Chapter 720 Wilful
Stephanie pouted willfully, thinking she should be treated as a priority because she was pregnant. “Mom, it’s Noah’s fault. There’s simply a child in my belly, that’s all, and he’s acting like it’s a big deal. He won’t let me do anything. If this continues, I’m going to make a trip to the hospital for an abortion.” Olivia almost blew her top when she heard that.
Amelia, on the other hand, shook her head. Seems like Stephanie has become increasingly obnoxious after her marriage. She actually had the audacity to mention aborting the baby! Amelia was confident that if Stephanie put what she said into practice, the Walker family would kill her.
Noah didn’t get married to Stephanie out of pure love; he was only nice to her because of the Clintons. The Walker family also wished she could give birth to a child as soon as possible so they could have a rightful heir to the family. Above all, Noah was the Walker family’s only son. The woman he married couldn’t necessarily be regarded as a tool for giving birth, but their seemingly perfect marriage wouldn’t be able to last long if Stephanie failed to conceive a child.
Alas, Stephanie was spoiled by Noah’s unintentional conniving. Thinking she could get away with anything, she made no effort to mind the words that came out of her mouth, having no idea that what she said had angered both Noah and Isabella. Nonetheless, the duo could only suppress their fury because the Clintons were present.
Just then, Tony’s adorable voice broke the awkward and tense atmosphere. “Mommy!”
Everyone wheeled around to look at Amelia and Oscar, finally realizing their presence.
Tony wriggled his tiny body and slid out of Olivia’s arms before running over to his mother, hugging her legs.
Amelia bent down and picked her son up. Then, she walked toward Olivia with Oscar by her side and greeted, “Mom.”
“Oh, you’re here. Let’s eat.”
Stephanie concealed the annoyance on her countenance the moment she saw Oscar. She put on a smile and fixed her hair, which wasn’t even messy, to begin with. “Oscar, when did you come back?”
“I’ve just arrived and happened to see you reprimanding your husband like a queen. I bet it’s not easy for Noah to have married someone like you,” said Oscar straightforwardly.
Stephanie’s face fell as she explained anxiously, “Oscar, please don’t misunderstand. I wasn’t reprimanding Noah. I just don’t want him to set limitations on what I can or cannot eat. Yes, I am pregnant, but I’m not a criminal. Please talk to him for me, Oscar. He’s always so nervous around me as if I were terminally ill.”
Olivia glared at her daughter out of irritation and ordered the housekeepers to bring the dishes out. Amelia questioned, “Mom, where’s Dad?”
“An old friend of his received a piece of ancient jade, and he was curious, so he went to take a look at it. He went out at noon and hasn’t been back since. When I called him, he was arguing with someone over whether the jade is authentic or not and if it was worth the price. Looks like he won’t come back if the argument doesn’t bring any results. So, let’s eat without him. Those old friends of his won’t let him go hungry, so don’t worry about him” uttered Olivia with a smile.
“Looks like Dad has gotten himself some cultured hobbies after he retired from his position. That’s good, though. At least he won’t idle away his time after retirement.” Amelia adjusted her posture of carrying Tony.
Olivia nodded in agreement.
After everyone took their seats at the dining table, Olivia had Tony sit next to him and fed him personally.
Halfway through the meal, Noah stole a glance at Oscar and said with hesitation, “Oscar, I heard from Isabella that an accountant in Clinton Corporations absconded with a large amount of money. Do you need my help? Although the Walker family isn’t as well-developed as the Clinton family over the past few years, we can still lend a hand to resolve such trivial matters.”
“No need. All you have to do is live a good life with Steph and ensure her happiness. That being said, you can’t pamper her and give her everything she wants, or she’ll take things for granted,” replied Oscar.
Stephanie stuffed a mouthful of food into her mouth before exclaiming indignantly, “How can you be on his side, Oscar? He’s lucky to marry me, okay? If you don’t believe me, ask him.”
Noah took a piece of tissue and wiped away the bits of food on the corner of her lips before saying gently, “Slow down. No one’s snatching your food.” Subsequently, he turned and spoke to Oscar. “Pampering her is my choice, Oscar. I’m lucky enough that she’s willing to marry me. Moreover, she’s now bearing my child, so I think my life is already perfect. It’s not that I’m pampering her on purpose. It’s just that before she appeared, my life was plain and boring, filled with nothing but work. She changed my life for the better by bringing me so much happiness and color.”
Stephanie’s cheeks flushed red, but she still let out a proud snort. “It’s a good thing you know that. In the future, you have to treat me nicer than you do now, or I won’t bear a child for you anymore.”
Noah’s attitude became even more tender. “Of course, I’ll treat you nicer every day.”
Amelia watched their sweet interaction with a pair of apathetic eyes. If I hadn’t known about Noah’s true colors, I would’ve thought he was a man who loves his wife deeply when observing such a scene.
However, now that she knew Noah’s true nature, she had to admit that he excelled at disguising himself with the demeanor of a perfect husband. All of a sudden, Amelia found herself feeling sorry for Stephanie. Would she break down when she finds out about his true colors one day?
I bet she’s going to be devastated when the true love that she had firmly believed in turned out to be a bunch of fakeries.
“Amelia, why are you looking at Noah like that?” Stephanie, who was holding a fork, glowered at Amelia warily. “Noah is now my husband. You already have Oscar to yourself, so nip your wild desires in the bud, all right?”
The moment she said that, the light atmosphere was once again rendered tense.
“What nonsense are you talking about, Steph? Looks like you’ve become more and more undisciplined after marriage. How can you say something like that?” reproached Olivia, her expression grim.
“But Mom, she was staring at Noah. I just wanted to remind her,” complained Stephanie with a pout.
