Whispers of Destiny: His Belated Love novel Chapter 175

She was all fired up, her lips inches away from planting one on Maxwell when he put up his hand to block her move.

Victoria didn't push it any further. Not only because he stopped her, but also because her pride wouldn't let her throw herself at him without any shame. The liquid courage from the booze vanished in a flash, and the mist in her eyes faded away, leaving her vision clear as day.

So there she was, just a palm's distance away from Maxwell, a self-mocking smile curling up on her lips, "Even if I'm not the one for you, I'm not gonna let you be with her."

Maxwell got up and went to the kitchen, coming back with a bottle of ice-cold water, and tossed it her way.

Victoria shivered as the cold hit her, and without thinking, she flung the bottle away.

Maxwell: "Sobered up?"

"…"

"Then go to sleep."

…

Rosemary had planned to sleep in on the first day of the month, but Wendy's call woke her up bright and early. "Wendy, what's up?"

Wendy sounded frantic, "Mrs. Templeton, the lady fainted, where did you put her medicine last time?"

Pearl had been diagnosed with a heart condition a while back, but it hadn’t been much of an issue until now, so the household staff had been slacking off a bit, just paying more attention to her diet.

Who would have thought she'd just pass out all of a sudden?

Rosemary sat bolt upright in bed, the drowsiness scared right out of her, and as she hurriedly got dressed, she instructed, "Bedside table, bottom drawer."

After she had brought the person home last time, she left the medicine there for Pearl's convenience.

"Wasn't mom doing fine all this time? How did she suddenly faint?"

"This…" Wendy stumbled over her words, not giving a clear reason, and then there was a 'bang' from the phone dropping to the floor, followed by a click as the call ended.

Even though Rosemary knew the old house was in good hands with Wendy, the doctor, her dad, and Maxwell there, she still felt uneasy. She quickly brushed her teeth and drove over.

When she arrived, Pearl was already awake, leaning against the headboard, her pale face devoid of any color, an IV drip in her hand.

"Dad, how's mom?"

"Much better, just a momentary fit of rage. She'll be fine once she calms down."

Rosemary nodded, not wanting to stress Pearl by asking what had upset her, but her gaze swept around the room. Maxwell was nowhere in sight.

Could they have had a fight?

But Maxwell had always been dutiful to Pearl, especially after finding out about her heart condition, doing whatever she asked. It didn’t make sense for them to suddenly have a spat.

Rosemary stood up, "I saw Wendy cooking soup when I came in. I'll go check on it. If it's ready, I'll bring a bowl up for mom."

She went downstairs, her eyes scanning the area.

Pearl must have fainted in the living room, the messy sofa and coffee table not yet tidied up. As she moved to straighten things out, she spotted something on the floor...Pearl's phone.

Her phone’s screen was still lit up because it wasn't set to lock automatically, and when Rosemary picked it up, she saw the news about Maxwell and a photo of him and Victoria kissing on the couch.

Rosemary: "Are you guys so desperate that you can't even wait two minutes to draw the curtains? Might as well live stream it."

"Rosemary," Maxwell's voice was deep and seemed angry, "What are you doing this early in the morning?"

"You know mom’s not in good shape to handle shocks like this. Why didn’t you squash the news?"

Maxwell looked down at the phone she had thrown at him. His phone had been off since last night, and he couldn't be bothered to get the charger from the car, so he was clueless about the news.

He quickly skimmed through the news on the screen, his expression growing stern as he headed back into the villa, "How's mom?"

Rosemary watched Victoria follow him inside, "You're bringing her in with you? You think mom wasn't upset enough? Want to give her another reason to faint?"

Maxwell glanced at Victoria trailing behind and pursed his lips, "Wait for me in the car."

It was Jacob Temple's memorial day, and he had promised to accompany her.

Victoria: "I want to see your mother, apologize to her face-to-face, ask for her forgiveness."

Rosemary today was totally not going to let Victoria go upstairs, no way, no how. Even if they've got to the point where it's time to meet the parents, it's a no-go. Pearl just woke up and can't handle that kind of shock: "Victoria, you so much as take one step forward, and I'll make sure you're carried out on your back."

Maxwell frowned, "Wait for me here."

Victoria was practically steaming, shooting daggers at Rosemary for a few seconds before cracking a mocking smile.

But all these expressions were hidden from Maxwell, and the voice she used was still soft and sweet, with a big sister's tolerance and gentleness: "Rosemary, are you stopping me from going up because of Auntie or is it because you've still got the hots for Maxwell? Trying to get back with him, so you're still parading around as Mrs. Templeton even after the divorce?"

At that, Maxwell's deep gaze shifted to Rosemary…