Everyone had already gone home—my parents and his grandparents alike. They weren't the type who liked being addressed with formal titles or ranks.
I stayed busy in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the next two hours: Deep-fried seabass with savory gravy, creamy seafood Tom Yum, stir-fried mussels with basil, and crab curry. For dessert, I made Pandan-infused sweet sticky rice. Cooking has always been one of my favorite things to do, mostly because my mom had forced me into it for as long as I could remember. That must be why his grandma chose me to be her granddaughter-in-law.
"What time does Khun Nin usually get home?" I asked the housekeeper, who looked about five years older than me. Both housekeepers were from a neighboring country north of Thailand.
"By seven at the latest," Pin replied.
They spoke Thai quite clearly. While we were cooking, she told me she had been working here since she was a young girl, around fifteen or sixteen. She had grown up here, settled down, and even started a family of her own.
"Then I'll wait in the library," I said. "When he gets home, please come and let me know. I'd like some quiet time to myself."
Jao Peem and I tore back home on our big bikes the moment we heard Dad had married someone and brought her into the house. I was dying to see the face of that shameless woman. Who exactly thought she could just waltz in and become our stepmother?
"You got everything ready?" I raised an eyebrow at Jao Peem.
He held up a bag with something wriggling inside. The smirk at the corner of his mouth said it all—he was ready to give our new stepmom a welcome she wouldn't forget.
"If she doesn't run back home crying," he said coolly, "I'm letting this loose on her."
"Heh. Let's see how pretty she really is."
The two of us walked straight inside. We asked the housekeeper where Dad's wife was, then headed straight for the library.
I slowly opened the door for Jao Peem and crept in behind him, careful with every step. Inside was a woman I assumed must be Dad's wife. Her long hair fell down her back as she sat with her back to us, a book in hand, leaning against the sofa. She was humming softly, clearly in a good mood.
"Good evening, Stepmom."
"Ah!" she screamed, jumping up onto the sofa the moment Jao Peem tossed the bag right in front of her.
Something slithered out, lifting its head and hissing as if it sensed an enemy. My brother and I burst out laughing—but the instant she turned around, I froze.
"Ms. Kawinthida?"
"Patnarin! Peemrawee! What on earth are you two doing here?" My homeroom advisor pointed a finger at us, her voice demanding an answer.
Don't tell me… my teacher is actually Dad's wife?