I Quit Being a Stepmother (Cypress Gem) novel Chapter 227

Chapter 227

+25 BONUS

Carter’s claim that Peter wanted to apologize to Rhea in person was purely nonsense on his part.

“There’s no need for us to be civil to each other,” Rhea said over the phone.

“Should I have Arielle and Adrian ask you themselves? You know they miss you a whole lot more than they miss me.” Carter shamelessly used the kids as leverage.

The gossip about Lauren threatening the kids had already reached Rhea’s ears. The thought of those two young ones suffering because of her and Carter made her feel uneasy.

“Where and when?” she ultimately asked.

Carter exhaled in relief, then gave her the address and time in a softer tone.

When the call ended, he couldn’t stop a faint smile from tugging at his lips. He didn’t even realize that just hearing Rhea agree to join them for dinner made him feel a sense of happiness.

Carter got home early.

The moment he stepped through the door, he saw Devan kneeling on the floor, scrubbing the tiles. Meanwhile, Scarlett and the maid she had brought over were lounging nearby, chatting.

As soon as Devan noticed Carter, he looked up. “Mr. Jamison.”

Carter frowned. “Why are you the one scrubbing the floor?”

“Carter.” Lauren appeared from the dining room. “We don’t have enough staff, and since you wanted to host tonight, the place had to be spotless.”

“He’s the butler,” Carter reminded her. “Do you really think that it’s appropriate for him to be on his knees scrubbing?”

Division of roles was one of Carter’s core principles, whether in business or at home.

Lauren froze for a moment. “I didn’t think too much about it. I just wanted everything ready quickly.

“Devan, get up.”

Devan braced himself against the ground and struggled to his feet. His legs were trembling.

“Go rest,” Carter told him.

“Thank you, Mr. Jamison.”

Devan didn’t refuse. He had already cleaned the living room three times. Lauren had insisted that

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Chapter 227

+25 BONUS

twice wasn’t good enough.

“By the way, why don’t I see the nanny who usually takes care of the kids?” Carter had been swamped with work lately and hadn’t kept up with household staff changes.

Lauren lowered her gaze. “I didn’t take her with us when we moved. We have enough nannies here.”

Carter slowly raised his head to look at her. He stayed silent for a good half a minute.

Lauren felt her body tense. “What’s wrong, Carter?”

“You fired the nanny who’s been looking after them all this time?”

When they moved to Draventh, Lauren had quietly let Alisha go. With the latter around, the kids constantly pushed back against Lauren.

“We have Scarlett. She’s very experienced. I just thought that we should be practical. If we don’t need extra staff, why keep them?” Lauren presented herself as a thrifty homemaker.

Carter’s voice was firm as he said, “You don’t cut corners when it comes to the kids. They were used to her, and can’t you tell that they don’t like Scarlett? Lauren, I know you don’t have much experience with kids, but you can learn. Always remind yourself that you’re their mom. Try thinking from their perspective.”

Then, almost instinctively, he added, “Even Rhea, who hasn’t been a mother, is more considerate than you.”

Lauren’s smile almost slipped. She couldn’t believe that he had actually compared her to Rhea, the stepmother.

Lauren lowered her head. “You’re right. I didn’t think it through. I’ll bring her back tomorrow. It’s getting late. So, why don’t you check the dining room setup and see if anything’s missing?”

Carter tugged at his tie, irritation flickering across his face. “Can’t you handle something this simple? If you can’t, let Devan do it.‘

Ever since yesterday, his patience with her had been wearing thin.