Chapter 22 The Break-in Period of Marriage
In contrast, her brother-in-law pleaded with Mr. LaRoche, and the latter charged her less.
$1,500 was a big sum of money for her, and she had learned her lesson. She decided to be more careful on the road and stay away from luxury cars.
"Your husband is coming back soon, right?"
"Yeah, tomorrow."
"Good, Patrick and I will go over early the day after tomorrow. Are you going to cook at home? I'll give you a hand."
Leila and her sister had depended on each other to live for many years. She used to excel in working and cooking. Now she had to bear with her husband since she had a baby to raise and had no income.
They chatted for a while and ended the phone call.
"Mr. Donovan, do you have to work late every night?"
"Why?"
"The weekend is coming up. Grandma and your parents are coming over for dinner. Our house is too empty, and I'm thinking about buying some furniture. We can go together if you're free."
Hubert fell silent.
He was very busy, and his schedule was full every day. He found it hard to take time out and go with her.
Met with his silence, Teresa sensibly said, "If you're not free, I'll go by myself."
Hubert hummed, "As the hostess of the family, you have the discretion to handle domestic issues. Tell me only when there is any big problem."
He didn't have much time to worry about the trivia at home.
"That's fine. I'll tell Gwen that I'm not going to the store today. I'll go shopping."
She wanted to make this place look like home.
Hubert made no comments.
He turned around and went back to his room.
Before long, he came out and said, "I'm going to work."
"Safe trip."
Teresa responded.
Hubert grabbed the bread and milk before going off.
He drove out of Florence Garden in the van he had bought to pretend to be poor in front of Teresa.
Out of the neighborhood, he pulled over at the sight of his Rolls Royce and the bodyguard's car parked by the road.
"Mr. Donovan."
The bodyguards got out of the car quickly.
They escorted him to the Rolls Royce and opened the car door for him.
A bodyguard respectfully asked, "Mr. Donovan, should I help you throw it away?"
He was referring to the breakfast that Hubert was carrying in his hand.
Hubert casually handed the bread to the bodyguard. His silence meant it was at their disposal.
The door closed. The car soon started and blended into the traffic flow.
Teresa hustled all day and finally bought all the necessary items.
The kitchen utensils she had bought online were also delivered.
Hubert came back very late that night. Teresa was asleep. Instead of disturbing her, he walked around the house that had been furnished by her. In his mind, this woman was quite frugal.
Probably, she was not a scheming woman. She had married him for nothing but a place to live.
After all, she had been living in her sister's house. Living under another's roof was not so desirable.
Then again, the interactions in the past few days were not enough to convince him that Teresa was a good woman. He would continue to observe. Time revealed a person's heart. Only through their daily communication could he see her true character.
Time passed particularly fast when people were busy. Soon, it was Saturday.
Teresa had waited till Hubert returned home late last night and made an appointment to go grocery shopping with him on Saturday morning. She had called the old lady last night and learned that the visitors today would take up two or three tables. Hubert's brothers and cousins would also come.
It was the arrangement of the old lady. Since Hubert and she had gotten their marriage license, she was now a member of the Donovan family. Besides the seniors, she would also meet her peers and get to know each other.
She had a lot of ingredients to buy and asked Hubert to ride her there. In so doing, she was no longer worried that she couldn't carry them back alone.
Like the other day, Hubert was woken up by Teresa's call at six in the morning.
He got up on the wrong side of the bed and did his best to prevent himself from yelling at her.
"Mr. Donovan."
Her voice was crisp and pleasant to the ear.
Hubert rubbed his brow and said in a deep voice, "Give me ten minutes."
"Okay, I made spaghetti. Remember to have it when you come out later. Then we're going grocery shopping."
Hubert asked, "When did you get up?"
It was 6 a.m., and she had gotten breakfast ready.
"Around 5."
Preparing food for dozens of people would take her a lot of time. She had to get up early.
Hubert hung up the phone without another word.
She attached great importance to the meeting with his parents and family. He was satisfied with her attitude.
Ten minutes later.
Hubert appeared at the table in his loungewear.
While eating, she smiled at him. "Try the spaghetti I made. My sister likes it."
Hubert glanced at the food. The color was good, and it looked quite appetizing. He finished a plate of spaghetti. It was indeed tasty. Her cooking skills were not bad.
The gourmet's luck.
It was much more reassuring to eat the food cooked by her than to have the takeout.
Teresa gathered the dishes and went to clean them in the kitchen.
"Mr. Donovan, are all your clothes black?"
His silence was acquiescence.
"What's your size? When I go shopping another day, I'll buy you some clothes in different colors. Your face is always serious, and you look stony in black."
Hubert's eyes went cold, and so did his tone. "You should not judge my style."
He liked black. If she didn't like it, she could just choose not to look at him.
Teresa sensed the coldness and displeasure in his voice. After a moment of silence, she apologized, "I'm sorry for overstepping the mark. Everyone has his preferences. I shouldn't have imposed my idea on you and tried to change you."
Hubert didn't comment.
Instead, he headed to the balcony.
He looked at the balcony that had been decorated by her like a small garden. His face softened a little.
A few minutes later.
Teresa grabbed her purse and called out, "Mr. Donovan, it's time to go."
Hubert came back in and silently went to get the car keys. The couple then went out.
They were both sensible enough to not mention the unpleasant event.
They didn't know each other well. They were still in the break-in period. More unpleasant things might happen in the future because of their misunderstandings.
Teresa was meticulous and had decided on the dishes to make today. The ingredients they needed had been put on a list, making their shopping more efficient.
Hubert gave her a high mark for her life skills.