Chapter 128 The Reason I Am Here
The maids working here had to turn in their phones—couldn't have them taking random pictures. But Matilda was Wentworth's wife, so naturally she was exempt.
Matilda walked outside and looked at all the guests in their fancy outfits. The sun was bright today, the weather warm, but the sunshine felt harsh and blinding to her.
Amelia wore a blue gown, standing in the sunlight, laughing and chatting elegantly with everyone. Coming from nothing, Matilda felt something in this environment that could only be called fate.
Some people were born with silver spoons in their mouths. Others could only struggle at the bottom. Some worked desperately for recognition, but the people at the top kept pushing them down, grinding their efforts into mud beneath their heels.
A server passed by. Matilda stopped him and took a glass from his tray. The server panicked immediately. "Should you be drinking that?"
"Just walk away. Pretend you didn't see anything." Matilda downed the drink in one go.
Worried about getting in trouble, the server hurried off.
Emboldened by the alcohol, Matilda found Brianna busy backstage. Cathy wasn't around—a butler was supervising instead. But when Matilda pulled off her mask and he saw who she was, he didn't dare say anything.
Matilda pulled up the photos on her phone and showed them to Brianna. "You asked why I'm here. This is why."
Brianna first saw the photo of Matilda and Wentworth. She recognized him—the guy Matilda had gotten with afterward.
Then she scrolled to the family portrait and gasped. While working outside earlier, Brianna had noticed Amelia a few times. They were about the same age, but one was a wealthy socialite while she was stuck doing grunt work. Amelia had made an impression.
"Your mother-in-law?"
"Yep."
Brianna was stunned for a long moment. "Then why are you wearing this outfit?"
"Because I come from nothing. My in-laws don't accept me."
"That's not fair!" Brianna fumed. "I'm going to give them a piece of my mind."
"You can't take them on alone. They'll just throw you out."
"Then what do we do?" Brianna was at a loss.
Of course she wasn't trying to stick up for Matilda. Learning that Matilda was part of this family thrilled her—that distinguished wealthy woman was actually her in-law. She had connections like this now! She just wanted to latch onto these in-laws.
Matilda said, "I don't know. You figure it out."
Brianna had filmed videos before—she knew how to blow things up. She didn't need Matilda to tell her what to do.
After thinking for a moment, Brianna said, "Let me borrow your phone to make a call."
"No phones allowed here." Matilda wasn't about to hand over her phone. It was private—if Brianna took random photos or sent them around, that could hurt Wentworth.
Brianna was frantic.
Just then, Cathy appeared. She didn't dare yell at Matilda, so she turned on Brianna instead. "What are you two doing?"
Brianna snapped back, "Mind your own business! I can't talk to my daughter for two seconds? Who the hell are you?"
"You—" Seeing Brianna's nasty attitude, Cathy figured she must have learned about her daughter's position in the Gonzaga family. Amelia had brought Brianna here to make Matilda face reality. Now that Matilda had overstepped, Brianna had outlived her usefulness.
Cathy told Brianna coldly, "You're done working today. Go collect your pay and leave. Someone will show you out."
Brianna ripped off her apron and threw it down. "Fine! I'm leaving! But just you wait—I'll be back!"
Once Brianna left the estate, she got her phone back and immediately called Hugh.
Meanwhile, Matilda had changed out of the maid's uniform into regular clothes and made her way to the courtyard. She grabbed a drink and sat in a corner, sipping slowly.
People passing by noticed she was beautiful but didn't recognize her, so they didn't bother greeting her.
Cathy spotted her first and walked over. "Matilda, weren't you supposed to be helping? Why'd you stop?"
Matilda gave her a dismissive glance. "I work when I feel like it. When I don't, I stop."
"Well... okay. I'll go check with Mrs. Gonzaga."
Cathy went to Amelia's side. Amelia had been chatting with a guest, but seeing Cathy waiting nearby, she guessed there was something to report. She excused herself from the guest.
"What's wrong?"
Cathy pointed at Matilda sitting alone in the corner. "Matilda says she doesn't want to work anymore."
Amelia glanced at Matilda, who was quietly drinking and not talking to anyone. "Keep an eye on her. Don't let her do anything else."
Cathy looked worried. "I kicked out Matilda's birth mother. She seemed to figure out Matilda's position in the Gonzaga family."
Amelia frowned. "How could you be so careless?"
"You said before that Matilda and her mother had issues, so I figured they wouldn't talk. But then Matilda suddenly went over to chat with her mom for a bit. I checked the security footage—looks like Matilda showed her something on her phone, but I couldn't make out what it was."
Amelia was annoyed. "Keep watching them both."
She'd brought Brianna here just to make Matilda face reality—not to acknowledge Matilda's position in front of the guests.
Zoey had been following Charles around for a while, but he had no time for her. The guests here included some Gonzaga family relatives, but most had come specifically to see Charles. Within minutes of his arrival, he'd been swarmed—people wanting to discuss projects, asking him questions.
If Zoey kept clinging to him, it would look totally rude. So she stayed nearby, watching him from a distance. Sometimes after he finished talking, he'd turn around and catch sight of that white dress, her eyes on him.
Charles's expression stayed serious, completely neutral. But he knew something inside him stirred.
After trailing Charles around all morning, Zoey was bored out of her mind. She'd even heard people gossiping about her, calling her shameless.
That's when she finally remembered Matilda. She scanned the crowd and spotted her in the corner. Zoey rushed over, calling out excitedly, "Matilda!"
Matilda nodded at her.
"Matilda, where were you this morning? I couldn't find you anywhere."
"Were you really looking for me?" Matilda asked with amusement. "Your eyes have been glued to Charles all day. Don't think I haven't noticed."
Zoey looked a little embarrassed, but she hated being alone. She grabbed Matilda's hand. "Matilda, don't just sit here by yourself. Let me introduce you to some people."
Before Matilda could protest, Zoey dragged her into a group and announced loudly, "Everyone, I want you to meet someone! This is Matilda—Wentworth's wife. Isn't she gorgeous?"