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Novel Catalog
Chapter 84
“Well, that’s what happens when you drink too much,” Veronica said with a teasing tone. “You don’t have a good alcohol tolerance, so don’t drink so much in the future, okay?”
Since she was staying at Matthew’s place, she had been somewhat kinder to him, trying to make the situation less awkward.
Matthew, rubbing his nose sheepishly, responded, “Okay.” He then sat down behind the desk and asked, “Did I do anything after I got drunk?”
“Do anything?” Veronica echoed, recalling the heated kiss he had forced on her the moment she stepped through the door. “Don’t tell me you forgot who helped you to your room.”
Matthew, seemingly trying to piece it together, lifted a hand to his nose and said, “Vaguely… I remember it was… Tiffany.”
Veronica’s lips curved into a wry smile. “Oh,” she drawled, nodding slightly. “That’s fine then.” It was clear that Matthew had mistaken her for Tiffany. In a way, it worked to her advantage.
If he thought she was Tiffany, she could still rely on him. And as long as she could, she would, especially since the Larsons would likely try to get rid of her soon. Veronica wasn’t too worried, though. With Elizabeth as her god-grandmother now, the Larsons wouldn’t dare touch her foster parents. But if anything happened to her… well, her foster parents’ safety would no longer be guaranteed.
For now, staying alive was her priority—not just for herself, but to spite the Larsons.
Veronica closed the study door behind her and retreated to her bedroom. She played on her phone for a while before eventually falling asleep at 4 AM.
The next morning, Veronica woke up at 7 AM. After washing up, she stepped out of the bedroom and immediately caught the scent of something delicious in the air. Her stomach growled in response.
She saw Matthew sitting at the dining table with a glass of milk and a sandwich. “What tasty food are you eating and why didn’t you invite me to have it with you?” she asked, faking indignation as she stretched and walked over to him.
Matthew didn’t even look up as he ate, calmly chewing his sandwich. “Kitchen,” he replied briefly.
Veronica shot him a disbelieving look. “Where’s mine?”
He glanced at her before continuing his meal.
Sighing, she headed to the kitchen and found two hard-boiled eggs and a bowl of nutty banana oatmeal waiting for her. Carrying the items back to the dining room, she sat down opposite Matthew and asked, “Where did you get this food from? I didn’t know anyone delivered so early.”
She was certain this wasn’t from a mom-and-pop shop; it didn’t match the cheap food such places would serve. But the oatmeal wasn’t something someone like Matthew would settle for either.
Matthew glanced at her with an unreadable expression. “If you don’t want it, you can put it away,” he said sharply.
Veronica raised her eyebrows. “I want it. Of course, I want it,” she replied quickly, lowering her head to eat. “I’ll shut up now.”
She took a spoonful of oatmeal, her eyes lighting up in surprise. “Ah—this is fantastic. It’s so delicious. Would you like to try some?” She held up the spoon to him, eager to share.
Matthew paused, his eyes narrowing as he looked at her. Their gazes locked for a brief moment, and there was an unspoken tension between them.
Veronica’s eyes widened as she suddenly realized. “Oh—you’re fastidious about cleanliness, aren’t you? You definitely won’t use a spoon I’ve used before.”
With a quick movement, she pulled the spoon back, preparing to eat it herself.
But before she could, Matthew grabbed her wrist and leaned forward, eating the oatmeal straight from the spoon she had used. His actions were smooth, refined—almost elegant. It was as if he had done this a thousand times before.
Once he was done, he released her wrist, and Veronica stared at him in stunned silence. “Aren’t… Aren’t you a clean freak? Did you really just put something with my saliva on it into your mouth?”
Matthew shrugged nonchalantly. “I’m simply getting used to the idea.”
“Getting used to… the idea?” Veronica repeated, almost dumbfounded.
Matthew cast her a disdainful glance. “Once Grandma announces your identity to the outside world on her birthday, you’ll be moving into the Kings Residence. When that happens, we’ll have to share a dinner table every day. Don’t you think I’ll need to get used to the idea?”
Veronica thought for a moment before nodding. “That’s true. We’ll have to eat from the same platter sometimes anyway. It’s not much different.”
At least, that’s what she told herself to make sense of Matthew’s odd behavior.
Matthew didn’t say anything more as he finished the last bite of his sandwich. Veronica, on the other hand, felt her face fall when he simply muttered, “It’s okay.”
“Okay?” she repeated in disbelief. “Rich people really have too much good food. I can’t believe you’d call such delicious oatmeal ‘okay.’ Doesn’t your conscience hurt to say that?”
Deep down, she was secretly annoyed, calling him a “finicky, arrogant son of a b*tch” in her mind.
Matthew raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Veronica, feeling too full from the oatmeal, groaned, “Ugh! I’m so full.”
“Drink this,” he instructed, placing a glass of milk in front of her.
Veronica froze. “Why are you being so nice to me? Are you making a move on me?” she asked with a teasing smirk.
“It’d be wasted if I threw it away,” he answered lightly, standing up and leaving the table, as though he couldn’t be bothered to explain further.
Veronica scoffed, rubbing her warm cheek in embarrassment. To think she had actually believed Matthew might be interested in her. Apparently, he was just treating her as a trash bin for his leftover milk.
She rolled her eyes, downed the milk in one go, and then took the dishes into the kitchen to wash them.
By the time she was finished, it was already 8 AM. Veronica gathered her things, preparing to leave the penthouse. Coincidentally, Matthew was also leaving.
They exchanged a quick glance but didn’t speak a word as they both stepped into the elevator.
As the doors closed, Matthew glanced at her sideways. “Where are you going?”
“To work.”
“Where do you work?”
“Of course, it’s—” Veronica had been about to say “Xavier’s company,” but she quickly corrected herself. “I’m working with Xavier for now.”
Matthew’s eyes flickered for a moment. “Take whatever you can get. Once Grandma’s birthday is over, I’ll arrange for you to join the Spinfluence Group.”
“What?” Veronica blinked, not sure if she had heard him correctly.
