When Marcia arrived at Greenland Villa, John was leisurely watching TV in the living room while Nick stood nearby, carefully attending to him like a dutiful servant.
Queenie, who had just walked in, was stunned by the bizarre sight.
'What's gotten into Dad?' she thought incredulously. 'Sure, John's powerful, but isn't this a bit too much? You're the head of the Yeats family! Why are you serving tea like a waiter?'
Just as Queenie was trying to make sense of it all, Marcia entered the room. Expecting her strong-willed mother to explode at the scene, Queenie braced herself.
But the explosion never came.
Instead, to Queenie's utter disbelief, Marcia poured a cup of tea, approached John with an awkward smile, and said softly,
"John, my good son-in-law, everything that happened before was my fault. I was blind. Please don't take it to heart."
Queenie's jaw almost hit the floor.
What was happening today?
Her father groveling like a servant was strange enough—but now her iron-blooded mother was calling John her "good son-in-law"? When did that happen?
Completely thrown off, Queenie marched up behind John, ready to yank his ear.
"What did you do to my parents?" she muttered under her breath.
Just as she reached out her hand—
"Don't be rude to Doctor John!"
"Don't be rude to my good son-in-law!"
Nick and Marcia snapped in unison.
Queenie froze mid-motion, staring at the three of them like they were aliens.
'This can't be real…' she thought. 'Are they filming a sitcom or something? Is this one of those "harmonious family" dream sequences?'
But it didn't seem like they were pretending. With her mother's temperament, there was no way she'd go this far just for show.
This had to be a parallel universe.
Before she could escape the madness, Marcia turned toward John again with a grin.
"John, since we're all family now, you wouldn't bear to let your father-in-law suffer, right?"
John chuckled. "Aunt Marcia, that's not quite accurate. Queenie is my god-sister, not my wife. When did I suddenly gain parents-in-law?"
Marcia waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, stop treating us like outsiders. We all know what's going on between you and Queenie. It's just a matter of time."
John sighed dramatically. "Aunt Marcia, you're too insightful. You see right through me. But unfortunately, that decision's not mine to make."
Marcia's eyes lit up. She immediately turned to her daughter.
"Queenie, tell me honestly. Do you like John?"
"W–what?" Queenie blinked, completely unprepared for the ambush.
"I said," Marcia repeated, her tone teasing, "do you like John?"
"Of course I like him. He's my little brother," Queenie replied quickly.
"Is he really just your brother?"
"I…" Queenie wanted to firmly say "of course!"—but the words caught in her throat when she met her mother's knowing gaze.
She panicked.
Because deep down… she couldn't lie to herself.
If she didn't like John, why would she get so jealous when he flirted with other women?
For once, the cool and composed CEO was at a complete loss. Her cheeks flushed pink, and she fidgeted nervously. She stole a glance at John—only to find him watching her with a mischievous grin.
That did it.
Humiliation gave way to indignation.
In a flash, Queenie snatched up a pillow and started hammering it at John. "What did you do to my parents?!"
Of course, she didn't really want to hurt him. It was just an excuse—to hide her embarrassment, to distract herself, to vent the complicated emotions swirling inside her.
After all, she was supposed to be the untouchable Ice Queen!
Just because she may like someone didn't mean he could tease her so shamelessly.
So she had to reclaim her dominance.
She beat him with the pillow for two full minutes before finally stopping, panting slightly. As a finishing blow, she pinched his waist hard, then stormed off to her room, face red, and buried herself under the covers.
John sat there, stunned.
"…I didn't even say anything. Why did I get beaten up?"
Nick laughed awkwardly and tried to smooth things over. "Ah, newlyweds are always like that—fighting one minute, laughing the next. Your mother-in-law and I—"
Slap!
Marcia smacked the back of his head. "Mother-in-law?!"
Nick rubbed his head with an embarrassed grin. "Right, right—your mother-in-law and I have been through our share of storms too. But in the end, love wins out. That's marriage!"
For the first time, John found the couple… kind of endearing.
"Well," he said with a grin, "I'm still not thrilled about how you treated me before. But I'll admit, today's performance was… satisfactory."
Marcia's eyes lit up with hope. "Really?! I knew you had a kind heart. Then—about Nick's condition…"
"You seem quite eager," John teased, raising an eyebrow.
Marcia instantly turned red. "D-don't joke around like that…"
She was known as one of the most elegant and beautiful women in New York, but now, flustered and red-faced, she had a charm that was surprisingly… sweet.
John said calmly, "I can treat Uncle Nick. But not right away. I'll need time to gather the right medicinal ingredients. Within three months, he'll be fully restored."
"Great!"
Crack!
Nick crushed the teacup in his hand, unable to contain his excitement.
Marcia, meanwhile, let out a long sigh in her heart.
'Three more months, huh? Well… after more than ten years, what's three more?'
John glanced at Marcia, the once-arrogant woman who used to look down on him.
Now flustered, hopeful, and counting down the days like a lovesick girl.
He couldn't help but smirk.
Let her wait.