Reborn as Mr.CEO's Fat Wife-Chapter 842: Heartless Little Thing

The man was extremely handsome, exuding a noble demeanor completely devoid of any mundane qualities. Yet now, he was discussing frugality with her with utter seriousness. In an instant, Catherine Ford felt a twinge of annoyance, thinking she should not have spoken to Benjamin Jones about such matters, as if she was dragging a divine being into the mortal realm, somehow tainting him.

However, this annoyance was fleeting. Ever since she had Alice, her instinct to budget tightly led her to a concrete conclusion: she would need about five hundred a week for groceries, which sums up to two thousand a month. If she dined at Benjamin’s, she would only need to spend a quarter of her usual expenses. That meant she could save nearly fifteen hundred, plus another three hundred for transportation. All this money could be saved for Alice’s school expenses.

She had seen what kindergartens were like nowadays. Children just over three years old had a competitive spirit not less than adults, especially in elite schools where everything from food to clothing had to be top-notch. She did not approve, but she also didn’t want Alice to feel inferior among other children.

After a mental battle, Catherine Ford relayed her figures to Benjamin Jones.

Upon hearing these numbers, Benjamin stiffened slightly. He was aware of the high cost of living in Rose Valley; fifteen hundred wasn’t even enough for a single supermarket trip. How then was she managing a month for herself and Alice with that amount?

Setting aside Rose Valley, even in an ordinary neighborhood in Swallow City, what could she and her daughter have on fifteen hundred?

Looking at the woman who seemed fragile enough to be carried off by the wind, Benjamin’s heart unexpectedly ached. How did she manage during the postpartum period without any work, despite having a job and an extra income of three thousand now?

He could tell that the Ford family, although modest, was not so poor as to be harsh to their daughter. Mrs. Ford, though incessant and domineering, did not lack affection for her daughter, and Mr. Ford, though quiet, silently gave what he could, including four hefty gift boxes, of which two extra were given to Catherine while loading the car.

A girl raised in such a family shouldn’t have to be scrimping and saving to such an extent; the major change probably came after her pregnancy.

This realization made Benjamin uncomfortable, and his eyes rested on Catherine with a hint of unease.

In the end, all of this was his fault.

After Catherine stated the numbers, seeing that Benjamin was silent for a long time and just quietly watching her, she awkwardly touched her cheek, "Is there something on my face?"

"No, nothing. Let’s settle on that, then. Start preparing lunch from tomorrow. I’ll transfer this week’s shopping money to you later, and you can handle the leftover groceries," Benjamin snapped back to reality and said calmly, then stood up and walked upstairs. Halfway up, he noticed Catherine standing motionless. "Any problems?"

"Ah? No... none." Catherine’s mind was still on Benjamin’s earlier reaction, shocked by her frugality, and she heard him and reflexively responded. After replying, her mind caught up. She hadn’t really decided yet, had she?

If they proceed with this, wouldn’t that mean they’ll interact even more?

But on second thought, preparing meals morning and evening, their interactions seemed inevitable. Was he being too kind to her?

Was this really just about saving money?

She had seen many wealthy yet overly frugal people. Lawyer Jones was astute, maybe he hadn’t noticed these expenses before, and now that he realized savings could be made, he chose her? It wasn’t impossible!

With this thought, Catherine Ford looked up at the man’s usual indifferent silhouette, noting nothing unusual. Thinking it through, what he had done seemed rather handy; rather, it was herself who was overly jumpy and tense. Considering from another angle, she was just like his housekeeper, and all this seemed quite normal then.

Catherine Ford convinced herself of this before Benjamin came downstairs again, then her phone rang. It was from Alice; she quickly answered to see her little girl awake, all cleaned up, innocently asking when she would be coming home.

After returning to her daughter, Catherine Ford dared not waste any more time. She quickly tidied up the kitchen and went to look after Alice. She watched as Alice ate the breakfast that had been prepared in advance, and then took Alice to the daycare.

By the time she finished all these tasks, it was already 8:10 AM. She rushed back and saw that Benjamin Jones’s car was already waiting for her outside the villa.

Catherine Ford didn’t resist, and ran to the car to get in.

Benjamin Jones turned his head and saw the layer of sweat on her forehead dampening her hair, while her cheeks were red from the cold. He extended a bottle of hot water to Catherine Ford.

Catherine Ford glanced at the water in the man’s hand and quickly shook her head, "No need, thank you, Lawyer Jones."

She had seen that water in the supermarket; it was imported and cost twenty-seven per bottle.

Seeing this, Benjamin didn’t insist and closed his eyes to rest.

