Chapter 468 Each Takes What He Needs
Veronica was reminded of the ‘wild’ things that went down in the cave earlier as she stared at Matthew’s figure. She couldn’t stop herself from blushing, and there was even an odd sense of joy that bubbled within her as she thought about it. Right then, Skyler came over with a bottle of beer. “Here you go. You’ll have to finish three bottles as punishment,” he teased.
“Fine, fine. It’s my fault, anyway.” She took the beer from him and chugged it while thinking… Doesn’t Matthew like Sasha? Why would he get involved with me? Is this what others mean when they say that the grass is always greener on the other side? Even with Sasha committed to him, he still misses the excitement of being with me. Is that why he was so wild and passionate earlier?
I guess this is the only way I can make sense of it. Well, there’s no harm done, I guess. We’re all adults, and it’s not wrong to say that we have to fulfill our bodily desires. Furthermore, I don’t have a boyfriend, so… what I’m doing isn’t wrong, is it? Veronica felt better after comforting herself a little.
“Woah, your alcohol tolerance is impressive, Veronica,” someone commented. “Roni’s tolerance is no joke!” “How impressive. She drank it all without hesitating.” “It really seems like no amount of alcohol can get you drunk, Demoness.”
“Woah, woah. That’s great. You’re so cool, Veronica.”
…
Everyone cheered for Veronica as she finished all three bottles of beer. Then, she took a seat on the ground beside Larry as he handed her a few skewers. “Here. Try some of my cooking.” There were fried fish cakes, squids, and some meat. These were all Veronica’s favorite foods, and she was shocked that Larry remembered her preferences.
She took the skewers from him while smiling. “It’s been years since I tried the skewers that you’ve prepared. I wonder if they still taste the same,” she said before taking a bite of the food. She chewed on it slowly while nodding in awe. “Your career in the entertainment industry is really in the way of your success as a barbeque stall owner! Hahaha…”
“You should eat more if you like it. I’ll prepare more for you later,” Larry offered.
“Sure.” Veronica smiled and paused for a moment before making a statement to strengthen the lie she had told earlier. “Your skewers are so much better than the ones my high school friend made.”
“Of course.” Larry let out a chuckle before handing more food to her. Matthew, who was sitting opposite them, sent a glance in Veronica’s direction every now and then. He looked rather displeased to see how attentive and sweet Larry was to Veronica, but he simply continued munching on his skewers without saying a word.
The few of them sat around and chit-chatted while eating. A while later, they gathered and played some Five Card Draw. Since they were from different family backgrounds, Shirley, Monica, and Abby preferred to play Fighting the Landlord, while Larry, Matthew, Veronica, Caleb, and Stephen preferred playing Five Card Draw. They were all immersed in their games, and their gathering only ended in the evening.
The group parted ways after that. Veronica sent Monica and Shirley home before heading home herself. She had just gotten to the entrance of her house and was changing her shoes when she received a call from Yvonne. “Yvonne?”
“I thought about it, Roni. I think… we should hand the child to Matthew. After all… I trust him more than I trust Conrad,” Yvonne said. She had interacted with Matthew a few times and had a relatively good impression of him. Furthermore, he had agreed to let her visit the child every three months, and she knew where he was planning to arrange for the child to stay.
Yvonne was afraid of Conrad, and she was terrified of Zac. So, the best choice was to hand the child to Matthew for hiding. Yvonne figured that she would take care of all the expenses. “Are you sure?” Veronica hadn’t expected Yvonne to agree with having Matthew as the caregiver.
“My mom just called me, and she told me that Zac has been bugging them. I’m worried… that we might not be able to control Zac and that he might force me to hand him the child,” Yvonne explained in a helpless and dejected tone. Veronica knew that Yvonne probably felt like she was at her wit’s end.
“Alright. Hold on for a moment. I’ll give him a call.” Veronica changed back into her shoes before heading downstairs once more. As she walked out of her unit, she stopped near the parking lot and gave Matthew a call. Beep beep beep… The dial tone sounded thrice before he picked up the call. Veronica knew the call had gotten through, but Matthew was silent on the other end of the line. At that moment, she couldn’t help but recall what had happened in the hills earlier that day.
Her face turned into the color of tomatoes as she thought about the incident. Fortunately, there aren’t a lot of people who know about the cave in Qurra Mountain. It’s not a very popular spot. Furthermore, even though it’s a good place for having barbeques, it’s too far from the city, so there aren’t many people visiting it. Things would be truly awkward if I actually bumped into someone just now.
“Yvonne called me earlier, and she said that… She agrees with your suggestion.” Veronica went straight to the point. She spoke to him about Yvonne’s matter as if nothing had happened between her and Matthew in the cave earlier that day. Matthew could tell what she was doing, but there seemed to be a tacit agreement between them. “Fine. Tell her to send the kid over to the parking lot in the mall, and I’ll send someone over to pick the kid up. There’s no need for her to bring anything along with her,” he instructed calmly.
“Got it,” Veronica replied. Her words were followed by a few seconds of silence. She hesitated for a long while before questioning Matthew again. “Can we really… trust you?” Veronica was worried that Conrad would use Yvonne’s child to snatch the role as the heir of the Kings family. If that’s the case, would Matthew also use the kid to threaten Conrad? But after she asked her question, she suddenly realized how dumb she sounded. With Matthew’s power, he doesn’t need to threaten Conrad at all. Conrad isn’t even worthy of his effort.
So, before Matthew could say anything, Veronica continued with her words. “I trust you. You wouldn’t do something so vile,” she declared. Then, she ended the call without saying anything else. After that, she paid a visit to Yvonne’s place and chatted with Yvonne while trying her best to avoid the maternity matron in the house. That night, both Yvonne and Veronica paid a visit to the mall that Matthew mentioned, and they handed the child to a stranger they met in the basement.
The other party brought a maternity matron with them as well, and the matron took the child into her arms immediately. Even though Yvonne couldn’t bear to part ways with her child, she felt like she didn’t have a choice as she was too afraid to bring the child home. The maternity matron carried the child into the car of a man who was dressed in a suit. Soon enough, the vehicle sped off down the road.
All Yvonne could do was watch as her child was sent off. Tears streamed uncontrollably down her cheeks, and she clasped her hand over her mouth as she let out silent sobs. Veronica hurried over to comfort Yvonne when she saw how devastated Yvonne was. “Don’t worry. This is all temporary, and you’re doing this to protect your child. You’re doing this out of love, right? There are still many things you need to deal with, so you need to stay strong, okay?” After what happened that day, Yvonne had a better understanding…
Veronica had gone through the same thing and managed to walk out of it as a stronger and better person who couldn’t be threatened. “Yeah. I know. I’ll work hard, and I won’t allow anyone to blackmail me into doing something I don’t want to do in the future,” Yvonne replied.
“All the best.” Veronica let out a sigh before continuing. “Matthew said that he’d send you guys videos after the child settles in. So, you’ll be able to hear from the child then.”
“By the way, can you ask him for the amount I have to pay him?” Yvonne was afraid that the child would live a tough life if she didn’t provide any funds. But Veronica simply smiled at this statement. “You’re saving Matthew a lot of trouble by passing him the kid. Do you think money matters more than that?” Matthew was just taking what he needed.
