Chapter 371
Chapter 371 Let Roni Marry Me
Danie’s question caught Matthew off-guard. He stopped scrubbing the dishes in his hand and turned to
give Veronica a bemused look.
Veronica quickly tugged on Danie’s arm as she asked through gritted teeth, “Mom, you can’t just ask
questions like that.”
“It’s only natural to make a wife out of someone I love.” Matthew straightened up and answered Danie
solemnly, “I don’t know how others do it, but my status in the Kingses has yet topel me to consider
an arranged marriage for business alliance.”
He had heard what Danie implied earlier, given how tactless she had gone about it. Right now, she
understood what he meant as well. “We can quibble over your intentions,” she began. “But it won’t
change the fact that you rich folks always have tricks up your sleeves. What if you get bored one day and
decide to move on to the next shiny new toy?”
Danie kept her gaze on him, but she was clutching Veronica’s hand the entire time.
Upon hearing what Danie said, Veronica could not help feeling the tension condensing in the air. An
honest and thoroughbred farm worker would not understand the implications of boredom in a
rtionship, at least not under normal circumstances, but for Danie to have brought it to the forefront
of her argument only went to show how worried she was. Veronica was admittedly moved by this.
Presently, Matthew did not break eye contact with Danie as he dried his hands on a rag. Then, he
walked up to her and nced at Veronica, who was next to her. He decided that there were some things
better left out in the open than unsaid, and this was one of them. “Maybe we haven’t met enough times
for you to get a real grasp of my character, Mrs. Murphy, but I can assure you that I’m never one to
mingle around just because I stand to gain something from it.”
“Then what’s going on between you and Tiffany?” Danie asked directly, not at all caring for subtlety.
Veronica froze. She had been swaying Danie’s arm like how a child might with a parent, but the
moment she heard her mother’s question, she did a double take. “M-Mom, you know about that, too?”
Veronica was under the impression that slow news days were amon urrence in small towns like
these, and this was particrly true in cases of middle-aged folk who did not have social media.
Logically, they should never have found out about the gossip surrounding Matthew and Tiffany.
However, Danie surprised her, and she was starting to realize that there was nothing she could hide
from her mother dearest.
Matthew was unaffected all the same as he started to exin patiently, “The stories are misleading at
best. I was in an ident half a year ago and Roni was the one who saved me, but Tiffany stepped in
and took the credit instead—”
Worried that Matthew might worsen the situation, Veronica cut him off and said, “Let’s just say that
Tiffany took the credit for my work in saving Matthew so that she could get close to him. After that, she
got him drunk and pretended that they had slept together, then imed that he knocked her up to force
her into marrying her. When the truth came out in the end, Matthew ended things with her and called off
the engagement.”
All in all, what Tiffany did was downright despicable, and Veronica didn’t want Danie to think badly of
Matthew.
Much to her surprise, Danie and Matthew stared at her like she had grown another head. Veronica
pursed her lips self-consciously. Did I say something wrong?
A smile tugged on Matthew’s lips as relief and gratitude flooded through him after seeing that Veronica
cared about him enough to speak up for him.This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.
Danie shared the same sentiment as well when she noted how her daughter had anxiouslye to
this man’s defense. Veronica could never hide anything from her; they were not biologically rted but
they might as well be, given how close their bond was.
“Do you really like Matthew?” Danie asked now, eyeing Veronica steadily. Seeing how thetter was
already of age, there seemed little point in avoiding a conversation on marriage.
Danie owed Matthew a solid favor after he had pulled strings and hired a medical team from abroad to
treat Tony at Saint Hospital in Bloomstead. Without him, Tony would still be unconscious now. As such,
Danie was more than grateful for Matthew, and she would be lying if she said she wasn’t fond of him.
“Huh? Oh… Uh—I… I…” Blushing, Veronica struggled toe up with an answer. She did not expect
her mother to be so forthright, and having Matthew here only embarrassed her even more.
“Mrs. Murphy, Roni set a three-month trial period for me, which I personally take as probation. If she
thinks that things will work out well between us after that, then we’ll start dating officially,” Matthew
interjected, sparing no details even though he kept it sinct. “I know how much Roni means to you and
Mr. Murphy, so you can consider observing my behavior for these three months if you’d like.”
Matthew was a straightforward person who liked clear-cut solutions, and he was never one to beat
around the bush or cover things up. It was precisely because of this that Danie found him all the more
admirable.
“What the hell, Matthew? I didn’t even agree to the three-month probation thing, and you’re here
bbering about it to my mom?” Veronica rolled her eyes at him in disbelief. This jerk is taking a
preemptive strike and leaving me out of the decision altogether, she thought.
Now that he had put on such a lovely fa?ade in front of Danie, Veronica had a feeling that she would
bear the brunt if she were to change her mind about him. Her parents would not let her hear the end of it.
In fact, Danie prodded Veronica’s temple right now in mock belligerence as she said, “I can’t believe
you’re trying to hide this from your father and I, you brat! I hope some of Matthew’s honesty rubs off on
you; we’d be all the better for it!”
“Wait a minute! First of all, I haven’t even agreed to date him and you’re already siding with him? And
you call yourself my mother? Hmph!” Veronica quirked her lips in dismay. She then scoffed once and
turned to walk away. Truth be told, it might be more appropriate to say she was running away from an
unwinnable situation.
After leaving the kitchen, Veronica headed out into the yard out front and buried her face in her hands.
Her cheeks were so flushed that they felt hot to the touch.
For heaven’s sake, this isn’t supposed to happen! She had made up her mind to break up with Matthew,
but by some twist of fate or other, he ended up having a meal at her ce, and now he was talking to her
mother about marriage!
Veronica pressed a palm to her forehead as she tiptoed her way to the kitchen door, then hid around the
corner to eavesdrop on the conversation. She didn’t want Danie to be outsmarted or persuaded by that
diabolical man. I might be pawned off if that were to happen! she thought grimly.
In the kitchen, Danie sped Matthew’s hands and said affably, “I know you’re a good kid, Matthew,
but you’ve seen for yourself what our family is like. We’re humble townsfolk with little fortune to our
names, and Veronica has been rough around the edges since she was a baby. You, on the other hand,
grew up in the city; the world is your oyster. You’re far too good for our Veronica, and if she marries you,
your family will only look down their noses at her all the time. I can’t risk her being unhappy for the rest of
her life just because of a fleeting moment of love.”
Veronica was touched upon hearing that. There are mothers out there who can’t wait to marry their
daughters off into wealthy families, and here’s mine who wants nothing more than to see me happy.
“Don’t worry, Mrs. Murphy. I won’t ever let Veronica get bullied as long as I’m around,” Matthew
promised.
“I believe you, Matthew, I really do, but none of us can predict the future. It’s a long road up ahead, you
know.” Danie patted his hand and heaved a sigh. “She’s my daughter, and all I want is for her to be
happy. I can’t give her much, but I would still do all I can to give her the happiness she deserves.”
“I’m sorry I can’t give you full assurance on this, Mrs. Murphy, but as long as Roni agrees to be with me,
I’d be more than happy to provide a billion in bridewealth and ten vis. I’ll also put it on paper that I’ll
give up on my fortune if I ever hurt her or cheat on her.”