Mr. Gatson’s Bride Is Back - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Finding Dad

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Sandra’s eye widened, obviously hurt. She felt as though she had just been stabbed in the heart. She turned pale and asked with teary eyes, “Max, why?”

Max Gaston did not look at her. Instead, he stood up and took two steps away from his seat. He turned around and looked straight into Sandra’s eyes as he spoke. The words that came from his mouth were cold and unfeeling, “If it bothers you so much, you can cancel our wedding engagement right now.”

“…”

“Max, you know that I love you. I’m just thinking that what you’re doing is very unfair to Mary,” Sandra pleaded. The fists she placed beside her body were clenched tight as she tried her best to suppress the jealousy that overcame her. Max had treated her a little better today. She had to make him stay.

Max laughed coldly, “So you have to treat Mary better next time. Jason is my child.”

“I will. As long as Mary is willing, I will bring Jason up as if he’s my own,” Sandra promised.

“There’s no need for that,” Max replied. His gaze swept past the necklace around Sandra’s neck, then uttered, “I’ll get Matthew to send you back.”

He then quickly walked out of the room, leaving her behind. Sandra took a deep breath and forced her tears back. She raised a hand to stroke the necklace around her neck. Her eyes burned viciously as she thought, ‘Mary Hanks, you b*tch. Why did you have to come back alive?’

As Max walked out of 1587, he saw John Liam driving away. Matthew walked toward him and was just about to speak when he saw the wound on his lip. He asked in shock, “Sir, your lip—”

Max glanced at Matthew and instructed with a deepened tone, “Go and look for Sandra on the third floor and send her home.”

“What about you, sir?” Matthew asked.

“I’ll drive home myself,” Max replied. He always had a car parked here as he frequented this restaurant.

Max received a call from Matthew an hour later telling him that Sandra did not go home. Instead, she had gotten Matthew to send her to the Gastons’.

—

When Mary returned to he office she made herself a bowl of noodles. She had just started work when a female client arrived and asked to see her specifically.

Mary was concentrating on her laptop when Priscilla Johnson led the client into her office. She looked up when she heard the noise and Priscilla introduced, “Mary, this is Ms. Tracy Polt. Ms. Polt, this is our boss.”

“It’s been a long time, Ms. Hanks,” Tracy Polt greeted while sweeping an arrogant gaze past Mary. Her words were laced with a little disdain.

Priscilla was a little shocked by her attitude. She looked at Mary, a little worried about how high and mighty Tracy was acting.

Mary calmly instructed, “Priscilla, go and get us two cups of coffee.”

“I don’t drink instant coffee,” Tracy interrupted, her tone filled with condescension.

Mary smiled calmly, “I’m sorry, Ms. Polt, we only have instant coffee here. We treat all our customers equally.”

In other words, Mary was not going to entertain Tracy’s preferences. Tracy’s arrogant face faltered. However, she tolerated it when she remembered the reason she came.

She took out her phone and glanced at it after sitting down on the sofa. She then said to Mary, who was sitting on the other side of the sofa, “I only found out that you’re still alive from John.”

Mary smiled coldly but did not reply. It didn’t seem like Tracy was expecting a reply anyway. Tracy continued, “I bumped into Sandra White just now. I heard that you also brought a son back. Is he Max Gaston’s child?”

“You didn’t come and find me just for gossip, did you, Ms. Polt?” Mary interrupted Tracy, her expression unchanged.

Tracy chuckled, “Of course not. I’m here to talk business with you. You can name any price you want.”

“What kind of business do you want to discuss?” Mary asked.

“Help me publish a photo essay. I’ve brought the photos along,” Tracy said as she handed a thumb drive over to Mary, “Ms. Hanks, have a look at this first.”

Mary brought her laptop over and placed it on the coffee table. During this time, Priscilla had also delivered the coffee and left.

Mary inserted the thumb drive into the laptop and accessed the file. She had a look of realization when she saw the photos, though she was not very shocked by them at all. She had already expected that Tracy’s intentions to not be that simple from the moment Tracy stepped into the office.

Tracy had been observing the changes in Mary’s expression. She saw that she barely had any reaction, and asked with a smile, “Ms. Hanks, do you think these photos would work?”

“There doesn’t seem to be any problems in theory,” Mary replied. She pulled out the thumb drive and returned it to Tracy.

Tracy received the thumb drive and asked with a raised brow, “Why only in theory?”

Mary took a sip of her coffee and said with a faint smile, “There won’t be a problem if you have gotten approval from the owner of the photos. If not, when the article is published, you might—”

Tracy placed the thumb drive on the coffee table and interrupted coldly, “I’ll bear responsibility for any consequence. John and I have known each from young. He won’t utter a word as long as I want to publish them. It wouldn’t matter even if the photos showed something even more intimate, much less normal photos like these.”

“Then there are no problems,” Mary replied.

“I’ll leave the photos here. You can pick and choose from any of them but select those where both parties can be seen. I’ve written my requirements in the second document,” Tracy instructed.

She then stood up and took two steps forward, but turned around again and said to Mary, “Ms. Hanks, Sandra’s relationship with Mr. Gaston over the years has not been good. Since your son is also a part of the Gastons, I wish that you’ll find happiness with Mr. Gaston as soon as possible.”

Tracy also added without giving Mary a chance to speak, “John has always been waiting for me to return to the country. We’ll get engaged latest by the end of the year.”

She left the office after she finished saying her piece.

Priscilla walked into the office a few minutes later. Mary handed her the thumb drive and told her about Tracy’s requirements. Priscilla opened her eyes wide in shock as she asked, “Mary, is the relationship between Tracy and Mr. Liam true?”

“I don’t know,” Mary answered, shaking her head.

“I think that her love for Mr. Liam is one-sided,” Priscilla commented.

Mary smiled and replied, “Don’t be such a busybody. Send the work to me after you’re done with it.”

Five years ago, Max Gaston had told her that the candidate for John’s wife had been decided by his family. That candidate was Tracy Polt. Tracy already did not like Mary from back then. Though it was only now that she told Mary in the face that she would be engaged to John.

—

Mary received a message from Max saying that he had a dinner to attend before she got off work. She did not reply.

When she got home after work, she had dinner with Jason. They then bonded over games and Mary helped Jason revise what he had learned during the day. She then prepared the bath for him.

At nine o’clock, Jason was sitting on Mary’s bed in leopard-print pajamas. He had a phone in hand and was on a video call with John, “Uncle Liam, you’re looking even more handsome.”

“You’re growing more handsome too, Jason,”

“Uncle Liam, let me tell you a secret. Mom doesn’t like flowers. Don’t send her flowers if you want to woo her. She likes video games, robots, and other cool toys like that,” Jason advised.

“Is that so?” John asked. He smiled and affirmed, “Alright, I’ll remember that.”

“Uncle John, you have to thank me once you successfully woo my mother,” Jason said.

Jason had only remembered John when he heard Mary’s conversation with him over the phone just now. He had been on a video call with John before when he was overseas. He also observed them when Mary had video calls with John.

Since he needed to find a father urgently, Jason had secretly sent John an invitation for a video call while Mary was showering..