My Secret Husband Is My Cold Boss novel Chapter 16

...Wendy was completely overwhelmed by Winona's tidal wave of enthusiasm.

She reflexively looked back, searching for Sampson.

He was standing by the trunk, unloading the gifts.

Catching Wendy's silent plea for help, Sampson tried to intervene. "Mom."

"If it's too heavy, tell your father to carry it," Winona fired back, blatantly ignoring whatever he was actually trying to say.

This hilarious mother-son dynamic instantly dissolved the lingering anxiety in Wendy's chest.

In the spacious living room.

Stanley Sanders was working on a laptop on the sofa.

He carried an undeniable aura of authority, the kind that belonged to someone used to giving orders.

Seeing Wendy walk in, Stanley immediately stood up, offered a warm greeting, and abandoned his work to check on dinner in the kitchen.

It was a deeply heartwarming, wonderfully normal family meal.

Wendy wasn't interrogated about her family background, her career, or her education, just as she had feared.

When Sampson said they were just coming home for dinner, he meant exactly that—just a simple, peaceful dinner. Nothing more.

During the meal, Wendy noticed a subtle detail.

When Stanley ladled soup for Winona, he meticulously picked out every single piece of green onion before handing her the bowl.

It was an effortless motion, clearly a habit forged over thousands of shared meals.

Wendy had no idea what other people felt like when meeting the parents for the first time.

But in the Sanders household, she felt entirely at ease.

After dinner, Stanley called Sampson away.

Winona pulled Wendy aside, leading her to the plush sofa.

"Wait right here, Wendy. I have something for you."

Wendy assumed it was a standard welcome gift.

But she had severely underestimated its value.

Winona rushed upstairs. When she returned, she was holding a stack of thick property deeds.

She shoved the entire pile into Wendy's hands. "This is your dowry and my gift to you for calling me Mom. These apartments are all right near your hospital. Pick whichever one you like and move in."

Thinking about the exorbitant real estate prices near the medical center...

Wendy felt completely out of her depth and refused to take them.

Winona immediately feigned a scowl, urging her forward. "Take them!"

"You were supposed to get these before the wedding anyway. I'm already late."

"Make Sampson apologize to you properly when you get home."

Meanwhile, inside the study.

Both men were incredibly busy, and this was the first time they had seen each other since Sampson returned to the country.

Before they left, Winona, still worried, practically emptied the refrigerator, packing every conceivable snack and meal into the SUV for Wendy to take back to the hospital.

"These just need to be microwaved. Your job is so exhausting, you need to eat well."

Wendy accepted the bags with sincere gratitude.

She could accept the food, but the property deeds were entirely too much.

When they finally arrived back at the hospital.

Sitting in the parked car, Wendy immediately tried to hand the stack of documents back to Sampson.

Sampson glanced at them but made no move to take them. "It's a dowry from my mother. Just keep it."

"A dowry shouldn't be this extravagant."

Since Sampson refused to reach out, Wendy simply placed the thick stack on the center console's touchpad.

The surface of the touchpad was incredibly sleek.

And it was dark outside.

Whether it was the angle or the slippery surface, the moment the deeds rested there, they began sliding off the edge.

Seeing them plummeting straight toward the gas pedal.

Wendy instinctively lunged forward to pin them down.

With a solid thud, her hand landed squarely on Sampson's thigh—