Olivia could feel her rage boiling over when facing her rude daughter.
Oscar, on the other hand, merely glanced at his sister and uttered, “Steph, do you think your husband is better than me?”
Stephanie fell silent for a while before putting her fork down. She mumbled timidly, “That’s not what I meant, Oscar. I just think Amelia is too outstanding, and a lot of men might uncontrollably fall in love with her. That’s why I had my guard up. I’m really sorry.”
Oscar’s lips curled into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes as he sneered. “Steph, you should learn some rules and regulations from an etiquette coach when you’re free. Don’t act rude and unruly like those obnoxious shrews.”
Stephanie bit her lip bitterly when she heard Oscar’s words.
Olivia, who was making every effort to suppress the anger that brewed within her, subconsciously gripped Tony’s arm, causing the young boy to yelp in pain.
“Grandma, you’re hurting me,” he complained.
Olivia finally regained her senses when she heard Tony’s soft voice.
She anxiously examined Tony’s arm and asked, “Does it hurt? I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
Tony shook his head and consoled his grandmother, “I’m fine, Grandma.”
Stephanie dared not speak recklessly anymore after noticing Olivia’s wrath.
The meal quickly came to an end on an unpleasant note. Right after that, Olivia urged Noah and Stephanie to leave, “Steph, Noah, it’s quite late, so you guys should get going. It’s dangerous to drive late at night, after all.”
“But Mom, you said it’s okay for Noah and me to stay the night. How can you go back on your words?” Stephanie said, displeased.
“You’re already married. It’s not very suitable for married people to stay in their parents’ houses.”
Just as Stephanie was about to say something, Noah began, “Steph, let’s go back first. If you love coming here, I can bring you here again when I’m free. You’re pregnant now, so it’s not healthy for you to travel back and forth.”
Stephanie wanted to throw a tantrum but soon composed herself when she remembered how she had angered Olivia just now. She figured that if she misbehaved again, the chances of visiting Olivia’s place would definitely decrease.
Thus, she swallowed her indignation and left with Noah.
On their way back to the Walker residence, Stephanie maintained a gloomy mien. She stormed straight upstairs right after they reached home without even greeting the others.
Carol knitted her brows and asked, “Is something wrong? You guys only went for a meal, right? What’s with the attitude?”
Isabella was annoyed as she complained, “Mom, your daughter-in-law is outrageous. She has such a bad temper. During the meal, she senselessly accused Amelia of taking a liking to Noah, and she said that out loud right in front of Noah. Moreover, she also foolishly upset Aunt Olivia. I don’t know what’s going on in her mind. Did she even think before she speaks?”
Carol’s countenance darkened as she said, “Noah, you should keep Steph in check. She’s getting more and more temperamental by the day. You didn’t marry her for us Walkers to treat her like a princess.”
Noah’s eyes narrowed as a dangerous glint flashed across his pupils.
“Mom, she’s still pregnant, so please bear with her. Also, don’t forget she has the Clintons as her backing. We still need the Clintons’ help to further strengthen our family.”
Carol stopped saying anything, silently agreeing with her son’s point of view that their company still needed support from the Clintons. Otherwise, no one would be willing to marry a defiant woman.
“Mom, you should go and get some rest.”
Carol nodded and sighed before heading upstairs.
Isabella crossed her arms and looked at her brother as she said with contempt, “Noah, since when have you become a coward? Look at you! You’ve pampered Stephanie into an unruly shrew who rebukes you however she wanted without giving a hoot about your dignity. Even I think you’re timid and useless.”
“Shut up.”
“Yeah, I’ll shut up, but look at what a weakling you are right now! You can’t even keep a woman under control. How can we leave the Walker family’s huge business in your hands when you can’t even do that? As your sister, I feel sorry for you.”
“Isabella Walker, if you dare spout nonsense, I don’t mind letting you find out if I’m truly a weakling or not,” threatened Noah.
“I’m the only person you could yell at right now, huh? If you’re so capable, why don’t you teach your wife a lesson and make her listen to you? If you succeed in doing so, I’ll submit to you and trust your ability.”
Noah’s joints cracked as he clenched his fists forcefully.
“What’s wrong? Did I hit the nail on the head? Do you feel like punching me in the face?”
Noah shot his sister a meaningful glare before turning to stride upstairs.
As soon as he entered the room, a pillow came flying right at him. He didn’t manage to dodge in time, and the pillow hit him squarely on the face.
Noah grabbed the pillow and could feel his wrath swirling within him like a tornado.
“Get out of here, Noah Walker!” yelled Stephanie angrily.
Instead of walking away, Noah marched forward with the pillow in his grip. He then sat down by the bed and pinched Stephanie’s face. Even though he was still wearing his usual smile, the dangerous glint in his eyes could not be ignored.
“Calm down, Steph. You’ll affect the baby.” He tightened his grasp on her face, causing her to groan in pain.
She was the kind of person to pick on those who were weaker than her but feared those who exuded dominance over her.
“Noah Walker, do you not love me anymore? All you care about is the child in my belly, right?” she asked meekly.
Noah chuckled and reverted to the perfect husband image that he portrayed before others.
“Silly girl. I’m nervous because you’re bearing our child. This child is the first fruit of our union, so of course I care.”
The look of fright on Stephanie’s face finally eased after hearing that.
“Are you mad because I complained about you to my mother just now?” she questioned.
He continued wearing a gentle smile. “No. Why would I be mad at you? You’re my precious wife. I cherish you more than anything in the world.”
Stephanie was delighted to hear his sweet words of affection. Alas, little did she know that the man’s loving demeanor would soon be proven to be fake.
