"Georgie, you have to explain what happened this time. I can't believe you actually snuck into Mexico and smuggled… one hundred thousand dollars."
As expected, the moment Georgie returned home, he was met with a barrage of scolding from Mary.
As a Christian, Mary was truly shocked by her eldest son's actions this time.
And after learning that her eldest son had not only squandered all his money but also had his arcade business shut down, she became even more furious: "Mandy's father left her money for her pregnancy, and you lost it all. What are you two going to do now?"
Mandy, standing by, saw her boyfriend being scolded until he couldn't lift his head. Heartbroken, she went up and took his hand, comforting him: "It's okay, I believe George will bounce back sooner or later."
Facts proved that Mandy, apart from being a bit older, was a very suitable candidate for a wife.
However, the deep affection shown by Mandy and Georgie did not calm Mary down. Instead, it made her even angrier: "Don't cover for him. I've known since he was little that he's not good at anything…"
Seeing his wife getting more and more out of line, even attacking their eldest son's character, George also spoke up to persuade her: "Alright, Mary. Georgie is still young; it's inevitable that he'll make mistakes. As long as he learns his lesson from this mistake, that's what matters."
The silver lining was that Georgie's smuggling this time involved only cash flow. So, apart from losing all his money, he didn't incur any external debts.
This meant that Georgie's public credit score was not damaged, and naturally, it wouldn't affect his future entrepreneurial endeavors or job search.
That was pretty good news.
"George, I haven't even talked to you yet. The Cooper family almost had a criminal in the family; how do you usually act as a father…" Mary, still fuming, immediately turned her attack on her husband after hearing his voice.
Her demeanor suggested a bit of "personal vendetta."
"Mary—" Seeing the situation escalating, Connie, as someone who had been through it all, called out to her "crazy" daughter.
Mutual respect and a harmonious relationship between husband and wife are the secrets to a lasting family. Simply getting angry and venting negative emotions after a problem arises cannot solve anything.
So, Connie comforted her daughter, saying: "Now is not the time to assign blame. We should think about how to help Georgie get out of this predicament."
Georgie, who had lost his arcade business and squandered his savings, would have a child in a few months. Before that, he also needed to consider marrying Mandy.
Under these circumstances, Georgie, who was at a low point in his life, truly needed his family's help now.
"He brought all this upon himself. What can we do?" Mary, whose anger hadn't fully subsided, felt "wronged" after being interrupted several times, as if the whole family was "targeting" her.
Moreover, she had no good solution for the mess in front of her.
Therefore, in her frustration, Mary chose to escape and turned to walk towards her room.
"This…" Her daughter's strange reaction made Connie certain that she had indeed reached menopause.
And when dealing with a menopausal woman, one naturally needs to be more understanding. Connie turned to her son-in-law and said: "George, you go with her and try to humor her…"
"OK." George, still feeling a bit guilty about the Brenda's incident, shrugged and followed Mary to the room.
"Alright, we'll talk about Georgie's matter later. Now, let's continue to enjoy dinner." After George and Mary left, Connie, in a relaxed tone, called out to the remaining people.
It should be noted that because of Georgie's incident, Connie and the others hadn't finished their dinner earlier.
"You did something big today, eat more…" In the dining room, Connie half-jokingly placed a large portion of food in front of Georgie.
Good food can soothe the soul.
Georgie needed that right now.
"Mike, mom and dad won't get a divorce, will they? I heard Billy say that his parents' divorce started with arguments…" Missy leaned close to Mike and asked in a low voice.
Simple-minded children are often more sensitive to changes in the family atmosphere.
Although Connie was trying her best to liven up the atmosphere at the dinner table, Missy, who had high emotional intelligence, still sensed the abnormality in the family's mood.
And the example she cited was the divorced Brenda next door. Billy was Brenda's son.
"Don't worry, I can assure you that George and Mary won't get a divorce." Mike quietly comforted the little girl.
"Really?" Hearing Mike's words, Missy's mood brightened.
"Of course," Mike nodded affirmingly.
The reason Brenda and her husband divorced so decisively was fundamentally because both of them had very strong personalities.
When two people are equally strong, the longer they live together, the more conflicts will arise.
However, the situation for George and Mary was different. Although Mary had a strong personality, thankfully, George was gentle and very understanding.
Two people with complementary personalities like theirs generally wouldn't end up in divorce unless a major unforeseen event occurred.
However, Mike still underestimated Mary's temper.
In the following days, Mary continued her bad temper, especially with George, such a "show-off," in the house.
And the one most affected by her bad temper was, first and foremost, her husband, who shared her bed.
Although George was so gentle that he was somewhat "cowardly," even an honest person, when pushed too far, has a temper.
Finally, after being nagged countless times by his wife, George, unable to bear it any longer, chose to remain silent.
At this point, George and Mary began a "cold war."
"Where are George and Georgie?" It was dinner time again, and Mary, who was about to say grace before the meal, noticed that two people were missing from the dining table.
"Georgie is in the basement. He said he has no appetite." Mandy glanced at Mary and answered cautiously.
During this time, Mary, while scolding her husband, also didn't spare her eldest son, who had made a mistake.
In the eyes of her family, Mary, with her indiscriminate attacks, had become the "Great Demon King."
Mandy, as the prospective daughter-in-law, was now a little afraid of her mother-in-law.
"Let him be, whether he eats or not." Mary habitually complained, then asked again: "What about George? I remember he was in the living room earlier."
"He went to Brenda's house to help replace the new water pipes." Connie answered, looking as if she had something more to say but was hesitant.
Connie had noticed her daughter's recent changes. She had tried to persuade her to change her temper before, but it hadn't been very effective.
"Brenda?" Mary's tone carried some dissatisfaction, but she didn't say much more about it.
Then, suppressing her anger, she led her family in saying grace before the meal.
…
"George, thank you so much. How about I treat you to a drink to show my gratitude?" Brenda said, handing over a glass of red wine she had prepared earlier.
Unlike the oppressive dining atmosphere at the Cooper family, the atmosphere in Brenda's kitchen was very ambiguous.
For a single mother who had lived alone for a long time, George's gentle and reliable personality was very attractive.
Brenda, through frequent contact with George, had developed some inappropriate thoughts.
Finally, today, on a whim, she launched her "seduction" plan.
For this, Brenda specifically sent her son away and changed into a red long dress that accentuated her figure.
George, who had suffered enough grievances at home, could not resist such "temptation."
"Then just one drink..." George, not wanting to go home, took the stemmed glass.
Brenda, who usually appeared capable and fierce, when suddenly gentle and paired with her voluptuous figure, truly had a certain charm.