Chapter 195 Let Her Take the Child
When Charles arrived home, he saw Mrs. Chubby downstairs.
"Is Zoey asleep?" he asked.
"I'm not sure, Sir. She just got back herself."
"She went out?"
"Yes. And when she came back, she seemed quite upset," Mrs. Chubby said with concern.
Charles hurried upstairs.
The light in Zoey's room was still on in the hallway, but the moment he approached the door, it switched off.
He gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. The motion-sensor lights at the entrance cast a faint glow across the room.
He could see Zoey lying on the bed with her back to him.
He knew she wasn't asleep yet.
Walking over quietly, he sat on the edge of the bed. "Zoey, you're still awake, aren't you?"
But Zoey completely ignored him. She didn't even move. That wasn't like her at all. Usually, even the slightest attention from Charles would make her happy for days.
"What's wrong? Are you not feeling well?" Charles asked softly, coaxing her like a child.
Zoey still refused to respond.
In the darkness, she could smell the scent of barbecue on him.
"I'll take a shower first. Then I'll come back and keep you company," Charles said.
While he was washing up, something suddenly felt off. He noticed Zoey's clothes tossed into the laundry hamper. On impulse, he picked them up and sniffed them.
They smelled like barbecue too.
She had gone for barbecue as well? Could it be...
Charles quickly finished his shower and called the driver. "Where did Zoey go tonight?"
The driver told him everything. She had gone to several places before finally stopping at a barbecue stall. She barely ate two skewers before losing her appetite. She had the rest packed up, and the driver had ended up finishing it himself.
Charles finally understood why Zoey had been giving him the silent treatment.
He he returned to the bedroom, she had already fallen asleep. She always slept soundly. Even thunder or strong winds wouldn't wake her.
Now she hugged a large white stuffed toy animal, one leg draped over it, breathing evenly. Her long eyelashes rested gently against her cheeks. She looked like a delicate porcelain doll.
A trace of guilt rose in Charles's heart.
Ever since they got married, Zoey had waited for him at home every night. And he had gone out to see his ex. Anyone would be upset.
Charles lay down beside her and gently kissed her forehead. She didn't react at all, still sleeping peacefully.
...
The next morning, Zoey woke to find Charles surprisingly still at home.
He was already awake, propped against the headboard hile scrolling through his phone—whether it was group messages or private chats, she couldn't tell.
Seeing her awake, he asked gently, "You're up?"
Remembering last night, Zoey turned over and refused to look at him.
Seeing this, Charles knew she was still angry. He couldn't help smiling. "Still not talking to me?"
Zoey huffed. "I'm home alone every night while you're out meeting your ex!"
At least she was willing to say what she felt. That was good. The truly frightening thing would be if she kept everything bottled up inside.
Charles reached out and held her shoulder. "I was wrong. She came to my office last night. To thank me for helping her find a place to live, she treated me to barbecue."
Zoey complained, "Why don't you ever take me out for barbecue?"
Charles smiled. "Where do you want to go? I'll take you tonight."
Zoey no longer wanted barbecue. Suddenly, she felt like eating cake. "Can we get cake instead?"
"Sure. Get dressed. We'll go right now."
...
Thirty minutes later, they arrived at the mall. Zoey ordered a huge slice of cake.
Charles ordered the same thing. He rarely ate sweets like this.
Zoey watched him struggle slightly with the overly sweet cake but still force himself to eat it to keep her company. She couldn't help smiling.
"Still mad at me?" Charles asked.
Zoey paused. "Could you... stop seeing her?"
Charles went silent. He didn't answer.
Zoey gave an awkward laugh. "Just kidding. Whether you see her or not is up to you."
Then she focused on her cake and stopped him.
...
In Cloud Town, Matilda still wasn't in a hurry to find a job.
Once a person started relaxing, it was hard to stop—especially when there was no financial pressure.
So she spent her days binge-watching TV dramas and reading novels. She told herself that after one more month of this, she would definitely get a job!
One day, someone knocked on her door.
Thinking it was Wentworth, she opened it to find Scarlett with Rose behind her.
"Can I... help you?" Matilda asked.
Rose spoke first. "Scar asked me to come along. It's about Sally and Nick."
"Sally and Nick?" Matilda was confused.
Scarlett explained, "Two kids in the complex lost both their parents. They were martyrs. Their comrades couldn't bear to send them to foster care, so they suggested letting them stay here. All the families with someone at home take turns looking after them, one month each. So we came to ask if you'd be available?"
"I see." Matilda hesitated. "How old are they?"
"Sally is ten, and Nick is nine."
"I've never taken care of kids before. I don't really know how to interact with them," Matilda admitted.
Scarlett's expression turned contemptuous. "They're not babies. You just need to cook for them. They're in school Monday through Friday, so they hardly need supervision."
Rose quickly interrupted. "Maybe forget it, Scar. Matty really doesn't have experience. They can stay with me instead."
Matilda was about to agree, but Scarlett objected.
"No way. They stayed with you two months ago. We can't keep burdening you." She glanced at Matilda. "Matty doesn't even have a job. Why can't she take care of two kids for one month?"
Matilda saw right through her. Scarlett was doing this on purpose.
If she refused, word would spread throughout the complex within hours. Her reputation would be ruined, and Wentworth would likely get dragged into it as well.
So she smiled calmly. "It's just two kids. How hard can it be? Tell me what I need to do."