Armand and Theresa sat by the window, surrounded by a few empty cups that indicated they had been there for quite some time.
Armand looked exhausted. When he spotted their arrival, he eagerly approached them without worrying about his image. “Finally, you guys are back. We’ve been waiting for you all day,” he exclaimed.
Boyce pushed him away in disgust. “Got lost? What took you so long?” he asked, his tone dripping with impatience.
Armand claimed that he had left a while ago and should have arrived early.
As he spoke, Boyce glanced at Theresa, who was making her way toward Dolores. Why did Armand bring her here too?
What had he done to her?
Armand, caught up in his own frustration, failed to notice Boyce’s curious gaze. When he left, his grandmother had intercepted him, bombarding him with questions about his marriage plans. She even threatened to keep him from going out if he didn’t provide a satisfactory answer.
So he lied, saying that he would be getting married by the end of the year, which allowed him to leave, albeit with a delay.
The main issue was that he didn’t even have a proper girlfriend yet.
“Don’t worry about it; it’s all because of my grandmother,” Armand explained, his troubled expression prompting Boyce to understand the situation.
Though the Bernie family wasn’t highly regarded, they were still considered a scholarly family. Unfortunately, Armand’s parents had passed away, leaving only his grandmother. Now that Armand was in his thirties, it was natural for his grandmother to be anxious about his marriage.
“She’s pressuring you again?” Boyce nudged him with his shoulder.
“Yeah,” Armand confirmed.
“Isn’t she right there?” Boyce raised his chin toward Theresa, who was hugging Dolores tightly. “Aren’t you in luck?” he joked.
Armand glared at him. “Am I really that calculating?” he retorted.
“Haha,” Boyce chuckled inwardly, recognizing Armand’s attempt to put on a facade of being a good man. Boyce knew well that Armand changed women as often as he changed clothes, but it was all in good fun and without serious intentions.
“By the way,” Boyce leaned closer, whispering, “I noticed something about Matthew and…”
“Dad, what are they talking about?” Simona, lying on Matthew’s shoulder, asked, observing the two people whispering by the window.
“Pay no attention to them,” Matthew replied as he carried her upstairs.
Dolores helped Theresa with her suitcase. “You must be tired after such a long journey. Go upstairs and rest,” she suggested.
“Okay,” Theresa replied, declining Dolores’ offer to assist her. “I can manage on my own.” She reached out to caress Samuel’s head. “Samuel.”
“Theresa, why did you come with him?” Samuel looked at Armand and then back at Theresa.
Dolores had also been wondering why they arrived together.
“He went to the store and told me that he found you. I was worried and anxious to see you, so I came along with him. When you weren’t at the store, there were no orders, and very few customers,” Theresa explained, sounding somewhat disappointed. She felt that she still had a lot to learn. Although the two customers she served were satisfied with her designs, they ultimately didn’t place any orders, saying that they weren’t special or impressive enough.
Now, Allison was taking care of the store, so Theresa had decided to come over.
Dolores patted Theresa’s shoulder, offering comfort. “It’s okay, things will get better.”
Once she secured the master who could create cloud yarn, the store would surely thrive.
Theresa proceeded to update Dolores on the store’s recent happenings. They continued their conversation as they made their way upstairs.
Boyce had arranged a lavish dinner to welcome Armand and Theresa.
Simona, feeling sleepy, insisted on being carried by Matthew. “Dad, carry me when I sleep.”
The little child was quite spoiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and refusing to let go. “Dad,” she sweetly called.
Matthew couldn’t resist her adorable request and kissed her cheek. He carried her upstairs.
Dolores used chopsticks to place food in Samuel’s bowl. After taking a bite, he put down the chopsticks and slid off his chair. “I’m done eating too.”
He wanted to go back to his room on his own, displaying a maturity beyond his years. Dolores felt a bit concerned. “I’ll accompany you upstairs.”
“No need, I’ll be fine. I have people following me,” he replied, pointing to the two bodyguards behind him.
Sampson’s whereabouts were unknown, and Matthew worried that he might harm Dolores and their children. Therefore, he had bodyguards constantly by their side.
“Dolores, you shouldn’t leave us alone like this. We traveled thousands of miles to see you,” Armand said with a hint of grievance, his tone implying that he had put in effort to bring Ms. Gordon to her.
Originally, he wanted to suggest that she should toast him, but he didn’t dare, considering that she was Matthew’s wife. So, he changed his words and suggested toasting her instead.
Dolores looked at Armand, then at Boyce and Theresa. She took the wine glass Armand offered and smiled as she said, “I raise my glass to all of you. Thank you for taking care of the people around me while I was away.”
She downed the drink in one gulp, but the strong spirit burned her throat, causing a spicy and uncomfortable sensation. She frowned, placed the glass down, and took a sip of water to ease the discomfort.
Armand blinked. “Dolores, you’re quite the drinker. I’ll join you,” he declared.
Dolores had already finished her drink. Thinking of the two children, she replied, “You all enjoy yourselves. I’ll head upstairs.”
Armand grabbed her arm, unwilling to let go. “Dolores, Matthew is truly heartless. Besides using us, he doesn’t treat us like human beings. I feel wronged, but I dare not say anything.”
Armand pretended to be on the verge of tears as he complained about Matthew.
Dolores was speechless.
What did this have to do with her?
“Is he really that heartless?” Dolores asked, looking at Armand, who clung to her like a lost puppy, refusing to release his grip.
Armand pursed his lips, nodding fervently. He even pointed at Boyce, seeking his confirmation. “Ask him if you don’t believe me.”
