"Herschel's birthday is coming up. You'll be there, right?

" Jacqueline's words caught me off guard, reminding me that Herschel's birthday was coming soon., Even if she hadn't mentioned it, I wouldn't have forgotten. After all, I had reminders for every member of the Wagner family's birthdays. Living under their roof, I always tried to prepare things in advance to keep everyone happy. Although I wasn't exactly an outsider, I still trod lightly, worrying about not living up to expectations and risking their disapproval., Caught off guard by Jacqueline's question, I didn't respond immediately. She pressed,

"Felicia, we've always treated you like a daughter. You've never missed sending your gifts and well-wishes for all these years. Herschel will be heartbroken if you don't show up this year.

", I hadn't planned on attending, but I intended to send a gift., Jacqueline's direct question put me in a tough spot, especially with Conrad acting like a madman lately. I was worried that if I showed up to the Wagner family gathering, he might do something drastic, like eloping with me on the spot!, But declining would only lead Jacqueline to try and persuade me further, so I soothed her,

"Jacqueline, of course, I'll be there.

",

"That's a relief. I was worried you wouldn't come. It wouldn't be the same without you,

" Jacqueline said, clearly laying on the pressure., I remained silent, and she continued,

"We've given Conrad a piece of our mind for causing trouble. He hasn't been bothering you, has he?

", Hearing that, I almost laughed. It seemed Jacqueline and Herschel were unaware of Conrad's recent antics. Were they oblivious or just pretending? I didn't want to think the worst of them. After all, they had been good to me.,

"No, he hasn't,

" I lied., Even if I had told the truth, Jacqueline would likely scold Conrad over the phone to comfort me, promising to deal with him. But Conrad was stubborn to a fault, unstoppable once he got going. And without Ernest willing to play the role of my boyfriend, there wasn't much I could do to deter Conrad.,

"If he dares to trouble you, you call me immediately,

" Jacqueline offered her support.,

"Sure,

" I agreed.,

"Did you call for a specific reason?

" Jacqueline asked, sharp as ever., After addressing her concerns, she turned the conversation to me., I glanced at the wilted flowers in my hand.

"Jacqueline, did my parents like daisies?

",

"Daisies?

" Jacqueline echoed before asking,

"Felicia, are you planning to visit your parents? When? Let me and Herschel know. We haven't visited in a while. It would be good to go together.

" Her response confirmed that the daisies weren't from them, just as I had suspected., I gripped the flowers tighter.

"Jacqueline, I'm at the cemetery right now.

",

"Oh, you went?

" Jacqueline sounded genuinely disappointed.

"We were thinking of going together when you had time.

", What a coincidence. But people said most coincidences were planned., Perhaps my mentioning it was just a segue for Jacqueline.,

"Jacqueline, do any of my parents' friends still remember them, or could they visit their grave?

" I asked directly., There was a pause on the other end before Jacqueline replied,

"Felicia, did you run into old acquaintances? Why the sudden question?

",

"There's a bunch of daisies on my parents' grave. I thought someone had visited them,

" I confessed., Search the website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.