hapter 42
One evening, after Ryan finished his social engagements, he struck up a conversation with me since I was around. Then he got to the point.
“Irene, have you ever thought about working in the company?” he asked.
I was a bit taken aback. Then he shared his thoughts with me.
He told me that he was pushing Neil to deal with the chemical plant issue as soon as possible. He had heard Neil was chasing after a girl, so he wanted to make Neil busier with this.
The renovation of the chemical plant was a big project, involving cooperation with the government. Once Neil got busy with this, he’d definitely have less time to chase other women.
But they felt it wasn’t enough. My in-laws agreed that I should also work at the Whitmore family’s company, at the headquarters with Neil, to keep any other women with designs on him at bay.
In fact, it was Neil himself who had bad intentions towards other women. And I don’t have any work experience. Right now, my dream is to become a cellist.
In my previous life, my in-laws were fair to me, but never favored me. The gifts I gave them in this life seem to be working wonders.
“Irene, we know you’re not interested in business. Your family also has a company, so you don’t have to join Whitmore Co. We just hope that you two can stick together for life and not let external factors ruin your marriage. Take your time to think it over. No need to rush an answer,” Faith said warmly.
I was touched by their concern. I worry that in the end, it’s not Neil that I can’t let go of, but them.
“Alright. I’ll think it over carefully and give you an answer,” I nodded.
We chatted for a while longer, but it was getting late. I returned to my room for some rest.
This was originally Neil’s room. After we got married, it became our bedroom, but we seldom come back together and we rarely slept together.
Neil’s room was sp ac ious, with a private bathroom, closet,
balcony,
album with pictures of him and his friends. The most frequent
the album was Russel.
an and even a game room. There were some of his things from his school days. Among them was a photo
I flipped through it for a while, then put the album back with a sigh. The always handsome Neil will never be mine, so the more I looked, the more upset I became.
Because of my in-laws’ concern and my intention to get closer to them, I stayed at their place for four days before returning to Rosemont.
Faith had always enjoyed farm life. She had cultivated a veggies and live chickens.
venotable!
in the backyard and raised a few chickens. Before I left, she stuffed my trunk with homegrown
“Bailey, drive safely. Irene, message me when you get home,” she instructed.
“Alright. I’ll head home now,” I nodded.
“Don’t worry!” Bailey seriously promised, “I’ll drive safely!”
She watched us leave. I was expecting to get home in time for lunch, but I wasn’t sure if Ada had prepared anything. She didn’t know when I’d be back.
I woke up to Bailey calling me, “Ma’am, we’re here.”
Trubbed my eyes, stretched, and then instructed him, “Bring everything from the trunk inside.”
After I said this, I got out of the car. Several ser vants were tending to the garden. They all greeted me when they saw me back. Ada was among them. She immediately came over, “Ma’am, you’re back! I’ll start cooking right away!”
“Hold on,” I stopped Ada, “Faith gave me some home-raised chickens. Take one and stew it. And put all the vegetables in the fridge.”
“Okay, ma’am.” Ada took the chicken from Bailey and went to the kitchen.
Looking at the two live chickens left in the trunk, I was a bit worried. After some thought, I had someone tidy up the backyard and fence off a section for our two guests. I decided to keep them, not to waste Faith’s kindness.
Ada stewed a pot of chicken soup with top-grade truffles. In the delicately patterned porcelain bowl, the golden soup had a thin layer of oil floating on top, the rich aroma of chicken laced with a hint of unique truffle flavor, very enticing.
*Ada, this is delicious! Your daughter must be so happy to enjoy your cooking every day!” I ladled a bowl of soup, took a few sips after blowing on it, and then complimented sincerely.
“My daughter has been picky since she was a child. I put a lot of effort into getting her to eat more, but she’s still very skinny. Girls love beauty and don’t want to eat too much, so they can’t gain weight,” Ada said lovingly when speaking of her daughter.
Bonnie was indeed quite thin, but she’s much better off than me.
I smiled slightly, “It’s okay to be a bit skinny. Girls look prettier when they’re thin, and it’s easier to attract a man.”
While we were chatting, Neil appeared in the living room. He seemed surprised to see me back, then came over and sat down, “Did you have fun?”
Even though I didn’t tell Neil about my trip, Stella updated her Facebook daily with locatio
tags. Neil must have seen it.
I sipped my soup, answering leisurely, “Not bad, had a pretty good time. Ate well, slept well, had a good mood every day.”
“Hmm,” Neil hummed. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his muscular forearm, then served himself a bowl of soup. After tasting it, his eyebrows relaxed a bit.
I asked quietly, “Good?”
“Mm-hmm,” Neil answered.
I continued, “These are the chickens your mom raised herself. They really taste fresh.”
Only then did Neil look at me, a hint of surprise in his eyes, “My mom came over?”
I shook my head, “No. I went to visit your parents and stayed a few days. Just got back today. She
in the garden right now.”
“uffed my trunk with live chickens and veggies. There are two chickens
Neil’s expression suddenly became complicated. He sounded a bit sarcastic, “Why did you suddenly think of visiting them?”
“I was just bored at home,” I said, continuing to eat my soup. I can’t let Neil realize my little trick. In my past life, my infatuation with him drove me to insanity I made him my entire world, overlooking the important people around him.
“So you’re scheming to up the ante from 5% to 7% or even 10%, huh?” Neil hit the nail on the head.
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11:22
Chapter 42
was genuinely freaked out. Some chicken soup went down the wrong pipe and I started coughing like mad. Hearing the commotion, Ada rushed back to the dining room to pat my back.
Yeah, I was indeed trying to throw a wrench in Neil’s plan to pursue Bonnie. If he ever wanted to divorce me in the future, he’ll definitely face even stronger opposition from his parents. If he wanted me to initiate the divorce or agree to it, I could seize the opportunity to make some demands, and he would have no choice but to agree
However, it was not necessary for me to achieve this goal. That such a casual little goal could be easily guessed by Neil mally threw me for a loop