Boyce knew that Armand was intentionally pestering Dolores to drink with him. Pretending not to hear Armand’s words, he turned to Theresa and asked with genuine concern, “You must be tired from the journey, right?”
Theresa shook her head. “No, I’m not tired.”
“Did that guy mistreat you?” Boyce’s question carried a clear implication.
Theresa lowered her head, pursed her lips, and shook her head. “Mr. Bernie has taken good care of me.”
“You see, am I the kind of man who only bullies women? Boyce, you’ve underestimated me!” Armand stood up and pointed at Boyce. “You guys slipped away and left all the mess to me.”
Armand wasn’t actually drunk. He was intentionally pretending to be drunk, holding onto Dolores tightly and complaining to her about the immense amount of work he had done. But in reality, he was purposefully emphasizing how worried Matthew had been when she disappeared. “Do you know? When you vanished, I accompanied Matthew in the search for you everywhere. When he found out that you were here, he came with Boyce and left me alone in City B to handle the mess caused by Maria. But don’t worry, I dealt with it effectively. She won’t be able to cause any trouble anymore… she committed manslaughter, so she won’t survive.”
Dolores looked at Armand with mixed emotions. Her mind was flooded with various emotions. It was Maria who had threatened and manipulated her, using the safety of her two children as leverage. For the sake of her children’s safety, she fell into Maria’s trap and was under Sampson’s control.
She was already surprised that Matthew had managed to find her here.
And now, he was taking action against Maria.
Armand poured wine for Dolores and filled his own glass. “Since I’ve helped you so much, shouldn’t you drink with me?”
Dolores understood that he was deliberately saying this to her. She picked up the wine glass and responded, “You guys are really great friends.”
Armand was taken aback. He acted as if he didn’t understand her intention.
Watching from the side, Theresa felt anxious. It was clear that Armand was intentionally trying to make Dolores drink.
She wanted to persuade her, but Boyce held her back, deliberately stopping her. “Ms. Gordon, bringing Armand here must have been a tiring journey. Thank you for safely bringing my useless brother.”
As he spoke, he handed Theresa a glass of wine.
Theresa was speechless.
Wasn’t this reason too far-fetched?
“But…”
“Thank you, Ms. Gordon,” Boyce interrupted her, not giving Theresa a chance to refuse. He expressed his gratitude first.
This forced her to drink.
Boyce and Armand’s intentions were too obvious, and Dolores easily figured it out. She didn’t refuse to get drunk once, saying, “It seems like you guys have a point. The relationship between Matthew and me isn’t as perfect as it appears…”
Armand and Boyce exchanged glances. Did this woman actually see through their intentions?
The two silently withdrew their gaze and pretended to be clueless. “Dolores, what are you saying? You and Matthew are destined to be together and are a perfect match.”
Dolores smiled. “Well, maybe we are destined, but there’s more to it than that.”
The fact that they had been engaged since they were young did indicate that they were destined for each other.
Armand approached cautiously. “Are you still angry about the past, when he divorced you?” Suddenly, Armand changed the topic and spoke righteously. “If I were you, I would be angry too. I would never forgive him if he divorced me for another woman.”
Soon, Armand’s tone softened again. “For the sake of the two children, give him a chance?”
Dolores took a sip of wine. They didn’t understand the complexities of the situation.
The reason why she couldn’t fully accept Matthew wasn’t solely because of the past divorce. After all, they didn’t have feelings for each other back then and were only bound together by an agreement made by the previous generation.
She just wasn’t sure if Matthew’s kindness towards her was solely for the sake of their children.
She wasn’t sure if she genuinely liked him.
And to what extent did she like him.
She didn’t appreciate others meddling in her love life. “In the future, don’t do this again. I’ll be angry if it happens.”
Boyce glared at Armand. He realized that Matthew and Dolores’ relationship wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed, so he informed Armand of this matter. He came up with the idea to get Dolores drunk and then send her to Matthew’s bed, believing that everything would be resolved afterward.
But she saw through their plan with a single glance.
Armand forced a smile and muttered under his breath, “A woman who is too smart is not attractive.”
“Don’t make Theresa drink so much either. I’m going back to see Samuel and Simona,” Dolores stated clearly, leaving no room for further pestering from Armand.
He could only watch Dolores walk away.
In hindsight, Theresa realized that Armand had intentionally made Dolores drink, but she couldn’t understand why he had done it.
“It’s not right for you guys to do that,” Theresa glanced at Armand. “As a man, how could you intentionally make a woman drink? It’s terrible. Fortunately, Lola is smart enough to see through your trick right away.”
Armand felt wronged. Wasn’t he just helping his friend?
This little woman dared to accuse him unexpectedly.
He pulled a chair and sat down next to Theresa. “What do you know? Huh, you dare to accuse me?” His deliberate proximity to her overwhelmed her with the stench of alcohol. She furrowed her brows. “Get away from me!”
“Go where? It’s just a small place.” Armand moved even closer to her, his face dangerously close to hers.
Boyce shook his head, realizing that Armand was trying to flirt with her. Not wanting to be the third wheel, he quietly got up and left the room.
Seeing others leaving, Theresa also intended to leave, but Armand grabbed her arm.
“Don’t leave, drink with me…”
“You’re insane, let go of me…”
Boyce closed the door and thought that Armand might actually get married by the end of the year.
Theresa was actually quite attractive. She was young and had a captivating appearance.
When Dolores arrived upstairs, Simona and Samuel were already fast asleep. The sound of running water could be heard from the bedroom. The frosted glass door wasn’t fully closed. She gently pushed it open.