At the Schwartz Villa, Zaijan stared at the man opposite him, groaning nonstop after a hangover. Rodney wouldn't want to join him in visiting Jessa, but their cousin insisted, as she would prepare a hangover soup for him, why Zaijan dragged this guy.
Jessa invited them to have lunch at her house since it was her day off. It was the only day she was available this week as she has an important recording soon. So she took this opportunity to hang out with her cousins she rarely saw in the passing years after she got married, and her career skyrocketed.
"Why did you drink too much alcohol? You have been hanging out with Matt for several nights now, and you guys are drinking nonstop every time you meet up. Are you planning to damage your liver?" Although Jessa took care of the intoxicated Rodney, she didn't let him off to not taste her scold.
"Sister Jessa, I now believe Aunt Hilda truly influenced you so much. You sound like her now!" Rodney rolled his eyes. He had a severe headache, but he felt worse when Jessa chided him.
"Just stop talking and eat! Now, open your mouth!" Jessa snapped at him as she shoved the soup spoon into Rodney's mouth.
"You don't need to feed me! I can eat on my own!" Rodney wanted to push Jessa's hand, but as he looked at the hot bowl in his cousin's hand, he dismissed the thought.
"You should have thanked me instead!" Jessa didn't give up but kept pushing the soup into Rodney's mouth. The latter glanced at their surroundings, and he felt embarrassed all of a sudden.
Zaijan looked at him sideways like he was telling him how disappointed he was while Elijah, Jessa's husband, raised a brow at him with a dagger look in his eyes like saying, "How dare you to make my wife feed you!"
Above all, Rodney smiled awkwardly at his nephew, Jessa's three-year-old son, Adam, who had been staring at him with his mouth open.
'Poor him!'
The child was probably shocked that a grown-up man has to feed while three years old hates when someone helps him eat!
"Adam, remember not to be like your Uncle Rodney! He is a disgrace!" Zaijan muttered when he noticed how the poor little boy had displeasure on his face.
"Stop being judgmental about me!" Rodney would not let Zaijan embarrass him in front of their nephew. May, his actions in the past few days are unwise, but he swears not to drink too much next time! "It was rare for me and Matt to meet, so we were having fun!"
"Now I am worried about leaving you behind. Maybe you should come with me to San Francisco."
"No. I promised to behave starting today. I would rather stay here than go back to P Country." Rodney deliberately turned down Zaijan, which surprised the latter. Rodney would even throw a fit if he did not take him on his overseas business trips.
'What's got to him now?' Zaijan couldn't help wondering. Anyway, he knew why Rodney didn't want to go back yet. His aunt encourages Rodney to go on dates or accompany her aunt to meet her friends. But the guy is opposed to that, as he already knows what his mother was trying to do. She wants him to get married soon.
"Alright." Zaijan supported Rodney in what he wanted to do. But there is a condition to that. "I will trouble Jessa and Elijah to drag you home when you went out drinking with Matt and you passed out again."
"That's a good idea, Zayn! I will ask the maid to clean and change the bedding in our guest room. This house actually has many rooms, and you guys can stay here. But I understand it is more convenient for you guys not to travel that far for your appointments. Well then, I will leave you guys!" After stating that, Jessa abruptly left the men at the poolside, where Jessa arranged their lunch.
Elijah somehow breathed with relief when his wife stopped feeding Rodney and left. He is not opposed to whether Jessa's cousin would stay with them, but troublesome like Rodney, he has to endure that his wife still babied this guy.
"I'm sorry if I have bothered you too much, Elijah."
Elijah was in deep thoughts, and Zayn's apology pulled him back to the present. He noticed Rodney wasn't in his seat.
"It's alright. We are all family. Besides, my wife would trigger her anxiety if Rodney remained to live in the hotel. She would only worry about him every single hour whether the guy already had eaten or whether he was taking care of himself." Elijah shook his head when he phrased this. Although he wanted to get jealous, he just knew how very thoughtful the woman he married was. That is why whatever makes her happy, he would not refuse but support his wife all the time.
Jessa came from a broken family, and her outlet is her cousins.
They were there during Jessa's hard times, and he was not on her side as they hadn't crossed paths yet, which is why Zaijan and Rodney have a special place in her life, and he would not compete with that.
So, now that Jessa suggested Rodney would live with them, he agreed instantly to please his wife. Besides, he would also benefit if his wife was in a better mood. She will not reject him tonight as he did a good deed today.
As Elijah had this thought, a glint of excitement flashed in his eyes, which he instantly concealed as Rodney returned and sat next to him.
Meanwhile, in the guest room…
Jessa is supposed only to request the maids to clean the guest room. But she was in the mood to help them. She chooses what color of the beddings, pillowcases, and curtains.
"Jess?"
Jessa turned her head in the doorway when someone called her name. She smiled at the guy and invited him inside.
"Do you have something to remind me about Rodney?" Jessa is aware of how Zaijan would spoil the guy even when they are all adults.
"Nah. I know Rodney will listen to you." Zaijan told Jessa. As the eldest granddaughter, Jessa became the elder sister of everyone, and so he believes in his cousin.
"Okay. Well, I'm happy that you assigned him to oversee the launching of our newest branch. By the way, I heard from Eli... The investment in Dale Enterprise would really benefit us all. You have nothing to worry about as Sasha City was progressive these passing years. Eli also thought it was the best time to put up a sister branch there."
Zaijan nodded his head, concurring with Jessa's statement. "Since Rodney wanted to keep away from his parents, it is the best job for him in a while before I will assign him a permanent position."
"It was actually great. I missed you guys. Having Rodney would be fun."
Zaijan chuckled. "It will make you even busier."
"I know, right!" Jessa concurred. She is not worried because it is not Rodney's habit to sleep with different women. They only worried he would not keep his promise not to drink again.
"By the way, Jess… I'm actually here to talk with you about something else…."
"What is it?" Jessa sat down on the bed and dismissed the maids. She gestured at Zaijan to take a seat next to her.
Once Zaijan sat down, he hurled a deep sigh before he began.
"It was about Fray…"