She Was Never Just a Pretty Face novel Chapter 149

Late June.

Jolie Lovell returned to work at Aegis Group.

After a period of treatment and companionship.

She had reverted to her vibrant, radiant self.

She was incredibly competent at her job.

She accompanied Luther to all sorts of social engagements.

Even Yorick Lynn had started calling her his sister-in-law.

Jolie looked increasingly stunning; there was no trace that she was a woman missing her spleen and womb. It was as if she had been thriving on some miraculous supplement. There was only one problem: Luther's parents refused to let her in the door. The last time he took Jolie back to the old estate, his mother had chased them off without even letting them step inside.

They were keeping it all a secret from Matilda.

Matilda's health was failing.

She constantly asked for Hilda and little Annie.

Nathan and Eleanor had no choice but to pacify her with lies.

Later, Matilda must have sensed something. She stopped asking, but every evening at dusk, she would have someone wheel her out into the courtyard. Sitting in her wheelchair, she would stare toward the front gates. She said that, in the past, this was the exact time little Annie would come home from school. She said it had been so long since she had seen Hilda or her precious Annie. Sometimes, half-asleep, she would clutch Eleanor's hand and murmur softly, "Eleanor, have you seen my Annie? Have you seen Hilda? Where did those girls go? I wait and wait, but they never come. I'm afraid I'll pass away before they return. Are they still at the Sanford house? How are they doing? Are they eating well? Are they sleeping well? If only I could move, I'd go out and find them myself."

Eleanor's heart bled.

Once she had comforted the old woman and left the room.

She would hide where no one could see her and weep uncontrollably.

Her heart ached for Matilda, and it ached even more for Hilda.

Even now, Hilda was still strictly on bed rest. The doctor had said she couldn't return to work until the baby was born. Sometimes, Eleanor selfishly wished Hilda would just abort the child—it would make things so much easier for her and Harrell to be together. But she was the baby's biological grandmother. How could those words ever leave her mouth?

The more she resented the situation, the more violently she despised Jolie.

Yet it seemed Luther fully intended to marry that bitch.

—Luther had completely discarded his parents from his heart.

...

For a very long time, Luther hadn't seen Hilda.

It was as if she had vanished from Alpha City's high society entirely. Her exhibition had been a massive success, and she had become a highly sought-after young artist just as she wanted. Countless people were practically throwing money at her, begging for a piece of her work. Yet no one knew where Hilda was.

Some said Hilda was in seclusion; others claimed she had gone abroad to heal after being cast out of her wealthy marriage.

Regardless, no one had seen her.

—For an entire month.

If they were glued together twenty-four hours a day and only ever talked about work, that kind of marriage felt far too dull and sterile. But out of guilt and pity, he chose to humor her, discussing the project over their meal. The atmosphere was fairly pleasant.

After they finished eating, Luther wanted to rest for a bit.

But the woman boldly climbed into his lap.

Her fingers unbuttoning his dress shirt.

The man's skin ran hot at her touch, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

Luther was a normal man with needs.

Ever since his brutal falling out with Hilda, he had gone nearly two months without sex. In the past, when he and Hilda were together, their frequency had been incredibly high. Unless it was her time of the month, they practically went at it morning and night, and even more on weekends. Going this long without release, his body was already strung tight.

Now that he was divorced, there were no legal restraints holding him back.

Luther stopped repressing himself.

Especially with a woman being this proactive.

The two kissed fervently.

The man gripped her slender waist, his other hand cupping the back of her head to deepen the kiss. After kissing for a long while, the man couldn't hold back anymore. He scooped the woman up into his arms, kissing her the entire way as he carried her into the private rest area.

The door was violently kicked shut behind them.