As usual, this morning Veronica enjoyed her breakfast alone. She couldn’t figure out what Darwin was up to, since it was past seven and he still hadn’t come out of the room.
It briefly crossed her mind that he might not have come home. But, after checking with Renata, she found out that her husband did come home last night. It’s just that he came back very late.
“He’s probably still asleep. Or maybe he overslept. From what I remember, Darwin came back around midnight or 1 AM, Non. Luckily, I was still awake because I was watching the final of the dangdut show on TV. So, as soon as he called, I quickly opened the door.”
“Why wouldn’t he use the fingerprint sensor on the front door? Why bother calling?” Veronica wondered.
Renata grimaced. The housemaid scratched her neck repeatedly as she replied.
“I accidentally locked the door from the inside. Mr. Darwin was even grumbling because he couldn’t get in. Besides, I thought Mr. Darwin came back with Mrs. Veronica last night.”
“It’s not possible, Renata,” Veronica objected. “Like Darwin doesn’t know. There’s no way he came back with me.”
As a household assistant who had dedicated herself for years, Renata knew exactly what her employer’s marriage was like. Moreover, Darwin trusted Renata so much that he didn’t hide any of his secrets. That’s why Renata knew almost everything that happened in Darwin’s house.
“Darwin is strange indeed. He has such a beautiful wife but he’s neglecting her. Later, when his angel leaves, he’ll regret it,” she complained while pouring a drink into Veronica’s glass.
Veronica chuckled softly. It wasn’t funny to hear Renata’s words, but she felt amused by the annoyed expression her housemaid just displayed.
“Let it be, Renata. I’m sure he’ll realize it eventually.”
Renata immediately nodded. She even echoed what Veronica had just said.
“I’ll pray for it, ma’am. I’ll pray really hard to God so that Mr. Darwin realizes it quickly.”
Right after saying that sentence, the man Veronica and Renata had been talking about appeared. He entered the dining room, then grabbed a glass of milk from the table. He drank it all, then prepared to leave for work.
“Aren’t you having breakfast first?” Veronica asked. “I’ve prepared seafood fried rice for you this morning.”
Look at Veronica. After catching Darwin in an intimate situation with another woman yesterday, this morning she was trying to be nice again. Fulfilling her duty to serve her husband. Making sure Darwin’s needs were taken care of.
Upon hearing Veronica’s words, Darwin’s steps halted. He glanced briefly, giving a disinterested look.
“I’ve reheated it multiple times already. You don’t need to prepare breakfast and all that. You don’t need to act so nice, let alone go through the trouble of taking care of me.”
Then he just walked away. He didn’t pay the slightest attention to what Veronica had said to him.
Renata, who had been faithfully standing not far from the cupboard in the dining room, immediately approached. Trying to console Veronica, fearing that she might feel hurt after hearing Darwin’s rather curt words.
“Be patient, ma’am. Just be patient with Mr. Darwin’s grumpiness.”
Veronica turned. She looked at Renata, and the woman was smiling. There was no hint of sadness on her pretty face.
“It’s okay, Renata. I’m not offended at all. I guess I’ve become immune to it.”
“Don’t take it to heart. Actually, Mr. Darwin is really nice, not annoying like this.”
Veronica nodded once again.
“Yes, I know. Maybe he’s deliberately being curt so that I don’t feel comfortable staying here. That’s why I don’t take his words seriously now.”
After finishing breakfast, Veronica reached for her Birkin bag. She got up and prepared to leave.
But before she actually stepped out, she gave an order to Renata first.
“Renata, can I ask for your help? Please fetch the blue lunch box from the cupboard.”
Renata immediately followed the order.
After taking what Veronica needed, she swiftly handed over the item.
“Are you bringing lunch, ma’am?” Renata asked curiously. It wasn’t new for Darwin’s household assistant to be curious about what her employer was doing.
“I’m preparing lunch for Darwin. So he can eat during his work break.”
Veronica then scooped the fried rice she had cooked into the lunch box. She arranged the shrimp, egg, and pickles so that her husband could eat them during his work break or leisure time.
Upon arriving at the Infinix Group building, Veronica headed straight to her husband’s office. She knocked on the door once, and then she simply entered without waiting to be invited. After all, who would dare to stop her? She was also part of the management now.
