Chapter 86 Became a Grandfather at 36
Wentworth was referring to—continuing to be his wife.
Matilda was stunned for a moment.
They'd experienced a life-and-death situation together last night and spent the night in the same bed. According to TV drama logic, she should agree to him now.
However, she instinctively shook her head.
She still hadn't figured it out.
Wentworth just smiled faintly, said nothing more, and left the room.
...
Matilda sat alone in a daze for a long time.
Later, she picked up her phone and opened WhatsApp.
Social media was buzzing—group chats were exchanging holiday wishes and sharing party photos. Though she'd logged on late, she still received private greetings from many hospital colleagues.
Most messages in her inbox were copy-paste holiday wishes, except for Zoey's. Zoey had sent a voice message: "Matilda, you didn't spend Christmas in Phoenix City, did you? Haven't seen you forever, and you never post updates. I miss you."
Matilda replied: "Happy Boxing Day. I'm at my medical support assignment, not in Phoenix City."
Zoey quickly texted back: [Where exactly? I'll come find you!]
Matilda knew she wouldn't actually come but sent her location anyway.
Sure enough, after seeing the location, Zoey immediately exclaimed: "Oh my God, so far away? How'd you end up in such a remote place? When are you coming back?"
Matilda said: "About another year."
"That long?"
"Yeah."
Soon after, Zoey sent her an electronic gift card—$50.
Matilda smiled and sent back a $70 gift card, but Zoey didn't accept it.
After chatting with Zoey, she saw friend requests pending.
One was from Amy—Connor and Susan's daughter.
Another was from Paul—Brianna's son.
Were these two here hunting for holiday gifts?
Matilda had nothing better to do, so she accepted both requests.
Sure enough, Amy and Paul immediately sent messages: "Happy New Year! Hope you're rich!"
Matilda sent each of them a $50 electronic gift card.
Amy complained it wasn't enough. [Matilda, send me a bigger one.]
Matilda was speechless and didn't reply.
Paul sent back bluntly: [What am I, a beggar? $50 doesn't even cover my gaming expenses.]
Matilda was about to respond with an emoji when she realized the message wouldn't send—Paul had blocked her!
She laughed coldly. Since he'd blocked her, next year there wouldn't even be $50.
Just as she was about to toss her phone aside, Charles's holiday wishes arrived, complete with an electronic gift card.
The gift card had no amount limit, so she figured it must be substantial.
Remembering she still hadn't agreed to continue being Wentworth's wife, she ultimately didn't claim it.
...
After sending out his mass gift cards, Charles called Wentworth.
Wentworth was writing reports but immediately answered when he saw his brother calling.
"Charles, happy Boxing Day."
"I'm plenty happy. Just wondering if you are?" Charles asked.
It was the first day of Holiday Season, so Charles had given himself the day off. Plus Amelia was in good spirits and had decided to host a party at the estate.
The family hadn't thrown this kind of party in over ten years.
Wentworth looked at the stack of reports on his desk. "Work makes me happy."
"Good to hear. Had breakfast?" Charles asked with a grin.
"Yeah, pancakes at Matty's place."
"How are things between you two?"
"Same as before—she won't accept me." Wentworth turned the question around. "What do you think I should do?"
Charles considered it. "Things that come too easy usually aren't treasured. Take your time. The harder something is to get, the more you'll cherish it later. Anyway, I've got to go entertain guests."
After hanging up, Charles selected a custom-tailored suit, knotted his tie, and headed to the garden.
Servants bustled about setting up tables, polishing wine glasses, cutting fruit, while bartenders prepared cocktails.
Seeing Charles approach, Amelia waved him over.
"Mom, happy Boxing Day."
Whether due to the holiday spirit, Amelia seemed unusually warm today.
She pulled out an envelope and handed it to Charles. "Happy Boxing Day. Here's your gift card."
"Mom, I'm not a kid. Why give me a gift card?"
"As long as you're unmarried, you're still a child. Look—another new year, and you're what, 36 now? Plenty of men your age are already grandfathers."
Charles immediately caught on—this was marriage pressure disguised as holiday cheer.
"Mom, you want a daughter-in-law?"
"Exactly. For today's gathering, I invited quite a few Phoenix City socialites. Make sure to mingle and chat with anyone who catches your eye. Keep waiting and they'll all think you're too old."
Charles asked, "Since you want a daughter-in-law, don't we already have one? Didn't Wentworth get married?"
The moment Matilda came up, Amelia's expression turned ice-cold.
"Anyone worthy of marrying into our family must be among today's invited guests. Everyone else can forget it."
She excitedly pulled out her phone. "Look—today we have daughters of politicians, top lawyers, bank presidents, and chamber of commerce leaders. You pick first, then help choose one for your brother too. I think the chamber president's daughter would suit your brother well. I met her abroad—very outgoing personality, perfect to cure your brother's antisocial tendencies."
Charles thought to himself: 'Antisocial? Put Wentworth with the right person and he'd talk for days straight.'
Guests began arriving in steady streams.
Zoey was among them.
She'd come with her father Sawyer. At the entrance, she whispered, "Feels like a lot of women showed up today. This family isn't trying to pick wives for their sons, are they?"
Sawyer smiled and lowered his voice. "Once we're inside, watch your words. Even if they are wife-hunting, you're not in the running—too young."
"Obviously. Their eldest is 36 and I'm 21—that's a whole fifteen-year gap. He could practically be my dad. And their younger son's definitely off-limits since he's Matilda's ex-husband."
Sawyer chuckled. "Good that you get it. Just help Mrs. Gonzaga however you can—be charming and helpful, leave a good impression."
"Got it, Dad."
Once inside the estate grounds, Sawyer's businessman instincts kicked in—he alternated between chatting with the bank president and schmoozing with chamber of commerce leaders.
Zoey wandered around feeling bored and went hunting for food.
As more guests arrived, Zoey wasn't sure what to do with herself. Eventually she spotted a cluster of socialites chatting and tried to join them.
But seeing she was young and merely a company president's daughter, the socialites had zero interest in including her.