Chapter 5

In BioTrail, Matthew was sitting in his wheelchair and working. Three years ago, when Charlie Stevens passed away, his mother received the news and brought him back to the Stevens family. The members of the Stevens family were not keen on having additional contenders for the inheritance, so they tried all means to get rid of him. Since then, he pretended to be disabled, spreading rumors that he would not live past thirty. As he had anticipated, the Stevens family eventually let their guard down against him. No one could have expected that the disabled illegitimate child with a short lifespan, who was considered less worthy than an ant and had no right to claim any part of the family’s inheritance, would execute a remarkable counterattack and ultimately rise up to become the ruler of the Stevens family. Over the past few years, no one in the Stevens family dared to make a move to take him down. On the one hand, they feared his capability, and on the other hand, they truly believed he would not live past thirty. They were waiting for him to die. In these past few years, under his leadership, BioTrail continuously explored new avenues for corporate development, ushering in a whole new phase of growth and reaching unprecedented heights. After finishing his work, Matthew glanced out the window and saw that it was already dark outside. His phone lay quietly on the desk. It was his personal number, known to only a few people. From morning till now, it had only rung twice. Both calls were from his mother, who reminded him not to focus solely on work. She told him to eat on time and take care of his health. As for his wife, who just had a shotgun marriage with him, she had not contacted him all day long. Just then, Liam walked in, holding two copies of marriage certificates. “Mr. Stevens, the marriage registration has been completed. Here are the marriage certificates.” Liam was Matthew’s driver and one of his assistants. The Stevens family had many children, and Matthew was Charlie’s ninth child. Everyone respectfully addressed him as Mr. Stevens. Matthew shifted his gaze from the phone to Liam. “Did you handle everything as I instructed?” “Yes, everything was done according to your orders. The marriage certificates are authentic, but they cannot be found in the marriage registration system. If you want to end this marriage, you just need to tear up these marriage certificates.” Liam reported how he had completed his task while he thought to himself. “Even if I might make mistakes in other matters, I would never make a mistake in this one. After all, it’s my name that’s being used on the marriage certificate.” He certainly did not want to be labeled as a divorcee if he decided to pursue a relationship in the future! Matthew took the marriage certificates and stood up from his wheelchair. “Let’s go.” “Are we going to Nunavut Bay?” “Yes.” After saying that, Matthew strode toward the private elevator. His private elevator led directly to the private parking lot. At this moment, he did not have to pretend to be sick anymore. Liam hurriedly followed and went to the underground parking lot with him. Matthew’s private parking lot was filled with luxury cars, starting at least in the seven-figure range. There were a Mercedes-Benz G-Class, a Maserati, a Porsche, and a Rolls-Royce. The cars were dazzling. However, today, among the luxury cars, there was a beat-up old car, completely out of place. It was bought today to match Matthew’s disguise of being poor. It was a second-hand car. Matthew got in the car. With his height approaching 190cm, he could not stretch his legs out. He felt cramped. Liam worried that in a fit of anger, Matthew might flip the car’s roof, so he immediately started the engine. As he drove, Liam occasionally glanced at the rearview mirror and secretly thought that Matthew deserved an Oscar for his performance of faking ill at work and pretending to be poor after work. As they were nearing Nunavut Bay, Matthew suddenly said, “Pull over and let me drive back myself. From now on, wait for me here in the mornings.” “Yes, Mr. Stevens.” Liam stepped out of the car. He opened the rear door and respectfully handed the car keys to Matthew. Matthew took the car keys. Although he despised this beat-up car and was not used to it, he reluctantly accepted it and drove into Nunavut Bay. As he entered the neighborhood, he was faced with an intersection in the road. Matthew paused for a moment. Where was his house? Should he turn left or right? Although the neighborhood was not large, there were around a dozen buildings. The house was purchased by Liam as per his instructions. It was his first time visiting it. He was completely unfamiliar with the area. Matthew took his phone out of his trouser pocket and dialed Liam’s number. Liam was just about to get into the taxi when he saw it was Matthew calling. He immediately pressed the answer button. “Mr. Stevens, why are you calling me so soon? Is everything okay?” Matthew cleared his throat and asked, “Which building is the house in? Is there a unit number? What is the door number? Also, how should I drive there? Should I turn left or right after entering the northern gate of the neighborhood?” Matthew forwarded the address Liam had sent to him directly to Maeve without even looking at it. He was a practical person. After confirming that Maeve was not a bad person and was not a spy planted by his uncles, he did not invest much thought in her. As for the bank card he gave her, it did not have much money in it. A monthly salary of thirty thousand dollars was nothing to him. The night was as dark as ink. The streetlights in the neighborhood were dim. The building numbers were obscured by tall and lush camphor trees, making it even harder for him to find his building. However, Matthew did not bother to search for it either. Liam hurriedly said, “Turn left and drive for about a hundred meters. Block 5 is located on the right side of the road. There is no unit number. It’s 901.” Liam thought, “Mr. Stevens has successfully pretended to be sick for three years without giving himself away. This time, pretending to be poor should not be a problem for him, right?” Matthew ended the call. Following Liam’s instructions, he found Block 5 soon enough. Maeve made a round of phone calls but could not get any information about her grandmother, so she had no choice but to slow down and come up with other plans. She surveyed the house and found it to be clean and in no need of cleaning. However, she still needed to buy several things. Fortunately, they were all small items that she could afford on her own, without relying on that man’s money. Maeve first went to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities like women’s slippers, towels, combs, laundry detergent, and so on. Then she went to the market to buy vegetables, eggs, and meat, filling the refrigerator to the brim. The weather forecast indicated that tomorrow would be a sunny day. Maeve planned to make a trip to the cemetery to visit her father. Her father had been good to her before his remarriage. Their relationship had deteriorated after he married Sabrina, who constantly sowed discord between them. Her father’s favorite dish was ravioli. Maeve immediately got busy in the kitchen. She chopped ingredients for the filling, kneaded the dough, and rolled out the pasta. Just as she was making ravioli, she heard a voice at the door. Maeve looked up. The door was pushed open. Matthew walked in. He was dressed in a black suit and white shirt. He looked sharp and uptight. There was a hint of piercing intensity in his eyes. “You’re back.” Maeve smiled and asked softly, “Have you had dinner?” “I haven’t.” Matthew saw what she was making. He raised his brows and asked, “You’re making ravioli?” “Yes, I’m making some ravioli for us to have tonight. The leftovers can be stored in the fridge and served as breakfast later. I know how to make various home-cooked dishes, so feel free to let me know what you’d like to eat. Today, I made beef and cheese filling. Would you like a bowl?” Matthew said without much emotion, “I didn’t know you could cook.” “Is that a compliment? What kind of person did you think I was? Lazy and ignorant? Do you think I rely on everyone for everything and that I’m only interested in spending money? Do you think I just sit idly at home and that I don’t know how to do anything?” Matthew remained silent, tacitly acknowledging her words. Outsiders only knew Sabrina as a gentle and virtuous woman. They thought she treated her stepdaughter as her own, so Matthew’s assumption was understandable. Little did they know that at home, she lived a life worse off than a servant. She had to do all the chores, no matter how exhausting or dirty they were. Maeve did not say much. Suddenly, she smiled brightly and cupped her face like she was a sunflower. “So, now, do you feel like you’ve accumulated countless lifetimes of good fortune? You married such a beautiful and capable wife. Do you think you hit the jackpot?” Matthew looked at her. He felt like a little feather was tickling his heart. Tiny electric currents were spreading along his nerves.