From his expression, Veronica could see that Darwin had glanced briefly at her. Then, he returned to being busy reading something on his laptop.
“What are you doing here again?” Darwin retorted, his tone icy. His eyes were still focused on the laptop screen in front of him.
Veronica smiled. Without saying much, she placed the lunch box she had brought on her husband’s work table, right next to his glass of water.
“No need to be so harsh. I just wanted to bring the fried rice that you intentionally left behind at home. Even though I…”
“… Like I said, there’s no need to prepare all kinds of food,” Darwin quickly interrupted. His expression, which had been neutral before, gradually turned into a displeased one. “No need to pretend to care. I already…”
“Sshh!” Veronica hissed loudly. Purposefully responding in kind to what Darwin had done earlier. “It’s still morning. No need for complaining. Besides, what’s so difficult about eating it? It’s not like it’ll make your dignity drop. Or it won’t suddenly make you fall in love with me. So, don’t overreact.”
Darwin took a deep breath. He chose to remain silent while giving her a sharp glance. Observing carefully as his wife smiled dismissively at him.
Somehow, this newfound courage came from somewhere. What was certain was that Darwin felt Veronica had become a more audacious person. Always answering back. Often staring back sharply at him. Or perhaps this was Veronica’s true nature that had been intentionally hidden.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Veronica continued after a brief silence. “Tonight, we have to attend Papa’s birthday event at the Pullman Hotel. I hope you won’t pretend to be busy. Because as a good son-in-law and future heir, it’s our duty to attend the party thrown by your father-in-law, right?”
Then, Veronica left with a smile on her lips. Leaving Darwin shaking his head in disbelief at his wife’s behavior.
Exactly 10 minutes after Veronica left, Darwin’s gaze unintentionally fixed on the blue lunch box she had placed on his work table. Taking the item, Darwin opened the lid slowly. He observed the seafood fried rice that his wife had prepared specifically for him.
Reaching for the neatly folded spoon behind the box’s lid, Darwin slowly scooped the fried rice into his mouth. Chewing slowly. Trying to savor the flavors arising from the dish.
Actually, the food Veronica cooked fell into the category of delicious. This wasn’t the first time he had tasted it and found it agreeable. It’s just that Darwin was too proud to admit that Veronica’s cooking was good and suited his palate. Otherwise, she would become conceited, Ve!
Meanwhile, after Veronica had delivered the lunch for her husband, she decided to head to her own office. As she reached her office door, she spotted Sean who had just come out of the elevator. The man with narrow eyes waved, indicating for Veronica to wait for a moment and not enter his office just yet.
“Good morning, Mrs. Veronica,” Sean greeted politely.
The man even slightly bowed, just like other employees would when meeting their bosses. Since it was now working hours, Sean had to maintain professionalism. It didn’t matter if they were close or had some previous relationship with Veronica.
“Good morning, Mr. Sean,” Veronica replied with a smile. “Today, we’ll work on the deadline sent by the Japanese team. I’m sure if we work on it together, it’ll be finished by the day after tomorrow and we can proceed with the execution.”
Sean nodded, following Veronica’s instructions.
“Alright then, I’ll get to it after this.”
“Please do. I’m going into my office now.”
But just as Veronica was about to turn around, Sean quickly handed her a paper bag of chocolates he had brought. He wanted Veronica to accept his gift immediately.
“What’s this?” Veronica asked, her face showing confusion.
“It’s red velvet, your favorite,” Sean whispered almost inaudibly. Intentionally so that no one could hear what he had just said. “I bought it for you so you can have something to snack on while you’re working. I know you need to snack during important tasks to avoid getting stressed or an upset stomach.”
Veronica smiled, touched. She never expected that, up until this moment, Sean had not forgotten any of her habits. Even her favorite food, he still remembered.
“Thank you so much. I really appreciate this gesture.”
Sean nodded, extremely pleased that Veronica accepted what he had given her. He had been worried she might refuse it.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Veronica said again after a pause. As if there was some important information she needed to convey to Sean. “Tonight, Papa’s celebrating his birthday at the Pullman Hotel. All division heads and experts are invited. If you have time, don’t forget to come.”
Sean nodded, smiling as he responded.
“Of course. I’ll definitely attend the event.”