A Warm Marriage After Rebirth

Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Where to Live

’How could Aunt Aria’s family possibly let them move in! If they were really that easygoing, why would Mom and I have moved out in the first place!’

’She could already imagine the reception they’d get from that family! If they really ended up living together, wouldn’t it be utter chaos every single day, with no peace to be found!’

But this time, it was clear that Seraphina had overthought things. She never would have imagined that Miss Jennings and Mr. Jennings would actually come in person to pick up her and her mother.

Seraphina hadn’t expected that simply buying insurance for the two elders would cause such a dramatic shift in their attitude! Miss Jennings had done a complete one-eighty. Before, she only had eyes for her younger uncle’s family and her grandson, Ray Jennings. But now, she was starting to worry about her own daughter as well!

In truth, it’s human nature to play favorites. With so many children, treating them all equally is nearly impossible. But people have a basic instinct: they respond with genuine warmth to those who are good to them.

In truth, Seraphina really didn’t want to return to the Jennings family home. It wasn’t because of her uncle’s family’s attitude, but because she subconsciously wanted Kimberly to avoid the path of her previous life. She didn’t want her mother’s life to follow the same trajectory as last time.

Sure enough, after they returned to the Jennings family home, apart from Zachary, who was concerned about Kimberly and her daughter’s situation, the other two were not at all welcoming!

”Kimberly’s house burned down. From now on, she’ll be living with us!” Miss Jennings could tell at a glance that her eldest daughter-in-law didn’t want the mother and daughter to stay, but in this house, she was the one who called the shots!

”Mom—” Aria suddenly raised her voice. ”Mom, there are no spare rooms in the house. With two extra people all of a sudden, where are they supposed to sleep?”

Perhaps realizing her reaction was too extreme, she calmed herself and said, ”Besides, doesn’t Kimberly have plenty of money? There are so many hotels in town. Why does she have to squeeze in with us in this tiny house?”

”My finances and my living arrangements are two separate issues. Besides, if I recall correctly, this house belongs to Mom and Dad, doesn’t it? They have the right to decide how it’s used!” Kimberly met Aria’s gaze, her attitude uncharacteristically forceful!

”Kimberly’s right. This is my house! Kimberly is my daughter, so it’s only right for her to live here! Didn’t you two spend over two months setting up some kind of study? Kimberly and Seraphina can stay there!” Miss Jennings’s tone was unyielding! She completely ignored Aria’s objections!

”Mom, the study is for work. If Kimberly and Seraphina move in, won’t that disrupt my work and Zachary’s?” Aria knew she didn’t have enough pull on her own, so she dragged Zachary into it. To her, Kimberly was a daughter and Zachary was a son—their standing should be about equal!

”Zachary, are you going to say something?” Aria pinched him hard.

”We managed to get our work done before we had a study, didn’t we? And isn’t this a special situation for Kimberly?” For the first time, Zachary openly disagreed with Aria.

”You—” Aria glared at Zachary, shocked that he would actually oppose her at a time like this!

”That’s enough, Aria,” Mr. Jennings interjected. ”Starting tonight, Kimberly and Seraphina are staying here! Seraphina’s grades are excellent. If Zoe has any questions, she’ll have someone to consult!” With the old man having spoken, the matter was settled.

”Dad, you must be mistaken. Seraphina’s grades are good, yes, but she’s only a junior. Zoe is already a senior! The senior-year curriculum is much more difficult than the junior year’s. If anything, Zoe should be the one tutoring Seraphina, not the other way around!” Aria was fiercely proud of her daughter’s academic achievements; there was no way she would let Seraphina outshine Zoe in this regard!

”Hmph. Don’t take me for an old fool,” Mr. Jennings retorted. ”You say the junior-year material is so easy? Then how come I’ve never seen Zoe get a perfect score on a single test? Even if you gave her a junior-year exam right now, she wouldn’t ace it! Besides, Seraphina gets perfect scores every time. What makes you think she needs tutoring from Zoe!” He shot Aria a sidelong glance. ’She’s always out there bragging about Zoe. If she’s not embarrassed, I’m embarrassed for her!’

”Don’t worry, Grandpa. If Zoe has trouble with her studies, I’ll be happy to help,” Seraphina said with a small smile. She suddenly found her grandfather to be quite endearing!

”Hmph! Just worry about yourself! My grades are none of your business! As an upperclassman, let me give you some advice: don’t get cocky just because of your current scores. Wait until you’re a senior. You’ll realize that even if you get perfect scores on every single test, all of that means nothing if you screw up the college entrance exam!”

Zoe shot Seraphina a venomous glare, slammed her door with a loud BAM, and locked herself inside. Gripping her pen, she stabbed viciously at a textbook. ’Seraphina! What gives you the right to be so arrogant! The best student in the Jennings family is me, Zoe! The one with the best grades is me, Zoe!’

Seeing that Zoe was provoked, Aria’s attitude grew even more hostile. ”Seraphina, I’m warning you. Since you’re living here, you’d better keep a low profile. Zoe is preparing for the college entrance exam. If you disrupt her studies, don’t blame me for throwing you and your mother out!”

”The college entrance exam is a major life event. If Zoe is so easily affected by others, it just goes to show she doesn’t value her own future all that much. And one more thing: I’ve already applied to skip a grade. Zoe won’t be the only one taking the college entrance exam next year.”

Aria Cheney: ...

Kimberly Jennings: ...

Skipping from junior year to senior year? Just how confident was she in her abilities! Aria was stunned by Seraphina’s decision. ’No, I absolutely can’t let her skip a grade. Otherwise, Zoe will be overshadowed by her forever!’

Seraphina didn’t have time to waste on them. She had more important things to do!