Chapter 144: Small Celebration Interupted
The next day, Sunday, Dennis and Daisy hosted a small barbecue to celebrate their housewarming and Destiny’s "birth." They invited Jason, Kimberly, Gary, Olivia, Ivan, Sasha, Hyunjin, Minji, Brad, Elisa, Akira, and Rika to the house. Joining them were Naomi, Blake, Trevor, Mario, Viola, Franky, and Fiona—a mix of former and current student council members. Daisy also invited Rachel, Natasha, Harumi, Brigitte, Sofia, and Margaret from Willow, since they were all friends.
Dennis and Daisy introduced everyone to William, Elenor, and Martha, as well as to their daughter, Destiny. Diana, Dulcia, and Deborah were there too, disguised as Daisy, while Donna, Dahlia, and Daphne remained in the council room, waiting to take turns swapping places with the other three. William immediately got busy grilling meat in the backyard, assisted by Blake, who claimed to have a family recipe—which quickly turned into a recipe showdown with William.
Brad stood next to them flipping sausages and chatting, since he had known William for a long time, back when he was still dating Bella. Dennis helped Daisy, Dulcia, and Deborah in the kitchen, while Elenor and Martha set out drinks on the table while keeping an eye on Destiny. Naturally, Destiny was the star of the show. Olivia, Kimberly, Sasha, Naomi, Minji, Rika, Elisa, Rachel, and their friends seemed to have a blast teasing and playing with her, all under the watchful eye of Diana.
Meanwhile, Trevor, Gary, Jason, Hyunjin, and Akira helped set up the tables in the backyard for the food. Everyone looked happy and was clearly having a great time. After finishing up in the kitchen helping Daisy, Dulcia, and Deborah prep the coleslaw, wedges, and mac and cheese, Dennis headed out once Olivia and Kimberly arrived to take over.
He walked through the living room, where all the girls were crowded around Destiny’s crib under Diana’s watchful eye, with Elenor and Martha joining in on the casual chatter. Stepping outside, he found William locked in a heated debate with Blake, while Brad just smiled and shook his head as he flipped burgers and sausages.
"What are they arguing about, bro?" Dennis asked.
"Who knows. Your old man insists on rubbing the barbecue seasoning on before it hits the grill, while Blake swears by doing it while it’s cooking... you know how it goes when grill masters clash," Brad answered with a grin.
"Hmm... fair point. Better if I stay out of it," Dennis replied.
"Go on then. You’re better off helping the others set the tables over there. Leave the sliders and hot dogs to me," Brad said.
"Got it. Thanks, bro," Dennis replied.
Dennis quickly moved to the table to help the others tidy up and set things out. Not long after, Daisy stepped outside with Olivia and Kimberly, carrying the food they had prepared in the kitchen. Everyone began getting ready to enjoy their lunch together at the long table, standing and chatting, when suddenly Rika ran out and pulled Dennis and Daisy aside, away from the table. Rika looked a bit uneasy, though she forced a smile.
"What’s up, Rika?" Daisy asked.
"Yeah... why the long face?" Dennis added.
"Um... sorry about this, I really didn’t mean anything by it, but two days ago when you invited me, I happened to be with Bella and she saw. Just to be polite, I told her I’d ask if she could come along, and then I forgot to update her. So now... she’s already at the front of your driveway," Rika said, looking flustered.
"Huh... oh boy... Brad and Elisa are here, you know... won’t things get messy?" Dennis asked.
"It’s no problem for us... but is it going to turn into a drama and ruin everything?" Daisy asked.
"That’s why I pulled you two aside. What should we do?" Rika whispered.
"Here’s the plan—I’ll go out with you. (looking at Dennis) Honey, you stay here," Daisy said.
"Yeah, hurry. Mom knows Bella, and they’re actually pretty close. Go before it’s too late," Dennis replied.
"Hey... William, look who’s here!" Elenor called out cheerfully from the back door.
Dennis, Daisy, and Rika whipped their heads around, shocked to see Bella—one of her arms in a sling—standing next to Elenor, who had her arm linked with hers. Dennis rubbed his face, feeling an instant wave of stress, while Daisy just shook her head and Rika looked terrified. From across the yard, William stood frozen, his expression screaming, "What are you doing, Elenor? Don’t you see who’s standing right next to me?" Meanwhile, Brad looked perfectly relaxed as he assembled burgers on buns, and Elisa, sitting at the long table, simply turned to look at her husband.
