The Wife He Forgot to Marry (Winona and Yule) novel Chapter 296

The next morning, Willow ordered the housekeeper to prepare a rich, slow-simmered chicken soup for Tallulah.

Tallulah had zero appetite and refused to drink it.

Willow scoffed coldly. "Are you throwing another one of your little spoiled-princess tantrums? Let me tell you, when Winona lived here, she stewed soup and served me every single day. I've got people waiting on you hand and foot, feeding you the best food money can buy, demanding absolutely nothing from you, and you're still going to sit there and defy me?"

Having lived in the villa for a while now, Tallulah was finding Willow increasingly unbearable. She desperately wanted to move back to her own place, but Willow, paranoid about something happening to her precious grandson, absolutely forbade it.

Tallulah had tried every trick in the book, but nothing worked. This mother-in-law was far more formidable than she had ever anticipated.

Just then, Yulen emerged from the bedroom, looking completely refreshed.

Even though he had hit a wall with Winona the day before, his booming business success kept his overall mood lifted.

Sitting down at the dining table, Yulen completely missed Tallulah's red, teary eyes. Instead, he asked, "Why aren't you drinking the soup? In your condition, you need all the nutrients you can get."

Tallulah answered pitifully, "I just can't stomach it. I don't want it."

Willow immediately chimed in. "What's more important? Keeping your figure slim or the health of your baby? Tallulah, you're a mother now. You need to get your priorities straight."

Yulen routinely sided with his mother. To his mind, his mother had successfully raised five children; she was obviously the expert.

"Tallulah, just listen to Mom. She's only looking out for you. Once the baby is born, it'll be easy to drop the baby weight."

Tallulah felt incredibly isolated and defenseless. The tears she'd been fighting back finally spilled over.

Yulen stared at her in exasperation, rubbing his temples. He turned to his mother. "Are all pregnant women like this?"

Willow cast a sidelong glance at Tallulah and replied coolly, "Yes, they all are. Her hormones are completely out of whack, so she's bound to be overly sensitive. Just ignore it and get to work."

Yulen nodded, casually patting Tallulah's hair. "Get some rest. I'm heading to the office. I'll take you jewelry shopping this weekend."

Watching him brush off her distress so casually only deepened the suffocating misery in Tallulah's chest.

Zack immediately marched up to the podium and handed her a sleek thermal flask. "I brewed this Monk Fruit Infusion this morning. Drink it while it's hot—it's great for your throat. And don't worry, the thermos is brand new. I bought it specifically for you."

Winona really was desperately thirsty, so she offered a grateful smile and thanked him.

A few other young male researchers quickly swarmed the podium as well, eagerly offering her throat lozenges and expensive bottled water, practically tripping over themselves to be helpful.

Watching them, Zack felt a sharp pang of jealousy.

Clearly, the guys here weren't blind. They all had their sights set on Winona.

Still, he wasn't intimidated. He was easily the most exceptional guy in the room. There was no way Winona would settle for any of these second-rate losers.

Unable to turn down their overwhelming enthusiasm, Winona politely accepted the barrage of water and candy.

At noon, Dean Ziegler of the institute treated her to lunch. Sheldon Cohen, Nigel Slater, and Zack Charlton all tagged along.