Chapter 9

Lorraine's words made sense. If Logan were a CEO or a bigwig, regular citizens like the Somners would be beneath him. More importantly, he wouldn't need to go on any blind dates. Irene and Vanessa stopped fretting, and Irene started singing Logan's praises. She told Lorraine, "You can't mistreat him, okay? Working at a construction site is hard, so you need to be more accommodating and tolerant." "Every other mother worries about their daughter being mistreated, Mom. Why are you the opposite? Do I look like the type who'd abuse her husband?" Lorraine retorted. Irene smacked her shoulder. "I'm just reminding you. Alright, we're done here. You should take Logan and the kids out so that they can look around the village and get to know the place." "It's dark outside. What's there to see?" Lorraine muttered. Seeing that Irene was about to smack her again, she fled. Irene watched her leave. Then, she turned to Vanessa and said, "I can rest easy now that Raine's settled down and married. She looks so full of hope for life now. I think that means she's finally moved on from that incident." Her tone was filled with heartache. Vanessa consoled her, saying, "That incident was a devastating blow to Raine. She even gave up on her landscaping career because of it. But she's always been strong and optimistic. I'm sure she's long since moved on." "That imbecile who stole her work and then framed her for something she didn't do will get what's coming to them. They don't have any actual talent. It'll come back to bite them someday. As for Raine's mentor…" Irene trailed off. This was something that had happened in Lorraine's past, and she didn't want to talk about it. Life was good now, and she had married such a handsome gentleman. The orchards looked like they would do well in the future too. It looked like Lorraine had a bright future ahead of her. All they needed to do now was wait for the imbecile who had previously framed her to get what they deserved! Lorraine had no idea what Irene and Vanessa talked about after she left. She came out of the room to see Logan still chatting with her friends and family, and he seemed to be quite into it. The children sat obediently beside him. When Charles saw her come out, he said, "Take Logan and the kids to the plaza for a stroll, Raine. It'll help with digestion." Near the Somner residence was the village's plaza. It had a space for exercise, a street decorated with art by the townsfolk, a basketball court, the village library, and even a fish pond. All the villagers had contributed to the fish in the pond, and the village's management committee would catch them for special occasions before distributing them to the villagers. A fence had been erected around the fish pond to prevent children from falling in, and willow trees had been planted around it. There were long benches underneath the trees where villagers could sit and chat. Lorraine made a sound of acknowledgment. No wonder her parents were a couple—they were telling her to do the same thing. "Finn, Lulu, come on. I'll take you to the plaza for some fun," she said. The twins jumped up happily and ran to her. Logan nodded at the people he was talking to before following them out. Now that the new family of four was gone, everyone in the house started talking. To them, Logan was basically perfect. Even though he was a construction worker, his manners, upbringing, and demeanor were admirable. The only drawback of this marriage was that Lorraine was now a stepmother. Fortunately, Logan wasn't the twins' birth father. … Logan looked around the plaza when they arrived. He told Lorraine, "This place has been done up quite well. More and more people are returning to the countryside nowadays, and I can see why. It's a lot better than people think it is." There were many tall buildings in the village too. It was clear that the standard of living was better than people expected. "Well, this village is more modern and developed than others. There's also a forest park beside the village committee's office. It's a little late, so I won't bring you guys over there. We wouldn't want the mosquitoes to get you. There's a rose garden and grape garden near the park," Lorraine said. She and Logan brought the kids to the exercise space so that they could play there. Then, the two adults sat down. "Raine." Logan decided to call her that after hearing her family do so. He cocked his head and looked at her. "Is your family happy with me?" She nodded. "Isn't it obvious that they love you? Look at how they forgot about me upon meeting you. There's just one thing, though—they think you're too classy and can't believe you're a construction worker. You're like a different person in your suit." He laughed. "Clothes make the man, after all. Anyone would look different from their usual selves once they dress formally." Inside, he couldn't help thinking about how sharp Charles and Irene were. It was a good thing he could still hide his identity and pretend to be a poor man. His reputation as the CEO of Moore Corporation had yet to spread too far and wide. Lorraine chuckled. "That's what I said. My mom and dad are just worried about you tricking me. I hope you won't blame them for that, though. It's my fault for breaking my glasses, getting the wrong person, and marrying you instead of the other Logan." Not that she regretted it. With Logan around, she could finally have some peace. Logan nodded understandingly. "Oh, right. How often do you have days off from work?" Lorraine asked. This was important to her. The purpose of the shotgun marriage was to get her parents off her back and bring herself peace. If Logan was always busy with work, she'd be more relaxed. She didn't want to become a full-time housewife like Vanessa, who had to rely on her husband for money. There was no way she would want to have to ask a man for money whenever she needed it. "Generally, I can only take a break when one project is completed and the new project has yet to commence. I don't usually get days off. It's also hard to predict where the new construction site will be. The current one is near Glendale Grand Hotel, but the next one could be in a different city," Logan said. Lorraine almost beamed at that but forced herself not to, fearing it would upset Logan. She said, "My dad used to be in this line of work. He was rarely at home too." "I think things should be quite good for us this year. All the projects we've gotten are based in Glendale City, and this current project should only keep me busy until the end of this year." Lorraine's glee diminished. It looked like it was a little too early for her to celebrate. "Were you hoping that I'd be away from home?" Logan asked. Moore Corporation was the biggest company in Glendale City and had countless subsidiaries and branch companies. It was involved in many sectors and employed tens of thousands. As the company's CEO, how could he possibly miss the change in Lorraine's expression? He could see right through her. Lorraine denied it, "No, of course not. On the contrary, I hope you'll be home every day so that we can spend more time together and get to know each other better. That way, we can grow closer." Logan smiled at her. "Don't you worry about that. I'll make your wish come true." She fell silent. Why did she feel like she had just dug her own grave?