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Zara Jameson had originally been afraid of pythons, but she had always heard Purple talk about Cleo, so curiosity prevailed. Seeing Cleo wearing a yarn ball hat on her tail made it all the more interesting.

Surprisingly, Max had no reaction to Cleo; instead, he barked incessantly at Tiny until Jane McCain scolded him several times to quiet him down.

“You all have pets, which is really nice,” Zara couldn’t help but remark.

Purple asked, “Doesn’t your family have a myna bird?”

“But that myna isn’t mine,” Zara said melancholically. “I’d like to have a pet to keep me company, but when I think about it, I don’t know what kind of pet I would like.”

Purple thought for a moment and said, “Maybe the right opportunity just hasn’t come yet. Actually, I never thought about having pets before either. Cleo was given to me to care for because my brother didn’t have the time, and Tiny was one I picked up from the windowsill.”

Jane McCain said, “SuSu was a birthday present from my father when I turned ten.”

The girls sat in the living room chatting idly; Purple brought out fruits and pastries to serve them.

The banquet out front was still ongoing. After sitting and talking for a while, they prepared to go to the banquet hall.

“Can SuSu stay here?” Jane asked. “I’m afraid Mrs. Farrell won’t like him, and it would come across as if I’m uncouth if it’s spread around.”

It was unconventional to bring a hunting dog to a banquet; it was only because Jane was close to Purple that it was not a big deal.

“Mm,” Purple nodded. “Let him stay here; the front is noisy and chaotic, Max would definitely feel restrained there.”

Just before leaving, Purple remembered something. She asked Zara Jameson and Jane McCain to wait at the door while she hurried upstairs alone.

A short while later, she came down. Zara asked what she had gone to do.

Purple replied, “Nothing much, I just locked up the snake enclosure. Cleo can open doors with her tail; we can’t let her get out.”

They returned to the banquet hall where the atmosphere was even livelier than before. Many men and women were gathered around Mrs. Farrell; the men were trying to cozy up to the governor’s secretary, while the women admired Mrs. Farrell for making her own way in the world. Since Mrs. Farrell had brought a child, the topics of conversation often revolved around children.

A Summers Family aunt said, “This child is so adorable, look at this nose, these little lips, ahh, she’ll surely grow up to be beautiful like a princess.”

Mrs. Farrell laughed, “Everyone says she looks like her father, which makes me relieved. Her dad was a famously handsome man when young, way better-looking than me.”

“Not at all, whether the child resembles the dad or the mom, there’s absolutely no way their appearance will be flawed!”

Another person asked how old the child was, and Mrs. Farrell cheerfully answered that she was nearly one year old.

Atra Blanc loved children, and seeing the baby reminded her of Alexander Summers and Purple Summers when they were little, she couldn’t help but say, “Ten months of pregnancy isn’t easy, but when you see the child’s smiling face, it’s all worth it.”

Mrs. Farrell’s expression turned slightly grim upon hearing this, and she coldly said, “I’m rather sturdy, it wasn’t exactly a hardship.”

Atra was taken aback, not understanding which part of her comment had offended Mrs. Farrell.

By then, Mrs. Farrell was already smiling and exchanging pleasantries with others.

A Summers Family aunt pulled Atra aside and whispered a reminder, “Don’t take it to heart. Midlife pregnancy carries significant risks, and she went through a lot of dangers to have this child. She dislikes it most when people mention her age or suggest she’s physically unwell.”

“I see…” Atra realized; in fact, she hadn’t meant to imply that the other woman was old at all. Perhaps she was just more sensitive after childbirth?

Atra was not one to hold a grudge with her gentle disposition; she didn’t take Mrs. Farrell’s cold demeanor to heart.

But unbeknownst to her, in a spot she wasn’t paying attention to, Jade Carlson glanced over and a triumphant smile tugged at the corner of her mouth..