Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law-Chapter 517: Choosing a Location, Love, Excitement (5)_1

Four months into the pregnancy, the baby's movements had become quite noticeable.

From seven to nine in the evening was when the baby was most active.

During this time, if you touched the spot where the baby had just kicked, they would quickly kick again. Because it was only the fourth month, the baby's movements were still very gentle. Even when kicking, it was a gentle one, not causing any discomfort to the mother.

"Baby, it's Daddy. Daddy has been busy all day outside and just got home. Daddy misses you so much. Were you well-behaved today?" Glades Horne said softly, his eyes and brows filled with the tenderness and joy of a first-time father.

He was naturally fond of children. For a man of his status, it was hard to imagine he would be a child-lover. His love for Julia was so profound and deep. Now that Julia was carrying the fruit of their love, he had every reason to be delighted. For their unborn baby, he felt an affection that penetrated deep into his bones.

The baby did not stir. He kept talking to the baby with gentle words. After a few minutes, the baby started to respond. Perhaps the baby had grown accustomed to this Daddy who liked to chatter and disturb him every evening. The baby moved slightly, and Glades, who had his face against Julia's stomach, felt it.

"Julia, my daughter heard me talking and responded!"

Even though it wasn't the first time feeling the baby move, Glades was still excited.

Julia couldn't help but laugh.

"What if it's a son?" Julia also liked the idea of a daughter, but since the baby hadn't been born yet, she couldn't be sure of its gender. Glades kept referring to "my daughter," and she wondered, What if a mischievous son is born?

"I still prefer a daughter—sensible and affectionate. People say a son is his father's enemy from a past life, while a daughter is the lover from a past life. So, I want a daughter."

"You just want a lover," she teased.

"It's just a metaphor, Julia, please don't misunderstand. My heart, my mind, inside and out—they're all filled with just you," Glades explained hastily, afraid his beloved wife might misunderstand.

Julia just smiled, saying with trust, "Look how scared you got. We grew up together. Don't I know what kind of person you are?"

Reassured that his wife hadn't misunderstood, Glades finally relaxed.

After playing with the baby for a while, he stood up. "I'll go run a warm bath for you so you can bathe before we sleep," he said, then turned to leave.

But a small hand caught his. He turned his head to find Julia sitting up in bed, looking at him intently. "Aren't you going to ask about Mom's situation?" she asked.

Glades looked straight into her almond eyes with his deep gaze, husband and wife locking eyes. His lips parted slightly. "I trust you." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

It had always been her who cared the most, who most wanted her mother to live a fulfilling life. So, he absolutely trusted her; there was no need to ask about his mother-in-law's affairs. He also believed that with Julia's help and guidance, his mother-in-law would certainly be able to live a fulfilling life. Through self-improvement, she would diminish her feelings for his father. Only then could he deal decisively with the two people he despised deep in his heart.

Julia didn't say a word, simply returning his words with a strong embrace.

「James Horne's Kitchenware Company started work for the new year on the ninth day of the first lunar month.」

On the first day back, it generally wasn't busy, and James Horne wouldn't go to the company to oversee things. It wasn't until the tenth day of the first lunar month, when the company's operations had fully resumed, that he returned as usual to handle business.

After the New Year, he had become even more reticent, all because of his mother, Phoebe Rogers.

He tried to avoid her or see her as little as possible, thoroughly fed up with her tearful complaints, her accusations against his beloved elder brother, and her pressure on him to fight for the Valence Group. Still, sometimes he had to see her; after all, she was his mother.

Just then, for instance. He had just returned to the office and had barely been seated for half an hour when his Secretary announced his mother's arrival. James's instinctive reaction was to tell his Secretary he wasn't in.

"General Manager, the Madam has already gone upstairs." The Secretary had received a call from downstairs informing her that Phoebe Rogers had already entered the Office Building and was heading up.

Phoebe Rogers was the General Manager's mother; no one dared to easily stop her.

James Horne frowned briefly, then said coldly, "Mm, I know. That's all, you can go back to work."

The Secretary nodded and left the General Manager's Office.

The Secretary had just returned to her desk when Phoebe Rogers appeared before her. She quickly smiled and stepped forward to greet her. "Madam, you've arrived."

