Inside the Hansley mansion conference room, nine people were all staring at the huge screen that was projecting a video of a small girl struggling to sew but filled with so much determination.
Lena clenched her fists beneath the table without making a sound as she watched her baby girl almost there to complete her first-ever piece.
Even those who had been bickering and talking non-stop kept their mouths shut. It wasn't a secret in the family that Zara was trying to be filial in her dying moments. So, she started by making hankies for everyone.
Although they disliked her, they all couldn't help but wonder who would be the first to get that hankie. That was the first item Zara, the family princess, had ever done in her life.
They all could see her hands trembling now and then. Zara was very weak; her hands were even problematic as they couldn't handle too much pressure.
So, it was inevitable that the stitches came out as crooked. To them, what mattered was that she had done it.
'Is she about to die?' Ashley pondered as she looked at Zara.
She had heard from somewhere that sometimes when someone is about to die, he or she just feels it. The person usually gets a lot of strength to finish some unfinished business before leaving.
Seeing Zara like that, Ashely was even confident that Zara would be leaving them so soon. However, just like others, she was also curious to know which male member would be lucky to get the first hanky.
Anyone with sense could tell that the colors were divided when Zara bought them and black was surely for the men. Would she give the first piece to their father? Ashely was curious.
On the other side, Cade felt very nervous. He didn't know what his daughter was up to, but that glint he saw in her eyes at some point as she was about to start embroidering gave her a foreboding feeling.
'She is about to cause trouble again!' he lamented.
Without saying much inside the room, they all waited patiently until the last letter of the name was made. It was then that hell broke loose.
"Bang!" the sound of the table being slammed sounded throughout the room, shocking the children, who were still stunned by what they were seeing.
Cade looked at his little wife, who was fuming with anger as she glared at the screen hatefully.
"Dear!" Cade called for Lena.
"Damn, that little bastard!" Lena cussed angrily as she looked at Q.H.'s initials that Zara had meticulously embroidered for another two hours.
'Damn! The third mother is fierce!' Ashely couldn't help but shudder as she witnessed a very angry Lena.
Lena was always composed. No matter how much you provoke her, it was as if you would be hitting soft cotton. But who would have guessed that Lena could flare up like that?
"Language, wife!" Cade reminded as he took Lena's hand in his.
Lena gritted her teeth as she turned to look at her husband while ignoring the people who would obviously be happy to see her the way she was.
"Hubby, tell me. Is Zara trying to piss us off or what?" Lena asked as her body trembled with anger.
Cade sighed dejectedly upon hearing that.
'I knew it. Why would she show such an expression?' Cade cried inwardly.
He didn't dare to tell Lena that their daughter might have indeed played tricks on them. He didn't want to hurt her. Maybe it was just a misunderstanding after all.
"No, dear. Princess wouldn't be like that. Besides, that's just the first. She still has more pieces remaining. Let's just wait until she is done!" Cade defended his baby girl.
Upon hearing that, Selena, who had been intrigued by Zara's will to do what she had set herself to do despite her condition, rolled her eyes at Cade.
A biased man would always be a problem. Even in a situation like that, he could still defend Zara. Just what kind of love potion did that little vixen feed Cade?
The atmosphere in the room was now awkward. Even Lena herself was baffled by her husband's words.
"I think that we have seen enough for today. Father, I still have other things to deal with at work. Please excuse me!" Bradley, who had been the most silent one during the family meeting, suddenly said, breaking the awkwardness.
"Ahem," upon hearing that, Cade cleared his throat, embarrassingly. After all, he wasn't a fool to not read what was happening.
By the time he realized what he had just done, it was already too late.
"Okay. Everyone can go!" in the end he dismissed everyone.
He had somehow lost face, and he didn't want to continue anymore.
As far as Zara was concerned, he always found himself in such a situation.
With Cade's permission to leave, the seven respectfully bid Cade goodbye and acted perfunctorily towards Lena before they left.
"Alas. In the end, we didn't even gain anything but had to watch that little bastard win!" Ashely complained as she stomped her feet.
"Hehe. What? You expect her to give something to us first! If I were her, I wouldn't bother to give any of you a single sweet!" Raize scoffed as she looked at Ashely.
When Ashely saw the third sister of hers, who was also younger than her by a year, commenting while looking at her, she flared up.
"Hehe, why are you looking at me as you say all that? We are all in the same boat here!"
"Whatever!" Raize said before brushing shoulders with Ashely while passing her.
Seeing the arrogant Raize, Ashely was so furious, but that was it. Raize was hot-tempered and fearless. She had lost count of the times that she had lost to Raize.
"If I were you, I wouldn't hate Zara. After all, if it wasn't for her interference, you wouldn't be the family's fourth Miss!" Mitchel advised as she walked past Ashely.
Mitchel's words struck Ashely to the extent that she froze.
'What the heck is she talking about?' she was so confused and didn't understand what Raize's sister was up to.
And just before she could exit her trance, Demel patted her shoulder and said, "She meant it. You are like this because of her!" before passing her once again.
Unable to understand what they were talking about, Ashely held her head as she screamed while glaring in the direction those siblings of hers were going.
"Ahh! Is anyone going to just tell me what it is? What's wrong with you people trying to be mysterious and all that?"
Unfortunately for her, the siblings didn't seem interested as they outrightly ignored her as they went to their cars.
'Humph! Do you think that there is nothing that I, Ashely, want and can't find out?' she hmphed inwardly as she glared at the cars driving away.