Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Gideon stared at Margaret’s serious face. He felt as if he had gone back in time to the day nine years ago, when he first reached an agreement with this stubborn girl.
Even though Margaret was scared, she had to put up a strong front in hopes that she would not be fooled. She felt like a five–year–old who wore her mom’s lugh heels.
At that moment, the stubbornness made Gideon realize that Margaret and him were the same kind of people. They were both insecure and had no trust in the world around them. They both lived in coldness and darkness, so they should be a perfect combination together.
Back then, Margaret’s seriousness about the conditions she raised was clear. Despite her attempt to appear calm, there was an underlying fear of the future in her demeanor. It was hard to watch.
Nine years had passed in a flash. Now, in a similarly solemn negotiation setting, Margaret’s fear and pretense were no more. Instead, she was confident and strong.
For the first time, Gideon had to face a serious issue. During the years he did not get to see her, his girl had grown up.
“Maggie, the things you are worried about won’t hinder our relationship,” Gideon said. Allowing him a little more time, he would settle the
engagement with Roxanne well.
For twenty years, ever since he was young, Gideon’s life had always been tightly controlled. When the Lambert Family wanted to control the rest of his life, he would not let that happen.
However, Gideon did not plan to tell Margaret the matters that were not so pleasant. All she bad to do was wait for him to provide her with
bright future.
Gideon knew that what he did was selfish, but Margaret had been the only hope and sunshine in his life for more than twenty years. He could not let her go easily. He thought that as long as he treated her well enough, he could make up for his mistakes.
“Is that so? What do you have to say about
at this?” Margaret pulled out some text messages and put her phone in front of Gideon
Margaret did not know how nicely Roxanne behaved in front of Gideon. All she knew was that Roxanne had been extremely cruel to her.
Roxanne’s messages every day were simple and short greetings. She did not even mention the years when Margaret lived in the Lambert residence. But Roxanne’s existence was enough to constantly remind Margaret of that memory that she wanted to escape from, Yet Roxanne kept pestering her, and Margaret could not be freed.
Gideon did not know what Roxanne had been doing. As he scrolled through the daily messages, his frown grew deeper.
“Are you going to tell me now these issues are not a problem? Even if you do break off your engagement with Roxanne one day, everyone will still point their fingers at me and think that I am the witch who broke up a good marriage, Gideon, admit it’s impossible between us.” Every word Margaret said had a great impact on Gideon. All text © NôvelD(r)a'ma.Org.
“What if you don’t have to bear all this? Will you come back to me?” Gideon asked.
“How is that possible?” Margaret asked and avoided Gideon’s eyes.
Gideon saw Margaret’s struggle. Fortunately, she did not choose to reject him directly. He should still have hope. As long as he kept Clifford at bay, Gideon felt that his future would still be bright.
Unfortunately, Gideon saw how threatening Clifford was to him, but he did not take this rival seriously
ly and almost destroyed himself.
“This time, we should not hurry. Take your time,” Gideon said. He did not force Margaret to move into his house again because he had
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thought of another way. “If she does not come to me, I’ll go over there!
Gideon’s attitude changed so quickly that Margaret was not used to it. She thought tonight would be a tough battle.
Seeing Gideon pick up the fork, Margaret assumed that their negotiation seemed to be over. “Just like that? Based on what he would usually do, he would have forced me to go to his house and place me under strict supervision, wouldn’t he?‘
Margaret watched Gideon for five minutes without blinking. Gideon ate calmly though she was watching him, and said, “I only drank during the social gathering and had not eaten anything. My stomach hurts.”
Margaret’s heart skipped a beat, even when she knew she should not care about Gideon now.
To break the bond between two people, one has to start by not having emotions. If Gideon sensed that I care for him, he would go on the hot pursuit again,‘ she thought.
In any case, if Margaret was sensible and rational, she should ignore Gideon now and be indifferent till the end. But she had memories of the man called Gideon in her almost hardened heart.
Margaret remembered how Gideon had continued to be professional and forced himself to be jolly when he was admitted to the hospital with a stomach ulcer. Also, she remembered how his face turned pale as soon as people left.
Margaret would not forget the scene where Gideon held his stomach and bit his lips to endure the pain.
So, Margaret gave in. She did not leave. Instead, she stayed with Gideon quietly as he finished the meal. She even ordered a bowl of chowder to warm his stomach.
Gideon felt that he had entered a new world. He always forced Margaret to do many things in the past but only got an unpleasant end–break up on bad terms.
