The next day, Layla took Ivy shopping again and after visiting a few other stores, Ivy decided that she preferred the dress from the day before, so they went back to the store to purchase all three dresses.Layla knew her mother's measurements and did not have to consult Avery."Can you have them adjusted by tonight?" Layla asked the owner. "We need them for tomorrow.""I will have them adjusted by tonight," the owner promised. "Ms. Tate, you are a loyal customer here. We will do our best to fulfill your request.""Great. I'll pay now!" Layla took out her card from her purse.Ivy took out her own card. "Layla, why don't we use my card? I haven't gotten to use it yet! I don't even know what the limit of the card is."Layla burst into laughter. "That's a sub-card to Dad's account. There's no limit to it. You can easily buy a house with it.""...""If you want to try spending your money, you can use your card!""Will Dad find out?""Haha! Worried that he will be upset? Relax! He

"Uncle Mike! Uncle Chad!" Robert spotted the two and hurried outside to welcome them.They had informed Mike and Chad half a month ago that Ivy had been found and thought they wanted to see her, Avery had told them that Ivy had not been ready to meet anyone. So, they traveled around for a bit before finally going to meet Ivy. "And I thought we were early!" Mike exclaimed when he saw all the cars that filled the yard. "They came rushing without even finishing their breakfast, did they?"Robert chuckled. "I'm not sure about them, but we haven't eaten!""I knew it. These people are all drawn to drama!" Mike said as he strode into the living room. The servants offered them slippers to change into."Ivy, the blonde one is Uncle Mike. He took care of Hayden and I when we were children. The one next to him is Uncle Chad. He used to be Dad's assistant," Layla whispered to Ivy. "Uncle Mike is working under Hayden and Uncle Chad works in the Bridgedale branch of Tate industries. They are b

Elliot shook his head. "I don't want to pressure her into anything. It took so much work to finally find her. I want her to live without a care in the world." He was concerned that she might run away if placed too much pressure on her.Ivy was already eighteen years old and could survive on her own. If someone upset her, she could easily drop everything and leave. "Haha! You were never this careful with any of your other kids," Mike laughed. "Probably not even to your wife."Had Elliot acted so gingerly around Avery, they would not have argued so frequently.Seeing how Elliot was rendered speechless, Avery stepped in, "Our daughter has just come home, so it's only normal that we are walking on eggshells. Stop trying to divide Elliot and me. We are doing perfectly fine!"Mike snorted. "You are an old married couple, so why should I waste my time trying to cause strife between the two of you? You are too old to bring up divorce whenever you please. It's not like you are capable of

"Darling, we don't hate Eric. Your dad and I saw him not long ago! People just drift apart from time to time. It's normal so don't read too much into it." Avery tapped Layla on the shoulder. "We haven't been as close as we were before you asked him out.""I thought that was because he was busy. He has retired and isn't as busy..." Layla did not wish for Eric to drift apart from her family since he occupied a major part of her childhood."He hasn't reached out to us! Layla, you have to understand that maybe he hasn't contacted us because he needs some time alone. We will never hate him, and if he ever needs help, we won't hesitate to help. Likewise, I'm sure he will do the same for us when we need help as well. But there's no point in contacting him when there's nothing important to say."Layla understood what Avery was saying, but she still felt upset, likely because Eric was one of the very people that she truly cared about.After lunch, Layla pulled Elliot outside. It was the hot

Avery's head began to hurt as soon as she thought about this.Her children would not walk down the path that she had laid down for them, and since she and Elliot had gotten married late in life, she could not ask Hayden to marry early either. She knew that none of her children would ever settle for less, and marriage seemed insignificant if they could not find the one. "I don't think Hayden needs a psychiatrist. He seems normal to me. Elliot was the same way before, right? Work means everything because he hasn't found someone he likes! Once he finds that person, he might transform into a puppy as Elliot did..."Avery came close to vomiting when she heard the word 'puppy'."Avery, do you think you are going to be a good mother-in-law?" Tammy asked.Avery had not considered this question in the past because Hayden had never shown any interest in romantic relationships; she would have at least given it some thought if Hayden had brought home a woman."I don't think that I would i