Chapter 320

Chapter 320

"Grandma means well."

I took Jason's hand.

"I know, but trust me, you don't want to know about her cooking skills."

That morning.

I was bored out of my mind at home, so I texted Lily to meet up for shopping.

When Jason found out, he immediately canceled two morning meetings and drove his car to the mall's underground parking garage.

What should have been a girls' outing turned into a party of three.

Lily linked her arm through mine, while Jason walked on my other side.

Lily's back was ramrod straight, her whole body like a stiff wooden board.

"Sue."

Lily lowered her voice, complaining at a volume only we could hear:

"Is your husband trying to murder me with his eyes?"

I turned to look at Jason.

He was staring coldly at Lily's hand linked through my arm, his brow slightly furrowed.

"Honey, go get me a fresh juice from that store up ahead."

I sent Jason away.

Jason reluctantly walked off.

Lily let out a long breath, patting her chest:

"Mr. Cooper's possessiveness is too much. Anyone who didn't know better would think I'm a romantic rival. What's wrong with me linking arms with you?"

I smiled and held her tighter:

"He's just too nervous. Come on, let's go look at clothes."

Passing by the haute couture bridal shop on the third floor.

Through the huge floor-to-ceiling glass window, I spotted two familiar faces.

Maya and Richard.

Maya was wearing a pure white off-shoulder wedding dress, standing in front of a large fitting mirror.

Her expression was calm as she confirmed measurements with the staff.

Richard sat on a velvet sofa behind her, holding coffee, one leg crossed over the other.

Lily stopped in her tracks, eyes wide:

"Maya? She's really going to marry Richard?"

I nodded:

"It's an arranged marriage, each getting what they need. Maya needs the Allen family's influence to secure her position at Coleman Corporation."

Lily immediately became alert, looking around:

"Where's Mr. Cooper? That Maya woman is so calculating—she couldn't still have feelings for Jason, could she? Running into them now would be a disaster."

"You're overthinking it."

I pulled Lily back:

"She's got power now, all she thinks about is making money. Romance is a luxury to her."

Inside the glass window, a staff member brought over another mermaid-style wedding dress.

Just as Maya was about to reach for it, Richard suddenly stood up and strode over.

He pushed the dress aside and pointed to a high-neck lace design nearby.

"Not this one, it shows too much skin."

Richard's voice wasn't clear through the glass, but his lip movements were obvious.

Maya frowned, turning her head to say something to him, seemingly objecting.

Richard didn't back down. He reached out to wrap his arm around Maya's waist, pulling her closer to him, and leaned down near her ear.

Maya's body stiffened, but she didn't push him away.

The two were very close—even through the glass, you could feel the intimacy.

Lily watched in amazement, clicking her tongue in wonder:

"Sue, did you see that? That look Richard just gave her—this isn't a business marriage. This is clearly a loving couple."

I was somewhat surprised.

Richard used to be famous in our circle as a playboy, changing girlfriends faster than the seasons.

Were his feelings for Maya real?

"That can't be."

I said hesitantly:

"Richard's not the devoted type. All those ex-girlfriends of his—which one lasted more than three months?"

"What do you know?"

Lily pursed her lips:

"Look at how protective he just was, like he wants to hide Maya away. He's definitely fallen for real."

As we were talking, Jason came over with the juice.

He followed our line of sight into the store, his eyebrows slightly raised:

"Richard? Isn't he supposed to be at a board meeting at the company today?"

I took the juice, stuck in the straw, and took a sip, my gossip fire burning bright.

I poked Jason's arm:

"Honey, do you think Richard's feelings for Maya are real?"

Jason's expression was indifferent:

"Other people's business doesn't interest me."

"Go find out for me."

I tugged at his arm:

"Just satisfy a pregnant woman's curiosity. The doctor said pregnant women being happy is good for the baby's development."

Jason paused, looking down at me.

He sighed and took out his phone to make a call.

When the call connected, Jason got straight to the point:

"Zach, what's Richard's situation lately? Has he cut off all those messy relationships?"

A casual voice came through the phone:

"Mr. Cooper, why are you suddenly interested in Richard's love life? He's cut them all off, completely clean. He even gave Maya his most precious sports car as a gift. Everyone in the circle is saying Richard's for real this time."

Jason hung up and looked at me.

Lily gave a thumbs up:

"See! I told you! My intuition is always right."

After shopping for two hours, I was getting tired, so we found a dessert shop to sit and rest.

Before long, Ryan pushed through the door.

He was wearing casual clothes, a baseball cap and mask, carrying several shopping bags, and walked straight over to sit next to Lily.

"Done shopping?"

Ryan took off his mask and handed Lily a cup of hot milk tea.

Lily took the milk tea:

"Pretty much. How come you had time to come today?"

"No meetings this afternoon, so I came to pick you up."

Ryan turned to look at Jason and greeted him: "Richard."

Jason nodded.

Ryan's gaze fell on my belly, and he asked casually:

"Your belly's growing pretty fast. When are you two planning to have the wedding? I need to clear my schedule in advance."

Jason looked at me, his eyes questioning.

Actually, he'd brought up the wedding several times in private, even looked at several venues, but I'd never agreed.

"Let's wait until after the baby's born."

I touched my protruding belly:

"The wedding dress won't look good now, and planning a wedding is too exhausting. I don't want to stand on stage with a big belly forcing a smile."

Originally I'd wanted to have the wedding during this time, but who knew my belly would grow so fast.

The custom-made wedding dress Jason had specially ordered no longer fit.

Ryan nodded:

"True, your health is most important. Richard, you'd better hurry up though, don't make Sue wait too long."

Jason held my hand, his voice low:

"Whenever she's ready, I'm ready anytime."

I looked down at my belly, but a trace of doubt arose in my heart.

Counting the time, it was only a little over three months now.

But the size of this belly was already catching up to when I was five months pregnant with Jessica.

Earlier when trying on clothes at the mall, the sales assistant even asked if I was close to my due date.

Could it be that Tamsin's been feeding me too much nutritious soup lately, causing overnutrition?

I pinched my arm—I hadn't gained much weight there.

Jason noticed my movement and asked nervously:

"What's wrong? Not feeling well?"

"No."

I shook my head, suppressing my doubts:

"Just think this belly is growing a bit ridiculously. Could be I've been eating too well lately."

Jason immediately took out his phone to make arrangements:

"I'll contact the doctor right away. We'll go for a prenatal checkup tomorrow!"

Ryan laughed:

"Don't be so nervous. Maybe it's twins? I have a cousin who was pregnant with twins, and her belly was scary big like that too."

Twins?

I froze.

But Jason's eyes lit up instantly, staring intently at my belly, even his breathing became lighter.