While My Husband Cheated I Married His Powerful Brother novel Chapter 199

Chapter 199: Chapter 199 A Daunting Task

The living room was completely quiet.

​The old matriarch sat firmly in her wheelchair beside the indoor palm plant. Her heavy knitted blanket was draped neatly across her lap, and her sharp eyes held a stern, unwavering gaze.

​"You are his lawful wife," the old woman repeated, her voice dripping with plain disbelief. "And yet you are standing there telling me you have zero idea that your own husband is in a terrible mood?"

​A hot flush of red crept up Veyra’s neck, filling her cheeks with heat.

​She felt a sudden urge to explain the whole complicated truth. She wanted to tell the old woman that Dorian rarely spoke a word to her, that he actively made a point to avoid her, and that the two of them had not shared a single normal conversation in days.

​Yet she forced her lips shut. The matriarch was entirely unaware of the silent war raging between them. She knew nothing about their business arrangement, nothing about their secret contract, and nothing about the cold boundaries keeping them apart.

​"I have been extremely busy these past few days," Veyra offered softly, keeping her voice as steady as possible. "I have been putting all my focus into my new shop space."

​The matriarch’s dark eyes narrowed into thin slits. "Your shop."

​"Yes."

​"So you are telling me you care more about a simple milk tea shop than you do about your own husband’s physical and mental well-being?"

​Veyra kept her head lowered, choosing to offer no reply.

​As she stood there in silence, her thoughts naturally drifted to Dorian.

​He had heartlessly thrown her custom essential oil into the study waste bin. He had stood right in front of her and spoken a shameless lie about leaving it behind in another country. He had spent the last two days treating her like an invisible ghost in his own house.

​She had every right to feel bitter toward him. She was deeply frustrated, annoyed, and hurt by his cold behavior.

​Yet, despite all of that anger, she could not deny that a part of her still cared about his state of mind.

​Dorian was the man who had completely flipped her miserable fate around. He had given her a safe roof over her head, provided quiet backing for her business dreams, and held her gently in his arms when she broke down crying during her nightmare.

​He was her life benefactor, her legal husband, and the father of the child growing inside her.

​She simply could not bring herself to pretend he meant nothing to her at all.

​She carefully chose her words before speaking up again.

​"I suspect he might be facing heavy difficulties regarding his corporate work at Zeus Group," Veyra offered.

​The old matriarch raised one thin eyebrow in skepticism. "Corporate work?"

​"Or perhaps he is dealing with pressing personal matters," Veyra added, trying to sound reasonable. "It could be relationship troubles of some sort. I cannot say for certain."

​The matriarch studied Veyra’s face for several silent seconds, her sharp eyes gleaming with seasoned wisdom.

​"Relationship troubles," the old woman echoed softly. "What you truly mean to say is that the two of you had a major falling out."

​Veyra blinked her eyes in sudden surprise, her breath catching. "No, that is not—"

​"Do not attempt to pull the wool over my eyes," the matriarch interrupted, her dry voice cutting through the quiet room like a knife. "I have been married for over fifty years. I know exactly what a silent marital war looks like from a mile away."

​Veyra’s face burned even hotter, the red stain spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

​The matriarch adjusted her posture, leaning her upper body forward in the wheelchair.

​"Listen to me carefully," the old woman instructed, her tone leaving zero room for argument. "I do not care what silly disagreement took place between you two, nor do I care who started it. But Dorian is my primary grandson, and he is the current head of this entire family. When his mind is troubled and his mood turns dangerous, every single person in this household suffers the consequences."

​Veyra kept her hands folded tightly in front of her, remaining completely silent.

​"I am giving you exactly two days," the matriarch commanded, holding up two fingers. "Find out the real reason why he is acting so terribly, fix the issue, and report back to me."

​Veyra’s heart sank right into her stomach. "Two days?"

​"You heard me clearly. Two days."

​Veyra’s thoughts began spinning at high speed.

​How on earth was she supposed to pull off such a feat? She could not simply walk up to Dorian and demand answers. He would never open up to her. He barely bothered to glance in her direction when they shared a room.

​She assumed the old matriarch wanted her to quietly dig into his private corporate files, check his personal schedules, or uncover whatever secret problems were bothering him at the office.

​Yet if she started prying into his personal affairs, Dorian would instantly assume she was trying to snoop through his life. He would believe she was growing romantically attached to him, and he would push her even further away than before.

​"I honestly do not think I am capable of—"

​"You are more than capable," the matriarch interjected firmly. "You are his wife. Start acting like one."

​Before the conversation could spiral any further, Mr. Hugh stepped forward.

​The elderly head butler had been standing quietly near the entrance column the entire time, observing the back-and-forth exchange in complete silence.

​"If I may offer a brief word of advice, ma’am," Mr. Hugh spoke up smoothly, bowing his head slightly toward the matriarch.

​The old woman gave a small, permission nod.

​Mr. Hugh turned his body toward Veyra, his face softening into a warm, gentle smile. "Mrs. Thorne, when the matriarch asks you to investigate the young master’s mood, she does not expect you to act like a private detective or spy on his business affairs. She simply wishes for you to... talk with him directly."

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