"Dad, the pork's gone, but we can always make more."
"Don't leave tonight, okay? Stay here. Tomorrow morning I'll go to the market with you..."
Before I could finish, Georgette followed us in and cut me off.
"Absolutely not. He is not staying in this house."
She pointed at the three spare bedrooms down the hall.
"My niece is coming over tonight. She's taking the one on the left."
"The other two are for Xiufen, Sister Li, and Brother Jun. There's no room."
My expression went cold.
Those people she'd just named were card-playing friends she'd met at a mahjong table a week ago.
I'd told her repeatedly not to bring strangers into the house. She did it anyway.
Every time they came over, they left the place a wreck.
Edgar never lifted a finger, so I always ended up paying for a cleaning service out of my own pocket.
Today, I had specifically told my dad to come over.
She couldn't keep bringing strangers into this house.
She'd agreed to stop, then turned around and invited people over anyway.
My voice and my eyes went colder than they'd ever been.
"My father is staying here tonight."
"And your card-playing friends? Call them right now and tell them not to come."