Chapter 205 Women Are Very Stingy in Love
Charles didn't say anything. He went to the hospital.
Janice was still lying in the hospital bed. The fall had been serious—she'd even fractured her lower leg.
Amelia was there too.She had the housekeeper bring over a pot of porridge for Janice to eat. The two of them were eating and chatting, looking quite harmonious.
Seeing Charles arrive, Amelia couldn't help but ask, "Charles, you... Why are you here again?"
Charles understood what his mother meant. He said to Amelia, "Mom, could you step out for a moment? I need to talk to Janice."
Amelia left, but feeling uneasy, she listened at the door.
But the door was shut too tightly—she couldn't make out what they were saying inside.
Charles sat in front of Janice, looking at her.
Seeing Charles, Janice's eyes clearly brightened. "Charles, why did you come to see me again? I'm really fine now. You should go back and keep your little wife company, or I'm afraid she'll get upset again."
"She ran away," Charles said.
Janice looked surprised. "What? Where did she go? Is it because of me? You should explain things to her quickly, or I can call and explain to her."
Charles kept looking into Janice's eyes.
Her expression looked nervous, but her eyes showed no panic.
"How did you fall that day?" Charles asked.
Since Janice had already covered her tracks, she seemed quite calm. "I really did just slip. The stairs were slippery—maybe Jane had been playing with water and spilled some on them."
"The home security footage is missing that part."
"That security system often has problems—there are gaps in the recording. This morning's footage was missing too. I wanted to check on Jane, but saw nothing. Later I had the housekeeper get someone to fix the system."
Charles smiled slightly. "Is that so?"
"Charles, do you suspect me? Do you think I fell on purpose? Do you know how much work I've missed at the company because of this hospitalization? If I stay here any longer, I'm afraid I'll get fired. I have no reason to do this."
Charles said, "You'd better not have."
He stood up.
"Charles, where are you going?" Janice seemed a bit flustered.
Charles paused. "I don't know either."
He didn't know where Zoey had gone. She hadn't returned to her own home—Mr. and Mrs. Turner had been looking for her this morning.
He walked out of the hospital.
For a moment, he didn't know where to go.
He'd spent several years hoping for Janice to come back.
But that chubby little chipmunk had burst into his life. Sometimes she was like a little sun, making him more than just a cold machine.
He'd gotten used to seeing her morning and evening messages every day, used to seeing her when he came home.
She could tolerate all his flaws.
To outsiders, he was high and mighty, always polished and perfect, someone to admire from afar but not get close to. But in front of Zoey, he could completely relax.
He could eat breakfast without brushing his teeth first, and she'd say brushing after eating was just the same.
When he took too long in the bathroom, she'd thoughtfully asked, "Charles, are you constipated? Should I buy you some medicine?"
Sometimes she'd smell his breath, and if it was bad, she'd say his internal heat was too high, then learn to make cooling soups for him to drink.
How could he lose such a wonderful Zoey?
He called Mr. Turner again.
Mr. Turner said Zoey was fine now and had gone to stay with relatives, but he wouldn't say where.
Charles had to call Kai and have him find her.
Ten minutes later, Kai called back.
"Mr. Gonzaga, Zoey boarded a flight to Cloud Town."
Cloud Town?
...
Zoey woke from her nap to the smell of food.
She was hungry again!
Her belly had gotten bigger, and her appetite was growing too. Sometimes just two hours after eating, she'd be hungry again.
Well-rested, she was in good spirits. Getting up, she saw Matilda cooking in the kitchen, with two children sitting by the dining room.
She remembered—these were the two orphans Matilda had mentioned.
Seeing Zoey, Sally and Nick politely greeted her, "Hello..."
Though Zoey was pregnant, she wore a babydoll dress and looked so young—like a girl not even twenty.
"Hello! I'm Zoey. Introduce yourselves," Zoey said with a smile.
Sally and Nick both introduced themselves. Soon Matilda came out with a plate of stir-fried vegetables, smiling at the siblings. "This is my brother's wife."
The siblings couldn't believe it—so young?
"Go wash your hands, everyone. Then we can eat," Matilda said.
All three went to wash their hands.
During the meal, Sally and Nick watched Zoey in amazement.
How could she eat so much?
Zoey asked, "Why are you staring at me? Eat up."
Sally glanced at the fried chicken wings on the plate—eight wings, and Zoey had eaten six.
Zoey put the remaining two on the siblings' plates. "I saw you weren't eating them, so I had a few extra. Sorry about that. If you want more, I can buy you some—I've got plenty of money."
Sally and Nick thought Zoey was adorable and decided not to hold the chicken wing thing against her.
...
After dinner, the siblings washed the dishes.
Zoey noticed a piano in the living room. She couldn't help asking, "Whose piano is this?"
Matilda said, "A lady who used to live here left it as a gift for Wentworth. Wentworth can play."
Zoey said, "Can I play it?"
"Of course."
Zoey sat down and played an old song.
Matilda thought Zoey played beautifully and sat on the sofa listening quietly. After the children finished washing dishes, they came over to listen too.
The children's eyes were full of wonder—this was so much better than Ms. Scarlett's playing.
Ms. Scarlett often hit wrong notes and had to start over.
...
Just then, Scarlett was passing by outside. Hearing the piano music, she froze.
Such skilled playing—it couldn't be Matilda, could it?
When she'd made her home visit the other day, she'd seen the piano. Later she'd asked Sally who could play it. Sally said Matilda couldn't play and no one touched that piano.
Scarlett thought to herself: They must be playing a recording.
That must be it.
...
Zoey didn't play for long, because the siblings still had homework to do.
With nothing else to do, Zoey watched them do their homework.
Then Matilda's phone rang.
It was Charles again.
It seemed Charles already knew Zoey was with her.
She walked outside to answer. "...Yes, Zoey is here with me, but if you haven't sorted things out with your ex-girlfriend, I suggest you don't come looking for her... I'm not failing to see your side—you're my respected older brother, I admire you greatly, but I'm also a woman. I know how deeply Zoey loves you, and women are most petty when it comes to love. She's just a young girl—she hasn't reached the point where she can pretend to be mature when she's actually upset..."