Love’s Cunning Ruse

Chapter 191

When Daphne arrived at Noblewood Retreat, it was just mealtime.

Watching Julie’s family of three in their happy bubble, she couldn’t help but feel overwhelming warm, as

if she was even happier than Julie herself. Because of Julie’s poor health. Shannon made squid soup

and all the dishes were nutrition-focused. Kieran was helping Julie serve the soup and Julie looked up

and said, “If I keep eating like this, I’m gonna turn into a pig.”

“Kerry likes eating pork.” Ivan wiggled his utensils and innocently replied.

This was actually the first time Daphne had met this little guy. She’d always heard Julie talk about this

clever and lively boy. Due to special circumstances yesterday, she only caught a glimpse of Ivan before

he was taken away by Julien. Looking at him now, Daphne couldn’t help but exclaim, “Little guy, you’re

super handsome!”

Hearing the compliment, Ivan replied without hesitation, “That’s definitely because my parents have

good genes. You’re pretty too, Daphne. Find a handsome partner and you’ll have smart and cute kids.”

“My little cutie, how can I like you so much!” Saying this, Daphne bent down and planted a kiss on the

boy’s face.

Although the little boy wiped his face with a slightly annoyed expression, he still kept a smile and said,

“It might be because I’m handsome that you like me.”

“Your parents aren’t narcissists. Where did you learn to be so full of yourself?” Daphne couldn’t help

but laugh at Ivan’s words, feeling extremely happy.

Julie chuckled and said, “Maybe it’s in his blood.”

Daphne looked at Julie and asked, “You mentioned on the phone that you had something to ask me?”

Julie’s tone on the phone had been very serious, which made Daphne worry all the way.

Upon mentioning this, Julie’s lips curved into a gentle smile, “I just wanted to ask, would you like to

have a son?”

Hearing Julie’s words, Daphne quickly clutched her stomach, “No way! Don’t jinx me!”

When Julie asked this question, the first person that came to Daphne’s mind was Lionel.

Seeing Daphne’s somewhat exaggerated reaction, Julie squinted and looked at Daphne meaningfully,

as if forcing her to admit what had happened between her and Lionel.

“Ah, I’m feeling bitter!” Ivan’s soft and pitiful voice suddenly rang in Daphne’s ear.

Daphne turned to look at the tomato in Ivan’s bowl and asked, “How can a tomato be bitter?”

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“It’s my heart that’s bitter!” The little boy put on a grown-up tone and sighed, “Ah, my mom originally

wanted you to be my godmother, but you said you didn’t want a son.”

“No way!” Daphne quickly interrupted Ivan and turned to Julie, “You should’ve made it clear! I didn’t say

I didn’t want a godson. Such a clever and handsome son, I would dream of having! I want to be his

godmother right now!”

She turned excitedly to Ivan, “Sweetie, regard me as your godmother! I’ll give you a reward!”

All Julie could do was marvel at how quickly Daphne’s mood changed.

Julie gave her a sidelong glance and asked subtly, “So when you said so emphatically that you didn’t

want a son, did you really not want a son, or did you just not want to have a certain someone’s son?”

“What? I didn’t quite catch that! I’m gonna call my mom right now!” Without even finishing her meal,

Daphne put down her utensils, took out her phone and dialed Edda’s number.

The phone was answered after two rings, “Oh, you still remember your own mother?”

“Weren’t you the one who said I was picked up from a trash can?” Daphne replied weakly, then quickly

changed the subject, “Mrs. Flores, I actually have something I need your advice on.”

“I’m broke!”

Daphne had her phone on speaker, and Julie laughed when she heard Edda’s voice. They were always

teasing each other. Julie had gotten used to their dynamic and even found it quite warm.

“Do I look like I need money, seriously?”

“I know my own daughter. You’re not short of money, you’re short of love. Tell me, when are you

coming home to go on a blind date?” The conversation smoothly transitioned to the topic of blind

dating, which was exactly what Daphne had anticipated.

“Mrs. Flores, why do you think I called you?”

“Maybe you’ve got a screw loose! Ace of hearts!”

Daphne finally realized that Edda was playing poker on the other end of the line. What a popular

pastime.

Daphne lowered her voice and said to Edda, “I don’t have time for dating right now, can we drop this

subject?”

