NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7: A robber and a thief.
Lazily, Sunshine said in a measured deliberate voice that was calm, "Well, I suppose I could put off the divorce for now and can even repair him back to health."
She picked up a watermelon slice and sniffed it. The last time she had eaten one, it cost three thousand dollars, and it was as small as a baby's head. That was in the third year of the apocalypse.
Suni's words relieved everyone, especially her husband's parents, but it was still too early to celebrate as they could sense the hesitation in her voice. There was a "but" coming.
"Do you think that Hades is a car that you can just repair since you are a mechanical engineer? Even his doctors said that he is going to be like that forever. Nails and glue will not patch him back together." Fifi snorted, rolling her eyes.
"I don't think she intends to use nails and glue." Lisha laughed.
"What matters is that she willing to care for Hades and the children." Warren said.
Twin sighs escaped the Quinn couple as their gazes collided. Indeed, what mattered was that she was going to care for Hades and she was not divorcing.
"I knew that she was the right choice." Rori breathed into her husband's ear before returning her attention to Suni. "My darling girl, for what you have just said I am going to give you a black limitless card which you can use at your convince to buy anything you want. Also, as the first daughter-in-law and mistress of the house you get to have the family jewels that are passed down to the main wife. When you have a baby in future, I will hand you all of my private collections, they are worth a lot of money" Rori said, barely containing her happiness.
Sunshine's lips curled upwards as maids lined up, ten of them, presenting very expensive jewelry that was worth a lot of money.
"Thank you, mother-in-law." She snatched the black card out of Rori's hands quickly. The lottery ticket was nothing compared to this.
"Err...let me give you something as well." Richard gave her a bank card, but he did not say how much was in it. "Please take care of my son."
Sunshine grabbed the card like a squirrel grabbing nuts. Suddenly, being Mrs. Quinn was as golden as sunshine itself.
She looked at the other relatives, shamelessly holding out her hands. "Uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces, nephews and my sons...." She did not spare Hades's children. "I just married Hades, even though there was no wedding, I am not against receiving wedding gifts. Unless you are not happy for us."
Warren coughed into a glass of fresh orange juice. Some jaws dropped open, some people scoffed, others sneered. But no matter their reaction, Sunshine's hands remained where they were.
"What are you doing? You are embarrassing us." Rowena hissed.
Sunshine sneered at her. "You got your share when you sold me. I am no longer a Raine, I am Sunshine Quinn. You can check my marriage certificate. Madam Rowena, stay out of our Quinn family affairs."
Cassius clapped his hands and laughed like a fool. He picked up a cupcake and threw it at Dido Quinn.
"Someone." Sunshine raised her voice sternly. "Remove him this instant." She ordered.
The servants looked at patriarch Quinn, Richard and Rori. There was hesitation and they did not dare to be careless.
"You heard the mistress, escort Cassius back to his room." Rori said.
"What?" Moon jumped up. "Suni, I know that you are jealous, but you cannot..."
Sunshine slammed her hand on the table. Her voice had no tremors as she said, "I am the mistress and your mother-in-law. Moon Raine, if you annoy me right now, I will throw you out of Quinn manor. Disrespect me again and I will teach you your place." Her eyes scanned the people at the table, slowly, precisely like she was measuring distances for sniper windage.
Her stare did not ask for obedience. it expected it, plucked it out of the air itself. "This is a warning to everyone here. I am the mistress of Quinn manor now, seeing me is like seeing Hades. I am the law here, if anyone steps out of line, I will whip them back into shape or throw them out." Her words came low and even, each syllable clipped like a sharpened blade.
She looked at her mother-in-law and smiled. "Mother-in-law, am I right?"
Rori scooted a little towards her husband. She had to admit, Sunshine suddenly sacred her.
"Anything, right?" her husband whispered to her.
Rori nodded. "Right." she smiled nervously.
Sunshine reached for her tool belt and suddenly retrieved a hammer which she placed on the table. "So, the gifts."
Suddenly, people were taking out wallets and stripping off their jewelry as if there was an ongoing bank heist. Rori was somehow caught up in it all that she removed her wedding ring, rushing to hand it over.
Sunshine gestured at Cathy to collect everything. The poor maid, with trembling hands and sweaty armpits played the role of assistant armed robber.
Sunshine rifled through the goodies there and then laughed when she noticed that there was a lollipop in the mix. She unwrapped it and put it in her mouth directly. Sighing in happy relief as she had not tasted candy in four years at least.
"Passwords to the bank cards." She demanded. She unfolded the tool belt around her waist and got a small notebook and pen.
Cathy went around collecting passwords, sweating even more than before.
Moon suddenly piped up. "Aunt's uncles, cousins, I also got married. Cassius and I..."
"Shut up." Fifi barked at her.
Sunshine had displayed right from the beginning that she was a hard nut to crack. But this Moon who was rushing out to be everyone's doormat, they would step on her as she wished.
"But its not fair." Moon whined. "My husband is a fool and I am going to spend eternity with him, I deserve money just as sister Suni has been given." She cried out, lips trembling like leaves in the storm.
Fifi sneered. "You will receive an allowance monthly."
Moon was outraged. What monthly allowance when the apocalypse was coming? She needed the money now. Why were they being unfair to her? When Sunshine agreed to marry Cassius in their last life, she had been given a gift of ten million.
They had not yet given her anything, not even a dollar. What did they mean by their actions? Why could they do it for Sunshine but not her?
A tiny derisive chuckle came from Sunshine on seeing the disappointment that etched on her cousin's face on hearing Fifi's response and seeing the disappointment on Moon's face.
"At least give me ten million. Didn't you prepare ten million for me grandmother?" She looked at Rori desperately.
"You greedy woman. Do you know what ten million is? Have you ever made ten million in your life? Haven't we given your parents enough money? They took one hundred million from us for the two of you. Isn't that enough?" Fifi slapped the table.
She shot a scathing gaze at the Raine couple. The couple folded their necks like turtles.
Sunshine snorted. What her sister did not know was that in her last life, the ten million bank card had been empty, all the money had been transferred out by Fifi Quinn without Rori's knowledge. This fact, Sunshine had kept to herself because she had won the lottery anyway.
"I don't care." Moon stood up and stomped her foot. "I want ten million. Obviously, you all don't see Cassius as a family member. Why does Sunshine get a black card, and I don't? Give me a black card right now."
Colleta could not help but laugh. "For a small thief, you really have a big mouth." She uttered a jaw-dropping remark, tiny giggles followed after especially from her and the maids that were standing close by.
Eyes bulging, Rowena screamed like a banshee, "Are you accusing my daughter of something? I will make my daughter divorce Cassius right now. We will not tolerate this insult." She roared, not even her husband's hush signals were going to tame her anger.
It was the Quinn's that had approached them with marriage proposals, yet she could not help but feel like they were picking on Moon the entire morning and now they were calling her a thief.
Colleta arched a brow and sneered. "Aren't you aware that Moon has been stealing things from the pantry and the stores? In fact, she has been stealing everything that she can get her hands on. I heard the maids gossiping early this morning." She paused and stared at Suni as if wanting her to verify her words. "You can ask Suni she was there." Colleta crossed her arms and waited for confirmation.