Chapter 18

Maeve felt touched. Then, she said, “Mr. Scott, I don’t need that much money. You don’t need to take up the responsibility of paying for my grandma’s expenses.” “I know. Since your grandmother is a part of your family, she, too, is a part of my family. Although I’m not obliged to pay for her expenses, I can’t possibly just sit here and do nothing.” Maeve blinked her teary, almond-shaped eyes and said, “Mr. Scott, I’m so lucky to have you.” “Yes, you’ve really hit the jackpot,” said Matthew profoundly. His tone sounded indifferent, so it was difficult to speculate whether he was cracking a joke. Maeve stole a glance at his sharp, cold side profile and did not think too much about what he said. When she married him, she did not have high expectations about their marriage. She just wanted to settle down. She used to have the wishful thought of seeing Mr. Stevens through her husband. She wanted to convince Mr. Stevens to thoroughly investigate the truth back then. Regardless, what her husband had provided for her had far exceeded her expectations. Maeve wondered. “Can someone in this world truly treat someone else so well and so unconditionally without asking for anything in return? No way! There’s no such person in this world!” Maeve shook her head and almost immediately rejected her own thought. It was an ignorant and dangerous thought! Ron had treated her very well in the beginning. In fact, he took great care of her. But he betrayed her in the end, and even plotted to have her sent to jail. The most unpredictable thing in the world was a person’s heart and mind, those same things were also the ones that changed the most often. “I parked the car over there.” Her husband pointed at South West Street. His words interrupted Maeve’s train of thought. After that, he went to the other side and helped Maeve to support Agatha. He said humbly and politely, “Grandmother, be careful with the staircase. Walk slowly.” Maeve trained her gaze on the path before her. She felt touched and chuckled. He looked up. His expressionless face was like an icy mountain as he stared at Maeve and asked, “Why are you laughing?” “Nothing. I never thought you were such a good and caring person.” Her husband said solemnly, “Of course, I’m better than you expect.” Maeve smiled, and her eyes wrinkled with happiness. She said, “Alright. I’m also more virtuous than you think.” After spending time together for a couple of days, Maeve realized that apart from being cold, aloof, and reticent, her husband had a good personality. He was tall and handsome. He kept his word and admitted to his mistakes. He was also an open-minded and unselfish person. He respected elders and cherished children. If he and Maeve could treat each other with respect, they could probably spend the rest of their lives peacefully. Maeve looked at her husband and asked seriously, “Why did you leave work so early today?” “You found your grandmother, so Mr. Stevens gave me a half-day leave.” “What a coincidence! Ms. Sullivan also gave me a half-day leave without deducting my bonus,” said Maeve happily. “You hardly eat your dinner at home. After I help Grandma settle down, I’ll buy some ingredients and prepare dinner. Do you prefer steak or pasta?” Her husband said, “I’m fine with anything.” Maeve was speechless. She thought. “He’s a picky eater. How can he possibly say he’s fine with anything?” Maeve then asked in a different way, “How about Bolognese pasta and mushroom soup? You don’t like spicy food, do you? These two are non-spicy foods.” “Okay,” her husband replied to her curtly. When they walked to the side of the Volkswagen, her husband opened the door to the back seat. After Maeve and Agatha got in, he closed the door in a gentlemanly fashion. He then went to the driver’s seat and started the car engine. They remained quiet throughout the journey. After they arrived at home and Maeve helped Agatha settle down, she went to the nearby market and bought some ingredients. Mindful that her husband disliked spicy food, Maeve did as she promised and cooked some non-spicy dishes. She prepared a fruit salad, Bolognese pasta, meatballs, and mushroom soup. Aside from the fruit salad and meatballs, the rest of the food suited Agatha’s tastes, as she had weak teeth. While Maeve was preparing food in the kitchen, her husband came in. The kitchen was not spacious and could barely fit two people. Moreover, her husband was more than 180 cm tall, so the kitchen seemed even more crowded. Maeve was cutting the mushrooms. She did not even lift her head when she asked, “I’ll need some time before dinner is ready. Why did you come in?” Her husband answered coolly, “I came in to help you.” “No need. If you have nothing else to do, you can watch TV or play with your phone.” Her husband seemed like he did not have any particular interests; he did not watch football matches or play games. “Your grandmother is around. I can’t let you do all the work.” “We agreed on this before. I’ll prepare dinner, and you’ll do the dishes. We’ve divided the tasks. Grandma won’t think too much about it.” The mushroom slices had the same thickness. It was clear that Maeve was very skilled with a kitchen knife. She then placed the mushrooms on the plate before turning to her husband. He had taken off his suit and was now dressed in only a casual black shirt and black long pants. Since he brought up Agatha, Maeve said, “Mr. Scott, I have a request.” “What is it?” asked her husband indifferently. “Please allow Grandma to stay with us over the next few days. Don’t worry. She won’t stay with us for long. I’ll find a house for her as soon as possible; I’ll rent one for her to settle down in.” Maeve was a sensible lady. She understood that she and her husband had a shotgun marriage and did not have any feelings for each other. Even if they did harbor such feelings, it was still not his responsibility to provide for Agatha. Although he allowed Agatha to stay with them for a couple of days, Maeve still knew that this would certainly cause him inconvenience. Her husband nodded. “Alright, renting a house will cost a lot of money. You can use the money in my account for now.” When he bought the house, he thought it was spacious enough to accommodate two people. After they moved in, he realized the house was even smaller than the bathroom in West Hill Mansion. Maeve was his wife. He had a responsibility to take care of her and the household. He would also respect Agatha as he would respect the elderly and cherish children. However, he would feel some level of discomfort if Agatha lived with them. As such, when Maeve took the initiative to suggest that she would rent a house for Agatha, Matthew agreed to her idea. After dinner, Matthew did the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. After he finished his chores, Maeve said, “Rest a while before taking your shower. I’ll bring Grandma for a walk downstairs.” Since they left the police station, Agatha occasionally held Maeve’s hand and asked if her wedding was about to begin. Other than that, Agatha did not speak of anything else or pay attention to Matthew. Maeve was worried that Agatha’s presence would cause him inconvenience, so she took Agatha out for a walk. ...... The next day, Matthew went to work without eating his breakfast as usual. Meanwhile, Maeve ate her breakfast with Agatha. Looking at her grandmother and then at this home which was slowly filling up with lively energy, Maeve felt a happiness unlike any she had ever experienced before. She had to thank her husband and Mr. Stevens for all this. Maeve had to treat her husband better and live a good life with him. She also had to thank Mr. Stevens. Without his help, she could not possibly have found Agatha so quickly. Maeve did not know how to thank Mr. Stevens. He was a powerful man who stood at the pinnacle of the world. He did not lack anything. Maeve gave it some thought before deciding to bake some cookies and prepare some pastries for him. Although Mr. Stevens was not short of this stuff, it was her thoughtfulness that counted. Maeve prepared a lunchbox for her husband. After that, she baked cookies, cakes, pies, and other pastries before riding a bicycle to BioTrail. Maeve walked into the main hall of BioTrail. When she was about to arrive at the front desk, she heard a commotion at the lift. Maeve looked in that direction, and she saw a group of top-ranking executives in suits with a dozen tall and muscular bodyguards. There was a man in a wheelchair among them. The man was surrounded by the crowd. Maeve could not see his face. However, she was almost certain that the man was none other than Mr. Stevens himself. Rumor had it that he was a sickly child who had less than thirty years to live. That was why he was always wheelchair-bound. Maeve had something to give to him and wanted to thank him in person. So, she summoned her courage and went over to him.