"Oh boy... we’re too late," Dennis muttered.
The atmosphere in the backyard instantly turned tense. Ivan, Hyunjin, Akira, Minji, and Sasha went dead silent the moment they looked at Bella, suddenly appearing much more interested in the glasses they were holding—it was clear they didn’t want to get involved. Meanwhile, Gary, Olivia, Kimberly, and Jason stared at Dennis as if asking a silent question, "Did you invite her?"
The only ones still chatting were Rachel and her friends as they teased Destiny, who was being held by Deborah. Even Destiny had gone quiet and still, just staring at her grandmother with a finger in her mouth. Rachel and the others lowered their voices and glanced over occasionally; it was obvious they all felt the tension in the air, despite trying to act like they didn’t notice.
Elenor felt the atmosphere shift completely. It clicked the moment she saw Brad standing next to William and Elisa sitting there, watching Brad with an anxious look on her face. She immediately caught on and took action.
"Bella, dear, why don’t we head inside? Come chat with me," Elenor invited.
"Okay... Auntie," Bella replied, yielding with a sad smile.
Elenor quickly led Bella inside, but the atmosphere had already shifted completely. Dennis, Daisy, and Rika jogged after them, but before heading in, Dennis went over to Brad first.
"Sorry, bro, I didn’t invite her. It just so happened that when I invited Rika yesterday, she was with her," Dennis said, feeling terrible.
"Take it easy, bro. It’s fine. I don’t have a problem with it, so there’s no need to feel bad on my account," Brad replied with a smile.
"Alright, man, but seriously, I’m sorry. I really do feel bad about this," Dennis replied.
Suddenly, "Chomp." Brad turned and stuffed a slider right into Dennis’s mouth. After that, he turned back to the grill.
"Just eat. No need for the guilt," Brad replied.
"Okay, bro... thanks. Sorry again, I’m going to head inside for a bit," Dennis replied.
"Got it. Just relax, don’t worry about it," Brad replied.
Dennis followed them inside and saw Bella sitting next to Rika, while Daisy and Elenor sat opposite them. Martha was also there, sitting at the end of the sofa with Diana and Dulcia. Seeing them in the middle of a conversation, Dennis stayed quiet, leaning against the back doorframe with his arms folded across his chest.
Bella glanced over at Dennis and immediately smiled, though her eyes were glistening with tears. Dennis gave her a nod, signaling for her to get back to her chat with his mom and Daisy. Finally, Bella looked forward again.
"So, you came here to apologize to Dennis, Bella?" Elenor asked.
"Yes, Auntie... I want to apologize to you and Uncle as well for disappointing you both with my behavior back then," Bella answered, looking down.
"Well, there’s no need to discuss what’s already in the past. I actually forgave you back when you first ran off to this city a few years ago—the time that caused your adoptive parents to get into a fight with us. I’m just happy to see how much you’ve changed now," Elenor replied with a smile.
"Thank you... Auntie," Bella replied.
"You heard her, didn’t you, son? So, what do you say?" Elenor asked, turning to look at Dennis leaning against the door.
Dennis remained silent. He shot a glance at Daisy and gave a small nod. Daisy understood his meaning immediately and smiled as if to say, "Leave it to me." Dennis then turned around and walked back outside, leaving everyone in the room.
"Oh dear... I’m so sorry... Dennis is just like that," Elenor said.
"It’s okay, Mom. I’ll speak for him," Daisy said, placing a hand on Elenor’s shoulder. She turned her gaze to Bella. "Bel, sorry to be blunt, but you realize you weren’t actually invited today and you showed up anyway, right?" Daisy asked.
Hearing Daisy’s words, Elenor started to interject, but Martha signaled her from across the room to stay quiet. Rika looked over at her friend, who kept her head down.
"I know... and I’m sorry for that. But I really wanted to apologize to Dennis... that’s all... I wasn’t even looking for Brad," Bella replied, staring at the floor.
"Yeah... I know. So here’s the thing: Dennis already told me that he’s forgiven you. But forgiving doesn’t mean things go back to how they were. Everything happened, and it can’t be undone. So, he’s asking you to move on with your life and stop causing trouble. That’s all he told me," Daisy said.
The room fell completely silent. Even Elenor found herself unable to say a word, simply watching Bella with a calm, steady gaze. Meanwhile, Rika suddenly seemed much more interested in the coffee table in front of her.