Chapter 9

“There are vegetables and eggs in the fridge. I’ll go and make some noodles.” As Maeve spoke, she took out some vegetables and two eggs from the fridge before going to the kitchen. Matthew said to her, “I only eat soft-boiled eggs. I don’t eat spicy food, garlic, onion, and coriander. I don’t eat innards, and I also don’t like carrots and celery.” Maeve memorized it. Then, she asked, “What are your favorites?” “I don’t have any.” “Okay. Got it.” After Maeve spoke, she whispered, “How can an adult man be so picky with food?” Matthew did not hear that, so he asked, “What did you say?” “Nothing.” Maeve stuck out her tongue behind his back. She turned on the kitchen hood and gas stove. Then, she started boiling water to cook the noodles. She made two bowls of noodles very quickly. After Maeve placed them on the table, she took out some chili sauce and put a spoonful into her bowl. When she saw her husband looking at her, she passed the chili sauce to him. “Do you want some? It’s not spicy.” “I don’t eat that.” Matthew refused. “Try it. It’s quite tasty. Mainly, it can enhance your appetite. When I was in jail…” Maeve suddenly realized that it was inappropriate to talk about it, so she awkwardly smiled. “Sorry, I’ve said too much. The noodles are thickening. Let’s eat.” “Okay.” Matthew also did not press the issue. He already asked his subordinate to investigate her background, and he was not interested in the details. Matthew looked at the noodles with contempt, and he took a bite. It tasted better than he expected. He could not help but look up and glance at Maeve. “What’s wrong? Is it not to your tastes?” When Maeve felt his gaze, she looked at him. “No, it tastes quite good.” Matthew wiped his mouth. Then, he said, “I saw that you added a lot of stuff to the house. Why didn’t you use the money that I gave you?” “These are trivial things. I can still afford them.” “If you don’t spend your husband’s money, whose money are you going to spend?” Matthew raised his eyebrows. “It’s good that you’re financially independent, but you should be willing to spend your husband’s money when you need to.” As Maeve listened to him, she chuckled. “Many men guard against their wives and are not willing to spend money on their wives, but you’re different. You seem scared that I won’t spend your money.” Matthew raised his eyebrows. “How can they be compared to me?” The man frowned, and he looked arrogant in this light. Maeve could hear that he was unhappy, so she quickly said, “I got it. I won’t compare you to other men. I will also spend the money in the card for our necessities.” Matthew assented, and he did not say anything else. The two of them ate noodles silently. Maeve ate very slowly, and Matthew finished first. However, only after she finished eating did he get up and do the dishes. They agreed to share the house chores, and this man was at least aware that he should do the dishes. Maeve got up and left the dining table. Then, she grabbed her phone and sat on the couch. After Matthew did the dishes, he saw that Maeve was on the couch. She looked preoccupied and worried. He quickly looked away. If she did not tell him, he would not take the initiative to ask. He did not want to be nosy. Perhaps she was trying to get his attention. “It’s late. I’ll head to bed first. You should head to bed early too.” “Okay, good night.” Maeve answered him, but she was still looking at her phone worriedly. When Matthew saw that she had not moved, he took two steps forward. Then, he stopped. He asked, “What’s wrong? Is there something in your mind?” Maeve had kept this matter to herself for too long. She hesitated for a while before eventually telling him about what had been going on. She said that she went to the Lawson house and that she filed a police report. In the end, she said, “I was raised by my grandmother. It’s just been the two of us since I was young. She is the only family I have left. I really hope that I can find her, but Riverside City is huge. More than one million people live here. It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.” Maeve wanted to cry, but she kept her emotions under control. She even forced an ugly smile. “Thank you for listening. It’s really good to have someone to talk to. I feel better after saying all that.” One of the reasons she wanted to approach Mr. Stevens on the day she was released from jail was that she wanted to find someone she could rely on. Who would have known that God had another plan for her? She actually got married to an ordinary guy in a flash. Since she was married, she would live a good life with him. She knew that her husband was just an ordinary person. He was Mr. Stevens’ driver, but only that. He could not help her, and perhaps he also did not want to care about her family matters. This was also very normal. Matthew saw that she was very sad. He could tell that she was trying to hold in her sobs. He could not help but feel slightly strange. He did not know how to comfort her, so he said without expression, “You still have me. We are married. That makes me your family too.” He felt that his words of comfort were not enough. So, he reached out to pat Maeve’s shoulder, and he was so gentle that she almost could not feel it. Maeve chuckled as she was amused by his attempt at comforting her. “Thank you. I feel much better.” Matthew stared at Maeve. “What are you laughing at?” “Nothing. Thank you, Mr. Scott. I’ll go to bed now. Please head to bed early too.” Maeve was about to go back to her room. Matthew was confused. This woman was just about to cry, but now she was smiling again. What did that mean? “Hold on.” Matthew suddenly stopped her. Maeve turned around. “What’s wrong?” Matthew spoke nonchalantly. “I’ll try to ask Mr. Stevens about your grandmother. Maybe he can help us.” Maeve was instantly overjoyed. “Really? Is that possible?” “Yeah, I’ll try, but don’t have too much hope.” “Okay, thank you! Good night. It’s late now. Sleep early!” Maeve happily went back to her room. No matter what, she was already very grateful for his good intentions. He had also listened to her when she opened up about it. He did not like to smile, and he emitted a cold aura. However, although he seemed cold, he had a warm personality. He was a very nice person. Maeve slowly got used to her new home. She slept until she woke up naturally, but she did not get out of bed immediately. It was still early, so she wanted to laze around in bed. But no matter how she tried to make herself comfortable, she was unable to fall asleep again. Maeve was very angry at herself. She angrily got out of bed, then started folding her blanket reflexively again. Then, she immediately stopped. Maeve suddenly realized that this was her home and not the prison. She was out of prison now. Even though she reminded herself many times every day, some habits could not be changed instantly. Maeve became angry. She vented her anger on the blanket. She did not fold her blanket. Instead, she messed up her bed, then stormed out of the room. When she looked up, she bumped into Matthew, who had just gotten up too. He just emerged from the opposite room. The man wore a white shirt and black pants. He was dressed neatly, and his outfit highlighted his tall and lean frame. His shirt was buttoned to the top, and he emitted a cold and stoic aura. He was putting on his cufflinks, and his expression was focused and serious. “Good morning.” Maeve greeted him, but her tone was not pleasant. Matthew could hear the sourness in her tone, so he frowned and looked up at her. Their bedrooms were right across from each other, so he immediately saw Maeve’s messy bed. His frown deepened, and he coldly asked with contempt, “Why is your room so messy?” It looked like a rubbish dump!