Chapter 350: Take This Money
Wendy and Michael walked out of the study one after the other.
Michael glanced at Todd and then walked to Leah’s room and knocked on her door. "Leah, it’s Daddy."
Hearing Michael’s voice, Leah immediately jumped off her bed and ran to the door.
Her small hand opened the door, and Michael saw tears in the corners of her eyes.
The sight of Leah made Michael’s heart ached. He bent down and scooped Leah into his arms.
He lowered his head to kiss Leah’s cheek. He sighed very quietly. "I’m sorry, Leah," he apologized sincerely.
His apology was not only because Michael had let Wendy down, but also because he had let his two children down.
If he had not acted on his own, thinking that it was better for them, he would not be separated from Wendy and his children and living in different countries.
But it was too late for regrets.
Michael held Leah tightly and kept repeating "I’m sorry" in a quiet whisper.
"Daddy, what’s going on between you and Mummy?" asked Leah. Her delight had turned into fear when she saw her Daddy acting this way. "Why do I have the feeling that Mummy doesn’t want you to be here?"
"Leah, it’s not Mummy who doesn’t want me here. It’s because I have done many wrong things," said Michael. He was only starting to face the mistakes he had made. Though Leah still had no idea what was going on, he could not resist telling her. "So, now I have to pay the price for this mess. But remember this, Leah. No matter what happens between Mummy and me, both of us still love you and Jake. All right?"
Leah did not seem to fully comprehend his meaning. "Mummy had said something similar before," she said as she nodded.
Leah frowned and asked, "Daddy, what did you do wrong? If you have done something wrong, you just need to apologize. Have you apologized to Mummy yet? Whenever I did something wrong, Mummy would also get very angry with me. But as long as I really knew I was wrong and apologized, Mummy would always forgive me."
Michael stroked Leah’s face. He smiled and shook his head in resignation, "Daddy has made a huge mistake. An apology isn’t enough to solve it. But you don’t have to worry about this. You only need to worry about school. I will come and visit you often."
Michael was chatting with Leah in her room.
In the living room, Zess had already finished preparing dinner.
Normally, Zess would call out happily that dinner was served.
But today was different. It felt wrong, and so Zess lowered her voice, "It is dinnertime."
Wendy had been looking worriedly at Leah’s room.
She turned her eyes away from Leah’s room and looked at Zess, who seemed a little flustered. Wendy nodded her head and replied, "Ok."
Wendy beckoned Todd and Zen, "You guys go on ahead. I’ll get Jake."
As she turned around, Todd’s hand pulled her arm, "I’ll get him."
Todd released her hand and knocked on Jake’s door.
Wendy looked back at Leah’s room. She walked to the door, knocked on it, and saw Michael carrying Leah in his arms and said, "Leah, it’s time to eat."
"Daddy, let’s have dinner together," Leah said with her big eyes wide with expectation, waiting for Michael’s answer.
Michael looked over at Wendy.
If Wendy did not agree, then Michael would not stay for dinner.
Wendy’s face was glum. She turned and walked away without saying anything.
"Daddy, let’s eat," said Leah, putting her arms around Michael’s neck. She did not seem to want to let go.
Michael agreed quietly while watching Wendy’s back.
Wendy had not rejected him outright, so he guessed that silence meant consent.
At the dinner table, the atmosphere was obviously tense.
Todd sat next to Wendy and kept piling food on Wendy’s plate.
On other days, Todd also served Wendy but today he was making a big show out of it.
Almost as if he was making sure Michael saw it.
In the past, Michael would definitely have said something.
But today, Michael knew that he did not have the right to say a word.
He held a butter knife in one hand and a dinner roll in the other hand. He lowered his head and concentrated on eating the roll. But he was not tasting the roll at all.
Leah noticed Michael doing that and gave some of the roast meat to him, smiling as she said, "Daddy, why are you eating only the rolls? Try some of the roast Zess made. It’s yummy!"
The sound of Leah’s child-like and sweet voice made the knot in Michael’s chest tighten even more.
Looking up, Michael’s eyes subconsciously glanced at Wendy.
And Wendy happened to look up too, and their eyes met.
Wendy looked down a little and smiled. Then, she also gave some roast to Todd and said, "Zess makes very good roast. It’s your favorite, isn’t it? You should have more."