Catherine Ford felt much more relaxed, took out her phone to check the messages in her work group, and the first thing she saw was that the man had transferred eight thousand to her. She stared blankly at the man beside her.

Benjamin Jones felt Catherine Ford’s gaze and suddenly opened his eyes.

Suddenly making eye contact with the man made Catherine Ford feel especially uncomfortable. Looking at the money on the phone, she murmured, "Isn’t that...isn’t that too much?"

"It’s not, keep reading," Benjamin Jones shrugged.

Catherine Ford, puzzled, looked down. She had been preoccupied with the money and hadn’t noticed that the man also sent the brand of meats he eats, even specifying the country of import and the standards for fruits. After reading it, her mouth fell open in disbelief, thinking to herself, is he a money shredder?

Not to mention the price of those meats and the specifications for the fruits; if she remembered correctly, just one box of strawberries cost sixty-nine!

She had previously noticed Benjamin Jones’s dietary habits. He wasn’t picky about fruits but he had to have them daily and consumed quite a bit. By her calculations, just his fruit expenses would go over two thousand, and with his exacting standards for meat, Catherine Ford suddenly regretted her decision, thinking she might have not got a good deal but stepped into a trap instead.

Benjamin Jones saw the woman’s disheartened expression, his lips uncontrollably curving upwards, but then he forcefully pulled them back, when he heard Catherine Ford tentatively ask, "Then... do you have any special requirements for vegetables?"

"Just fresh is fine," Benjamin Jones replied lightly, then heard the man beside him sigh deeply of relief, raising his eyebrows slightly, "Not enough, just let me know."

"Heh, I’ll discuss it with you at the end of the month when we settle the accounts," Catherine Ford didn’t dare to speak too definitely, since she really didn’t have the money to contribute more.

As they mentioned the end of the month, Catherine Ford suddenly realized that would be when she’d have paid off her debts. Did that mean she wouldn’t have to cook for him anymore?

This thought popped up, and while Catherine Ford felt relieved, she also became annoyed. Now that she had taken up the man’s offer, how was she supposed to discuss this with him?

"So..."

Just when she was hesitating whether to discuss this with him, she noticed that Benjamin Jones had already closed his eyes again, his eyelids bearing faint traces of dark circles, clearly he hadn’t slept well the previous night. Thinking it over, Catherine Ford swallowed back the rest of her words and decided to wait until the end of the month to discuss it.

Putting aside these messy thoughts, Catherine Ford lowered her head to check the work group chat.

During her two days leave, she was so busy that she completely set work aside, and now when she opened the group chat, she found many colleagues mentioning her, all asking about the annual meeting. After replying to each, just as she was about to close it, she suddenly saw a piece of gossip related to the man sitting next to her. Curiosity got the better of her, and she took a few more glances only to be surprised that Benjamin Jones now had a girlfriend and it was the popular young female star?

Without realizing, she stole a glance at the man using her peripheral vision, and a sour, swelling feeling emerged in her heart, which she then tried to suppress. Benjamin was no longer young, it was only normal for him to have a girlfriend, and with his conditions, it wasn’t surprising that he could attract a popular actress.

Although she thought so, her emotions uncontrollably dipped. As the car approached the building nearby, she got out and forgot to say goodbye to Benjamin.

Benjamin watched as she hurriedly got out of the car and left, her small figure dodging hastily, which made him both amused and annoyed, truly an ungrateful little thing.

Suppressing his emotions, Benjamin instructed Reed to keep driving, only to see the woman who hassled him the previous day in the parking lot. A flicker of disgust flashed in his eyes and he told Reed to avoid her, but she rushed over, startling Reed into slamming the brakes.

Benjamin’s expression turned extremely sour in an instant, he coldly glanced over the woman then walked towards the elevator.

Anna Ford became anxious. Just as she tried to rush in front of Benjamin, she was blocked by the tall chauffeur, "Miss, if you need to see Lawyer Jones, please make an appointment."

"Lawyer Jones, I am here to apologize to you. Please, you must help the Ford, it was my fault for offending you yesterday!" Anna Ford cried out.

Regrettably, Benjamin seemed to have completely ignored her plea, already using his fingerprint to enter the elevator.

Anna Ford, not willing to give up so easily, tried to rush forward, but was firmly blocked by Reed, "Please, miss, behave yourself."

"What right do you have to stop me!" Anna Ford, scolded by her father terribly for yesterday’s incident, only then realized the trouble she had caused. That night, the Ford received a reply from Benjamin’s secretary rejecting their offer, and in desperation, she came to personally apologize, but Benjamin didn’t even touch her clothes and yet she was blocked by a driver, prompting her to speak rashly out of anger.

