Talking about it, Lottie couldn''t help but sigh.


    "You''re so sensitive. What if you got married into another family and ended up getting bullied? What then?"


    Even though Ste had been raised properly by the Quinn family, Lottie couldn''t shake off her concern. Compared to Yvonne, Ste seemed more prone to being bullied.


    And just as Lottie had anticipated, wasn''t it the folks in Portis City who had given Ste a hard time?


    Ste was even more touched. "Mom."


    "Now, no tears, sweetie. After you finish eating, let''s have the medical team give you a thorough check-up," Lottieforted her patiently.


    She shot a hard nce at Ronald, ming him for not properly preparing Ste. Look at how worried she had been!


    Ste nodded obediently. "Okay."


    After a few more soothing words, Lottie led Ste over to the dining table. The table wasden with food by the servant, all of Ste''s favorites from back in Ferrond.


    Lottie kept serving her more. "Star, I made this one myself today."


    "Alright." Ste nodded sweetly, picking up a piece of the pie with her fork and taking a bite. "Mom, your cooking is as wonderful as ever."


    Who would have thought that Lottie, the no-nonsense only daughter of the Lugar family, would be such a whiz in the kitchen? And she was quite the cook too.


    Ste loved the vors her mother created.


    Lottie said, "I heard that after you moved to Portis City, you developed a fondness for hot wings. I thought you might have outgrown these."


    "I love them all," Ste assured her.


    The food in Portis City was mostly nd and not that appealing. The only things she really liked there were the hot wings and barbecue. No matter how her taste might have evolved, the vors of home were irreceable. She might have grown tired of them over time, but if she had gone too long without them, the longing would have grown stronger.


    Ste was clearly missing them.


    "This soup is delicious." With a sip of the soup Lottie had made, Ste looked utterly content. It was genuinely tasty.


    Lottie beamed.


    For anyone who cooks, having someone appreciate your food is the greatest reward.


    "If you like it, have some more. You haven''t been eating properlytely, so make sure you eat your fill today."


    As Ste sipped her soup, she asked, "Mom, you seem to know everything. Did you know what was up to


    all those years in


    City?"


    Her mom even knew about her poor eating habits. It was like she had a bug on


    Ste the entire time.


    Lottie paused for a moment at the question.


    "I''m not that omniscient, you sneaky girl. You hid yourself well in that ce, getting bullied and noting back."


    Mentioning Portis City, and the topic of the Larkin family mistreating her was unavoidable.


    Initially, Lottie had no clue Ste was in Portis City. There were so many ces abroad she could have gone. Who would have thought she''d end up somewhere where she might not even know thenguage?


    But she had truly underestimated Ste''s capacity to learn. In just two or three years, hermand of the locanguage was impressive.


    Even though her husband had been from that area, he had only taught her a few


    phrases.


    Ste admitted, "I know I was wrong."


    "Hmph..."


    Lottie huffed yfully, but she wasn''t really angry with Ste.