Chubby Mommy: Scheming Daddy, Surrender Now!-Chapter 228: Moving House

Since there wasn’t much luggage, each servant carried one suitcase and finished moving everything. Besides Mama Bennett, there were also two maids she had chosen, both are older and very reliable.

Although the house was almost tidied up, with spring just around the corner, the neglected garden needed to be revamped as well.

Ruby Sullivan thought of her past hobbies and felt it might be a good idea to start a small vegetable garden, planting everything she used to love growing.

Her room was at the end of the corridor on the second floor, with her study right across. Previously, it was filled with art tools she hadn’t touched for ages, numerous art books, recipes from all over the country, and various gardening manuals.

However, that room is now empty, and everything has vanished without a trace, likely dealt with by Rhonda Sullivan while Brandon Sullivan was unconscious. That woman probably gets angry just seeing her things.

Standing at the empty study’s doorway, Ruby Sullivan took a deep breath. She thought, well, this could also be good for putting the kids’ things. Seth has so many books, and even though they only let him bring a portion, it should be enough to fill those shelves.

She heard footsteps and saw Ethan Sterling approaching, so she turned and led him to her original room.

"This bedroom has the best lighting, but it’s much smaller than yours, and the walk-in closet isn’t very spacious either. However, I didn’t bring many clothes, so you can use it first, and I’ll put my things in any leftover space," she said.

Ethan Sterling was a bit displeased with her overly polite tone, "You are the lady of the house; you call the shots."

Looking at the man, Ruby Sullivan felt a bit puzzled. Yes, he’s clearly in a live-in son-in-law situation, so why does she feel so guilty?

She took a breath, raised her eyebrows, trying to be more assertive, but then found herself unable to pull it off, "Aren’t I the one who begged you to come? Of course, I have to take care of your feelings, since you hold such a high place in the children’s hearts now."

Ethan Sterling didn’t like her unserious demeanor and, with a stern face, flicked her forehead, "I came because I wanted to."

Ruby Sullivan rubbed her forehead in compromise, "Alright, alright, it’s you who wants to be a good dad, insisting on coming along, okay?"

Ethan Sterling frowned. Somehow, when she spoke, the words seemed to change in flavor. He wasn’t entirely convinced by her tone but couldn’t pinpoint why.

"I am a good dad," he emphasized.

After speaking, he walked into her room.

Leaning on the doorway, Ruby Sullivan said with a sense of loss, "Rhonda Sullivan must have liked this room a lot. After I got married, she asked me to talk to Dad, hoping I’d voluntarily let her have the room. Of course, I was unwilling, but I’m too soft-hearted and couldn’t handle her constant pleading, so I had to go to Dad."

"After listening to me, Dad could tell I was reluctant and directly said no. It was only then I learned she had already asked Dad before coming to me, and he had scolded her. I didn’t manage to persuade Dad either."

Brandon Sullivan has always been good to Rhonda Sullivan, treating her no different from Ruby. If you were to tell outsiders that one of the daughters was adopted, they’d probably think it was Ruby. That’s because when Rhonda hadn’t even graduated from college, she was already in the company. Since then, Brandon has been grooming his elder daughter, and aside from a few old acquaintances, hardly anyone remembers he has a younger daughter.

But Ruby’s room was personally chosen and decorated by her mother, Lana Shaw, and on her deathbed, she asked Brandon that no matter how many children he has in future marriages, he shouldn’t take the room away from their daughter. Perhaps in her mother’s heart, preserving the room meant preserving a place in their father’s heart for his daughter.

So, even though Brandon cherished Rhonda a lot, he did not agree to the matter. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

"But now, the furnishings of this room have all been changed." She let out a breath, touching the intricate patterns on the large wardrobe, "This luxurious Nordheim-style furniture is clearly to Rhonda’s taste. What I liked was the colorful Mediterranean style, opening my eyes to freshness." Thinking of her younger self, she couldn’t help but smile.

Back then, though she was weak and useless, the world in her eyes was always colored like a rainbow, especially beautiful, as if dark tones like black, white, and gray had nothing to do with her.

"You like color?" Ethan Sterling thought of The Sterling Family’s cold and minimal decor, where aside from gray, white, black, and mahogany, the only other colors could be found in Honey and Seth’s rooms.

"I only liked it when I was young." She walked in, lay on her back on the bed, and shut her eyes. If she could travel back and say something to her younger self, it would probably be... eat less, being able to eat isn’t a blessing, and losing weight is truly painful.

Seeing her close her eyes, Ethan Sterling thought she might not have slept well last night and was now tired, so he didn’t speak further. He quietly dragged the suitcase in and started organizing their clothes, which took him about an hour to finish.

Ruby Sullivan remained in the same position on the bed. She didn’t actually plan to sleep, but slumber came as soon as she shut her eyes.

When she awoke, Ethan Sterling had already gone to work, and Brandon Sullivan was with Mama Bennett in the garden, turning the soil.

Thinking she didn’t have any important matters today, she decided not to go to the company, washed her face, changed clothes, and joined in the soil-turning. Indeed, rural life suits her better than office work.

As she turned the soil, Ruby Sullivan thought about whether she could someday buy a small yard in a quiet village, just planting flowers and vegetables, occasionally buying some homegrown produce from the local market and living out the rest of her life simply.

At that time, would she be alone, or would she meet the right person?

She didn’t think further, afraid that if it were too perfect, she wouldn’t be able to face the present reality.

*

The Sterling Family had only two cleaning staff left; after Vivian left, the servants returned to their own rooms to rest. The large house felt extremely empty.

Cindy Sterling was outside in the garden under the sun, with a beer still in hand.

She’d only had a sandwich and a cup of coffee for breakfast. When the servants nervously approached at noon to ask what she wanted to eat, she said she wasn’t craving anything, no need to prepare. Then she picked up several bottles of beer, sunbathed, drank, and daydreamed.

She truly daydreamed, with nothing in her mind, empty, as if there was never anything in her head. However, she found this feeling nice, letting her think of herself as a roaming spirit, living outside the world.

Suddenly her phone rang, seeing the name on the screen, she dismissively hung up, but the caller persisted and called again immediately.