It'll Come Naturally
Chapter 1488 Mingling With The Elites (Part Two)

"Uhhh, I appreciate that people love my father's works," Patricia acknowledged. It felt uncomfortable to speak about her family's accomplishments. She was thinking that she looked like a fool, and was still wondering why Pamela exposed her family background. Patricia didn't know what to do or what to say. She finally cast a pleading look at her mother-in-law to ask for help.

"Patricia, you are so modest!" The complete turn-around in attitude was so abrupt and caught Patricia off-guard.

Her situation now made Patricia realize that what she had learned in school over the years never prepared her to cope in these kinds of circumstances. Not only did she feel too young, but also naive to be dealing with them. She was still in shock long after lunch was over. After Pamela and Patricia bid the ladies goodbye, Tom's mother smiled at her daughter-in-law. "You aren't accustomed to all this yet, are you?" she asked. Pamela knew Patricia was thinking about what just happened because she had been in a similar situation when she had been the girl's age. But after so many years, Pamela had gotten used to the pretentious ways of the elite.

"No, I'm not," Patricia admitted sheepishly. "I feel like a hypocrite!" she told her mother-in-law. The young woman was overwhelmed by her experience and didn't want to lie to Pamela.

"You'll get used to it, don't worry. To remain among the upper-class, you have to keep a high profile in front of them. I believe you want to support Tom, and be a good wife, right? So, you must learn all this," Pamela explained patiently. While she barely knew Patricia, Pamela decided to accept her as a daughter-in-law as long as Tom loved her. And being the future hostess of the Qin family, Patricia still had a lot to learn. Pamela vowed to do her best in training Patricia to become a qualified hostess. Being in this strata of society required doing certain things even those they were not willing to do.

Eyes wide, Patricia cried in disbelief, "What?? You mean I still have to dine with them in the future?" Being surrounded by such kind of women made her lose her appetite. And after being grilled by them, she felt dejected.

"Unfortunately, that's unavoidable. But cheer up! Why don't we go shopping? I'd like to buy some clothes for you," Pamela offered. She grabbed her daughter-in-law's hand and dragged her to the car. Most people had the impression that wives of rich men lived an easy life, but they had no idea that these women also had troubles of their own.

Blowing out a breath, Patricia beamed and said, "All right. Thank you, Mom!" After hearing Pamela's words, Patricia suddenly felt a great deal of pressure. She finally understood the famous saying that "Only two persons are concerned when it comes to love, but two families are involved in a marriage."

"Oh Patricia, don't be frustrated. Actually, it's not that unbearable. You can regard it as a TV drama, and you'll soon replace it funny to watch them playing out the scenes." She couldn't help pinching her daughter-in-law's pretty face. Pamela found her quite adorable. She believed Patricia would soon get used to the ways of the wealthy.

"Really, Mom? You think of it as a TV drama?" Her eyes widened in shock, and she didn't know if Pamela was kidding or not.

"Yes, I do. It's quite fascinating, don't you think so?" Pamela replied. Rich wives her age didn't normally need to work, so they hung out together to kill time.

"Uh... I don't think it's funny at all," Patricia said. She was a straightforward person, so there was no way she was going to think that was funny.

"Okay then. What do you think about it? Think of this, our husbands are usually very busy. They rarely have time to accompany us. So, what would you do? Nag them and complain? They're already exhausted from work and are hardly in the mood to commiserate with us. Therefore, we must replace ways to entertain ourselves, right?" Unlike other mothers-in-law, Pamela was not offended by Patricia's manner of speech. She didn't think the young woman should always be careful with her words and actions when they were together.

Patricia's face twitched at her mother-in-law's words. She could already imagine how miserable her future life would be. Only married to Tom for a day but Patricia already felt lonely without his company. Patricia admired Leena because when Kevin had to carry out missions from time to time, she was often left alone for at least two weeks. Patricia couldn't imagine how lonely Leena felt when her husband was on a mission. If she were in her shoes, she would have already gone mad.

Unlike other military personnel, Kevin had an easier work. Soldiers stationed around borders or mountainous areas had a more difficult existence. They only got to see their family once every few years. Military spouses were a remarkable group of people, who not only needed to take care of their families but also had to bear the loneliness.

Pamela bought several clothes for Patricia, who often dressed like a tomboy. The very thought of wearing feminine clothes made Patricia break out in cold sweat. She was both embarrassed and too polite to say no to her mother-in-law, who was warm-hearted. So, Patricia had no choice but to try on many kinds of dresses.

Pamela was a woman with a mission, so she next dragged her daughter-in-law to the shoe department. The sight of Patricia's sneakers made Pamela frown. Sighing, she knew it would take a little time to transform the young woman into the ideal future hostess of the Qin family. She was okay with Patricia's usual attire on regular days. But she believed Tom's wife needed to wear formal clothes on certain occasions because she was representing the Qin family.

"What? You mean we aren't finished yet?" Patricia exclaimed. She looked at her mother-in-law in desperation. All Patricia wanted was to go back home and throw herself in bed because she was both physically and mentally exhausted. In her eyes, shopping was more tiring than exercising.

Her mother-in-law patted Patricia's arm. "You can't wear a beautiful dress with sneakers, can you? You don't need to wear these clothes every day. But you have to wear formal dresses when you accompany Tom to formal events," Pamela explained. She pulled Patricia and steered her towards the shoe department before the girl changed her mind.

At that moment, Patricia felt like a hypocrite. Her insides quivered. She didn't want to go with Pamela but was too embarrassed to say so. In her mind, she was screaming, 'God! Please save me!' When Tom came home from work that evening, he saw his wife sprawled on the couch, eyes blank, looking as if she were dead.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, as he approached Patricia. He was frowning as he laid his briefcase on the table. Tom wondered whether he had been a bit rough with his wife last night.

"Oh, I'm half-dead," Patricia groaned. Her voice sounded like she had no strength left to talk. She finally understood why men disliked going shopping with women. It could indeed be exhausting! She was a woman but couldn't bear it herself. Patricia wondered why Pamela didn't feel tired at all. 'Did she give herself a shot in the arm?' she thought to herself. 'That's probably the reason! After all, Tom comes from a family of doctors. Maybe Pamela has analeptic at home.'

"Did you go climbing a mountain? Or did you swim a whole ten kilometers?" he asked, as he loosened his necktie. Tom looked at his wife worriedly. For someone always so full of energy, this was the first time he had seen her this way.

"Mom and I went shopping." Patricia sat up and began massaging her aching muscles. She had just recuperated from the accident and felt uncomfortable after having walked for a long time during their shopping spree.

"I told you not to walk for so long because you've just recovered. Do your legs hurt? Let me check." He couldn't help but be anxious. Taking off his coat, Tom sat next to Patricia and laid her legs on top of his to examine them.

"They hurt a little. I didn't want to go shopping, but your mother said she was changing my style of dressing. When you go upstairs to our room, don't be shocked by the number of shopping bags you'll see," she warned her husband. Even though Patricia was exhausted, her face flushed crimson as she felt somewhat shy while Tom held her legs.

"Mom asked you out? She didn't tell me," Tom said, slightly annoyed. He hadn't informed his mother that Patricia had just recovered from a car accident. Tom decided to call Pamela later and tell her about this. He only wanted to prevent something similar happening in the future.