Free Web NovelChapter 93: Leech (2)
"Work? Are you having trouble with money, Jack?" Beth inquired, hoping that was not the case.
If it was, she still had time to leave him as she didn’t love him that much to settle without any money. Beth had invested so much into her relationship with Jack to have to start over now. There wasn’t a high chance she would meet a man like him that she could fool into marrying her. freewēbnoveℓ.com
"I do not have any trouble with money. I’m a Humphrey," Jack said proudly. "But you are bored and instead of finding a hobby, you have turned to spending money. We must think of buying what the child needs. Not wasting money on clothes that you won’t be able to fit into soon."
"There is a lot of time before I will grow bigger and after the child, I will lose the weight. Do you think that I wish to stay fat and not keep myself looking well?" Beth asked, leaning back so she could look at him.
If Beth didn’t keep her appearance that she had now, Beth knew that Jack’s eyes would wander and she would not have that. These men were never true to their word when they said they would still love their women after they birthed a child.
In the past, she had been approached by a few.
Jack was acting strange these days and Beth would love nothing more than for him to go back to how he was weeks ago.
When their relationship was not out in the open, Jack would spoil her endlessly and brag about the money he had. One child wasn’t enough to have Jack concerned about money.
"Is it that you have an issue with me going shopping? Is it what all the other wives do or am I not to be that way?"
Jack sighed as his suggestion wasn’t to lead to this much of a disagreement. "Calm down, Beth. I meant that I would help you to open up a business. Something to keep you busy."
Beth’s soured mood quickly changed upon hearing this. She had never thought of owning her own business. Not many women in town of her status could say they had a business. They were normally housewives who didn’t need to lift a finger because their husbands didn’t want them to earn money without them involved.
It had become a bit of a trend to have a business to your name even if it was run by your husband. To show that she was better than Scarlet, Beth needed a business to her name. It would become successful and then no one could deny that she was well-suited for Jack.
"You won’t need to be there. You can work from home and hire others to tend to the business. It can be whatever you want," Jack suggested.
With this, he would be making a good investment for her to start spending her own money. This should also please his mother by having Beth presented as a businesswoman. Once Beth proved herself, then she would get to spend his money as she liked.
"I will try to come up with an idea. Thank you. Thank you," Beth repeated, kissing Jack’s cheek in between thanking him. He had worried her at the start but saved himself. This was more than she could brag about to her friends. "I will make you proud."
Jack trusted that she would make him proud. She was quite determined to prove herself worthy of him. It would take years for them to be equals but he would enjoy seeing her journey to it. fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓
Jack placed his hands on her waist. There shouldn’t be anyone around to hear them. He missed the dangerous game they played of Beth meeting him like this in secret to let him have his way with her and then he would go back to his wife.
There was nothing like that excitement of getting away with his secret meetings. It was one of the best parts of having an affair. Now, it was boring.
Beth still came to him to be intimate but it wasn’t like before. Now he had to be careful not to hurt the child and Beth wasn’t as adventurous as she was before, leading in doing things she thought would please him. The only thing he enjoyed was how she listened to his requests.
All that Beth had was because of him so she could not refuse him. He would forever love her obedience.
"Why does that paper have Scarlet’s name? And there is one with Ian’s," Beth noted. She picked up the paper with Scarlet’s name to read what was written. "You’ve been watching her?"
Beth had heard yelling when she arrived and noticed all the papers on the floor but she thought it was because of someone not doing their job right. Now it was evident that he was upset about something concerning Scarlet.
"We’ve agreed that I should help her. I don’t trust Ian Kingsley. I can’t find anything about what he did before he returned to Lockwood. She’s been inviting him to her estate," Jack revealed.
Beth still didn’t like his interest in Scarlet though she had told Jack it wouldn’t bother her. Having to pretend to like everything or be on his side was starting to become unbearable.
Still, Beth liked having something to share.
It would be quite a scandal for Scarlet to be said to have a man she was not engaged to spending time on her estate. It would add to the embarrassment of when Beth’s friend would steal Ian from Scarlet.
The deeper Scarlet got involved with Ian, the more fun it would be when Ian would eventually leave Scarlet.
"Why are you smiling?" Jack asked as it couldn’t be she was so happy that he was looking out for Scarlet. No woman would be happy with that forever even though what she felt wouldn’t matter. If he wanted to watch Scarlet, he would do it.
"Because you are a kind man and for that, you deserve a treat," Beth said, beginning to take off his shirt.
It wasn’t her intention when coming here to be intimate with Jack but now she wanted nothing more than to take his mind off of Scarlet. From this moment on, Beth would be the only woman on his mind.
...
At the Collins estate, Scarlet couldn’t believe that she had sat to get two portraits done with Ian. Their bet was to have one but he had somehow found a flaw in the first one so a second was done.
Scarlet now stood to the side, watching as Ian had a portrait of himself done. If she were to have the painter create many copies of the one with Ian by himself, she might be able to make a fortune.
"Handsome."
Scarlet gasped, startled by Alana’s sudden closeness. "Are you trying to scare me to death? Why are you here?"
"Some of the maids were speaking of a pretty portrait you did. I thought you were only having Ian painted?" Alana asked, enjoying how Scarlet wasn’t thrilled that she went back on her word. "It is pretty," Alana commented on the portraits of the two which were on display as they dried. "Smile a little more, Scarlet. There is a man smitten with you present."
Alana noticed how Ian’s attention kept going to Scarlet even though he was meant to be looking ahead. She hadn’t witnessed a painter scolding someone this much since she was a child and her siblings could not keep still.
"I’m jealous," Alana confessed.
"Of what?" Scarlet asked, looking away from Ian after he smiled at her.
"Seeing you have a man around who looks at you that way. Quinton is skilled with how he managed to capture the tension between you and Ian in that one portrait," said Alana.
Scarlet took another glance at the portraits she had been avoiding. They were well done. A shame they would both meet a fire a year from now.
