Her mother actually called Malcolm directly?!
Rosalind’s delicate eyebrows were furrowed, and an overwhelming surge of anger welled up within her, making it almost impossible to contain.
The constant feeling of control and coercion was deeply infuriating.
Rosalind decided to confront her mother directly:
“Why didn’t you inform me before contacting Malcolm? I already mentioned that he’s busy. He only agreed to your call to give you an out!”
Eva, equally angered, retorted:
“Are you questioning me?”
“Who do you think I’m doing this for? You went and got a marriage certificate without even informing me, your own mother. I haven’t even expressed my anger about that yet. And now you’re blaming me! I just want him to be more involved with you and spend more time together. What is there to be unhappy about?”
With a loud bang, Rosalind abruptly hung up the phone.
The same old phrase echoed in her mind: “For her own good!”
But what does “for her own good” really mean? Does it hold any weight just because her mother believes it to be true?
Rosalind tried to console herself, not wanting these matters to affect her. After all, her surgery was imminent, and that was the most important thing at the moment.
After a brief pause, she dialed Malcolm’s number.
Soon, she heard his warm and gentle voice on the other end of the line.
“I was just about to call you. Why did a man named Cedric contact me today?”
“Well, you see, because your project is of great importance, my company decided to assign a more capable person to communicate with you for safety reasons.”
Malcolm chuckled. “I believe in your abilities more than enough.”
“Thank you for the compliment,” Rosalind replied, remembering how he had helped her with water the previous day. “And also, thank you so much for yesterday! I was in such a rush for the meeting that I didn’t have a chance to properly thank you.”
“It was nothing, just a small favor,” Malcolm humbly responded. He had already anticipated the purpose of her call, it certainly wasn’t for idle chit-chat. “Regarding your mother’s surgery, I’ve agreed to be there.”
Discussing this topic only brought Rosalind a headache.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t expect her to contact you directly.”
“It’s fine. In her eyes, I’m her son-in-law. It’s only natural to accompany my mother-in-law for surgery, isn’t it?”
Although he said it that way, Rosalind couldn’t shake off her discomfort.
She had believed that once the previous act was done, everything would be over. She hadn’t expected there to be more to it.
“You don’t have to go on that day. I’ll explain it to her myself. Everything is prepared, the money is spent, and there’s no turning back for her.”
“Rosa,” Malcolm, who had grown accustomed to calling her by that nickname since he changed it, spoke gently, “if my presence can ease her worries or even bring her happiness, why not? Besides, I have no classes on weekends.”
“But…”
“You don’t have to draw such clear lines. Just consider me a friend, it’s just a small favor.”
Rosalind pondered for a moment but politely declined.
“A single lie requires countless others to uphold it. I don’t have the time to maintain the lies I’ve told before. It might be better if she finds out sooner.”
After a long pause, Malcolm sighed on the other end of the line.
“Alright, I’ll respect your decision. If anything comes up, you can always call me.”
“Okay, thank you.”
After ending the call, Rosalind noticed a message from Sirena.
Since she had been on the phone, the message had just arrived:
“I’m sorry to bother you. Do you happen to know Ulric’s clothing size? I’m afraid if I buy something too small, it might be too tight on him.”