Chapter 121 Questioning

Maria's breath caught when she saw the suspicion in Henry's eyes. She found it amusing and couldn't help but let out a sarcastic laugh. Henry was about to say something when Ethan suddenly interrupted him. "What does this have to do with Maria? I asked you why you didn't come back last night."

Henry's lips pressed into a thin line, his tone somewhat helpless. "Grandpa, I got held up and couldn't make it back."

"What was it?" Ethan pressed. Henry wasn't sure if Maria had told Ethan that he was out because of Diana last night. He glanced over and saw only Maria's indifferent profile.

Henry felt a pang of guilt about not coming back last night. It wasn't that he didn't want to; Diana was in a terrible state and even had thoughts of harming herself. He couldn't just leave her like that.

"Grandpa, it was a personal matter," Henry said, looking at Maria. "Maria, I need to talk to you. Can you step outside for a moment?"

He walked out, and Maria put down her utensils and followed. They walked out of the house, one after the other, until they were sure Ethan wouldn't hear them. Henry then stopped. "The reason I didn't come back last night was because..."

Maria cut him off. "Henry, you don't need to explain to me. And I didn't tell Ethan you were out because of Diana."

What she didn't say was that Ethan had probably figured it out.

"Then why did Grandpa have an episode?" Henry blurted out, still suspicious of Maria.

"I just told him you were out for something important, and he had an episode," Maria said with a cold laugh. "As for why he had an episode, he probably guessed who you were out with."

Maria turned to leave, but Henry grabbed her arm. "Maria, I really didn't come back because of Diana. But she was..."

"Henry, really, you don't need to explain to me. But you better come up with a good excuse for Grandpa," Maria said, pulling her arm free. She didn't want to know what was going on with Diana. She had spent a sleepless night thinking about many things. In her relationship with Henry, she was at a disadvantage. Their marriage was a transaction, and she owed Henry money. She didn't have the confidence to question Diana's presence. Maria felt that she wasn't in a position to talk about feelings with Henry. What mattered more to her was getting into Luminex Innovations.

Back in the living room, Ethan and Kenna were already sitting on the couch, having finished breakfast. Maria and Henry walked in, with Maria in front and Henry behind. Ethan smiled at her. "Maria, your breakfast is still warm. Go eat."

Then, turning to Henry, Ethan's expression changed instantly. "Henry, I'm tired. Take me back to my room."

Henry wheeled Ethan back to his room. As soon as they were inside, Kenna moved her wheelchair over to Maria, her face full of concern. "Maria, are you okay?"

Maria snapped out of her thoughts and smiled, shaking her head. "I'm fine."

Just then, Maria's phone rang. The screen showed it was Joe calling. Maria felt a bit nervous. After exchanging numbers with Joe, they hadn't spoken.

This sudden call made Maria think of yesterday's final competition. Because she had returned so abruptly, she hadn't had a chance to ask Henry about it. She didn't know if her design had made it to the finals.

"Maria, your phone is still ringing," Kenna's voice broke through Maria's thoughts. She was puzzled as to why Maria hadn't answered yet.

"I'm answering it now," Maria said, snapping back to reality and picking up the call. Joe's voice came through the phone. "Maria, congrats on making it to the top three. I knew you were the one to watch. Now you can officially join Luminex Innovations. When can you come in to complete the paperwork?"

Joe's words were concise and to the point, with no unnecessary chatter. Maria was still shocked that she made it to the top three when she heard Joe telling her to start the onboarding process.

"I can come in the next couple of days," Maria replied.

Joe quickly responded, "How about tomorrow? I'll send you the company's address. Call me when you get there."

The call ended, and Maria stared at her phone, lost in thought. It wasn't until Kenna called her name that Maria snapped out of it. She couldn't suppress her smile and hugged Kenna. "Kenna, I'm so happy. I'm going to start working. It's wonderful."

Kenna didn't understand why Maria was so happy about going to work. If Maria went to work, she wouldn't be able to see her as often. Kenna felt a bit unhappy and couldn't help but ask, "Maria, do you need money? I have a lot of money. Can you not go to work?"

Since Kenna had come to the Smith Villa, Quentin had been trying to repair their father-daughter relationship by transferring money to her. He had hoped to use Kenna as an excuse to visit, but Henry never gave him the chance.

Kenna accepted Quentin's transfers but ignored his requests to speak well of the Cooper family to Henry. Returning to the present, Maria smiled at Kenna and explained, "Kenna, I'm not going to work because of money. I'm going because I want to do something I love and am good at. I'm very happy to have found such a job."

Kenna's voice was a bit downcast. "So, does that mean we can't play together as often?"

Maria was silent. She didn't want to lie to a child. Working would indeed leave her with less time to spend with Kenna. Since she had saved her, and after learning about their relationship, Kenna had become very attached to her. Maria thought for a moment and told Kenna, "I'll have days off. I'll spend time with you then, okay?"

Kenna nodded, still a bit unhappy but understanding.

With her start date set, Maria took Kenna upstairs to prepare the things she would need for her first day at Luminex Innovations.

As she was packing, Henry came up. He looked exhausted. Maria paused and asked, "Do you need to rest?"

Henry nodded, noticing the things she was packing. "What are you getting ready for?"

Maria smiled and told Henry about her new job at Luminex Innovations. Her face lit up with joy, and it was clear how happy she was. Henry couldn't help but smile a little. "Congrats. I guess we'll be colleagues now."

Henry extended his hand to her, his serious demeanor making Maria laugh. She extended her hand, and they shook hands, the atmosphere between them unusually pleasant.

The next morning, Maria got into Henry's car to go to the company. As they neared Luminex Innovations, Maria asked Henry to stop. "I'll get out here."

Henry was puzzled. "Why get out here?"

Maria didn't want to explain that she didn't want people to think she got the job through special connections. She vaguely replied, "I'm meeting a friend here. You go ahead."

After saying that, Maria hurriedly got out of the car. She wasn't exactly lying; she really was waiting for someone, but not here—she was waiting for Thea in the company lobby.