Chapter 89
“Plenty of women like me. Why would I care about her? Lewis frowned slightly.
I think you’re just afraid that if you put in the effort and Doris still doesn’t like you, it’ll hurt your pride, Janice teased.
“I’m the one who doesn’t like her,” Lewis corrected her.
Janice sighed, “As my son, you really have so little confidence? That’s honestly disappointing”
“I already said–I don’t like her.” Lewis emphasized again.
“Fine, so you don’t like her,” Janice humored him. “But if you don’t like her, why are you so mad? Why are you living separately?”
“Mom, I have to get to work.” Lewis refused to continue the conversation.
“Lewis, liking Doris isn’t something to be embarrassed about. Wouldn’t it be great if she liked you too?” Janice had no intention of letting this go.
“You need to be more mature. No matter what happens in the future, you’re still married right now. Doris is your wife. If you made her upset, why not coax her a little?”
“If you want someone to coax her, go find someone else. I’m not doing it.” Lewis deliberately slowed down his words to emphasize his refusal. Lewis hurriedly left the villa.
Janice watched his tall and upright back and said, “You’re bound to go back on your words.”
As soon as Lewis got into the car, his phone rang.
He thought it was Janice, relentless in her attempt to “teach him a lesson,” but when he looked at the screen, Doris‘ name was flashing.
He hesitated before answering the call.
Doris‘ voice was gentle on the other end. “Mr. Hartman, are you free tonight?”
“What do you need?” he asked calmly.
“If you have time, could you come back to Greenlake Hill for dinner? I have something important to discuss with you,” Doris stated her purpose.
“I’m still on the road. I need to check my sche-” Lewis forcibly swallowed the word “schedule” and changed the topic. “I need to check today’s work arrangements before getting back to you.”
“Alright,” Doris replied.
Lewis gripped his phone tightly, and the corners of his lips curled up involuntarily.
‘She still reached out to me first,‘ he thought.
*****
At Hartman Group, during the nine o’clock meeting, Lewis stared blankly at the documents in front of him, occasionally even smiling to himself.
This left everyone on edge, unsure of what was going on with him.
1/3
88%
Chapter 89
Daniel also noticed Lewis absentmindedness, but compared to Lewis‘ stormy mood of the past few days, he thought today was a clear improvement.
After the meeting ended, Daniel followed behind Lewis and asked, “Mr. Hartman, is there something making you happy today”
“No” Lewis stepped into his office.
“Oh Daniel didn’t call him out on his unusual behavior in the conference room.
Just then, Alyssa knocked and entered. “Mr. Hartman, I just saw this downstairs while picking up some items. The envelope hua ‘Lewis‘ written on it, so I brought it up. The front desk said it was dropped off two days ago, but HR couldn’t find anyone by that name.”
Alyssa knew both Lewis given and courtesy names,
At Hartman Group, he didn’t use the name “Lewis,” so no one in the company recognized it as his.
Alyssa placed the courier envelope on Lewis‘ spacious desk.
Lewis picked it up but found no sender information. He tore open the envelope and pulled out a stack of photographs.
As he looked at the photos, his handsome face instantly darkened.
Daniel and Alyssa exchanged glances at Lewis‘ icy expression, realizing that something bad had happened.
“Mr. Hartman?” Daniel called out as Lewis continued staring at the photos.
Lewis gripped the edge of one picture so tightly that his fingers nearly tore it.
“Get out,” Lewis said coldly.
Daniel and Alyssa didn’t dare to linger and immediately left the office. They had no idea what had just happened, but they thought it was definitely not good news. Both of them felt uneasy.
Lewis quickly scanned through the rest of the photos before tossing them onto the desk. He propped his elbows on the desk, interlocking his long fingers.
The storm on his face slowly dissipated, and his sharp gaze cut through the haze like a blade. The curve of his lips held not warmth.
He thought, ‘Who’s bold enough to touch my woman and then send me these nude photos as a provocation?‘
Lewis picked up his phone and dialed Doris. His voice was deep and cold as he said, “See you tonight.”
Before Doris could respond, he had already hung up. Doris thought, ‘Is he really that busy?‘
Thinking about her dinner with Lewis tonight and how Laura would be taking Arianna home, Doris realized someone needed to stay behind.
She called Rupert, “Rupert, I have something tonight. You need to stay with Mom. I might not be back until after eight. Laura has to leave at five, so you need to be at the hospital before then. Got it?”
“Claudia is pregnant and needs me at home. I don’t have time to go to the hospital,” said Rupert.
“Rupert, I don’t care if you have time or not. Mom is your responsibility. Otherwise, don’t blame me if I go to Ryan and start talking.” Doris threatened.
Rupert was caught in a bind. “Fine.”
2/3
Inu, o Mar
Chapter 89
Claudia took a bite of an apple and looked at Rupert’s annoyed expression. “What’s wrong?
“Doris wants me at the hospital by five to keep Mom company. Otherwise, she’ll badmouth me in front of Ryan, Rupert complained. “It’s getting hot out, and who wants to go out in this weather? I also can’t stand the smell of the hospital. She just doesn’t want me staying home with you.”
“Doris is just bullying you because you’re too nice.” Claudia wrapped her arm around Rupert’s and leaned in closer. “But, honey, just bear with it for now for the sake of work. Once you’re back at Watson Group, we won’t have to put up with her anymore.”
“But if I leave, who will stay with you?” Rupert held Claudia’s hand.
“I never said you had to go. Just agree to her request, don’t argue with her. Then just send someone else to stay with your mom.” Claudia schemed. “Isn’t your dad home alone? Just call him and have him go instead.
“Don’t forget, your mom is your dad’s wife. If he, as her husband, doesn’t keep her company, then who will? As long as you’re with your mom, your second sister can’t do anything to you. Besides, I can’t be without you–you have to stay with me.”
At that, Rupert called Jimmy and told him so.
Jimmy, who was fiercely protective of Rupert, agreed without hesitation.
After catching up on sleep, Doris did a thorough cleaning of the house, tidying up every corner. Then, she rode her electric scooter to the market to buy groceries.
She started preparing dinner early: tomato steak, clam chowder, fermented black bean grilled salmon, and lettuce. It was more than enough for her and Lewis.
After work, Lewis drove his Magotan back to Greenlake Hill.
Parking the car, he glanced at the file folder on the passenger seat, which contained some photos.
3/3
