Chapter 76: Francis Ex-Wife
Chuck looked at the rearview mirror and backed the car. He was grinning ear to ear, and he was tapping his feet on the accelerator pedal to the beat music.
“Francis talked to dad, and dad’s now reconsidering the marriage! This is revolutionary. It’s like a protest! Thanks, bro! I recognize your distinguished contributions to this great, heroic cause!”This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .
“Blah…” Scarlett pretended to throw up at his pretentious tone.
“Come on, you should be happy for me!”
Scarlett just closed her eyes; she felt exhausted and sleepy. Chuck was too high energy for her right now.
“By the way, where’re you going?” asked Chuck patiently.
“I’m going to T. B. S. Empire to go get your uncle for dinner.” Scarlett lay on her side, feeling particularly sleepy in the sun.
“Ewww, you two are really clingy, huh?” Chuck snorted.
“None of your business,” Scarlett said with a passive and lazy tone.
“Well, that’s true. It’s none of my business. So I’ll take you to the head office as the best chauffeur in the world!”
“I warn you to stop talking like a boasting idiot.” Scarlett would often get sick of Chuck’s tone when he was high-strung and ecstatic.
Within half an hour, Chuck pulled over the car in front of the T. B. S. Empire building and asked, “You gonna wait here or go upstairs?” Scarlett was oblivious; she was fast asleep. Chuck decided not to wake her up, and Scarlett suddenly woke up with a shudder from her slumber.
“What’s going on?!” She asked, apparently still in her post-waking dizziness.
“We arrived. I’m asking if you’re waiting here or going up to his office directly?”
Chuck glanced at her, then snickered and said, “Not getting much sleep these days, eh?”
Scarlett sniffed and ignored him. She looked out through the window on her side and happened to see a beautiful woman in a white suit dress walking out of the T. B. S. Empire Building. She had an air of elegance and an imposing manner; three businessmen followed her in suits.
“Oh! She’s back!” Chuck spotted her as well.
Scarlett glanced sideways at him. “You know that lady?”
Chuck frowned but didn’t say a word. Scarlett opened the door and got down the car. Chuck immediately went after her.
“What are you doing?” Chuck stopped her.
Scarlett looked puzzled and said, “What? Of course, I’m going up to the office!”
Chuck was relieved but looked up to find the group of people was walking towards him, and the woman in front was staring right at him. The woman approached him and said, “Chuck, it’s you, right? Oh, I wasn’t even sure. It’s been a long time, and you’ve grown into such a handsome young man!” The woman was so enthusiastic that she stepped forward and looked at Chuck with soft eyes. Chuck smiled a polite and sweet smile, “Oh, hi. I wasn’t sure it’s you, either. You are getting more beautiful, too.” Scarlett watched their casual greetings and stood back automatically.
“Oh, thank you, Chuck. You’re always so sweet. So you’re coming for your Uncle Francis, right? Or are you working at T. B. S. Empire now?”
“Oh, no, no. I’m not working here. I’ve just got a casual appointment with Uncle Francis. Hmm…Actually I’m running kind of late, and you know he’s very… very strict about punctuality. So…”
“Oh, sure. I know him. Just go, Chuck. I’ll probably see you soon at home!” The woman beamed at him and said.
“Of course, see you!” Chuck walked directly into the building, and Scarlett followed. The woman turned around and looked at the back of the beautiful girl who stood behind Chuck just now. She was sure that Scarlett was the one she was looking for.
“So… that was Francis’s ex-wife, Vivian, right?” said Scarlett, calmly.
“How do you know that?!” Chuck looked at her in shock.
“Come on, I’ve seen her photos. She changed a bit. Looks like she got some botox, but still beautiful, very attractive.”
Chuck put his hand on her forehead and said, “Are you okay, Scarlett? Are you sick? Why are you complimenting my uncle’s ex-wife?! Are you acting like a nice girlfriend but actually planning to dump my uncle?! I can’t take responsibility for that!”
Scarlett raised her eyebrows to look at Chuck and laughed at his timid, stupid facial expression. “She is just the past. It’s all blown over. Should I be annoyed that your uncle once slept with her? Oh, come on, I would need a mathematician to tell me how many women your uncle has slept with over the years.”
Chuck said, “I hope you keep this positive attitude, but let me remind you, girl…” Chuck looked serious.
“My grandma has a crazy affection for Vivian! Now that Vivian’s back, I bet grandma will try anything I can to persuade Francis and Vivian to get married all over again. You gotta watch out.”
Scarlett stopped and turned around. “Your grandma likes me, too. Doesn’t she?”
“It’s…it’s just different. I mean, you’re now just Francis’s girlfriend, so everything’s fine. But if you want to get married to Francis, you really need to be very cautious with grandma and probably the whole family!”
“I guess it’s still too early in the game for that question, so let’s first think about what to eat tonight.” Scarlett smiled and kept walking forward.
Because of Chuck’s presence at their dinner, the topic of discussion was either finances or the stock market. Scarlett got bored because she had no interest in participating in discussions on those topics.
Occasionally, Chuck talked about his car racing game, and Scarlett was excited to join the discussion, but Francis’s stern gaze immediately evaporated all her excitement for the dangerous game.
After returning home and taking a bath, Scarlett felt wildly hungry. She went to the kitchen and made some mac and cheese for herself. By the time she came out from the kitchen holding a bowl of her favorite delicacy, Francis was already at the door, looking at her.
“Hungry?” asked Francis.
“Can’t be more obvious. You want some?” Scarlett was squinting her eyes and taking in the delicious smells of food.
“You’re probably pregnant, babe.” Francis smiled and touched her belly.
Scarlett shook his hands off and said, “No way. I’m not ready for that.”
Francis’s face changed. “Wait…you don’t want to have a baby?”
Scarlett started to eat her macaroni and answered with her mouth full, “Of course I want a baby, like, later in life… but not now. I have not even graduated from college, and I’m not ready.”
“When you say you want a baby, you mean our baby, right? Scarlett?”
Scarlett glared at him. “Who else besides you, Mr. Sandler?”
Francis’s eyes were glittering as brightly as stars. He reached out his hand to wipe off some cheese on her lips and said, “Thank you, babe.”
Scarlett teased. “Okay, go do your work now. Don’t disturb me while I’m eating my mac and cheese.” Before Francis walked up the stairs, Scarlett suddenly thought of her encounter with Francis’s ex-wife earlier that day.
“By the way, I saw Vivian at T. B. S. Empire today.”
Francis turned around and sat beside her. “So, babe, do you want to ask anything about her or us?”
“Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that I met her. She recognized Chuck, and they made small talk. And that’s about it, really.”
“I’ll tell you everything you want to know, babe. I have no secrets.” Francis held her shoulder and rubbed it lightly with his thumb.
“I’ve read everything there is to know in the newspapers. I’m not really interested in knowing more, in being honest.” Scarlett laughed; she clearly wasn’t taking any of this too seriously. She was in a joking mood.
But Francis was serious. He had a sincere look on his face.
“She’s definitely not going to affect our relationship, Scarlett. Trust me.”