Chapter 11


    Chapter 11


    Even with Matthew’s intimidating aura hanging over her, when Valerie really took the time to mull


    things over, she couldn’t help but feel like a total scumbag After all, she’d been the one pushing for


    this marriage in the first ce, and he’d even gane so far as to get them an apartment to start their


    life together. His attitude towards the whole thing just made Valerie feel incredibly guilty, since her


    true goal had really been to use him and keep their baby to herself only,


    “Don’t worry, Mr. Grant. I try my best said Valerie. She had decided to be a good wife to make up for


    him.


    Matthew furrowed his brow, perplexed. What exactly is she getting at something he wondered


    skeptically.


    Try h


    her best at what? Is she just saying she’ll try best not to cheat on me or


    “Again. If I ever catch you cheating on me in the next six months.” he said,


    Valerie quickly cut him off, “I won’t, Mr. Grant. You have my word.”


    “Aren’t you scared of me?” he asked, surprised to see her smiling in the face of his intense re.


    His subordinates would usually be jumping out the window if he so much as frowned in their


    direction.


    Valerie couldn’t help but find has behavior rather peculiar. “Why does he seem to have this


    obsession with people being terrified of him! He’s not some kind of monster, after all, she thought to


    herself


    “Im sorry. Mr. Grant, but I don’t understand why you keep asking if I’m afraid of you.” Valerie replied,


    her brow furrowed in confusion. “You’re my husband now, and we need to make this work for the


    next six months. I have every intention of living peacefully with you during that time.”


    She looked around the apartment- it had two bedrooms and was flooded with natural light. Also, it


    was conveniently located near her workce, and her rent wasing due soon. If I move in here,


    I could really stretch my budget a lot further, she thought to herself, positively giddy at the prospect.


    Valerie lived by a prrity straightforward philosophy – she never turned down a freebie.


    “So, which room is mine, Mr. Grant? Or do we… Valerie asked awkwardly. She remembered he


    said something about her fulfilling her duties as a wife. She was not sure if that meant they would


    sleep together.


    “There are two bedrooms” answered Matthew. Twon’t do anything to you until we’ve developed


    genuine feelings for each other.” While he was open to a bit of fun, he had no real interest in


    Valerie. What had happened between them previously was just an ident, and he had no desire


    for her to be a constant presence in his life. In his opinion, she simply wasn’t qualified to serve as


    the hostess for his family.


    Valerie let out a sigh of relief, secretly pleased. She wanted to make up for him by cooking or


    cleaning, but the idea of sleeping with him felt awkward. Liule did she know that Matthew had


    noticed her relief and uncered.


    “Alright, let’s get a few things straight from the jump, Matthew stated firmly. “First things first, don’t


    enter my room or touch any of my stuff without my permission. And keep it down after 11 o’clock – I


    need my space to be calm and quiet. The living room and kitchen are shared spaces, so feel free to


    use them however you like”


    He continued, “And another thing. I’ve got a housekeepering by once a week to tidy the ce


    up. But the rest of the time, I’m gonna need you to be the one doing the cleaning around here.”


    Matthew listed out the rules, fully expecting Valerie to bristle at his authoritative tone. After all, he


    was ustomed to barking orders in the workce. To his surprise, however, Valerie still wore a


    cheerful smile on her face as heid out the ground rules


    “Is that all Okay, I think I can do all of those, Mr. Grant. By t


    y the


    way, , can I bring my stuff here tomorrow! And my hamster! And Valerie asked.


    Matthew found himself momentarily lost for words. This wasn’t at all the reaction he had expected


    from his new live–in partner. Normally, people quailed under his firm instructions, bur Valerie


    seemed unfazed. Interrupting her chatter, he said. “This is your home now, so you can do whatever


    you like. And you can stay here tonight, since there’s a typhoon ourside.”


    Still, he supposed he’d have to make the best of their new living arrangement. No matter what,


    Valerie was now hiswfully wedded wife now, so he couldn’t very well mistreat her. He assumed


    that for a golddigger like Valerie, the idea of being married to a poor driver must already be a form


    of


    N?velDrama.Org ? content.


    torture.


    His words seemed to have an unexpected effect on Valerie. Little did he know, his begrudging


    consent to let her stay put a warm glow in her heart. Coming from a family where she’d always felt


    like the ck sheep, the notion of having a ce to call her own was novel and exhrating


    “Thank you, Mr. Grant. I really hope we can make this living together thing work out,” Valerie said


    gratefully, before retreating to her new bedroom


    Once there, Valene took a moment to drink in her surroundings. She noticed the fresh bedding in


    the closet and eagerly set about making the bed, cing amp on the nightstand, Nankang into


    thefortable mattress, Valerie felt a wash of contentment. No matter what life threw her way,


    Valerie had a knack for taking things as they came. She believed that this new living arrangement


    with Matthew would be no exception.


    Mr. Grant may be a tough cookie, but I’ve dealt with all sorts of jerks at work, she mused to herself.


    At least this one’s easy on the eyes. But I can’t let him know about the baby, though. That’ll only


    make the divorce harder. As long as I can tough it out for the next six months, it’ll be all over”


    Valerie stroked her t belly and made up her mind. Haby, don’t worry, I won’t let anyone take you


    away,” she muttered.


    Chapter II


    Across the hall. Matthew found himself staring at Valerie’s door for a long while, utterly bewildereil.


    Her reaction had been so different from what (he had expected – no panicked outbursts or tears,


    just a calm gratitude with a smile. Herposure left him with a nagging sense of self–doubt.


    He had grown ustomed to people reacting with fear around him over the past thirty years – even


    his own brothers and parents. He had initially thought Valerie would be no different, that she too


    would be terrified of him. Yet, to his surprise, Valerie had turned out to be the sole exception. Her


    calm, almost grateful response had thrown him for a loop.


    Matthew reached for his phone and ced a call to Charles. “Listen, prepare these th


    things for me..he instructed.


    The next morning, shonly after Valerie had left, a briefcase was delivered in Matthew’s doorstep.


    Inside were several official–looking documenti


    “Matthew took out the documents and gave them a thorough once–over- a regr 9–to–5 jobs, a


    reliable car, a mortgage–free house, and over $100k sitting pretty in the bank. In Matthew’s eyes,


    these were the bread–and–butter essentials of afortable, middle–ss existence – the kind of


    life he felt the average Joe on the street should be able to achieve without too much fuss. From now


    on, that was exactly the kind of regr existence he nned to lead


    曲