Chapter 158: Rival
Tired out, the kids sat down beside Wendy on the bank.
When Leah said she was thirsty, Wendy removed the lid from the jug of water that she had brought with her earlier and handed it to her.
After the kids had drunk a mouthful each, Wendy found herself also feeling thirsty and drank a mouthful too from the jug.
Michael walked towards them, wiping the perspiration from his face with his hand.
When he saw them drinking, he realized that he was feeling thirsty too.
Noticing his gaze on the jug of water, Wendy passed it to him in silence.
Michael looked at the jug with suspicion.
It was the type of see-through jug usually used by people in the rural areas, nothing spectacular in design.
Since it had been in use for a long time, the glass had turned yellow with age, making it look dirty.
"I’m not thirsty," Michael said awkwardly.
Looking at him, Wendy knew that the real reason he did not take a drink was because he did not want to drink from that jug, and not because he was not thirsty.
Wendy took one look at the jug and then at Michael before mocking him, "Oh excuse me, I forgot. Mr. Lucas only drinks from expensive, high-quality receptacles, not from these humble jugs used by country people."
At that moment, Todd extended his hand and asked, "I’m a little thirsty. May I have a drink please?"
Wendy passed him the jug.
Michael’s gaze moved from Wendy’s hand, in which she held the jug, to Todd’s hand as he prepared to take the jug from her.
Just when Todd was about to take the jug from Wendy, Michael quickly intercepted and grabbed the jug.
"Hey, what are you doing?" Todd asked, annoyed by his antics. "I thought you weren’t thirsty?"
He had originally assumed that Michael would, on account of his social status, behave appropriately and not act up unreasonably.
However, it was now clear to him that Michael was not at all concerned about acceptable behavior and was all out to vie with him as a rival for Wendy’s affection.
"I’ve just realized that I am indeed thirsty," Michael countered before knocking his head back and drinking up all the water in the jug.
He, then, turned the jug upside down, saying, "I was just too thirsty and have drunk it all."
"You..." Todd was flabbergasted. He had to admit that he was no match for Michael when it came to shameless antics such as this.
Brows raised, Michael looked smugly at Todd.
Honestly speaking, he was indeed quite put off by that dirty looking jug. But then again, he had also seen Wendy drinking from it.
And now here was Todd, intending to drink from the same jug? How could he let that happen?
How could he sit back and let another man share a drink with his wife?
Wendy was also left speechless by Michael’s behavior.
"I will not get embroiled with you on this!" Todd blurted angrily.
He was definitely no match for Michael when it came to being thick-skinned.
Walking away to calm himself down, Todd noticed some pretty wildflowers in full bloom by the sides of the field.
Suddenly inspired, he plucked a bunch of them and presented the bouquet to Wendy. Wanting to upset Michael, he said, "Corrine, the wildflowers here are very pretty. These are for you."
Before Wendy could even respond to Todd, Michael had snatched the bouquet away.
Then, he moved over to Leah, shoved the bouquet into her hands and said, "Look,
Leah. Your dad has plucked some pretty flowers for you."
Confused, Leah looked up at Michael and then at Todd who was standing nearby.
Finally, she turned towards Wendy.
The little girl looked absolutely baffled.
Turning away, Michael picked some flowers at lightning speed and handed them to Wendy, "Honey, these are for you."
Now, Michael had never, ever called Wendy ’Honey’ before this. And obviously, he was now doing so intentionally.
Wendy was beside herself, wondering when he would stop acting up. When was he going to stop behaving so childishly?
Noting that Wendy had not accepted the flowers from him, Michael simply shoved them into her hands.
Watching from the side, Jake walked over to Wendy and took the flowers from her saying with a smile, "I like flowers. Can I have these, Uncle Michael?"
Michael’s temple throbbed as his veins pulsated in frustration at Jake’s innocent smile.
What was his son thinking? How could he not read the situation?
Interfering at this critical moment and stirring things up!
In spite of everything, they had an enjoyable afternoon by the stream.
On the way home, Mary led them to her allotment where they picked some vegetables for their dinner. Mary’s allotment was teeming with a wide variety of vegetables. Michael and Todd had also caught more fishes and crabs from the stream. They had everything they needed and were all set for dinner.
Back home, Wendy entered the kitchen to help her mom prepare dinner.
Just as they were about to sit down to dinner, they heard someone knocking on the door.
Wendy opened the door to see Mrs. Watkins standing outside.
She stood there, with a platter of pork jerky in her hands and a long line of people behind her.
"This is the pork jerky that you used to love so much. I made a special batch today. Please help yourselves to it," Mrs. Watkins beamed as she shoved the platter into Wendy’s hands.
"These are fruits from our own orchard, pesticide-free. Here you go."
"I am not a good cook and most of our harvested fruits are gone. But, if you’re not picky, please accept these excellent tasting corn cobs and eggs from us."
Staring at the pile of things that they had deposited at the door, Wendy was touched and said, "Mrs. Watkins and Mr. Jimmy, what is all this?"
"Well, this is our way of saying thank you!" Mr. Jimmy explained. Mr. Jimmy was an old neighbor who was in his 60s, going on 70. His weather-beaten face bunched up in a smile as he added, "We heard that you were in town and came for a brief visit. Did Mr. Lucas come here with you? Would it be all right for us to say hello and thank him personally?"
When she heard them mention Michael, Wendy realized their intention. Clearly, these people were not here for her but to meet with Michael. But then, if it were true that Michael had, over the years, made numerous, substantial donations to develop Linton, then it was just natural that they would want to thank him personally.
Standing aside to let them through, Wendy gestured, "Yes, he’s inside."