Todd was taken by surprise.
When did he love to eat roast?
He quickly caught himself and realized that Wendy had done that on purpose.
She was doing it for Michael to see.
Todd smiled as he picked up the roast and put it in his mouth. "Um, this is really delicious," he said as he chewed.
And then Todd gave some to Wendy too.
Michael was watching their every move.
Suddenly, he felt his eyes grow moist.
So as not to let anyone notice, Michael forced himself to smile and said, "I’ve had enough. You all take your time to eat."
Michael put down his knife and fork, stood up, and left the table.
However, Michael leaving the table did not make Todd feel happier but instead feel gloomier.
Because Wendy hardly ever served him food whenever they ate together.
"Daddy, but you didn’t eat much. How can you be full already?" Leah called after Michael out of concern.
"I had eaten before coming, so I’m not that hungry," Michael said with his back to her. He did not dare to turn around.
Leah did not suspect anything and nodded. "Daddy, go sit on the sofa for a while. I’ll go over once I’ve finished my dinner."
Jake had not spoken a word since Michael had arrived.
When Wendy had told them about Michael’s birthday gifts for them, Jake’s heart had softened a little.
It was, after all, a thick, handwritten book about Michael’s business experiences.
Unfortunately, a betrayal was a betrayal.
Jake would always stand on Wendy’s side.
Since Jake did not know how to face his father, he decided to simply ignore Michael.
Leah liked Michael very much, so Jake left it up to Leah to play with Michael while he was here.
As long as nobody forced Jake to forgive Michael, he was fine.
"Mr. Lucas, aren’t you busy? If you don’t have any other business here, why don’t you get on with your work?"
That was Wendy’s way of asking him to leave.
Wendy had agreed to let Michael stay for a while only to comfort Leah.
But now, he had even finished dinner.
Why should he continue to stay on?
Michael, who was about to sit down on the sofa, heard what Wendy said and was unsure what to do.
He realized once more that this was Wendy’s house, and their relationship was really no longer like before.
He nodded his head slightly. He knew that he had no right to remain any longer.
"Daddy... " Leah sounded like she was about to cry when she saw Michael head towards the door.
The cries of his daughter broke Michael’s heart further.
He did not look back because he was afraid they would see the helplessness and wretchedness on his face.
"Leah, be good. I will visit you again." Michael then bit his lips, hardened his heart, and walked out.
The sound of the front door closing could be heard by everyone, and Leah jumped down from her chair, wanting to run out after Michael.
"Leah!" Jake jumped down too and pulled her back.
Leah turned to look at Jake with tears in her eyes. "Jake, Daddy is leaving," she wailed. "Daddy only came for a short a while. Why did he leave so soon?"
"He’s an adult and is busy with many things. He can’t spend all his time with you. Just like how Mummy has to work every day," Jake explained. "When you’re older, you’ll need to work too."
"Then, I don’t want to grow up, I don’t ever want to grow up," cried Leah.
Jake held his little sister in his arms and patted her back. Each pat was light and gentle.
After Leah had cried for a while, Jake let go of her and wiped away her tears. "You haven’t finished your dinner yet," he said. "Let’s finish our food, then I’ll read to you a bedtime story, ok?"
"Ok," said Leah. After crying, she knew that her Daddy had left. She could not continue being unreasonable and kick up a fuss.
She wiped away her tears and returned to her seat. Her eyes were still red from crying, but she picked up her food and continued eating.
Wendy’s heart also ached when she saw how sad Leah was. But Wendy could not do anything about it.
Michael needed to be taught a lesson, or else he would never learn and think that his ways were always right.
After dinner, Jake went to play with Leah.
Zen helped Zess clear the table.
Wendy and Todd sat on the sofa.
Wendy held the remote control and asked Todd, who was next to her, "What would you like to watch?"
"Anything is fine. Whatever you like to watch."
Wendy mumbled an "ok" in response to Todd.
Wendy surfed the channels till she found a variety show. It did not seem too bad, and she set down the remote control.
"Corrine," Todd turned to the side to look at her. "Is it ok for me to ask what did you and Michael talk about in private?"
Todd was both worried and scared.
He was scared that before he could get Wendy to fall in love with him, she had made up with Michael.
He was very clear that now was his best and only chance.
