Chapter 12: Mr Hudson Asking His Usually Unusual Wife

CAN I CROSS THE LINE?

Chapter 12: Mr Hudson Asking His Usually Unusual Wife

In the end, Mariana had no choice but to take home the pink lunch box again.

As Mariana entered the living room, she went straight to the kitchen and put the pink lunchbox on the counter. She was thinking of reheating it and eating it for dinner. Inside the kitchen, Nanny Zhang was already cooking.

"Madam, you're early today."

"Well, there's not much work today."

"That's good to hear. Madam is still young, so you should take care of your body more. Ah, was I being too much of a nag? I'm old and tend to nag on things."

"No, it's fine."

Nanny Zhang smiled and was about to continue cooking when she noticed the pink lunchbox. She looked back at Mariana who was drinking water and the lunchbox.

Nanny Zhang wanted to ask her about it, but ultimately decided not to meddle on things she doesn't know.

Mariana went upstairs and took a shower. Even though there wasn't that much work today, she was exhausted with the excitement and nervousness she had while she was talking with Bryan Martin. It feels like she suddenly ran a hundred-meter marathon when she can only run a meter dash run.

After taking a shower, Mariana sat in front of the vanity table and blew dry her hair. She was reminded of her and Garvin's first night together. He dried her hair with gentle hands that made her think he was a playboy.

'Is he a playboy?'

Judging by the way he held the hair dryer and gently tossed her hair around, he must be a professional. This was something that Mariana only realized now. And the way that he so naturally kissed her forehead at times and held her hand, he seemed to be in some relationships in the past.

'Think of it, I seemed to know nothing about him.'

From the things he likes, dislikes, favorite food, hobbies, or things about his work. All she knew was that Garvin came from an affluent family more influential than her family. Other than that, nothing about him comes to her mind.

Mariana put down the hair dryer and shook her head.

'Well, we have a lot of time together. I can know that slowly.'

Garvin: We have already been married for two years, my wife. Are we still on the getting to know each other stage?

Of course, Mariana also couldn't think of how Garvin would react once he knew she wanted to know more about him.

Mariana went downstairs and saw that Nanny Zhang was already putting the food on the table.

"You came down at the right time. I was just putting the food on the table."

"Thank you."

"Ah, I also took the initiative to reheat the food inside the lunchbox. I thought that you may want to reheat it later."

"Ah, thank you for the consideration."

"It's something I should do."

Nanny Zhang quickly finished preparing the table. But there was only Mariana now. Nanny Zhang couldn't help but take another peek on Mariana. She was currently holding her spoon and eating the reheated food from the lunchbox earlier.

"By any chance Madam, did you not open the lunchbox earlier?"

Nanny Zhang was pensive when she asked Mariana. The latter looked up at her and tilted her head.

"What do you mean?"

"Ah… never mind, Madam. Then I'll get going first."

Nanny Zhang awkwardly smiled and prepared to leave.

'Madam doesn't seem to have seen the handwritten note by Sir earlier. That's a pity.'

"Alright. Take care on your way, Nanny Zhang."

"Yes. Ah, I put something under your plate. You can take a look at it later after you have eaten."

"Alright."

Only then did Nanny Zhang open the door and go home. She was wondering what Mariana looked like after she saw the note. But then again, Mariana doesn't seem to be the best person to show any particular emotion on her face.

Back in the mansion, inside the dining room.

Mariana was sitting alone on the long table and quietly chewing on her food. After she was done, she lifted her plate and was about to put it on the sink. Then she noticed the small piece of paper.

'This must have been what Nanny Zhang was telling earlier.'

Mariana lifted it and opened the note.

"What…?"

"What are you looking at?"

"Huh…?"

"You were standing motionless there, you didn't even know that I'd already arrived."

"Oh…."

Mariana looked back on the note on her hand and to Garvin, who was changing his shoes to slippers. She kept on staring at him until he finally sat down in front of her and started eating.

"Have you just finished eating?"

"Oh… yes."

"Oh, I was late. I was thinking of having dinner with you. It's too bad, my meeting was longer than expected. I should have just ended it quicker. Tsk."

"…"

Mariana didn't reply and was instead staring at Garvin's face. She just couldn't picture this man, her husband, to write something like this. So she was bewildered.

'How can a CEO of a big company like him write something like this? It's unbelievable.'

She still couldn't wrap her head around it.

'Was this why Gwenn didn't eat the lunchbox and gave it back to me?'

Garvin stopped his actions and looked up at Mariana who was still staring at me.

"Is something on my face?"

"Nothing…."

"Then why are you staring at me? It would be better if you give me a kiss on the cheek than stare at me."

"Oh… no, I won't."

Garvin chuckled and pointed to the note on her hand.

"Why are you still holding that? Can't believe it?"

"No, it doesn't suit you."

Garvin burst out into laughter. He ended up coughing and Mariana quickly handed him a glass of water.

"So, did you eat it for your lunch?"

"No, I just ate it now. I didn't have time for lunch earlier."

"Just now? Why…."

Garvin stopped on his words and thought of his 'gift' for her.

'She might have been too excited to even eat lunch.'

So instead of scolding her, Garvin laughed and shook her head. As expected, his wife is very interesting and her honesty…. It's quite cute.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know about the note."

"It's fine. You must have been too busy to have lunch."

"No, I had lunch with Yvonne."

"Does that mean…."

"Well, I kinda forgot about the lunchbox. Sorry."

Mariana took a deep breath and looked straight at Garvin's eyes. It was something she did every time she knew she did something wrong – or even when she didn't do anything wrong but the other person insisted she did.

Garvin wiped his mouth with the table napkin and drank water. It wasn't a problem that she forgot to eat lunch, but it sort of disappointed him that she forgot. And he was also disappointed that she didn't wait for him to eat dinner.

"That's twice now."

"Huh? What do you mean 'twice'?"

"You didn't eat the lunch I asked to be made for you, and you didn't wait for me for dinner. How do you think you can pay that for me?"

"What do you mean?"

By this time, Mariana doesn't have any idea what Garvin was thinking about. She was genuinely confused and puzzled that her eyebrows furrowed deeply on her forehead.

When he saw that expression on Mariana's usual expressionless face, Garvin couldn't help but sigh at himself. How can he ask that to his usually unusual and clueless wife? Because most of the time she doesn't know how to express her emotions, she almost seemed like a person with alexithymia.

Garvin shook his head once again and stood up from his seat. He has now finished eating and doesn't have much appetite.

"Forget it."

"But what do you mean by that?"

The other thing usual about his usually unusual and clueless wife was she is very adamant asking on things she got curious on. Though she wouldn't admit it once asked.

Garvin had no choice but to give an answer.

"I mean, I prepared a lunchbox for you and we already agreed on eating together at least once a day. So, you should give me some kind of consolation or something. We haven't had breakfast together today, so we must have dinner together. Do you get it now?"

"Oh… well…."

Mariana picked up the plate she put down and put it on the sink. She intended to wash it later. But this action of hers made it look as if she was avoiding Garvin's question.

Garvin saw that and he burst out into another laughter. It made him seem as if he was bullying his wife. Garvin put his plate on the sink and the leftovers on the refrigerator.

"Tch, forget it. I am not that petty. But do you have some time this weekend?"

"This weekend? Why?"

"Let's go to visit your mother."

Mariana stopped what she was doing and looked at him. Garvin was also looking straight into her eyes.