Defeated by Love: The Unexpected Bride

Chapter 6

By the time she finished putting away her clothes, it was already evening. Then, Amanda went downstairs, her striking eyes scanning around the house until she heard voices coming from the right side, accompanied by the fragrant aroma of dishes wafting through the air. She followed the sound and saw Chandra and two other housekeepers helping each other cook in the kitchen.

Amanda walked in and asked nervously, "Can I lend a hand with anything?"

Chandra and the two housekeepers turned around upon hearing this. Seeing Amanda standing there, Chandra asked with a curious expression, "Do you know how to cook?"

"Yes, I can. I can cook every dish," Amanda replied, though Chandra didn't seem to believe her but said nothing except to decline, "Maybe another time. The food is already done today. If you have other things to do, feel free to go ahead. When it's time to eat, I'll have Mildred call you."

"Okay," Amanda replied, not wanting to be a bother, and quietly left, returning to her room. She then sat and talked on the phone with Kim while gazing out the large glass window until sunset. Amanda went to take a shower, and just as she was about to get dressed, Mildred came to call her down for dinner. Amanda told Mildred to go ahead, and she would follow shortly.

After getting dressed, Amanda quickly left her room, heading straight for the stairs because she didn't want to keep the elders waiting. Unfortunately, she ran into Carter, who was dressed in a suit, just as he was coming up the stairs. Amanda paused for a moment, looking at him, then decided to ignore him and prepared to walk past him to the stairs, not wanting a confrontation, but...

"Life must be pretty sweet, living and eating for free in someone else's house," Carter sneered.

"Of course, who wouldn't want to live in such a luxurious and comfortable house?" Amanda replied.

"It's really pathetic, willing to do anything for comfort, even lie," Carter said with a mocking face before bumping her shoulder and entering his room.

Hearing the door slam shut, Amanda turned to look, her small hand clenched in a fist, displeased with his insulting words but unable to do anything. She took a deep breath and walked downstairs.

As her small feet reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw the two homeowners, a man and a woman, waiting. Amanda quickly walked over and sat opposite Chandra, with Peter sitting at the head of the table.

Once she was seated, the middle-aged man turned and spoke in a normal tone, "Please, make yourself at home, no need to be formal."

"Okay," Amanda replied, then sat and ate while listening to the homeowners discuss the company.

Not long after, a fair-skinned, stunning woman in a tight red dress with matching stiletto heels descended the stairs.

Upon hearing Chandra ask, "Where are you going, Zena?" she paused and turned towards the dining table, answering with a calm face, "Going out with friends," before glancing at her briefly, then turning back to her mother and saying, "I'm off now."

"Try not to be back too late," her mother replied.

"I won't be back late, I'll be back in the morning." The petite, fair-skinned girl replied cheekily before swaggering out of the house, with her mother muttering complaints under her breath.

"These two siblings never seem to stay home even for a day."

Meanwhile, Amanda chose to sit quietly and eat, as it was a family matter. Soon, she heard Chandra speak up,

"That was Zena, Carter's younger sister."

"Oh, I see."

"What do you do for a living?" Peter, who had been listening for a while, asked curiously. Amanda paused for a moment before confidently replying,

"I'm in PR."

"So, you're not working now, are you?"

"I can't, because my job involves drinking with clients."

Since her job was in entertainment and involved some drinking with clients, it wouldn't be appropriate if she continued while pregnant. Peter and Chandra, having heard the answer, didn't say anything further, as they had already heard a bit from Carter.

Then the middle-aged man asked, "Who do you live with?" because he wanted to know more about her, even though it wasn't clear if the child she was carrying was his grandchild.

"I live alone." Amanda's answer made the couple pause and look at her, their faces full of questions. Amanda explained further, "My father passed away when I was young, and my mother just died after I graduated high school."

"And you have no relatives anywhere?"

"No." Amanda answered truthfully, not knowing if the couple thought she was making up a story to gain sympathy. If they thought so, it was up to them; she knew she was telling the truth and not lying...

Sensing the gloomy atmosphere, Chandra changed the subject: "Have you registered for prenatal care yet?"

"Not yet. I just finished clearing up work, so I plan to go tomorrow."

"It's good to register early because it's better for the baby. Where will you register?" While Amanda and Chandra were talking, Peter continued eating and listened quietly.

"I don't know yet, but I'll probably register at a nearby hospital so it won't be difficult to travel for check-ups."

Since Amanda didn't have a personal vehicle, it would be quite inconvenient if she registered at a distant hospital. While Chandra listened to Amanda's story, she suddenly noticed out of the corner of her eye her mischievous son walking with one hand in his pocket and car keys in the other, about to head out. She quickly asked,

"Where are you going, Carter?"

"Drinking with Cairo."

Knowing Chandra was talking to Carter at the foot of the stairs, Amanda chose to ignore him and didn't even glance his way, so she had no idea how he looked at her. He smirked, seeing her enjoy her meal, seemingly unfazed by living in someone else's house so boldly.

"You're not going to the office tomorrow, right?"

"Right."

"Then take her to the hospital?"

"She has legs; let her walk herself." Just as Amanda was about to refuse, she heard Carter speak first. She glanced over to see him looking at her with a teasing expression before he walked out. Amanda felt quite annoyed but held it in and turned to speak to Chandra.

"I'll go by myself."

"Then do whatever suits you best."

Although she wasn't sure if Amanda's child was her grandchild, Chandra wanted to help because she saw her as a fellow human being. She wanted to help in any way she could that wasn't too much trouble, but if Amanda insisted on going by herself, she wouldn't press the issue.

After that, the three of them continued eating until they were full. Amanda helped Sari, the senior housekeeper, and Mildred clear the dishes to the kitchen while Chandra and Peter quietly observed from a distance without saying anything.

"You should go rest, Ms. Amanda. Mildred and I will wash the dishes."

"You don't have to call me ‘Miss,' Aunt. I'm just an ordinary person, not someone of high rank."

"But since you're here as Mr. Carter's wife, I still have to show respect." As soon as Aunt Sari finished speaking, Amanda quickly raised her hand to stop them from continuing and quickly retorted,

"I'm not his wife. We're just partners bound by shared karma."

"That's that. You should go rest, Ms. Amanda. You have to go for your prenatal check-up tomorrow."

"Alright." After speaking, Amanda agreed reluctantly, even though she wanted to help the two of them. However, to avoid imposing, she quietly walked away and went up to her room to rest...