“You may not have time for dating now, but you’ll eventually have to go on blind dates. You’ll learn the

hard way. You’re so stubborn.” Edda’s tone became increasingly excited. Then Daphne heard the

person on the other end of the line say, “I just remembered that there’s a young man in my son’s

company who’s pretty good. He works in the natural gas industry. His parents run a small business,

and he’s about the right age to get married. I heard he’s looking for a partner! Daphne, maybe you

could meet him when you have time? It’s always good to meet young people. If you hit it off, great; if

not, no harm done.”

“Exactly, you never know with these things, maybe it’ll be love at first sight?”

“Right, it’s always better to find someone you know, so she won’t end up with some unreliable guy and

get cheated.”

“We mothers don’t expect our daughters to live a luxurious life, but at the very least, they should marry

someone dependable, don’t you think?”

The woman who suggested Daphne go on a blind date spoke up again, “Exactly! If she gets a difficult

mother-in-law, she will suffer a lot. Nowadays, children are the apple of their parents’ eye, so they are

pampered and spoiled. How could they stand being bullied?”

Daphne suddenly had Lionel’s parents on her mind. Even though Lionel never openly admitted

anything about his parents, there were lots of whispers and rumors suggesting he was a silver spooner.

Having witnessed the complicated love affair between Kieran and Julie, Daphne now had an instinctive

dislike towards rich kids. Whenever she heard about impossible mother-in-laws on the other end of the

phone, she suddenly realized, what did it matter to her whether Lionel was a rich kid or not?

“Mom, enough already. Just tell me when the blind date is, I promise I’ll show up on time, okay?” On a

whim, Daphne shot back at Edda on the other end of the line.

Edda was so surprised that she even forgot about her poker game. After confirming that it was indeed

Daphne on the phone, she asked, “Really?”

“Really!” Daphne said, “I called to ask you, what do I need to do to become a godmother?”

“Spruce yourself up, make sure to invite family and friends properly, arrange a meal, and the

godmother also needs to prepare a set of clothes and a gift for the child. If the child is still young, some

jewelry like bracelets can be prepared. It would be best if the child also prepared a set of clothes for the

elders.”

After saying all this, Edda asked Daphne, “Who are you going to be the godmother for? Didn’t you say

you would only be the godmother for Julie’s child in this lifetime? You can’t go back on your word! If you

become someone else’s godmother, Julie will be so upset.”

Over the years. Edda’s concern for Julie had even surpassed that for Daphne.

Julie stood up, took the phone and said to Edda on the other end with a smile, “Edda, it’s my son.”

Edda on the other end of the phone was obviously still not getting it, and was silent for a while. Daphne

immediately took the phone and said to Edda, “I’ll explain it to you slowly when I get home. You should

worry about my blind date first! I’m free recently, so it’s best to arrange it as soon as possible! I’ll bring

my godson home to show you!” Without another word, Daphne hung up the phone. Then she turned to

Julie and said, “No need to make it so complicated, let’s keep it simple. I’ll buy a nice set of clothes for

my godson and prepare some gifts.”

It was only after saying this that Daphne realized that Kieran, the child’s father, was standing behind

Julie. So she looked at Kieran with a smile, “Mr. Hernandez, you don’t mind, do you?”

Since Julie had made the decision after discussing with Kieran the night before, she naturally didn’t

need to worry about Kieran objecting. But at this moment, instead of answering for Kieran, she turned

to look at Kieran along with Daphne, wondering how he would respond.

Kieran walked over and stood beside Julie, gently putting his arm around her shoulders. Then he said

to Daphne, “My wife has spoken, aside from me, everything in our family can be shared with you.”

Julie looked at Kieran with surprise, not expecting him to respect her wishes so much.

Daphne shook her head, went back to Ivan, picked up a plate of nuts and offered it to the child, “Here,

have some snacks!”

Ivan scooped up a nut with a spoon and handed it to Daphne, “Godmother, you eat first. Kerry says we

should respect our parents.”

Daphne silently looked at Ivan, then she ate the nuts.

Finally agreeing to go on a blind date, Edda was extremely excited and immediately started making

arrangements. Not long after Daphne hung up the phone, Edda called back, “I’ve arranged everything

for you. Tomorrow noon, at the Seaside Hotel. I’ll send you the guy’s details.”

“Mom, you don’t have to…” Daphne didn’t even finish her sentence before an overzealous Edda hung

up.

Julie, on the other hand, wore a smug look, “Great timing! Tomorrow morning. I’ll take Ivan to buy your

clothes first, then you go on your date at noon, and I’ll pick you up in the afternoon to come back

together.”