The little group of people quickly entered the house and looked at the two men at the table, wondering which one of them was Michael.
Wendy immediately made the introduction,
"This is the famous designer Todd Lewis, and this is Michael Lucas."
Very quickly, the visitors walked up to Michael and expressed their gratitude. "Thank you for your unwavering support towards Linton over the past few years. We are all very grateful for your help. If not for you, Linton could not have developed so quickly."
To Michael, this was something totally unexpected. He had not expected these people in Wendy’s hometown to come forward and thank him personally upon learning of his presence.
He stood up and nodded politely, "You’re most welcome. It was just a gesture."
After Wendy had fallen into the sea, he had, on many occasions, wanted to pay his mother-in-law a visit. However, he had held back each time because he was ashamed of how shabbily he had treated Wendy and did not know how to face Mary.
That was why, over all those years, he had doggedly sent huge sums of money, never daring to show up in town. He was indeed very surprised to see so many people coming forward to thank him.
A few more people walked into the house, people that Wendy did not recognize.
However, Mary knew them and immediately made the introductions, "Mr. Hunter, what are you doing here?"
"Well, I heard that Mr. Lucas was in town!" Mr. Hunter beamed, adding, "Our town has benefited greatly from Mr. Lucas’ generosity. How could I, the local councilman, not come to thank him personally?"
Mary lived in a small house and by now, there was not even standing room left in her living area.
Looking grateful, Mr. Hunter extended his hand to Michael and said, "Thank you so very much, Mr. Lucas."
Michael shook his hand politely as he scanned the group of grateful people crammed into the little house. At that moment, he felt very touched and warmed by the fact that his actions were sincerely appreciated. He had never imagined that his wealth could benefit so many people and that their sincere appreciation could make him so happy. This sense of happiness made him want to get involved in more charitable activities when he returned to Lake City.
"Have you all eaten? Would you like to join us?" Mary asked.
"Oh no, no," Mr. Hunter said hastily, adding, "We just stopped by to thank Mr. Lucas.
After all, he has been our benefactor for so many years and this is the first time we’re meeting him in person. We won’t keep you from your dinner. Please feel free to call me if you need anything. We will make sure that you enjoy your visit in Linton."
Shortly after, Mr. Hunter left with the other grateful visitors. They did not want to keep Michael from his dinner. However, this unexpected interlude had lightened up the mood for the little household of people. Wendy looked at Michael and, as she had expected, he appeared to have softened and was smiling.
Although she did not know exactly how much money he had donated to Linton, Wendy knew that, to him, it was a mere drop in his ocean of wealth. And he would never have even dreamed of that reception earlier, where so many of the townsfolk had gathered to show sincere appreciation for what he had done for them.
Coincidentally, turning around at that precise moment, Michael looked straight into Wendy’s eyes.
Seeing the look in his eyes, Wendy cleared her throat self-consciously and lowered her head.
Michael’s smile deepened when he noticed Wendy’s awkward demeanor.
Not wishing to make the long drive back at night, Wendy had planned to spend the night at her mom’s and return to Lake City the next day. In the rural towns, all the houses were built and maintained by the owners themselves. Wendy’s family home was a two-storied building that they had lived in for many years without any refurbishment. As such, it looked a little dilapidated.
Since it was the summer season, all they had to do was clear up some space and the rooms would be ready for use. Except for the hordes of mosquitoes.
Having had too much fun in the afternoon, neither Michael nor Todd was able to get to sleep that night. Emerging from his room, Michael noticed Todd standing by the balcony, enjoying the night breeze, and asked, "Can’t sleep either?"
As Todd reached out to scratch at his arm, Michael, who could not see his face clearly in the dark, heard him say in a low vice, "Too many mosquitoes."
At that, Michael burst out laughing. But then, mindful that Wendy and the kids were probably fast asleep, he clapped his hand over his mouth, not wishing to wake them up.
Michael walked over to Todd and placed his hands on the balustrade, speaking softly, "Todd, we need to talk."
"What about?" Todd asked, even though he had guessed what Michael wanted to discuss. Naturally, he was going to talk about Wendy.
"I can tell that you are attracted to Wendy, right?" Michael cut to the chase.
Based on their interactions over the past few days, Michael had come to the conclusion that Todd was a decent guy. Of course, he would consider him a decent guy as long as he did not have any designs on Wendy.
Trying to stay composed, Todd laughed softly, "Mr. Lucas, you must be kidding."
"I certainly hope that I’m joking here," Michael replied, looking out into the quiet night.
Staring out at the rural scene bathed in the cool, subtle moonlight, Michael continued, "I don’t care what your feelings for her are. I just want to clarify my intentions, right here, right now. I will never give up on Wendy and I’m determined to reconcile with her. She’s my wife; she was my wife, is now my wife, and will always be my wife. If you do not intend to woo her, I guess we could even be friends."
Todd could not help but smile at Michael’s words, "Michael, you do know that love cannot be made to order. No one, apart from the person concerned, will know what their true feelings are. As for Corinne, she is free to decide who she wants to be with."
Interestingly, they had been addressing each other rather formally all afternoon, But now, they were on a first name basis and having a heart-to-heart talk.
"You’re absolutely right," Michael countered. With conviction, he uttered, "But I firmly believe that she will ultimately choose me."
Far from being arrogant or over-confident, Michael desperately wanted to make it up to Wendy and their son. He wanted his love for Wendy to be second to none in the entire world.
After a very long pause, Todd said calmly, "Going forward, if you ever hurt Corinne or make her cry, I will kill you."
At that, Michael looked Todd in the eye and they both smiled.
"You will never be given a chance to make good on that promise," Michael countered, full of confidence.
