Chapter 312 The Secret
At 6:30 PM, Sawyer noticed Alexander coming back alone and was a bit confused.
"Mr. Howard, why are you back?" Sawyer asked.
Alexander had just taken off his coat and hung it up. He looked a bit puzzled and said, "What's up?"
Sawyer, who had been working at Serenity Grove Manor for over ten years, explained, "Mrs. Howard called over half an hour ago and said she wouldn't be back for dinner. I thought she was with you, so I didn't have Molly cook anything."
Alexander's brow furrowed even more when he heard Victoria wouldn't be back for dinner. She hadn't mentioned anything to him.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "Okay, got it."
Sawyer asked, "Do you want me to have Molly make you something?"
Alexander replied, "No, I'm not hungry right now."
Sawyer nodded and left.
Alexander sat down on the sofa, loosened his tie, and took out his phone. No messages. His last conversation with Victoria was just a short voice call.
He sent her a message on Facebook: [Why aren't you coming home for dinner?]
Usually, she'd reply within three minutes, but now it was almost four minutes past. What was she up to?
As soon as four minutes passed, Alexander lost his patience and called her. The phone rang, but no one picked up.
Then, as if he had an idea, he called Saskia. Still, no answer.
Alexander rubbed his eyes, his deep gaze showing an emotion that was hard to read. He then called Howard Villa.
The butler, Micah, answered the call.
"Hello, this is the Howard family. Who is this?" Micah said.
"It's me, Micah," Alexander replied.
"Mr. Alexander Howard. Are you looking for Mr. Preston Howard?" Micah asked.
"Has my mom come back?" Alexander asked directly.
"No. She called this afternoon to say she wouldn't be back for dinner," Micah answered honestly.
Alexander got the picture. "Okay, thanks."
He hung up.
Micah put the phone down and muttered, "Since when did Mr. Alexander Howard care so much about whether Mrs. Saskia Howard came home? It seems Mrs. Victoria Howard really is the Howard family's good luck charm."
Meanwhile, Victoria and Saskia were busy enjoying the food on a bustling food street. They hadn't gone to their usual fancy restaurant but had chosen the liveliest food street, where the air was filled with mouth-watering aromas.
Everywhere they went, the scent of delicious food surrounded them. The key point was that these foods would never appear on their dining table because they were considered "junk food".
Saskia had been pampered since childhood, and after marrying Preston, she was spoiled even more. Her three meals a day were specially prepared nutritious meals, and Preston would never let her touch these foods.
Victoria, on the other hand, had more freedom growing up. She could eat whatever she liked, as long as it was tasty. Before meeting Alexander, she never had any dietary restrictions. But since being with Alexander, she hadn't eaten such flavorful snacks in a long time.
First, he wouldn't allow it. Second, she had gotten used to eating with him every day, and these foods would never appear on Alexander's dining table.
Saskia asked, "Victoria, how did you find this place?" Even with her picky taste, she was won over by the delicious food on this street. There were so many different flavors, and they were all fantastic. In truth, she enjoyed strong flavors too, but Preston's strict rules had kept her from indulging. But today, her taste buds were reawakened.
Victoria replied, "Mom, this street has always been a food street. I used to come here often with friends when I was in school."
She used to come here a lot with Lila. Lila found this place, but after senior year, she left Ridgewood and never came back. Today, by chance, she and Saskia were nearby, so she decided to bring Saskia here on a whim.
At first, she was worried Saskia wouldn't like it, but she was wrong.
After stuffing themselves with food, they were ready to head home. Victoria dropped Saskia off at Howard Villa and then went back to Serenity Grove Manor herself.
Before getting out of the car, Saskia said, "By the way, Victoria, let's keep today between us. No need to tell Alexander and Preston."
Victoria replied, "Mom, don't worry. I get it."
Saskia added, "Alright, be careful on your way back. Let me know when you get home."
Victoria responded, "Okay."
Little did they know, their secret was already out. From the moment they left the food street, Alexander had figured out what they were up to and even estimated their return time. He had also informed Preston about the whole situation.
Alexander and Preston were each waiting at home for their wives to return.
At Howard Villa, Preston was sitting in the living room, engrossed in a book. When Saskia returned, she made sure there was no lingering smell before walking into the living room.
"I'm back," she said, looking at Preston on the sofa.
Preston didn't lift his head but still responded, "Welcome back." Then he said nothing more.
Saskia had a little quirk: she couldn't keep secrets, especially from Preston. She was used to sharing everything with him, and he was used to asking, "What did you do today?" whenever she went out.
But today, Preston was unusually quiet. He hadn't called when she didn't come home for dinner. Now that she was back, he didn't even ask. She couldn't stand it.
For a moment, she forgot the promise she had made to Victoria at the door. She took off her coat, walked to the sofa, and looked down at Preston with a somewhat commanding presence, "Why aren't you asking me what I did today?"
Only then did Preston look up from his book, turning his head to look at Saskia, and asked, "Alright, what did you do today?"
In that instant, Saskia felt like her throat was being squeezed. She almost forgot that she couldn't tell Preston about today.
"Today, Victoria accompanied me to pick out wedding thank-you gifts," she answered. That wasn't a lie.
Preston wasn't in a hurry, his deep eyes showing a gentleness reserved only for her. "I know that. You mentioned it before you left this morning."
The implication was to tell him something he didn't know.
After being married for a couple of decades, how could Saskia not understand his hidden meaning?
"And, I had a meal with Victoria," Saskia said. That wasn't a lie either; she did eat with Victoria.
Preston still had a faint smile on his face. Although he was over fifty, he still had a dignified appearance, exuding an elegant and refined aura. He asked, "Just one meal?"
Saskia replied, "Yes, just one." She thought, 'It should count as one meal; we just sampled a bit of everything.'
He asked again, "What did you eat?"
She hesitated for a moment before replying, "Just, just some delicious food." Then she glared at him. "Why are you asking so many details?"
Preston sighed, "Isn't this what you wanted me to ask?"
"I..." Saskia was at a loss for words.
"Why do you have a smell on you?" Preston suddenly interrupted her, frowning as he looked at her.
Saskia let out a dry laugh and said seriously, "Oh, I accidentally bumped into a trash can today. Maybe it got on my clothes."
Preston was unconvinced. "Saskia, do you know?"
Saskia instinctively responded, "What?"
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