Chapter 120 Spending Wentworth's Money
Of course Matilda agreed.
Wentworth's cousin Jessica Sanders was flying back from England, and Matilda was responsible for picking her up. The family had drivers, but Amelia insisted Matilda do it herself—claiming the driver hadn't been home to his wife and kids in years, so she'd given him time off for the holidays.
Matilda drove the Range Rover Wentworth had bought her. The car had always been registered in her name, and they'd never changed it. Sliding behind the wheel of this long-neglected vehicle, memories of her early days with Wentworth flooded back. On this damp, chilly day, the recollections filled her with renewed strength.
For their future together, she had to endure this. She didn't expect Amelia to like her—she just needed Amelia to understand that she wouldn't back down. No matter what schemes Amelia cooked up, nothing would separate her from Wentworth.
When they reached the airport, private vehicles couldn't drive inside, so they had to wait outside. Naturally, Amelia sent Matilda in to meet Jessica. Matilda didn't mind—it was no big deal, really.
The flight was delayed. After waiting half an hour, she finally met Jessica. The girl was obviously the spoiled princess type—delicate and willowy. Her rolling suitcase should have been effortless to handle, yet she made it look like hard labor.
"You're my cousin-in-law?" Jessica sized Matilda up.
Yesterday Amelia had filled her in: this sister-in-law came from poverty, had no real merit except being pretty with a sultry voice, and was skilled at seducing men. So Jessica's gaze dripped with contempt.
She shoved the suitcase toward Matilda. "I've been on a plane forever. I'm exhausted. You carry this."
Matilda eyed the luggage. Rolling it looked completely effortless. But thinking Jessica might genuinely be worn out from the long flight and dealing with jet lag, she took it. "Jessica, right? This way. Your aunt's been waiting half an hour already."
"My aunt is so sweet! She loves me the most." Jessica immediately bounced with excitement, showing zero signs of jet lag whatsoever.
Matilda had no choice but to lug the suitcase behind her. Outside the airport, she loaded Jessica's things into the trunk, then climbed into the driver's seat. In the back, Jessica was already wrapped around Amelia, chattering and acting adorable—closer than mother and daughter. Clearly they were tight. Meanwhile, Matilda was relegated to chauffeur.
"Mom, where are we going for dinner?" Matilda asked.
Amelia turned to Jessica. "Jessie, what would you like to eat? Your cousin-in-law is treating."
Matilda's mind went blank. When had she ever agreed to pay?
Jessica perked up immediately. "Then I won't hold back! I want to go to The Grand Diner."
The Grand Diner was legendary in Phoenix City—two thousand dollars per person on average, and that was before ordering the really expensive stuff.
"I've been dreaming about The Grand Diner's food every single day," Jessica said in her wheedling tone.
"Perfect. The Grand Diner it is. Matty, your cousin rarely comes home—treat her to a nice meal."
Matilda's wallet wept, but she drove to The Grand Diner anyway.
Amelia requested a private room. Once they were seated, a server brought menus. Jessica snatched one and started ordering immediately. "Three orders of French foie gras, three Australian baked lobsters..." The young lady picked only the priciest items on the menu.
Finally, she added, "And a bottle of 1982 Château Lafite."
She passed the menu to Matilda. "Anything you'd like to add?"
Throughout this entire ordeal, Matilda maintained her composure. On the surface, she looked perfectly elegant and poised, as if this wasn't her first time at such a restaurant—as if she'd been born with this kind of refinement, someone who frequented high-end establishments regularly.
"Nothing from me. Mom, would you like to add anything?"
Amelia, clearly planning to bleed Matilda dry, smiled. "Matty won quite a bit yesterday. I'm sure she won't mind the dinner bill. Let me add a few things." She rattled off another string of expensive items.
When the food arrived, dishes covered nearly the entire table—enough to feed eight people easily, let alone three.
Amelia deliberately watched Matilda, waiting for her to crack. Kids from ordinary families couldn't stand this kind of waste.
But Matilda continued playing the gracious host. "Mom, Jessica, please dig in. Eat as much as you want. If anything's not to your liking, we'll order more."
Jessica looked puzzled. "You really did win big yesterday—you're being so generous today!"
Matilda smiled. "Oh, I'm not being generous with my own money. That I'd never spend—I worked hard winning it, after all. No, I'm using Wentworth's card. He gave me a black card a while back, and I haven't even used it yet."
"A black card?" Jessica's face went green. She didn't even have one of those. There were only ten in all of Phoenix City.
Amelia's expression turned equally sour. Wentworth had given Matilda his black card?
"Mom, Jessica, please eat!" Matilda urged them. "Don't be shy—if this isn't enough, we'll order more." With that, she started eating.
The table looked impressive with all its dishes, but each nearly ten-inch plate held just two pieces of foie gras—gone in two bites. Within minutes, Matilda had polished off several plates. Servers kept clearing dishes exclusively from in front of her.
Jessica, expert at reading the room, saw Amelia's displeasure and jabbed at Matilda. "You don't have to eat so fast. It's like you've never had a meal before. Nobody's competing with you."
"Is it too fast?" Matilda asked. "This is how I normally eat. Should I suddenly take dainty little bites just because we're at a different restaurant? Wouldn't that be kind of pretentious?"
Jessica muttered, "Barbarian."
Then she turned to coax Amelia. "Auntie, you should eat too. Try this."
"I don't have an appetite. You eat." At home, Amelia always claimed no appetite when eating Matilda's cooking. Now, after learning about the black card, she genuinely had none. This made Jessica hesitant to eat freely either.
So the only one truly enjoying the meal was Matilda. For most people, a two-thousand-dollar meal here just meant tasting things—you certainly wouldn't leave full. Yet she demolished two-thirds of the food herself, drank half the wine bottle, and ate until she was completely stuffed and thoroughly satisfied.
Seeing her appetite made Amelia even more miserable.
After the meal, Matilda called the server over to pay. Before swiping the card, she felt a flutter of anxiety. Wentworth had given her this card ages ago. When they'd discussed divorce, she'd left it at Sunshine Gardens.
When Amelia made her return to the Gonzaga family estate, she'd noticed it still sitting on the table and brought it along on impulse. She had no idea if it still worked—what if Wentworth had canceled it?
The meal totaled twenty thousand dollars. Thankfully, the card worked, and the charge went through smoothly.