Free Web NovelChapter 788: Chapter 759: Gage Grant vs. Maeve [021]
After the business was done, Gage Grant dragged Maeve onto the bed and entangled with her. He only had a bowl of noodles earlier in the morning and after this bit of physical exercise, he was complaining about being hungry. Maeve had no choice but to take him out to get something to eat nearby.
As soon as they walked out of the villa’s gate, Gage naturally took her hand. She subtly avoided it, so Gage switched to putting an arm over her shoulder, wrapping her as they walked.
Initially, she wasn’t very used to it and wanted to dodge, but Gage sensed her intention and tightened his grip a little. She couldn’t escape, so she could only walk in his embrace.
The Lester Family’s place was in the suburbs. Once you left the villa area, there was a vegetable market across the road, with some snack shops around, mostly offering Lanzhou noodles and Sha County snacks.
Gage had just eaten noodles for the last meal, and really didn’t want more noodles now. So, after looking around while holding Maeve, he finally took her into a beef shop and ordered steak, oxtail soup, and other hearty meat dishes.
Because of her work, Maeve rarely eats greasy things, and seeing the braised beef glistening with a coffee-colored oily sheen made her a bit nauseous. She covered her mouth and gagged.
Gage, who was unwrapping disposable chopsticks, looked over and laughed, "No way? We’ve only been together for a few days, and you’re already like this?"
Maeve was speechless and ignored him.
Gage neatly placed the unwrapped chopsticks on her plate, smiling, "Come on, eat more, get a little chubbier, I like girls with a bit of meat."
With Maeve’s personality, in the past, she would have definitely confronted him. But she didn’t know why, after dealing with the Dalton Family siblings’ tantrum last night, her attitude towards Gage became quite submissive.
It wasn’t that she wanted to please him deliberately, but every time Gage said something upsetting, she would recall how he protected her at such a dangerous moment, and her heart would soften, unwilling to confront him.
Perhaps... this in itself was a form of accommodation.
The meal passed with Gage’s casual chatter and Maeve’s silence. On their way home, Maeve, who had been quiet, suddenly asked, "The way I remember you, you weren’t this talkative."
Gage was about to tell her a joke and was taken aback, "How do you remember me?"
"The first time we met was at Sienna’s parents’ house, for her homecoming banquet. You attended it, right? You even lit a cigarette for me."
Gage was even more surprised, "You actually remember that?"
"I do," Maeve said, "Whether it was that time or later when Sienna moved to her new place, you didn’t seem to be as chatty as you are now."
Gage: "..."
So after all this, she was complaining about him being too talkative.
He laughed and rubbed his nose against her cheek, releasing the arm holding her and entwining their fingers together.
He thought about how he often disdained Jack and Logan for talking too much, always telling them to learn from Tobias Blackwood about being "fierce but silent", and now, spending time with Maeve made him realize what a chatterbox he’d become these days, saying more in two days than he had in the past month.
Turns out, he became the kind of person he despised most.
"I just want you to know more about me, right?" he said thick-skinnedly, "For better harmony in the future, we must thoroughly understand each other, explore each other."
Maeve listened and stayed silent. She thought, even if they understood each other thoroughly, so what? It meant nothing.
When they returned to the villa, it was already dark.
The lights in the Lester house were on, and Ethan Conrad and Diana Dalton’s cars were parked in the yard, suggesting they were back.
Maeve took a deep breath, and Gage, who was just joking around, also put away his smile.
When he was serious, he could be quite intimidating.
Maeve turned away, feeling notably more confident with Gage around.
They held hands and entered the house. Ethan was sitting in the living room, while Mrs. Chandler was cooking dinner in the kitchen.
Seeing Gage and Maeve enter, Ethan hurriedly stood up, bowed to Gage, and fawningly said, "You’re back? My mom is cooking, dinner will be ready soon, just a moment..."
Before he finished his sentence, Gage coldly interrupted, "We’ve eaten outside. Go call that old hag down, we have something to discuss with her."
"Oh, okay!" Ethan quickly ran upstairs.
Gage and Maeve went to their room to grab the evaluation report and came down. After a while, Diana and Ethan came downstairs.
Gage pointed to the seat opposite him with his chin, "Sit down."
Diana was extremely resentful of them, but could only endure it. After sitting down with gritted teeth, she asked sharply, "What’s the matter?"
Gage tossed over an evaluation report, "The house evaluation came in, it’s worth six point three million. Change the ownership tomorrow morning, and we’ll immediately give you your share of over three million."
Upon hearing this, Diana slammed the report she had just opened down onto the table, shouting, "What? Who said the house is only worth six million? You must have colluded with the appraisers! I don’t accept this price!"
Gage rarely encountered someone as prone to tantrums as Diana. Frowning with impatience, he said, "This is to inform you to change the ownership tomorrow morning and get out with your people immediately! This is not a negotiation!"
Diana was furious, her eyes turned red with anger, and she stood up, clenching her fists tightly, but that was all she could do.
Knowing that Gage had a significant background and was obviously supporting Maeve, what could she do? The thought of her brother still being detained made her swallow her hatred.
Diana stormed off angrily with Ethan, while Gage, quite pleased, pulled Maeve back into the room.
Maeve sat at the desk calculating something, while he opened the wardrobe, casually taking out a pair of men’s boxer shorts, and asked, "I’m going to shower, do you want to join me?"
Maeve didn’t look back, "You go ahead."
"Alright."
Gage went to take a shower.
Maeve checked her online banking, finding that a stranger’s account had transferred five million to her an hour ago, labeled as "house payment."
She knew it was ordered by Gage, and quietly noted down the amount and account number, planning to pay him back as soon as she sold the house in Jadeston.
She contacted the real estate agent again, who reported that they had taken photos today and listed the house online and in-store. They promised to notify her as soon as there was news.
After dealing with these matters, the bathroom door opened.
She knew Gage had finished showering and came out, but without looking back, she continued with her work, though her ears attentively tracked his every move.
Gage sat by the bed, drying his hair while checking his phone, soon dialing a number—
"Why did you call?"
"I’m on a business trip in Z City..."
"Call me a liar and I’ll be a puppy."
"I’ll be back in a couple of days. Sleep early and don’t watch TV too late. Bye."
His tone wasn’t as serious as when discussing business, nor as casual as usual conversation, seemingly impatient but carrying a hint of indulgence and care.
The tone was akin to dealing with a lover checking in on him over the phone. Impatient, yet naturally concerned.
Moreover, he even lied about being on a business trip...
——
It’s the last day of December. Wishing everyone a Happy New Year in advance!
And still humbly asking for some monthly votes.
At this moment, it is exactly 6 AM on December 31st, and Shadowsweet has 572 votes, currently ranked ninth. If we reach 650 votes by 10 PM tonight, a super-sized session of 4000-5000 words will be offered!
Go for it, everyone!
