Chapter 11: Don’t Be Deceived by Appearances

Dolores pondered as she knitted her eyebrows. Was Matthew satisfied with her? Or had he found someone more suitable for him?

The mere thought of it brought a wave of relief to Dolores.

That night, as soon as Matthew arrived home, he secluded himself in his room. It seemed he still had unfinished work to attend to.

Having learned about Matthew's food preferences from Coral, Dolores decided to take the initiative and prepare dinner for him all by herself.

Coral watched with a smile from the side. "This is what a wife should do for her husband."

Dolores gave a nervous smile and glanced down at her feet. If she wasn't at Matthew's mercy, she wouldn't go to such lengths to cook for him.

Coral let out a nostalgic sigh. "The madam passed away a long time ago, and the master remarried shortly after. The young master rarely comes back home, but beneath his cold exterior, he actually values his relationships with others."

Dolores listened attentively to Coral's words without interrupting.

"Ms. White once saved the young master when he was still a child, and since then, she has been following him around. The young master never really liked her, but for some reason, his attitude toward her changed after his recent business trip. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to her. You are the one he married." Coral patted Dolores' shoulder, trying to provide some comfort.

Dolores forced a smile, knowing all too well that she had no say in who Matthew chose to spend his time with. After all, it was his life.

Despite being legally married, their relationship never felt truly like a marriage. They were more like strangers. Dolores also knew the true purpose behind their union.

She glanced sneakily at the study, remembering the black coffee Helen had made that morning.

Turning to Coral, Dolores asked, "Coral, do you know where the coffee beans are? I want to make him some coffee."

Impressed by Dolores' thoughtfulness, Coral retrieved the coffee beans and handed them to her while offering some advice. "Don't add any sugar or milk. The young master doesn't care for sweet things."

Dolores nodded, and in no time, a freshly brewed cup of coffee was ready. She poured it into an exquisite coffee cup and carried it to the study.

In the study, Matthew paced impatiently while on a phone call. "What's wrong with the human resource department? Is it really that difficult to find a good translator?"

Matthew was well-versed in several languages, but he hadn't prioritized learning the language spoken in A Country since there were very few people who spoke it. However, now that he was working on a new project in that country, not knowing the language was proving to be quite problematic as he had to handle everything himself.

"Let the human resource manager know that he has only one day. If he can't hire someone within that time, tell him he'll be the one searching for a job!"

Before Matthew could say anything else, a knock on the door interrupted him. He grew irritated by the interruption and stared at the door.

In an icy voice, he called out, wanting to get it over with. "Come in!"

Dolores hesitated upon hearing the anger in Matthew's voice. Was he angry with her?

Nevertheless, since she had announced her arrival, she had no choice but to enter, even though he seemed to want to be left alone.

Dolores forced a wide smile as she explained her reason for being there. "I'm sorry to disturb you, but I brought you some fresh coffee."

Matthew's gaze shifted from Dolores' face to the cup of coffee in her hands. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her. Earlier that morning, Dolores had been avoiding him, but now she was bringing him a cup of coffee? 'This woman is unpredictable!'

Placing his phone on the desk, Matthew sat down and observed Dolores closely, trying to decipher her intentions.

"I hope I made it to your liking," Dolores said as she placed the coffee on his desk.

Matthew remained seated, unmoving, as he continued to scrutinize her. Gradually, he relaxed and reclined lazily in his chair.

Dolores smiled and gestured toward the cup. "Aren't you going to give it a try?"

Suddenly, a realization dawned upon Matthew. He finally understood the motive behind her sudden change.

"Are you flattering me now because you want to discuss that land in Repulse Bay?" he sneered.

Dolores froze, unable to believe that he had made the connection so quickly.

Before she could react, Matthew grabbed her chin, his gaze menacing. He was far from gentle as he forced her to look at him, his fingers digging into her flesh. She struggled to hide her reaction. She wanted to explain everything, but no words came to her, and she simply stood there, gazing back at him.

'Should I tell him that my father abandoned my mother, my brother, and me? Would he even believe me?'

"I'm not—"

"Get out!" Matthew shouted, forcefully pushing her away.

Dolores stumbled and lost her balance, causing her arm to swing into the cup of coffee. The black liquid spilled out, soaking the documents on Matthew's desk. His expression quickly transformed from disgust to rage.

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Dolores frantically tried to clean up the spilled coffee.

Matthew grabbed her hand and forcefully shoved her back. "I told you to get out, didn't you hear me?"

Repulsed by her attempts to gain his favor, Dolores had no choice but to leave the room.

"Wait, take this too!" Matthew called out in annoyance.

Obediently, Dolores retrieved the cup and hurriedly left the room.

After dinner, Matthew retreated to his room without uttering a single word.

Dolores sighed helplessly. Matthew was a difficult person to communicate and connect with. Convincing him to grant her the rights to the land, so that Randolph would return her mother's dowry, seemed almost impossible.

She took a bath and crawled into bed, hoping to find a comfortable position to fall asleep. However, sleep eluded her, and she decided it was better not to lay in bed for hours without rest.

Her mind kept replaying the moments after the accidental coffee spill, and surprisingly, she felt a twinge of remorse. Dolores wanted to make it up to him, so she quietly made her way to the study.

Switching on the lights, she found the damp pile of documents still sitting on the desk. As she attempted to dry them, she discovered that they were written in the language of A Country. The coffee spill had smudged and made parts of the document illegible, but the majority remained readable.

Dolores fetched blank sheets of paper and painstakingly transcribed the remaining content word by word. Having lived in A Country for a long time, she was familiar with the language. This was her way of apologizing to Matthew. She translated the information into their common language for his understanding.

Methodically, she translated over ten pages of content. By the time she finished, dawn was approaching.

Setting the pen aside, Dolores massaged her sore wrists. Ensuring that the papers were properly ordered, she neatly stacked them on his desk before heading back to her room to get some sleep.

Dolores was still fast asleep when Matthew sat down for breakfast the next morning. She had stayed up far too late the night before, coupled with the additional fatigue from her pregnancy. As a result, she failed to wake up at the usual hour.

Matthew frowned. "She still hasn't woken up?"

Coral averted her gaze. "No, she hasn't. You're her husband, you should know better."

Understanding Coral's implication, Matthew responded curtly, "Never mind."

Matthew was never one to clearly explain himself, and this attitude extended to Coral, despite her having cared for him since his youth.

"Young master, I know you have no feelings for Miss Flores, but your marriage was arranged by the late madam. Besides, I can see that she is a considerate person. She asked me about your favorite food and went through all the trouble to prepare dinner for you last night. She even made coffee for you."

The reason Dolores was trying to flatter him was solely to secure the piece of land in Repulse Bay for the Flores family. Nothing more.

Did she genuinely care about him? Matthew found such a thought amusing.

He turned to face Coral. "Don't be deceived by her appearance."