But this time, he only showed his weakness, and Margaret became as docile as a lamb.
Gideon finally realized that some of
of his previous
tactics were wrong.
He was willing to learn from his mistakes and change.
After dinner, Gideon sent Margaret home and held her hand before she got out of the car.
Margaret did not expect Gideon to t
n to try to push his luck. She tried to pull her hand back, but he would not let
“It’s been one night. Let me have a little taste of success, he thought.
“Maggie, I can give you time. But don’t think about running away this time,” Gideon said. He could restrain his anxiety Margaret would obediently stay put in the city.
“Mr. Compton, you’d better give yourself more time and think about how to let me go,” Margaret replied.
“No
o way.” Gideon laughed. He behaved like a delinquent teenager who was showing off in front of his victim.
and impulse if
‘Another fruitless negotiation, Margaret thought, but she was tired and did not want to continue arguing with Gideon. She smiled and bid him goodnight. Then, she subtly glanced at their intertwined hands, suggesting to Gideon that he should release his grip.
Gideon pretended not to understand what she was hinting at and continued to hold onto her hand.
It had been a long night. He felt that he should be given something, or everything he did would have gone in vain. Gideon was still a businessman at heart, even when it came to his relationships. He would not give in without getting any returns.
Most importantly, if Gideon’s memory served him right, the man standing in the shadow not far away should be the doctor by the name of
Clifford
Gideon hated the men surrounding Margaret. So whenever he had a chance, he would get hold of them and chase them away. Even if he could not get rid of them, making them feel sick was also good.
“Hey! Let gol” Margaret said,
“You won’t let me hold you or kiss you. What’s wrong with holding your hands?” Gideon said shamelessly.
This evening. Margaret was shocked by Gideon twice. ‘Is this the same Gideon I know? Could someone have kidnapped Gideon and disguised
as him?‘
“Gideon, are you out of your mind?” Margaret asked seriously. She wanted to suggest for Gideon to see a doctor, perhaps a psychiatrist. He looked more like he was having dissociative identity disorder.
“I’ll walk you up.” Gideon knew Clifford was a tough opponent when Clifford had not left after being there for such a long time. Even so, Gideon did not want to be a coward and let Clifford sense his fear.
Margaret wanted to reject him, but Gideon already got out of the car before she did.
Since he let go of her hand, Margaret did not want to argue about anything else–Moreover, a light in the corridor went off these days. It could
get scary at midnight.
“Maggie.” Clifford stepped out of the shadows. He felt extremely jealous when he saw Margaret and Gideon harmoniously standing there and
holding hands.
From Clifford’s point of view, Margaret was shy when Gideon held her hand. The two were so intimate. It was a craving he longed for but could never get from Margaret.
Clifford looked unhappy, but Margaret did not notice the difference. She smiled heartlessly and asked, “Clifford, when did you come here?
Why didn’t you tell me in advance?”
“I just passed by and decided to come and see you,” Clifford said in a solemn tone.
Clifford was so close to telling what was really on his mind. ‘Had I told you in advance, would I have seen what happened?” he thought.
“Let’s go upstairs. My new coffee beans are here. Let’s try them, and you can take them if you like.” Margaret knew that Clifford liked coffee. Over the years, she would occasionally ask someone to find some good coffee from the south.
She owed Clifford her life, and it was impossible for her to pay him back with her life. So, she often used these trivial matters to make Clifford
happy.
Margaret led the way upstairs, leaving Clifford and Gideon behind. The two men looked at each other with provocation in their eyes.
After a few interactions with the doctor, Gideon thought Clifford was a nice person, and his medical skills were not bad. He admired Clifford and took the initiative to invest in the new drug research initiative in his department. And now, Gideon just wants to go back in time to beat himself up.
‘Look what I’ve done. I supported my rival!” he thought.
“Dr. Huxley, it’s been a while,” Gideon greeted him boldly and began to walk into the building. He thought, “Good thing that my eyes were sharp and I got out of the car with her when I saw Clifford. Otherwise, something might have happened tonight‘
Gideon planned to move in tomorrow and keep Margaret under his watch. Otherwise, he would be too worried about her.
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“We haven’t seen each other for a long time. Are you an old acquaintance of Maggie?” Clifford’s mannerisms were definitely inferior to Gideon’s. The way he probed revealed his ignorance.
Gideon smiled proudly. It looked like Clifford was not so important to Margaret. He did not even know her past.