Once Bitten, Twice Shy

Zachary did not stay in the office for too long and went out after a few minutes.

Elaine quickly stood up again and said respectfully, "Take care, Mr. Summer."

"Sure thing. You don't need to send me off."

Zachary walked off after saying that.

…

Back at the villa, Samantha helped the old lady sit down and fed her some of the scented tea that Aunt Julia brought over.

She then gently patted the old lady's back and said softly, "Are you feeling better now, Grandma?"

Old Madam Barker nodded. "I will be, as long as I don't have to look at Harmony!"

Aunt Julia could not contain her anger as well, "You've already warned Harmony not to show up in front of you when you met her the other day, but she still shamelessly came to our house!"

Old Madam Barker felt a headache coming on when she heard Harmony's name and made no secret of her disgust. "Don't mention her again! Call management right now and make sure she's never allowed to enter this area again!"

Aunt Julia nodded. "I'll do it right away."

She turned around and made the call.

Samantha has been helping Old Madam Barker calm down and the old lady's anger gradually dissipated. She held Samantha's hand and said, "Don't worry, I'm fine now. You, on the other hand, are you alright?"

"Huh?" Samantha was a little puzzled.

Old Madam Barker then explained, "Tim said that you weren't feeling well when I came back this morning. Since he had to go to the office for a very important meeting, he told Julia and me to help take care of you first. He'll come back as soon as he's done with the meeting. I woke you up just now, didn't I? How's your health?"

That turned out to be the reason Timothy was nowhere to be seen when she woke up...

Samantha felt a little relieved.

She shook her head gently, "My blood sugar was a little low yesterday. I'm all good now after a good night's sleep. Don't worry, grandma."

"Why was your blood sugar low? You didn't eat your meals just because Aunt Julia and I weren't home, right?" Old Madam Barker pretended to get angry.

Without saying anything, Samantha held the old lady's arm and acknowledged her mistake in a kittenish tone, "I'm sorry, Grandma. I swear I'll eat regularly from now on!"

Old Madam Barker always fell for it whenever Samantha acted adorable and gentle. It could quell even the most intense anger, although at that moment she was not actually angry, to begin with.

"You have to keep your word!" Old Madam Barker curled her fingers and gave Samantha's head a gentle knock.

"Yes, of course!" Samantha responded in a crisp voice.

Samantha was thoroughly relieved when the old lady's mood finally reverted to calmness.

Old Madam Barker looked at the clock on the wall and said "Tim's probably coming back from the meeting anytime now."

Samantha's lips pursed involuntarily.

She would have to face Timothy if he came back, and if she were being honest with herself, she did not know how to face him at that moment.

She once directly asked him about his relationship with Harmony and he replied that there was nothing between them. Yet in hindsight, it seemed as though he had been lying.

What was the point of asking him again if he was only going to continue lying?

She did not know what the result would be if she lost control of her emotions and unloaded everything on him.

He could either fabricate yet another excuse to sidestep the matter, leaving her no choice but to compromise and turn a blind eye, or the sweet and happy relationship that they had maintained all this while would finally reach a breaking point.

Samantha wanted neither of those two choices.

She could not bring herself to compromise, nor could she just let everything collapse.

Despite having reached a critical moment, she was unable to make a choice!

Samantha kept quiet for a long time and her expression did not seem right. The old lady noticed it and hurriedly asked, "Why are you looking so blank, Sammy? Are you feeling unwell? Is that why you seem a little uncomfortable?"

Samantha snapped back all of a sudden. She blinked her eyes and lowered her gaze to avoid Old Madam Barker's penetrating vision. She smiled and replied, "No, I just realized that I have to report for work at Lychee TV today. It's already ten and I have to hurry up."

"Are you sure you can go to Lychee TV in this condition? You should stay at home today and get some rest. Ask them for a day off and go back to work tomorrow," the old lady advised.

Samantha shook her head and said firmly, "I'm fine now, Grandma. Really. I don't need a day off. Ms. Goldman has high hopes for me, and it wasn't easy for me to get on her team. It won't be good if I don't report to work on time."

There was nothing Old Madam Barker could say about that.

Samantha was extremely happy to join Victoria's team and it was only natural for her to do her best and cherish the opportunity.

Old Madam Barker sighed. "Okay then, you can go ahead. But you must promise me not to push yourself too hard if you don't feel well. Ask for a day off and come home to rest if you're not feeling good."

"Okay."

…

Timothy came home merely moments after Samantha drove out.

He entered the house and changed his shoes at the entrance, where he frowned slightly after seeing the absence of Samantha's leather heels.

When he walked into the living room, he saw Old Madam Barker sitting on the sofa and greeted her before asking, "Did Sammy head out?"

Old Madam Barker looked up at him. "You're back."

Only then did she answer his question, "Yes. I told her to rest at home, but she said she was fine and has to go to work because it's her first day with Ms. Goldman. She insisted, so I couldn't hold her back."

Timothy's brows furrowed even more.

Old Madam Barker was pleased to see his reaction and said, "Don't worry, Sammy seems quite healthy and she'll probably be fine. I'm just glad you finally learned how to feel anxious for your wife!"

Timothy was still a little worried. He had stayed by her side the entire night and noticed that she had been sweating profusely in her sleep and did not manage to get a peaceful rest.

He did not want to worry the old lady though, so he nodded gently and said, "I'll head upstairs then, Grandma."

"Sure."

Timothy went upstairs and entered the study.

He took his cell phone out and wanted to call Samantha, but he was just about to dial her number when he remembered that she was probably driving at that moment. It would not be safe for her to answer a call, so he decided to type out a WeTalk message and send it.

…

At the traffic light, Samantha glanced at the message from Timothy: [Tell me if you feel uncomfortable. I'll pick you up after getting off from work.]

Her hand clenched the steering wheel subconsciously.

She could not figure out whether Timothy was being genuine to her at that moment.

She could truly feel his sincerity at that moment, yet he had still spent time with other women behind her back.

If he was never sincere, to begin with, what could be his reason for marrying her, treating her well, and staying by her side without any hesitation?

Samantha did not reply to the message.

When she arrived at Lychee TV, she received another WeTalk notification as she was about to park the car.

Thinking that it was from Timothy again, Samantha picked the phone up and looked at the screen, only to discover that it was a message from Harmony.