Chapter 54: A Slap Across
After washing up, Mia didn't go downstairs right away. She waited until James left for the office before heading down.
The maid who was cleaning downstairs heard the noise. Gone was yesterday evening's fearful demeanor - she warmly greeted Mia at the stairs, "Mrs. Smith."
Her eyes full of gratitude.
Last night James's words had let her know that it was Mia who spoke up for her, which was why she got to stay.
And because of Mia, her salary had doubled.
Mia saw the maid back to her old self and smiled slightly.
"I was able to come back all thanks to you speaking up for me, Mrs. Smith. Thank you so much, Mrs. Smith."
The maid was genuinely grateful to Mia.
Before Mia moved in, she had worked as an hourly cleaner, only responsible for tidying up the place.
After Mia moved in, James asked her if she could cook and how good she was at it.
When he learned she could make many dishes, he had her prepare a full meal.
That day, Mia ate with satisfaction and happiness.
One comment from Mia saying she really liked it.
And James hired her.
"I'm the one who should be sorry. You got in trouble because of me."
The maid quickly explained, "Mrs. Mia Smith, how could this be your fault? I didn't take good care of you, so Mr. James Smith was right to let me go."
"What?"
Mia was stunned, "You're saying James fired you because you didn't take good care of me?"
"Yes, when Mr. James Smith first hired me, he offered three times the market rate. The only requirement was to take good care of you, Mrs. Mia Smith, and to put you first in everything."
"But not only did I fail to take care of you, I let you get so weak you ended up in the hospital, and almost—"
Thinking about this, the maid felt guilty and blamed herself.
If she had been more attentive and told James in time, Mia wouldn't have gotten so weak.
She almost lost the baby.
And Mia loved this baby so much.
"It's not your fault."
It was her own doing.
The maid looked at Mia with emotion. Mia was really too kind.
She would definitely take even better care of Mia from now on.
"Mrs. Smith, I'll go prepare your breakfast."
After the maid went into the kitchen, Mia slowly walked to the dining table and sat down.
The maid's words echoed in her mind.
Only today did she learn that the maid was hired by him at a high salary to take care of her.
He fired the maid not to stand up for Amelia, but simply because she hadn't taken good care of her?
The softness that had been pushed deep down in her heart was clearly touched.
But just as it stirred, Mia stopped it.
She wouldn't allow herself to waver.
......
The maid thought Mia was in a bad mood because she almost lost the baby.
Whenever James wasn't home, the maid was more relaxed.
After finishing her work, watching Mia sitting quietly on the sofa reading, she thought for a moment, then took out a half-finished item she was knitting for her own child from her bag. She tentatively asked, "Mrs. Smith, would you like to learn this? You can knit things for the baby."
Mia was good to her, and she wanted Mia to be happy too.
She didn't want to see Mia unhappy.
She could tell how much Mia cared about the baby in her belly. Finding something baby-related to catch her attention might cheer Mia up.
Mia looked over. In the maid's hand was a small hat that was taking shape. She reached out and took it.
The soft texture made her expression soften considerably.
"Mrs. Smith, look, there's also this. After the hat is finished, you can attach it to the top."
Seeing Mia's interest, the maid continued persuading her.
She took out a fluffy ball from her bag.
As the maid demonstrated, an image instantly appeared in Mia's mind.
Her baby wearing the floor socks she knitted, with this hat on their head, walking toward her.
With each unsteady step, the hat on top bobbing along.
That image struck her heart directly.
She wanted to learn!
But—
"I'm kind of clumsy."
Mia had never been very good with her hands since childhood.
"It's very simple. We can start with little socks. Don't let the complex stitches fool you, it's actually very easy."
Mia was convinced.
"Okay, just don't think I'm too slow."
"Of course not. Mia, you'll definitely knit very well."
"Okay, I'll learn carefully."
Mia's eyes curved with her smile, the tension between her brows clearly easing.
"I'll go upstairs and change. Then let's go to the mall to pick out yarn."
Mia was a doer, eager to get started as she headed upstairs.
She quickly changed and came back down, going to the mall with the maid.
......
At the mall
Mia's eyes lit up. She loved every type of yarn.
When it came to the baby, she wanted every color.
She kept feeling that her baby would definitely be the cutest baby in the world.
Any color would look good on them.
Before she knew it, she had picked out a huge pile.
The cart was full, but she didn't notice.
"This kind would probably look really good on the baby too."
Mia moved forward and spotted another new type of yarn.
"Mrs. Smith has such good taste. This yarn would be very comfortable for the baby to wear."
Mia's eyes curved with her smile.
A new round of color selection began.
Soon her arms were full, and she happily turned to put them in the cart.
There's a saying: habit becomes second nature.
She wasn't like this at first.
Although James had given her that unlimited credit card.
She never used it.
When James found out, he told her she was his girlfriend.
It was natural for her to spend his money.
He said he earned money for her to spend.
If she didn't spend it, he had no motivation to earn.
She was successfully brainwashed by him.
She became less and less conscious of money.
As long as she liked something, she would swipe the card, never considering the price or whether she was buying too much.
But now...
She shouldn't be like this anymore.
The maid had long gotten used to Mia's crazy shopping mode. Seeing this, she immediately turned to get a new cart.
Mia was about to stop her when Amelia's voice suddenly rang out at the entrance.
"Mia, this is why you used every trick to latch onto James, isn't it?"
Ever since she came to the door and things got ugly with Mia, Amelia had stopped pretending in front of her.
Her opening words were sarcastic.
Seeing Amelia, Mia's good mood instantly vanished. Her smile disappeared, and she coldly glanced at her, rudely shooting back, "None of your business."
"I'm James's wife. His money is mine to spend however I want. What's it to you?"
As long as she wasn't divorced, she was still James's legitimate wife. Was it Amelia's place to boss her around?
Mia pressed the yarn in her hands into the already full cart.
She pulled out James's credit card from her bag and slapped it on the counter, "All the yarn in this store, I'm buying it all."
Seeing Mia acting so smug, Amelia sneered, "Mia, what are you really capable of? You're just relying on that baby in your belly, aren't you?"
"I'd like to see how many more times that baby can survive your recklessness. When you've worn out that bargaining chip..."
Before Amelia could finish, Mia raised her hand and slapped her hard across the face.