After her rant, the person in front of her still stood unwavering, blocking her until the elevator door completely closed. He didn’t even glance back at her as he opened the car door to move the vehicle.

Anna Ford’s eyes reddened with anger, she stomped her foot fiercely, but ended up hurting the place she had twisted yesterday, causing her delicately made-up face to contort in pain, leaving her no choice but to leave reluctantly.

Ordinary employees could only enter through the main door of the building, and as Catherine just walked in, she saw Anna Ford, whose makeup was impeccable but who was limping forward. Remembering their unpleasant encounters before, Catherine deliberately quickened her pace to avoid any trouble from her, always believing in avoiding problems whenever possible.

But what she thought didn’t occur to others.

Just as Catherine entered the elevator, she heard Anna Ford’s shouting, "Wait for me, don’t close it yet."

Whew!

Hearing this, Catherine took a deep breath, moved aside, and saw a male colleague holding the elevator button, attentively taking care of Anna Ford.

Seeing this, Anna Ford nonchalantly walked forward, making a whole elevator of people wait for over a minute before she leisurely entered and casually thanked them, ignoring the male colleague’s attentiveness, her gaze instead landing on Catherine.

Catherine Ford, who had been trying hard to lower her presence, felt Anna Ford’s gaze. She turned her head aside pretending not to see, but then Anna spoke up abruptly, "Do you know Lawyer Jones?"

Buzz!

Despite being prepared, Catherine still felt a buzz in her head when she heard those words; she could not believe that Anna would ask about Benjamin Jones!

A great panic flashed through her, her mind racing with thoughts—could Anna know something? Or perhaps Anna also lived in Rose Valley and saw her with Benjamin, or maybe she was spotted getting out of the car just now...

Various thoughts flashed by, and explanations were already on the tip of her tongue, but at the last moment, she held them back, intentionally putting on a puzzled look at Anna.

She must stay calm.

Anna was just a colleague who had a similar-sounding name to hers and with whom she had a few unpleasant interactions; she couldn’t possibly know about her and Benjamin. Even if she had seen her getting out of Benjamin’s car at the intersection, it was no big deal—she could deny it. freēwēbηovel.c૦m

"Was it Lawyer Jones who called you last time in the elevator?" Anna posed another critical question.

Catherine’s mind buzzed again, but this time she was much calmer. Sensing the gossipy ears of the other elevator occupants perk up, she looked at Anna innocently, "You... Are you okay?"

"What do you mean by am I okay? I am asking you a question here, just answer me!" Anna, having just faced a setback from Benjamin and being scorned by a driver, was already fuming. Hearing Catherine’s response made her even more displeased, her attitude domineering.

"Hmm." Catherine was not without temperament. Hearing this, she scoffed lightly and chose to ignore Anna.

Anna persisted, "I’m asking you! What’s your relationship with Lawyer Jones!"

Last time in the elevator, Anna had heard Lawyer Jones’s voice from Catherine’s phone. She had also learned over the weekend that Benjamin was her divorce lawyer. Could it be that this woman seduced Lawyer Jones? She shook her head, dismissing the thought; Benjamin already had a girlfriend, the popular young star, Ellis Raindream.

But what did that matter? Anna, brimming with frustration, needed someone to vent on.

"You guess." if it had been anyone else, Catherine would have explained herself, but facing Anna’s aggressive demeanor, she just wasn’t in the mood. As the elevator doors opened, she threw back that comment and walked out.

But Anna, already brooding with irritation, exploded in rage after Catherine’s words, chasing after her as the elevator door was closing, grabbing Catherine by the hair. "Who are you asking to guess?"

Catherine had never encountered someone so unreasonable before. She stretched back her right leg and hooked Anna’s injured foot. Anna, losing her balance, fell onto the ground, but this also caused Catherine to fall as well.

Both women hit the ground simultaneously. Other colleagues from their department, hearing the commotion, looked over in surprise and eventually hurried forward to help Catherine up. Other men from different departments who had previously shown interest in Anna awkwardly helped her up.

Compared to Catherine, Anna had fallen much harder, looking incredibly disheveled and venomously pointing at Catherine, "You dare to push me down. A divorcee and a single mom, what right do you have to seduce Lawyer Jones? You should take a good look at yourself. Lawyer Jones’s girlfriend is a famous actress!"

Others looked towards Catherine in shock. The amount of information in Anna’s words was overwhelming — Catherine was a divorcee who had a child, and she seduced Lawyer Jones?