Mary Hanks understood his intentions and nonchalantly said, “Go back to the car and wait for me.”
“Understood,” Fred responded, not daring to disobey Mary. He then left them.
“John, let’s talk in your car.
John smiled and nodded, “Alright.”
He went to his car and opened the door to the front passenger seat. Mary bent down and got onto the car. John then closed the door and skirted over to the driver’s seat. From a distance away, Fred was staring in their direction with his eyes opened wide.
In the car, Mary was the first to speak, “John, about the question you asked me the other day. I feel like I should give you an answer.”
“Mary, must you be in such a hurry to reject me? Is it because my mother made you feel uncomfortable?” John asked. His gaze suddenly turned dull, making Mary rather upset.
Mary shook her head and looked him in the eye as she said, “John, Mrs. Liam is great. You are great too. It is just that we are not fated to be together. I already feel guilty that I nearly caused you to fall out with your family. I will cause you more harm in the future if I don’t give you a clear answer now.”
John had confessed too suddenly and left too quickly back then. She did not have the chance to reject him. She had been a little reluctant back then, perhaps because the romantic in her heart had been touched. That was why John had seen a glimmer of hope. She might have fallen for John’s gentle advances if not for her entanglement with Max Gaston. However, she had to reject him now.
John Liam smiled bitterly as he said, “Mary, I will not force you. But we are still friends, right?”
Mary nodded and replied, “Yes.”
There was a warmth in John’s smile. He said, “Then don’t avoid me in the future. You and Jason have been back for so long but I’ve not seen Jason yet. When do you intend to let me meet Jason and have a meal with him?”
Mary did not answer.
John continued with a smile, “My father heard from me about the accident back then and said that he is willing to help. You can also meet my father when you bring Jason to my place for a meal. My father was on rather close terms with Uncle Hanks back then.”
“Alright, I’ll definitely go when there’s the chance,” Mary replied.
In the evening, Mary locked the door to her room while Jason and Max were preparing dinner in the kitchen.
She put on her earphones and turned on her laptop to examine the results of the day. She listened closely to the conversations from the very start, other than the parts where Sofia and Sandra were scolding her. There wasn’t any useful information.
She then watched the video recording. Sofia Garcia did not open her safe.
At this moment, Mary suddenly received a message from Rebecca Yelton. She tapped open the message, which read, “Mary, are you free tomorrow? Come and buy some baby products with me. I’m afraid that I’ll miss some out.”
“Alright,” Mary replied.
Rebecca had helped Mary in the past. However, she had used that favor to force Paul Johnson to marry her.
Rebecca quickly sent her an emoji, accompanied by the message, “I knew that you are the best, Mary.”
—
In the Whites’ residence, Samson White was blowing up in the study. He had contacted the bank and his clients. He had toiled all afternoon but to no avail.
Samson White slammed his study in fury. He then called Sandra White. The phone rang a few times before Sandra’s voice rang out from the other end of the line, “Dad, what’s the matter?”
Samson became even angrier when he heard that. He commanded with an angry tone, “Come back immediately. It’s urgent.”
“Dad, I promised Sofia to eat at the Gastons today,” Sandra protested.
“You’re still going to eat at the Gastons? Your father is going to be destroyed by that bast*rd Max Gaston soon. Even the owner of the company is going to be replaced, much less your status as an A-lister, if you don’t come back now”
Samson finally felt a little better after he finished shouting at Sandra. He instructed before Sandra could say anything, “Call Max Gaston immediately and tell him to stop.”
“Dad, what did you say Max has done?” Sandra asked, her voice trembling in disbelief.
“The person messing with our company has always been Max Gaston. That f*cking bast*rd has no regard for family,” Samson cursed.
“Dad, don’t be anxious for now. Let me ask him. You might have made a mistake,” Sandra coaxed. She immediately hung up Samson White’s call and knitted her brows.
By her side, Sofia asked, confused, “What happened?”
Sandra pursed her lips and said hesitantly, “Sofia, my father just called to say that Max is going to bankrupt our company.”
“He dares to do that?” Sofia asked, livid. She did not ask whether it was true or not and immediately became furious. Instead, it was Sandra who was startled.
Perhaps realizing that her reaction was too overboard, Sofia Garcia’s gaze wavered as she forced a smile to hide her fury. She said, “What I meant was how would Max dare to mess with the Whites? Could your father have made a mistake? Maybe it’s someone else trying to come between us?”
“I don’t know either,” Sandra admitted. She continued, her expression upset, “Max is angry with me. He’ll definitely deny it if I call to ask him about it.”
Sandra pursed her lips, her eyes filled with indignance as she commented, “Even if it was really Max, it must be Mary who is instigating him to do it. Mary hates me and you to death. She’ll definitely come to take revenge on you after she’s done with the Whites.”
“Hmph, that little b*tch. She thinks that she’s all that just because she got into Max’s bed,” Sofia growled. She was livid every time she talked about Mary Hanks.
“She might not stop at seducing Max. She might even seduce Marcus. She must have guessed that you were part of the incident back then,” Sandra said. It sounded like a casual remark but it was more of an intentional threat.
Sofia Garcia’s gaze instantly became sinister. She took a deep breath, then seethed, “I will not let her be this smug for long.”
She hd yet to lay her hands on Mary Hanks because she had Max’s son. She did not have the opportunity to eliminate Mary yet.
“I’ll call Max and ask him what’s going on. Don’t worry for now,” Sofia instructed. She seemed to have thought of something and took the initiative to call Max.
Max was cooking in the kitchen. Beside him, Jason was standing on a stool and commanding, “Uncle Max, you have to cook it longer. Otherwise, I won’t be able to chew through it.”
“Uncle Max, put more chili. Mum likes them.”
“Uncle Max, you don’t have to make that dish. Mom detests wasting food. That dish is for me.”
Max glanced at Jason, a little irritated.
He was just about to turn on the gas when Jason lectured sternly, “Uncle Max, aren’t you going to pay attention to your figure? You’ll get fat if you eat meat at night. You’ll be destroying my good looks if you become obese.”
“What do you mean by ‘destroying your good looks’?” Max questioned. He found the toddler irritating, yet humorous.
Jason observed Max seriously and said, “Because you look a lot like me. You’ll become ugly if you become fat. Wouldn’t you be destroying my good looks then? Also, you won’t be able to find a wife when you become ugly.”
“Didn’t you tell me to take care of you and your mother?” Max Gaston asked as he looked at Jason’s knitted brows, amused.
Jason blinked and replied, “I meant that you may do so temporarily. You won’t have to accompany Mom and me anymore when I grow older in a few years. You’ll be able to find a woman to marry then.”
“I’ll be old when you grow up. What would I do if I can’t find a wife even if I’m not ugly?” Max Gaston countered.
Jason was stumped. He knitted his brows further and looked at Max as if he had been put in a spot. He asked, “Will that happen? Why don’t you woo Mom then? You’re not my biological uncle anyway..”