When His Nauseous Sweetheart Frowns, the Tycoon's Family Takes Turns Pampering Her-Chapter 96: Adoration

Ms. Brooks patted her chest, still shaken. "Ms. Axton, your son-in-law has such a powerful presence. I have to choose my words so carefully when I talk to him, afraid I’ll say the wrong thing."

"There’s nothing you can’t say." Jenna Axton linked arms with Ms. Brooks. "Come on, Princess Brooks, let’s go buy you something you like."

At the mention of shopping, Ms. Brooks’s spirits soared, and she completely forgot about what had just happened.

Mr. Coleman asked Joy Coleman anxiously, "Your boss... he runs a legitimate business, right?"

"It’s not like he needs us to launder his money," Joy Coleman said, understanding her father’s concern. "Dad, I’ll explain it to you later. Luna is just starting to live the life she was always meant to."

Mr. Coleman found her answer ambiguous and looked to Luna Axton for confirmation.

Luna Axton could only nod reluctantly.

’What kind of life was she meant to have? She didn’t know.’

’But her true origins must remain a secret.’

It was the twenty-seventh day of the last lunar month, and with students on vacation, the mall was exceptionally crowded.

The mall was playing "It’s the New Year!", and red elements adorned displays everywhere, creating a thick Spring Festival atmosphere.

An atmosphere like this naturally sparked everyone’s desire to shop.

Luna Axton glanced around. Every store was bustling with activity. The staff were swamped, but without a doubt, they all wore smiles and served customers with enthusiasm.

The Spring Festival was the peak season for consumption, the mall’s busiest time for revenue.

"Oh! Ms. Axton, that shop over there! I’m going to see if they have the scented oil I want. Kensing’s shop was out."

Ms. Brooks pulled Jenna Axton into the shop.

Compared to the other stores, the scented oil shop was much less crowded.

Joy Coleman and Mr. Coleman flanked Luna Axton, protecting her from being jostled by the crowd.

The scent Ms. Brooks wanted was out of stock, so a clerk led her to the fragrance stone area to sample other scents.

Luna Axton and Joy Coleman didn’t share their mothers’ appreciation for atmosphere and ritual; they’d never been interested in things like scented oils or perfumes.

Jenna Axton looked around but didn’t see anything she wanted to buy. Suddenly, she remembered a perfume she used to love.

Products were updated so quickly; she wondered if it had been discontinued.

"Hello, there was a perfume, a rose-scented one. It smelled like... like a rainy day, that hazy feeling of anticipation, with a hint of a fluttering heart. Is it still for sale?"

The clerk’s eyes lit up after hearing the description. "Is it ’Crush’? You must be a long-time customer. That was our brand’s very first perfume. It was the perfumer’s confession of love to the woman he adored."

’Crush? A confession?’

Jenna Axton’s mind went blank, and she froze on the spot.

The clerk thought she’d said something wrong. "Is that not it, ma’am?"

"It was a gift," Jenna Axton said, composing herself with a bitter smile. "I never knew its name, I only remembered the brand."

"You can smell it over here to see if it’s the scent you remember," the clerk suggested.

"Okay, thank you," Jenna Axton nodded.

Her every move exuded an elegance refined by time. The good breeding and noble air that were part of her very being had not faded with the passing years.

Joy Coleman leaned in and whispered to Luna, "Mrs. Axton is such a classy woman. You can tell she’s from a rich family. She’s not the least bit intimidated walking into a mall like this. She really is a woman who belongs in this kind of environment."

Luna Axton hadn’t hidden the truth about her background from Joy.

Other than Joy, she didn’t know who else she could confide in about her tangled emotions.

"I think so too." She had always known her mother was beautiful, intelligent, elegant, independent, and confident.

Joy Coleman stared intently. "I want to be a woman like Mrs. Axton."

From a short distance, Jenna Axton confirmed the perfume’s scent. It was the exact one her second brother had given her all those years ago.

"Is the name of this one ’Crush’?"

"Yes," the clerk confirmed. "The perfumer is our brand’s founder. This was the very first perfume he launched when he started the company."

"I’ll take a bottle, please."

The clerk placed the order on a tablet. Seeing the stock level, she felt a secret sense of relief. "Please wait a moment, ma’am. My colleague will bring it right over."

Jenna Axton’s gaze fell on the fragrance stone in front of her. It felt as if, in the grand scheme of things, something was quietly starting to shift.

Overthinking was draining. Jenna Axton reined in her thoughts.

Luna Axton noticed the fleeting change in her mother’s expression. When her mother sat down beside her, she asked, "Mom, what’s wrong?"

"Nothing. I just bought a bottle of a perfume I used to like." She raised an eyebrow, her expression casual.

But the hand clutching her purse betrayed the emotions she was trying so hard to suppress.

Luna Axton took her mother’s hand. ’She must be thinking about something related to the Frost family’s youngest uncle.’

’Otherwise, she couldn’t imagine what else could make her mother so emotional.’

Over on the other side, Ms. Brooks, accompanied by Mr. Coleman, had also picked out a scented oil.

Joy Coleman used a shopping card from Evergrow Group to pay for the two mothers’ purchases.

"I get to enjoy the fruits of Joy’s labor too." Jenna Axton smiled brightly, putting an arm around Joy Coleman’s shoulder. "Thank you for my New Year’s gift, Joy."

"Mrs. Axton, think of it as tuition for my apprenticeship. Please teach me about fashion and style, and also..."

Joy Coleman snuck a glance at Ms. Brooks. Seeing that Ms. Brooks was still chattering away with Mr. Coleman and had no time to notice her, the long-term third wheel, she continued,

"Teach me how to be a sophisticated woman with a commanding presence."

Jenna Axton smiled gently. "I can help with fashion and makeup, but as for presence... that comes from experience. Your life is just beginning. There’s no need to rush into being ’sophisticated.’ Just be who you are. The way you are now, so open and poised, is wonderful."

As she spoke, Jenna Axton pointed to a clothing store ahead. "Let me pick out a couple of professional outfits for you."

The group turned and entered the clothing store.

Just as their group disappeared into the clothing store, Russell Frost, who had come to buy New Year’s gifts for his family, stopped in front of the shop they had just left.

More than twenty years had passed. The store, originally designed with a natural aesthetic, had now followed the trends and been redecorated in a chic, minimalist-luxe style with a black and coffee color scheme.

Russell Frost walked into the shop, almost unconsciously. A clerk recognized him at a glance.

"Welcome. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I..." Russell Frost paused for a moment. "Do you have any products suitable for a pregnant woman?"

"Scented oil," the clerk said. "Our new product smells like a blend of ink, wood, and sunshine in a study. It’s perfect for lighting on a winter’s day while reading quietly."

The clerk guessed that someone very close to Mr. Frost must be pregnant.

’A man as elegant, handsome, erudite, and talented as Mr. Frost... the people around him must be influenced by him and enjoy reading as well.’

’This particular scented oil would make a perfect New Year’s gift.’

An image of Luna Axton sitting at her desk, quietly reading her notes, appeared in Russell Frost’s mind.

"Please wrap it nicely for me."

"Of course, sir. One moment."

While he waited, Russell Frost’s steps carried him to the perfume section.

Unable to shake the thought from his mind, he spoke to the clerk again.

"Please get me a bottle of the ’Crush’ series perfume as well. No need to wrap it."