My Secret Husband Is My Cold Boss novel Chapter 74

Jade's words echoed in Wendy's head for days, so much so that she barely slept for two nights straight.

Spending every day together, Sampson noticed her exhaustion immediately.

The next morning, the moment she buckled her seatbelt, he handed her a sleep mask.

"Have you been too tired these past few days?"

"Put this on and catch some sleep on the ride."

"I'm not tired," Wendy said, shaking her head.

She gripped the sleep mask, staying silent for a couple of seconds.

"My mom's birthday is this week. She asked me to come home for dinner."

Sensing she had more to say, Sampson didn't rush to start the engine.

"I'll prepare a gift."

Wendy shook her head again. "...That's not what I wanted to talk about."

Sampson sat up straighter, giving her his full attention.

She hesitated, letting out a soft sigh before speaking. "I told you before that I didn't move to the capital until just before college."

"That house belongs to my stepdad."

"Our relationship is pretty strained... so I really don't want to bring you to have dinner with them."

Before they got married, Wendy had given him a brief overview of her family situation.

Since she hadn't mentioned them once since the wedding, Sampson had already deduced that she wasn't close to them.

By the looks of it, things were even worse than he had imagined.

Otherwise, she wouldn't be this stressed out over a simple dinner.

Sampson turned to look at her. "Then how do you want to handle it?"

Some things were incredibly hard to admit while being looked at so intently.

Wendy lowered her eyes, her lips pressed tightly together.

Her brow furrowed in distress, looking as though she was struggling to find the words. Sampson softened his tone. "Just tell me. It's okay."

Wendy looked up, meeting his gaze.

Confirming that he truly didn't seem bothered, she finally spoke through the lump in her throat. "I was wondering... could you just drop me off so my mom can meet you briefly?"

Showing up to meet the parents and not even staying for a meal was incredibly rude, and Wendy knew it.

So, the moment she made the request, she quickly added, "As for dinner, we can take them out somewhere nice just the two of us on a weekend later..."

"You don't need to overcomplicate it."

Sampson smiled, reaching out gently to ruffle her hair. "When I said it's okay, I meant we'll do whatever makes you comfortable."

The light returned to Wendy's eyes.

Ever since that massive argument, a wall had been built between mother and daughter.

But Kimberly never expected that her daughter would go off and sign a marriage license with a man she hadn't even met.

"When did this happen? Why didn't you say anything beforehand?"

Wendy could hear the sheer displeasure in her mother's voice, though she was trying hard to suppress it.

"A while ago. I forgot to mention it."

Wendy kept her tone flat. "I'm telling you now just to give you a heads-up, so it's not a shock when I bring him over."

Kimberly was silent for a long time.

Finally, she sighed. "Fine. If you're married, you're married. We'll talk about the details when you bring him over for dinner."

"We aren't staying for dinner."

Judging by the sharp intake of breath over the line, Kimberly was struggling to keep a lid on her temper.

Wendy explained, "He has to work this weekend. I'm bringing him over just to meet you, but he doesn't have time to stay for a meal."

"I have a surgery coming up. I have to go."

And just like that, the plan was set.

Kimberly's actual birthday was next Wednesday, but Wendy didn't have that day off.