Love at First Novel by Gu Lingfei
Chapter 3659

Chapter 3659

Elora left the kitchen without saying anything and sat back on the sofa. Mrs. Ormond brought her some snacks and said, “Elora, if you’re really hungry, you should eat acouple of these. They’re not too sweet. I know you don’t like sweets, so the pastry chef used lesssugar.” Elora didn’t take any. “When I’m not home, the pastry chef makes the snacks for you. They’re basedon your taste, not mine. Even if they aren’t too sweet, I still don’t like them.” It wasn’t just about the sweetness—she simply didn’t enjoy the pastry chef’s style. “How about some other snacks?” Mrs. Ormond said, feeling sorry for her. She then suggested, “Oryou could have some fruit. We always have fresh fruit that you like.” “Mom, there’s no need. Sitdown, you don’t need to keep getting me things. Tatum said the soup will be ready in half an hour.I’ll just wait.” Elora also didn’t like eating fruit on an empty stomach. She usually had it after meals. “Tatumshould’ve known you wouldn’t eat airplane food. Why didn’t he make some snacks for you to takeon the trip?” Mrs. Ormond said, complaining a bit. Her daughter was clearly hungry. The water in Elora’s cup had cooled, so she got up, refilled it with hot water, and took a few sips.Hearing her mother’s complaint, she replied, “Snacks are best when they’re fresh. After a long tripfrom the hotel to the airport and then on the plane, they wouldn’t taste good anymore, especially inthis cold weather. They’d get cold quickly. I told Tatum not to bother. I had breakfast before we left, and usually when I’m busy, I don’t feelhungry. But now that I’m not doing anything, I feel it more.” Mrs. Ormond nodded, “When you’re busy with work, you tend to ignore hunger, so you don’t notice it.” Elora sat back down, waiting for Tatum to call her when the soup was ready. Feeling bored, shestood up and told her mother, “Mom, I’m going to check on the little ones.” Mrs. Ormond replied, “Go ahead, but put on your coat—it’s cold outside.” Elora grabbed her coatand left the house.

Outside, her two younger brothers were still building snow turtles. They had made a row and werestacking them up around a tree. Elora quietly approached, watching the boys play. Despite the cold, they weren’t bothered, fullyfocused on their snow turtles. She felt a little envious of their carefree fun. Although they would face responsibilities in the future, for now, they were free to enjoy life. Being the youngest in the family, the boys were adored and spoiled by everyone. When they wantedto climb the roof, the elders would even help set up the ladder for them. Fortunately, Elora and her sisters were stricter. While the boys were loved, they weren’t allowed tobecome spoiled brats. They also did well in school. The family business would eventually be passeddown to them, so they needed to be well-prepared. But Elora believed in a balance between work and play. When it was time to have fun, they shouldenjoy it. When it was time to study, they needed to focus and avoid distractions. “Sister!” Alonzo noticed Elora watching them. He turned and happily called out to her, standing up as if torun into her arms. Elora, teasing him, said with mock disgust, “Your hands are dirty! Don’t come near me or you’ll getmy clothes dirty. You’ll have to use your New Year’s money to buy me a new outfit!”