If he was unable to get Wendy to fall in love with him while her relationship with Michael was so bad, then he really would never have another chance in the future.
What Michael had said about him was true.
He was taking advantage of Michael while he was down.
But Todd had been secretly in love with Wendy for more than five years. He felt that it was time to give himself a chance.
Wendy looked down and blinked. "What else could we talk about?" she replied with a question.
"How about you? What do you think?" Todd asked, looking at Wendy’s face. He continued, "Michael seems to be eyeing the shares that you have. He even made a special trip all the way here to talk to you."
Todd was actually still a little conflicted about Wendy’s shares.
If Wendy were to sell off her shares, then she would no longer be able to be a part of HG’s board of directors. She would be back to square one as HG’s head of design.
But of all people, it had to be Michael who asked her to sell.
If Wendy were to sell off her shares for Michael, then Todd would have lost all his chances.
"My position is very clear. I had finally gotten my hands on those shares. There is no way I’m going to sell them off so easily," Wendy replied.
Wendy’s reply was what Todd had expected.
However, his heart started to panic a little.
He looked down and was silent for a while. Then he said, "Corrine, the present Michael Lucas is no longer the same man you once knew. He came all the way here just for your shares. He could even say heartless things like breaking up with Yonina Collins. Such a man will never be able to bring you happiness."
"I know," Wendy said, nodding her head.
"I... " Todd was stumped by Wendy’s curt and fast reply. He thought for a bit and said, "I don’t have any other meaning. I’m only afraid that you might get swayed by his sweet nothings."
"I understand," Wendy nodded her head again. "Thanks for your concern."
Now, Todd really did not know what else to say.
"So, you’ve never considered selling off your shares?" Todd asked, looking for another topic. "Of course, I don’t mean selling them to lend money to Michael Lucas. I mean like selling them off and then leaving HG or something."
Wendy looked at the time and stood up, smiling at Todd. "It’s getting late," she said.
This time she was asking Todd to leave.
It was clear that Wendy did not want to answer Todd’s question.
Todd could take a hint.
Standing up, he nodded his head and said, "It is rather late. I’ll head home now. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow," Wendy smiled and waved at him. Looking at him, she added, "Please let yourself out."
"All right," Todd replied and left.
After Todd had gone home, Wendy wiped the smile off her face. Her expression slowly turned dark.
Wendy saw that Zess was still busy in the kitchen. Wendy took a deep breath and went inside.
Then she came out again holding an envelope filled with cash.
"Zess," said Wendy entering the kitchen.
Zess turned her head towards Wendy’s voice.
"Wendy, has Mr. Lewis left?" Zess asked with a smile.
"Yes, he’s left," said Wendy. She held out the envelope to Zess and said, "I’m sorry about what happened today. I didn’t mean to yell at you, and I’m not blaming you."
"I know. I didn’t take it to heart," said Zess. She had worked for Wendy for a few years already and naturally understood Wendy’s character well.
"Here’s some extra cash. Take it as my apology." Wendy took a step closer when Zess did not accept the money.
"Wendy, you don’t have to," said Zess, waving her hands in protest. "I really didn’t take it to heart. You already pay me way more than average. And you also give me extra during Christmas. I really cannot accept more money from you."
"If you don’t accept it, it means you haven’t forgiven me," Wendy said, deliberately hardening her expression.
"No, no, no, I really don’t blame you," Zess felt a little embarrassed. She continued, "To be honest, as a maid working in someone’s house, it is quite normal to get told off now and then. You have never yelled at me before. I know that you did that on purpose because Mr. Lucas was here. I can understand."
Wendy saw that Zess still refused to accept the money, so she pushed it directly into Zess’s hand and said, "Take it. You’ve been taking such good care of my house and my children for so many years. I’m always grateful to you."
The envelope felt rather heavy, so Zess wanted to return it. But when she reached out, Wendy quickly hid her hands behind her back.
"Oh... all right, I’ll take it," Zess laughed. "Thank you."
"Don’t mention it." Wendy looked behind Zess and rolled up her sleeves. "Let me help you clean up."
"No, you don’t have to. I’ll be done soon," Zess pushed Wendy out, not allowing her to step into the kitchen.
Wendy was truly very grateful and appreciative for Zess.
She was also very fortunate to have found a maid who was so hardworking, good at details, and good-natured.
