"You possessive jerk! My concern for James was entirely innocent." Once James had gone downstairs, Julia twisted the back of Glades's hand.

"Showing concern for other men right in front of me? Even if that man is my own dear brother, I, your dear husband, will still get jealous," Glades said in a husky voice, wrapping his arms around her as they walked downstairs together.

His brother's deep affection was hard to dismiss. In James's presence, Glades knew he had to be even more possessive; otherwise, James would never let go of his love for Julia.

「Downstairs」

The Sovia Morris couple, the Gian Horne couple, the Viola Hanley couple, and the old lady were all up. These elders were sitting on the sofas in the main hall, their gazes drifting upstairs from time to time, likely waiting for Marcel Horne and Ruby Bluen to appear.

No, they were waiting for Marcel to come downstairs; Ruby had already risen.

She had slipped downstairs quietly early in the morning, heading to the kitchen to personally prepare breakfast for the entire family. She knew her marriage to Marcel was only because he was currently injured. The Horne family had always treated Julia better than her, so she wanted to make an even greater effort than her sister to integrate into this large family. Her culinary skills were no match for Julia's; saying she was personally preparing breakfast for the family was an overstatement, as in reality, she was merely assisting the chef.

As a new bride, she looked particularly lovely and delicate. The flush on her cheeks seemed yet to fade, and her eyes couldn't quite conceal her fatigue.

"Glades, Julia, you're up too. It's still early; why didn't you let Julia sleep a bit longer?" As soon as the old lady saw Glades Horne and Julia Bluen coming downstairs, she immediately called out with heartfelt concern.

Julia gently and discreetly slipped her hand from the grasp of the man who had just been so possessive in front of James. Smiling, she walked over to the old lady, sat down beside her, and affectionately took her arm, acting as intimately as if she were the old lady's biological granddaughter. "Grandma, since you're already up, how could I dare to sleep in any longer?"

As she spoke, Julia also greeted the various elders politely and naturally.

Just then, the old lady's other children and their spouses also arrived.

On the first day a new daughter-in-law joined the family, it was customary for relatives to gather.

However, the servants hadn't all gathered. This was unlike Julia's first day of marriage, when all the servants had assembled to greet the new young mistress.

This clearly showed that Julia's status in the Horne family was consistently higher than Ruby's. It wasn't merely because she had married into the family first, nor because she was currently pregnant. Rather, it was due to Glades's profound love and adoration for her, which established her as the one person in the household whom no one dared to offend.

"Does that mean Grandma should stay in bed until eleven or twelve, just so you can sleep a little longer?" The old lady squinted, a teasing smile on her face as she glanced sideways at Julia. Seeing Julia's pretty face flushed and radiant as a peach blossom, the old lady's eyes twinkled. When her peripheral vision caught her precious grandson's adoring gaze fixed on Julia, she seemed to guess something, and her laughter grew even heartier.

"Grandma, when the New Year holiday arrives, let's have a competition to see who can sleep in later!"

"You mischievous girl..." The old lady chuckled, affectionately tapping Julia on the nose.

Julia glanced around but didn't see her sister. Thinking Ruby might still be asleep, she leaned close to the old lady's ear and whispered, "Grandma, my sister..."

"She's in the kitchen helping with breakfast. Oh, she's much more diligent than you, little lazybones. Not like your first day... Then again, Glades is probably more intense, hehe, Grandma understands." The old lady's teasing words instantly made Julia's face flush red.

She immediately shook the old lady's arm, feigning annoyance, then stood up, intending to go and help in the kitchen.

James Horne was having his pulse taken by Doctor Lei. Seeing that he had a cold, everyone offered some token words of concern; only the old lady was genuinely worried.

Even Gian Horne's concern for him was rather superficial.

Just then, Ruby emerged from the kitchen.

The sisters met, and a single look exchanged between them was enough to reveal the palpable happiness in each other's eyes, reassuring them both.

"Julia, why don't you sleep a little longer? You're pregnant, the weather is cold, and you're still going to the company today?" As a new daughter-in-law in the Horne family, Ruby genuinely wanted her sister to spend some time with her.

"Sis, if I sleep any more, I'll turn into a pig! The New Year holiday is just a few days away, and it's incredibly busy with so many things to handle. I just need to work for a few more days, and then I can finally rest at home," Julia said with a light smile, her expression charmingly coy, tinged with a playful petulance. She had always been close to her family and only showed this endearing, slightly spoiled side to them. Then, looking apologetic, she added, "Sis, I can't accompany you today."

Ruby lovingly straightened Julia's clothes, smiled, and playfully tapped her nose. "I know. Even if you weren't going to work, I doubt I could have you to myself; I can't win against Glades. Julia, I'm going upstairs now; Marcel is probably about to wake up."

When Ruby mentioned Marcel, the blush on her cheeks deepened a little more.

Julia nodded.

Ruby then headed upstairs, encountering Adele Horne, who was just coming down. Adele Horne didn't look too well, probably having just endured a bout of morning sickness. Her morning sickness was twice as severe as Julia's. Julia usually only felt nauseous in the mornings and evenings, or sometimes when eating. Adele, however, could feel sick at any time of day. She had lost a significant amount of weight, a sight that made Mila Anderson's heart ache for her.

Combined with her somewhat dejected mood and her reluctance to go out, she was losing weight even more rapidly.

Julia saw all this and was worried. She had found time to talk with Adele, but Adele remained unwilling to go out.

Although she had decided to keep the baby, mustering all her courage, when it actually came to facing the situation, she still felt adrift, unsure how people would point fingers and gossip once they knew she was pregnant out of wedlock.

When these two sisters-in-law met, Ruby, not holding a grudge over the slap Adele had once given her, smiled and greeted her. Adele looked at her, her lips moved as if to say something, but no words came out. She merely gave a slight nod in response to Ruby's greeting.