Chapter 123 Seems to Have Misunderstood Something
Another New Year had arrived.
On New Year's Eve, Charles and Holden both came home.
The usually silent Gonzaga family estate finally had a bit of life to it.
Amelia and Jessica got spa treatments in the morning and took beauty naps in the afternoon.
She and Holden had nothing to talk about. Her husband had died young, and she'd harbored resentment toward Holden ever since, convinced that if not for him, Wentworth would never have joined the military.
Holden didn't mind. His return was merely a formality—after all, it was New Year's Eve, and family was expected to share a big dinner together.
Charles kept Holden company in the courtyard for tea, using leaves he'd brought back himself.
Matilda got along well with Holden. She'd even put on the jade bracelet he'd given her before heading downstairs to join them for tea and conversation.
In this household, she finally had someone to talk to.
"Matty, when are you heading back to the hospital?" Holden asked.
"In a week. I have to be back by then," Matilda said.
"How was it this time? Get anything out of the experience?"
"I did. Learned a lot, actually. Seeing how tough people have it there, and being able to help some of them out—it meant something." Matilda's voice softened.
"That's what matters," Holden said.
They were still talking when Amelia walked over.
"Matty, what time do you think it is? You're still sitting here drinking tea?"
Amelia's tone was cold.
She hated Holden, but since he was an elder and she couldn't do anything about Charles, she took it out on Matilda instead.
"Mom, did you need Matty for something?" Charles asked.
"It's already afternoon. As a daughter-in-law, shouldn't you be in the kitchen making dinner?" Amelia fixed her gaze on Matilda.
Matilda glanced at Holden. Well, you're a daughter-in-law too, she thought.
Charles cut in. "Mom, why don't you just call the chef back? Or I can have the hotel send over a spread. Don't make things difficult for Matty—she's young, she's been through enough."
"I don't care how it turns out. As long as it's not poisonous, it'll do." Amelia turned to leave.
Just then, Cathy approached to report: "Ma'am, there's a young lady named Zoey outside. She says she's a friend of Mr. Charles Gonzaga and Matilda. Should I let her in?"
Amelia looked between Charles and Matilda. "Whose friend is she exactly?"
Matilda kept quiet. She had zero standing in this house—how could she dare entertain guests? Besides, she still had to make New Year's Eve dinner. With Holden and Charles home today, she wasn't about to half-ass it. Even if she couldn't make anything fancy, she could manage something decent.
Charles had to speak up. "Mom, Zoey's my friend. Her father runs Kensington BioTech Company—she's Mr. Turner's daughter."
"Kensington BioTech Company? Mr. Turner's daughter?"
"Right. She knows Matty too, but we're closer. We're in touch pretty much every day."
To be precise, it was one-sided contact.
Ever since Charles had re-added Zoey as a friend, she'd been messaging him daily—good morning greetings in the morning, good night messages at bedtime. Eventually Charles got used to it and couldn't be bothered to block her. One time when she'd gone somewhere remote without cell service and hadn't sent her usual good night text, he'd actually felt weird about it.
Amelia immediately believed Charles.
Kensington BioTech Company might not match the Gonzaga Group, but it was still a solid company. She knew Mr. Turner personally. And she definitely didn't believe someone of Matilda's background could be close friends with a socialite like Zoey.
She agreed at once. "Let her in."
——
"Matilda! Charles!"
Zoey's voice carried from a distance.
She came trotting over with packages in both hands, her whole demeanor bright and bubbly.
She ran up to Charles first, cheeks flushed. "Charles."
Charles coughed sternly, trying to get her to dial it back.
She immediately shoved what she was holding into his hands. "Charles, these are specialty items I brought back from abroad. Try them—they're so good."
Then she spun around and distributed treats to Holden, Amelia, and Matilda in turn.
"Mr. Holden Gonzaga, Mrs. Amelia Gonzaga, try these sugar-free ones. No additives either—super clean ingredient list. Really healthy."
Aside from Charles, Zoey had distributed them by age, so everyone could tell right away that her treatment of Charles was different.
Amelia found herself sizing Zoey up.
Apart from being a bit young, she had nothing wrong with her. Lively personality too—the moment she arrived, it was like the whole estate had gained color. She'd complement Charles's somber temperament perfectly.
Charles's marriage situation had become everyone's headache. If he could marry Zoey, that wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Truth was, Amelia would agree to Charles marrying anyone, as long as they weren't dirt poor or terribly ugly.
"You're Zoey, right?" Amelia asked.
"Yes."
"We're preparing dinner right now. Would you like to stay and eat with us?"
Zoey agreed immediately. "That's great!"
Then she shot an excited glance at Charles.
What perfect timing—she'd actually get to have dinner with Charles.
Charles looked away.
Matilda could tell Amelia liked Zoey. She said to Zoey, "You chat here for a bit. I'm going to start on dinner."
Zoey's eyes went wide. "Matilda, you're making dinner?"
Matilda deliberately tried to spook her. "Yeah. It's a Gonzaga family tradition—the youngest daughter-in-law handles the cooking, since all the kitchen staff get the holiday off."
"What?" Zoey looked shocked.
Amelia did like Zoey and worried about scaring her off, so she clarified, "It's just special circumstances this year. Next year should be different."
Zoey blurted out, "Next year's fine too. I can do it next year."
Silence.
Zoey realized she'd spoken too hastily. She quickly backtracked. "I mean... I could help Matilda cook."
Matilda asked, "Can you cook?"
"I can help out, you know, assist."
"Then let's go."
"Okay!" Zoey bounced after Matilda cheerfully.
——
Amelia felt a twinge of regret. She cared about appearances, and seeing how young and naive Zoey was—what if she went around talking about today? Wouldn't that cement her reputation as a mother-in-law who tormented her daughter-in-law?
Plus, girls these days checked out their potential in-laws' households before marriage. If Zoey thought it over later, or if her family said something, she might decide not to marry into the family after all.
She couldn't help saying to Charles, "Didn't you mention having the hotel send dinner over? Get on it."
Charles understood his mother's concerns. Mom had always been both domineering and image-conscious.
The key issue was, his mom seemed to be misunderstanding something.