"

Holly Rhodes was taken aback. Her expression grew complicated as she looked at Simon Lancaster.

She remembered what Sophie Thorne had told her during her meeting with Melody Summers at the Oceanus Hotel—the story about Simon and Sylvia. The shock of it still lingered.

The Lancaster Family had only just found their biological daughter last year. Before that, they had always raised Sylvia as their own. ’How could Simon possibly have impure thoughts about his own sister? Isn’t that incest?’

Holly Rhodes had tossed and turned all night thinking about it, finding it utterly incredible.

Ever since they started dating, Simon Lancaster had been nothing but considerate, gentle, and doting. She had seen it all with her own eyes.

That was why she had agreed to have dinner at his family’s home. On one hand, she wanted to make their relationship more official. On the other, she wanted to observe Simon and Sylvia for herself and see if there really was something improper going on between them.

It was just as Sophie Thorne had said: ’When you truly love someone, you can’t hide it in your eyes or your actions. Your concern will show, whether you want it to or not.’

Holly discreetly studied Simon’s expression, but he didn’t seem to notice her gaze. His eyes were fixed on Sylvia, his face a mask of concern.

Simon hadn’t seen Sylvia for many days. She was about five months pregnant and just beginning to show. Normally, she should have started gaining weight, but she looked even thinner than before.

Seeing Simon speak up to defend her, Sylvia couldn’t help but feel a surge of smug satisfaction. ’So what if he has a girlfriend? Simon will always care about me, his sister, the most.’

At this thought, Sylvia raised a hand to brush a lock of hair from her ear, smiling gently at Simon. Her pale wrist was exceptionally slender. The sight of it made Simon’s heart ache with pity.

Watching Simon’s expression, Holly frowned slightly. She could only try to console herself. ’Maybe this is just a brother’s concern for his sister.’

She pushed down her thoughts and replied coolly, "Your sister is pregnant. Of course I’m not going to hold it against her."

Holly deliberately stressed the word "pregnant," as a pointed reminder to Simon. ’As long as he’s in his right mind, he shouldn’t be having inappropriate thoughts about his own sister, who is married and about to have a baby!’

Elaine Hughes and Robert Lancaster, oblivious to the intricate thoughts swirling in the minds of the three young people, simply smiled and ushered Holly along. "Holly, dear, let’s go eat. Because you were coming today, I got up bright and early to get everything ready!"

As she walked, Holly surveyed the villa. Several display cabinets meant for collectibles stood empty; their contents must have been pawned or sold off. Although the main hall felt somewhat bare, she could still see that the decor was clearly luxurious.

It just went to show that even the empty shell of a wealthy family was still better off than an ordinary one.

The group arrived at the dining table, which was neatly set with a spread of eight different dishes—a mix of meat and vegetables, along with a soup and a fruit platter.

Elaine Hughes and Robert Lancaster watched Holly with eyes full of expectation. "Well, Holly? Is the food to your liking?"

It was the second year of the apocalypse. For two years, the parched earth had yielded no harvest, and ordinary people were surviving on sand vine cakes. A feast like this was an incredible rarity.

To prepare this meal, Elaine Hughes had practically emptied the Lancaster family’s refrigerator.

Elaine and Robert had even used what little savings they had left to buy a chicken and a rabbit from an online platform, just to add a few more meat dishes to the table so they wouldn’t lose face in front of Holly.

Any other girl might have been deeply touched by the sight of such a meal. But Holly was a Rhodes. The one thing her family didn’t lack was ingredients.

On top of that, Elaine Hughes hadn’t cooked in years, and her skills were mediocre at best. The meal was lacking in presentation, aroma, and flavor.

So after a quick glance at the table, Holly just gave a cool nod. "Mm. You’ve gone to a lot of trouble, Auntie."

Seeing Holly’s lukewarm reaction, Elaine couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment. It had taken her two hours of hard work to make all this.

Throughout the meal, Elaine and Robert showered Holly with solicitous questions, their fawning attitude perfectly clear.

Robert personally ladled a bowl of soup and served it to Holly. "Holly, how have your parents been? Perhaps our families should arrange to have a meal together soon."

Robert was genuinely eager to finalize the marriage arrangements between the two. When Simon had been demoted, Robert had felt that Holly’s father hadn’t tried hard enough to prevent it—which, in his opinion, was ultimately because Simon and Holly’s relationship wasn’t yet official.

’Once they were married and Holly was officially a Lancaster, her father would surely take a greater interest in Simon’s career. He might even be able to help Simon’s younger brother, Silas, get a position at Rhodes.’

Simon, too, was looking at Holly with hopeful eyes.

Seeing their expectant faces, Holly gave a light smile and a nod. "I’ll mention it to my father soon."

Simon visibly relaxed at her words. Smiling, he placed a piece of meat on her plate and carefully deboned it for her.

Sylvia had been eating silently off to the side. Seeing her own parents and brother fawning over Holly and placing food on her plate, a bitter feeling churned in her stomach.

In the past, at this very table, her parents and brother had always revolved around her. Now, she was being completely sidelined.

Sylvia had endured so much at the Sutton family’s home recently. She had hoped that coming back here, her parents and brother would dote on her, but it was as if they couldn’t even see her.

The older brother who had once doted on her completely was now showering another woman with attention, and it broke Sylvia’s heart.

The hormonal shifts of pregnancy made her emotions incredibly volatile, and her eyes began to sting with unshed tears.

Holly continued to respond absentmindedly to Simon’s parents, all while discreetly observing both Sylvia and Simon. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Simon kept serving her food and refilling her soup, acting completely normal. Just as Holly was starting to let her guard down, she saw Sylvia’s face suddenly crumple into a pitiful, aggrieved expression.

Holly couldn’t help but frown to herself. ’This is my first time having dinner at their home. What is Sylvia trying to pull with that wounded expression?’

Just as Holly was puzzling over this, Elaine Hughes spoke up again. "Oh, by the way, Holly. You said you were going to see Melody, to promise her a janitorial position at Rhodes in exchange for putting in a good word for Simon. Did you go? What did Melody say?"

Holly froze. ’Oh, I went alright. And I learned a lot of very interesting things.’

’As for promising Melody Summers a janitorial job at Rhodes... what a joke!’

’Melody is Sophie Thorne’s best friend. And Sophie is slated to be the future lady of Rhodes. Melody would have to be insane to be tempted by a janitorial position.’

Before Holly could come up with an answer, Sylvia cut in from the side. "Sister Holly, you didn’t just decide not to go, did you? This is about my brother’s future. Surely you wouldn’t be so careless about it, right?"