Chapter 38
After the property manager saw Matilda coming out of Allen’s house, he walked up and knocked on the door.
Bowing a little, he said respectfully, “Someone messed with the water and electricity at Ms. Warren’s place. I checked the cameras―turns out the girl who gave the worker orders was Shelby.”
Allen’s silver-rimmed glasses rested neatly on the bridge of his nose, sharp and cold like a surgeon’s scalpel. “What for?”
“Well…” The property manager, afraid of saying the wrong thing, just handed him the worker’s phone. “He followed Shelby’s orders and took pictures of Ms. Warren-when she left her place, when she came here, and even when she walked out just
now.”
Allen pressed his lips together and flipped through the photos. They weren’t indecent, but enough to spark people’s imagination.
He figured Shelby’s goal was simple: make Brandon think the worst about Matilda so he’d drop Matilda and turn his attention to her.
If she really pulled that off, it wouldn’t be such a bad outcome.
Allen handed the phone back and said calmly, “Have him send them to Shelby.”
“Yes, sir. What about the worker?” the property manager asked.
“Fire him. That way, he’ll have no choice but to rely on Shelby,” Allen said coldly.
*****
Matilda had been lying in bed for two hours, tossing and turning without falling asleep.
The picture of Allen and Edwina together kept circling in her mind, refusing to fade.
Brandon had already looked into Edwina. She was married, her husband was from Itera City, and he was a doctor. Everything checked out.
Matilda had finally found her lifesaver’s family, which meant she could repay her debt. That should’ve lifted a weight off her shoulders, but instead, her chest felt tight and restless.
Unable to sleep, she got up and went to the study, sketching out chip architecture on paper. Work was the only thing that. could calm her down when her thoughts were a mess.
Near dawn, she dozed off for a bit. When the alarm rang, she turned it off, overslept, and missed breakfast.
When Allen didn’t see her in the restaurant, he sent a message: [Did you have breakfast?]
In the taxi, Matilda replied: [Woke up late, on my way to work.]
At the office, she worked with her team on layout and functional zones. Once she got busy, she even forgot about lunch.
Neil placed a meal in front of her. As usual, he was brief. “From Mr. Keller.” He set it down and left.
Matilda opened it-two dishes and a soup.
Thinking she’d finish quickly, she picked up the soup and took a sip. It was boiling hot.
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mner mouth until her tongue blistered in two spots.
She wiped her mouth with a tissue and shot Neil a resentful look. He could’ve at least warned her. Neil happened to glance her way right then. Catching her glare, he just looked away indifferently.
At Rose Villa, as soon as Lola got home, she called Brandon and asked him to come back early-she had something to say. Brandon told her to say it over the phone, but she refused. He ended up pushing the X3 chip front-end design meeting to the next day.
When Brandon walked in, he saw Lola and Shelby on the couch playing with a tablet.
The moment he stepped through the door, Shelby rushed over to help him out of his suit jacket.
“Brandon, it’s going to rain the day after tomorrow and the day after that, so Greenapple Kids moved the parent-child activity up to tomorrow. Lola’s really excited and insists we wear matching outfits,” said Shelby.
“Matching outfits?” Brandon turned to his daughter. “Didn’t you say you hated those?”
Matilda had once bought matching sets-trendy, sweet, and edgy. But Lola hated them and tossed them straight in the trash.
Brandon had said if Lola didn’t like them, she didn’t have to wear them.
Matilda hadn’t argued. She just dug them back out, washed them clean, and donated them.
Now, Lola said confidently, “That’s because Mom didn’t know how to buy them. I like this style.”
Brandon looked at the tablet she handed him. It showed glittery, starry princess dresses.
He pinched her cheek. “Little princess, those aren’t for sports day. And your mom wouldn’t wear something like that.”
Shelby froze, her smile slipping.
“Daddy, you forgot-we don’t want Mom anymore. Tomorrow I want Aunt Shelby to be my mom,” Lola said.
Brandon stayed silent. Shelby didn’t say a word and quietly left the room.
Brandon told Lola, “Call your mom. She’ll go with you.”
“I know she would, but I don’t want her,” Lola pouted.
Before Brandon could answer, his phone buzzed nonstop. He thought it was a call, but it was a string of photos from an unknown number.
The pictures showed Matilda walking into Allen’s house in a bathrobe and leaving two hours later in casual home clothes.
At first, Brandon thought it was a prank. He searched for signs of Photoshop or face-swapping, but every photo was real.
Like being struck by lightning, rage tore through him. Fighting to stay composed, he said to Lola, “From now on, let Aunt Shelby be your mom. You can start calling her that.”
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Matilda got out of the taxi while talking on the phone with Tessa on her way to the restaurant. “I’m tired tonight. I won’t go out. I’m taking tomorrow off-we’ll meet then.
“Alright,” Tessa said. “Then I’ll make more cookies and waffles for you.”
Remembering the frozen food Tessa had stocked her fridge with, untouched, Matilda quickly cut her off, “Don’t. Really, don’t bother anymore. There are plenty of restaurants in Maple Heights, and I can just use my card.”
When she entered the restaurant, she saw Jolene and Allen sitting together. Allen leaned back in his chair, quietly listening to Jolene talk.
Matilda said into the phone, “I’ll call you back later.”
She wasn’t wearing heels, so her steps on the floor made almost no sound.
Before she got close, she overheard Jolene say, “Can’t we really invite Matilda to my parent-kid activity?”
Allen answered gently, “She’s busy with work. Besides, Lola will invite her, won’t she?”
“But Lola said in class that her Aunt Shelby is going,” Jolene replied.
Allen was caught off guard. “Jolene, sweetheart, isn’t it enough that I’ll be with you?”
“It’s good, but Daddy, you can’t take the place of a mom.” Jolene’s voice trembled, full of grievance and sadness. She lowered her head, eyes brimming with tears.
Matilda felt a sharp stab in her chest. She thought that since Jolene was Edwina’s daughter, she should care for her even
more.
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