Before the New Year, Phoebe Rogers came almost daily. Sometimes, when she couldn't see her son, only this Secretary would receive her. She was furious about her son's avoidance but held a degree of fondness for the Secretary who always addressed her as 'Madam.'

Today, Phoebe Rogers was dressed elegantly and appropriately, exuding a refined grace. A black Chanel handbag was looped over her right arm, and she indeed carried the air of a distinguished lady.

Everyone knew she was merely Gian Horne's mistress and had never married. Ordinarily, people would call her Ms. Rogers, not Madam. James Horne's Secretary, however, understood people well. She addressed Phoebe Rogers as 'Madam,' partly to curry favor and partly because Phoebe Rogers was, after all, James's biological mother. With James's current wealth, if mother and son lived together with servants, Phoebe Rogers would indeed be called 'Madam' or 'Mrs.'

Hearing the Secretary's greeting, Phoebe Rogers nodded and asked, "Has the General Manager come in to work yet?"

The Secretary nodded and led her toward the General Manager's Office. When they reached the door, Phoebe Rogers dismissed the Secretary and knocked on James Horne's office door herself. After James's voice said, "Come in," she entered the office.

"Mom."

James Horne sat at his desk. In front of him, various documents and books were piled high like a small mountain. It wasn't that he was truly so busy; this was a facade he created to show Phoebe Rogers how occupied he was. Hearing footsteps, he looked up. Seeing Phoebe Rogers, he greeted her gravely, his handsome face showing little expression, then lowered his gaze again, quickly signing documents with the pen in his right hand.

Phoebe Rogers walked over and sat in the black chair in front of his desk.

"James, are you very busy?" she asked, a hint of concern in her voice as she eyed the stacks of documents and books.

As a former secretary, she knew that the heads of large companies were indeed quite busy.

"Mm. Mom, is there something?" James Horne didn't even lift his head this time, his voice still heavy and lacking warmth.

"I came to talk to you about—"

"Mom!" James Horne suddenly interrupted her, lifting his gaze. "If you're going to talk about the same things again, please leave," he said coldly. "Don't disturb my work."

"How did I give birth to such an unambitious son!" Phoebe Rogers complained angrily. "The inheritance that belongs to you, you don't fight for it. The woman you love, you don't compete for her. Are you that useless? Don't you know you have to fight for your own happiness?"

"Mom! One is my elder brother, and the other is my sister-in-law! If I fight for my 'happiness' as you say, wouldn't I be tearing them apart? How is that any different from what you did back then!" James Horne roared in anger.

His mother had willingly been the other woman, undermining the marriage between his father and his father's wife. That was her mistake. How could she, as a mother, teach her own son to follow in her footsteps and interfere in someone else's marriage?

"Your elder brother wronged you! He took the inheritance that should have been yours and married Julia, the woman you deeply love! He wronged you first, so why should you feel guilty? Do you really think that respected elder brother of yours is a good man? He's—"

"Mom!"

James Horne's entire face darkened, his eyes turning exceptionally cold. In his entire life, the one thing he could not tolerate was anyone slandering his respected elder brother.

He wouldn't allow it, even if that person was his own mother!

"Fine, I won't say any more. I know your loyalty has been bought by him. I have something to show you." Phoebe Rogers cursed Glades Horne's place in her son's heart. She fought to suppress her anger, then pulled a thick stack of photos from her handbag, tossing them in front of James Horne. "Take a look. Can you really not care at all? Not feel any pain? Not suffer in the slightest?"

James Horne picked up the stack of photos. He pulled one out and saw it was filled with pictures of Samuel Horne and Julia Bluen together. They looked incredibly intimate and deeply in love, enough to make anyone viewing the photos burn with envy.

Seeing such intimacy between one of the two people he loved most and another man, James Horne felt turbulent waves crash through the heart he had forced to remain calm and indifferent.

He cared! He was in pain! He was suffering!

"Look! If it weren't for Glades, the man by Julia's side would be you! The one pampering her, loving her, protecting her would be you! Even the baby in her belly would be yours!" Phoebe Rogers cruelly taunted James.

Ever since she accidentally discovered her son's deep, secret love for Julia Bluen, she felt she had found the leverage to manipulate him, the means to sow discord between him and Glades Horne, shattering their brotherly bond.