The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 1001

Anastasia Jewell didn’t even bother arguing with Katelyn Salstrom—she could tell what was going on from a mile away.

Katelyn had never approved of the way Salma Jewell raised her kids.

Luckily, Salma wasn’t there today. If she’d heard Katelyn’s comment, she would have been upset for sure.

Cradling Emmie, Anastasia made up an excuse to leave. “I’m going upstairs to change Emmie’s clothes.”

Katelyn’s face was set in stone. She knew Anastasia was making a graceful exit on purpose. As soon as Anastasia and Emmie were out of sight, Katelyn turned to Nancy. “Nancy, you need to listen to Grandma. No more junk food, okay? It’s bad for you and will keep you from growing tall. Say you love Grandma, and I’ll buy you a toy.”

“I don’t want it. I want to play with my sister,” Nancy shot back, ignoring the toy Katelyn had just handed her. She grabbed the railing and marched upstairs on her own.

Nancy was up and down those stairs every day—she was a pro and didn’t need help.

With both of her grandkids brushing her off, Katelyn felt a little hurt. Just then, her phone rang. It was Autumn, inviting her out for a round of mahjong.

Katelyn called out to Anastasia to let her know, then headed out.

Knowing Autumn had invited Katelyn out, Anastasia was extra cautious. She discreetly asked where the mahjong game was happening and then had Christen keep an eye on things.

At Spring Harmony Tea House, four well-heeled ladies gathered around a mahjong table. They were all familiar faces, often meeting up for games like this.

All of them were mothers-in-law, so the conversation naturally drifted to their daughters-in-law.

Mrs. Zhang grumbled, “My daughter-in-law is so dramatic. She keeps sneaking money to her family on the side. I checked her bank statements last month—she bought her brother a brand new Range Rover!”

Mrs. Johnson jumped in, “A Range Rover? That’s nothing. My daughter-in-law hasn’t given me a single grandchild in three years. I’d be happy with a girl, even! I even bought her a house.”

Autumn, without any kids of her own, had nothing to complain about.

She put on a modest smile and said, “Well, in that case, you should take a page from Katelyn’s book. Her daughter-in-law has already had three kids, and I heard she even started an artisanal workshop. Talk about capable!”

Mrs. Zhang and Mrs. Johnson, both competitive at heart, didn’t like being outdone.

“Oh, I’m not that lucky,” Autumn sighed. “I talked it over with Mr. Walker, and we decided to drop it.”

“Then maybe consider James. He’s a good boy, and it’s always nice to have someone looking out for you when you’re older…”

Before Katelyn could finish, the waiter brought their food. Suddenly, Autumn caught a whiff of the dishes and couldn’t help but gag, looking genuinely queasy.

“Autumn, are you okay?” Katelyn hurried to pour her a glass of water. “Here, have some.”

Autumn pinched her nose, still looking miserable. “Can you move the dishes farther away? The smell is making me sick.”

Katelyn looked at the food—it smelled delicious to her. What was going on?

As Autumn’s nausea got worse, Katelyn couldn’t help but tease, “Autumn, don’t tell me you’re about to have a miracle baby at your age!”