Isn't That Christian?

Mrs. Lucas, on the other hand, was very happy to receive the pastries. She opened the box in front of everyone. Some exquisite pastries were placed inside the beautiful box.

"You made me lotus cakes," said Mrs. Lucas. Lotus cakes were her absolute favorite, and the moment she saw them, her cloudy eyes lit up. "Just as expected, Wendy understands me the most. She knows that I've been craving these lotus cakes."

"I'm glad that Grandmother likes what I've prepared," replied Wendy. She knew that Mrs. Lucas was fond of lotus cakes, and since she did not have any extra money to buy her a birthday gift, she simply baked for her.

However, Wendy did not know if Madam Lucas's reaction was genuine or only because she wanted to help her get out of this difficult situation.

"You are too stingy. Even if Grandmother likes lotus cakes, you shouldn't make something so cheap for her birthday," someone said.

"We all went to great lengths to prepare our birthday gifts for Grandmother. Why do I feel like Michael's family did not take Grandmother's birthday celebration seriously?" another person added.

"This gift is simply too shabby. Fortunately, we're just having a family dinner. If outsiders found out about this, they'd think that our family has no respect for Grandmother" said a third person.

Wendy knew that it was inappropriate for her to give Grandmother lotus cakes for her birthday. However, she could not afford expensive gifts, and getting something cheap was out of the question. She could only put together something that she knew Grandmother enjoyed eating.

"Our family is not short of money. What is the point of buying these expensive gifts? They're nothing new to mother-she can neither eat nor wear them. Mother likes eating lotus cakes, so Wendy personally baked some for her. In my opinion, this gesture shows that Wendy is much more sincere than all of you," Michael's mother, Winnie Quinn, retorted unhappily.

Even though Winnie was not fond of Wendy either, she had to step forward and protect her oldest son's reputation. She had to stand on Wendy's side.

Someone else whispered in a small voice, "Who knows if Wendy really baked them herself or if she simply bought them from a random bakery? You are standing up for your daughter-in-law now, but I don't usually see you treating Wendy nicely. It seems to me that you guys don't give Wendy any allowance, which explains why she doesn't have enough money to buy a gift. Look at what she's wearing, I'm not sure if she got her clothes from some random stall on the streets. How can your family treat your daughter-in-law like this? Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?"

When Winnie heard those words, she immediately stepped forward. But just when she was about to lose her temper, Anthony Lucas held her back. Picking a fight right now would be embarrassing.

Michael took this opportunity to sneakily stuff something in Wendy's hand. At that moment, all eyes were on Winnie and her husband. Nobody was even looking at Wendy. Wendy instinctively lifted her head to look at Michael when she felt him handing her the object. Michael gave her a look, signaling her to hand the gift to Mrs. Lucas. Wendy felt incredulous. She thought, is Michael helping me right now?

Lowering her head, she looked at the item in her hand and saw the packaging box from Chaumet Jewelry. The brand name was engraved on the box in gold and displayed very conspicuously on the top.

"Grandmother, Michael and I have prepared another gift for you as well," said Wendy as she handed the box to Madam Lucas. With a smile, she continued, "See if you like it."

When everyone saw the brand name on the box, the room instantly went quiet. Chaumet Jewelry was the most reputable jade jewelry shop in Lake City.

The packaging from Chaumet Jewelry differed based on the grade of the jade that had been purchased. And this specific packaging was reserved for Chaumet Jewelry's highest quality jade.

Mrs. Lucas initially wanted to reprimand the people who were using this opportunity to pick a fight, but when she saw the box that Wendy handed over, she immediately accepted it. She opened the box and saw a jade bracelet with its especially deep color.

Mrs. Lucas nodded with a smile on her face, "The two of you are so sweet-you baked lotus cakes for me and bought me my favorite jade bracelet. I love these gifts very much."

...

"Some people think that they are being respectful and loving just because they spent some money on a gift," said Winnie in a deliberate manner, a smile playing on her face.

Her comments were clearly directed at the naysayers as she continued, "There is no shortage of money in the Lucas family. Wendy personally baked some lotus cakes for Grandmother, and on top of that, she put in the effort to pick out Grandmother's favorite jade bracelet. No matter what kind of gift she had prepared, it's a much stronger effort compared to those who simply spent hundreds of thousands on perfunctory gifts."

"Instead of presenting both gifts to Grandmother at the same time, they had to do it separately. I wonder what they were thinking," someone whispered.

Regardless, the jade bracelet that Wendy had presented did meet their expectations.

There was nothing else they could pick on. However, after Winnie's scathing remarks, the few individuals who had spoken up earlier grew unhappy. Their faces darkened.

At that very moment, a couple walked through the door. The man looked around the same age as Michael, and in fact, looked very similar to him. The woman, on the other hand, appeared to be in her forties, but she was very well-maintained. There was something very gaudy in their movements.

When Michael and Winnie saw them, their expressions instantly changed. Wendy had never seen them before, and she had no inkling of who they were.

As Mrs. Lucas's birthday dinner was reserved for relatives only, the couple could not be outsiders. Moreover, Wendy knew that not just anyone could join the Lucas family. She felt rather curious about the identities of these two individuals.

Soon, bits and pieces of the ongoing discussion drifted over to her.

"Hey, isn't that Christian? He's been abroad for so many years, why didn't he come to visit his uncles and aunties after he came back?"

"That's right, we've all missed you. After all, you're blood-related to the Lucas family."

"I think it's been seven or eight years since we last met. Come here, let your aunt take a good look at you."

"What do you mean he should let you take a good look at him? His own father and stepmother are standing right there, it's only right that he goes to them first."

After hearing all this, Wendy managed to guess the identities of the two new guests.

It was rumored that Michael's father had an extramarital affair, which resulted in an illegitimate son who was the same age as Michael. This illegitimate son lived abroad and rarely came back. This was why Wendy had never met him before.

As for the woman standing beside him, Wendy assumed that she was his mother. Just as expected, a nosey relative pushed the woman forward and said playfully, "Since you've stepped into the Luas family mansion, it's only right that you offer your elders some tea. Go on, quickly."

Winnie Quinn had just managed to salvage the pride of her family when her husband's illegitimate son, Christian Lucas, and his mother made an appearance.

Winnie thought, why would the people who have been waiting to laugh at my family possibly let this go? She gritted her teeth, but she knew it was not a good time for her to lose her temper.

Anthony Lucas slammed his hand against the table heavily. The entire room instantly went quiet. He said, "It's my mother's birthday today, and you're all descendants of the Lucas family. I don't care how much you usually hate us, everyone here has to put up with it today! Whoever cannot do that can get the hell out!"

Anthony had decades of experience in the business world and was still the chairman of MC Enterprise. The moment he lost his temper, no one dared to cause any further trouble. They all remained silent.

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely tense.

Mrs. Lucas was someone who enjoyed a lively crowd. As she watched what should have been a festive birthday party become such a chaotic mess, the smile on her face vanished.

Christian looked very calm. It was as if he had not heard a single word from the people around him.

He approached Madam Lucas and handed her a gift with a smile on his face.

"Grandmother, happy birthday. I have been abroad all these years and failed to honor you properly. I hope you won't hold it against me."