From Forgotten Wife To Fierce Queen - Chapter 275: Chapter 275

Jolin was completely stunned. After shutting himself off for so long, Joshua had even stopped calling her "Cousin."
And now, just to get Paisley to play another game with him, he had willingly addressed her as Cousin.
Paisley looked at Joshua's beautiful yet stubborn face and simply couldn't bring herself to say no. "Fine, one more game. But it's too cold here—I need to go somewhere warmer."
The moment Joshua heard that, he stood up without hesitation, packed up the chess pieces, and picked up the board. "Let's go back."
Jolin went speechless. She thought, 'So after all that effort she put in to convince him, it turns out a single sentence from Paisley is more effective?'
But despite that, Jolin felt happy. At least, in this house, someone was finally willing to play chess with Joshua again.
"Paisley, you're amazing." Jolin's gaze toward Paisley changed again, shifting from closeness to admiration. "Joshua rarely plays chess with others, and it's even rarer for him to be the one to suggest it."
"Maybe he feels a connection with me," Paisley said as she walked back.
"That's not it," Jolin disagreed. "Joshua acknowledged that your chess skills surpass his, which is why he took the initiative to play with you. Paisley, you're truly incredible."
Paisley admitted that being admired and praised by her younger brother felt pretty good.
"Speaking of which, I have to thank my grandfather for this. Oh, I mean the grandfather who adopted me," Paisley explained.
"Really? Then he must have been an amazing old man."
"Yeah, he was super amazing and also super eccentric." Thinking of that grumpy old man, Paisley smiled.
The old man loved playing chess. To enjoy the feeling of competition, he taught Paisley how to play.
At first, Paisley wasn't good at it and often got scolded by him. But as her skills improved, she was eventually able to reach a draw with him.
However, until the old man passed away, Paisley had never won a single game against him.
'If only Grandpa were still here,' she thought. She really wanted to tell him that she had finally found family who loved her.
The next day, the evening was set for the family recognition banquet. Anna woke up early in high spirits and called everyone over for breakfast.
Of course, except for Josie—because Josie simply couldn't wake up.
As a dutiful son-in-law, Zim came on Josie's behalf to Anna's place.
He was the earliest to arrive among everyone.
"Keeley and Josie haven't woken up yet?" Anna asked.
Zim looked a little embarrassed as he nodded. "Yeah, Keeley and Josie stayed up too late last night, so they haven't gotten up yet. Sorry."
"Oh, there's no need to apologize, we're family." Anna smiled warmly. "But as her husband, you should remind Josie not to stay up so late all the time—it's not good for her health."
Though her words carried no blame, Anna was subtly hinting at Zim not to let Keeley influence Josie.
Deep down, Anna didn't like Keeley. She was an outsider who had married into the Godard family, yet she had no sense of humility.
Instead, she relied on Josie's support and flaunted the Godard family's name however she pleased.
Over time, word of her actions had inevitably reached Anna's ears.
Fortunately, Josie always handled matters in time, preventing any negative impact on the family.
Besides, Zim was indeed an outstanding son-in-law. He was good-looking, highly capable, and helped Josie manage the family business.
He was also completely devoted to Josie, never once going against her wishes.
If Zim had even a single flaw, Anna would never have tolerated Josie indulging Keeley like this.
Zim, of course, understood the deeper meaning behind Anna's words and obediently nodded. "Alright, I understand, Mom."
Just as he finished speaking, the members of the second household arrived. Florence carried Bella, who had just finished two days of confinement.
As soon as Bella saw Anna, she ran over and sweetly called out, "Great-Grandma."
Anna was no longer angry. She hugged Bella and showered her with kisses before gently coaxing, "Bella, when Rena arrives later, you two need to get along well. You're the older one, so you have to be kind to Rena, alright?"
Bella pouted—she really wanted to say no. Everything in this family used to be hers. She had been the only child. But now, Rena had suddenly appeared to compete with her for everything.
Edmond even said she wasn't allowed to play in the castle anymore, claiming it wasn't her castle—it was Rena's.
She was very unhappy, but Edmond's angry expression was terrifying.
Seeing Bella remain silent, Florence felt the pressure and kept giving her meaningful glances. "Bella, what did Mommy tell you before we came here?"
Bella's eyes shifted as she thought about it. After a moment, she finally said to Anna, "I'm the older one, so I'll get along with Rena and won't fight anymore."
Hearing this, Anna immediately smiled and cupped Bella's face with her wrinkled hands. "That's right! That's my good Bella."
Bella pouted, but deep down, she didn't feel the same way.
She didn't think Anna cared about her at all. If she truly did, she wouldn't force her to get along with Rena or let Rena take her things.
After taking his seat, Edmond glanced toward Tyson's spot. "Has Tyson's family not arrived yet?"
Anna was in a good mood, so she kept smiling as she replied, "No, they said Paisy woke up late, but she'll be here soon."
"That cousin of ours, making Grandma and so many of us wait just for her," Christopher remarked.
"Oh, that's on me," Anna said, explaining on Paisley's behalf. "I suddenly wanted to have breakfast with all of you, so Paisy didn't expect it. It's not her fault."
Edmond checked the time. "Even so, she should be up by now. Young people shouldn't sleep in too much. Staying up late at night and waking up late in the morning—what kind of habit is that?"
When Edmond said this, he didn't even notice the awkward look on Zim's face.
Anna glanced at Edmond. "Say less."
It was then that Edmond realized his fourth younger sister wasn't there either. His expression turned a little awkward.
At that moment, Joshua walked in while yawning. He bypassed everyone in the room and went straight to Anna's side, nodded at her, and then quietly sat in his seat.
Anna noticed the dark circles under Joshua's eyes and couldn't help but ask with concern, "Joshua, did you not sleep well last night?"
Christopher, unable to hold back, chimed in, "Our genius stayed up reading all night again?"
Anna frowned and reprimanded him, "Shut up."
Christopher looked a little embarrassed but didn't take Anna's scolding to heart.
Joshua shook his head. "No, I was playing chess."
"Oh, is that so?" Anna looked surprised, her lips trembling as she spoke.
Joshua, who rarely spoke, had actually answered her.
It wasn't just Anna—everyone present looked at him in shock.
Just then, the members of the main house finally arrived.
Joshua immediately spotted Paisley. Excited, he stood up and personally walked over to greet her. "Paisley, let's play chess after breakfast."