Chapter 513 What's It to You?
Marlowe had been living under the same roof with Grant for several days now. It wasn't as bad as she'd expected—he had kept his promise not to interfere with her personal space.
There was, however, one thing that drove her crazy: his insistence on following her everywhere she went. No matter what she said, he always had a counterargument ready.
Today was no different.
"Please stop following me, Mr. Scott. Don't you have anything better to do? Has your company gone bankrupt or something?" she asked exasperatedly from the backseat of the car.
She had plans to meet Victoria to shop for Lila's wedding gift. What business did he have tagging along?
"My most important job right now is looking after you and the baby," he replied with a straight face. "And no, my company won't collapse just because I'm away for a few hours or days. I don't pay all those people just to sit around drinking tea and typing emails."
Marlowe fell silent.
"I'm meeting Victoria today. It's not appropriate for you to come along."
At the mention of Victoria, Grant's expression immediately tensed. "What are you meeting her for?"
Marlowe glanced at him, puzzled by his strong reaction. "That's none of your business," she said coldly.
Grant absorbed the rebuff silently. It wasn't the first time she'd shut him down in the past few days—he was getting used to it.
But Victoria was formidable. The last time, she had hidden Marlowe right under his nose. His wariness was justified.
"You can meet whoever you want, I don't care—except for Elliot and Victoria. If you're meeting either of them, I need to be present," he said firmly.
"Why?" The question slipped out before she could stop herself.
Grant looked at her and coolly replied, "None of your business."
Marlowe clenched her fists in silent fury. Using her own words against her—fine! Let him follow if he wanted to. She huffed and turned away.
Kevin, their driver, tried his best to become invisible in the front seat. For a moment, he wished he could step out and wait until they finished arguing, but it was too late. He barely dared to breathe, afraid of becoming the target of their frustration.
"Kevin, drive," Marlowe commanded flatly.
Kevin glanced in the rearview mirror, meeting Grant's intense gaze. He swallowed nervously but responded promptly, "Yes, Mrs. Scott."
When Marlowe met up with Victoria, Victoria raised an eyebrow at Grant trailing behind them. "What's he doing here?"
Marlowe linked arms with Victoria and pulled her toward the entrance of Infinity Mall. "Just ignore him. Let's pretend he's invisible."
Victoria chuckled. "Fine by me."
She understood the situation, especially after exchanging a warning glance with Grant. He was clearly afraid she might help Marlowe disappear again.
They headed straight to a jewelry store, purchased Lila's gift, and then made their way to the baby section.
"I've been researching what you need before a baby arrives," Marlowe explained. "There's so much to prepare, so I thought I'd look around while we're here."
Victoria nodded. "Perfect timing. I can get some advance education on this too."
Marlowe looked surprised. "Are you pregnant?"
Victoria shook her head. "Not yet, but we're trying."
This confused Marlowe. "But you two haven't been using protection all this time, have you? Why haven't you...?"
Victoria hesitated before leaning in to whisper something in Marlowe's ear.
Marlowe's eyes widened in shock, then understanding dawned on her face.
"That's the whole story," Victoria said with a shrug.
Marlowe was speechless for a moment before concluding, "He loves you too much to risk anything happening to you."
She'd just been indirectly shown what true love looked like.
Victoria recognized this but didn't want to dwell on something that might cause pain.
Grant followed at a distance, surprised to see them in the baby section. He was too far away to hear their conversation—Marlowe had insisted he stay at least a hundred feet back.
Kevin watched his boss stalking them like some kind of private detective and didn't know what to say. The whole situation was just bizarre.
After browsing the entire maternity section, Marlowe realized how many things she needed—not just for the baby, but for herself as an expectant mother. She decided to purchase everything necessary.
At checkout, Victoria offered to pay, but Marlowe declined. She could afford it herself.
Suddenly, Grant's voice came from behind them. "Wait."
He stepped forward and handed his card to the cashier. "Use this."
Marlowe had been about to object but then thought better of it. If he was so eager to pay, why stop him?
"Well, if Mr. Scott is so happy to pay for someone else's child, go right ahead. If you don't mind, why should I?" she said with a forced smile and sarcastic tone.
An awkward silence fell over the group.
The cashier glanced between them—the beautiful woman, the handsome man, both clearly wealthy based on their clothes and demeanor. But the tension was palpable.
Grant's temple twitched slightly at her comment, but he ignored it and proceeded with the payment.
Victoria stood by, watching silently.
"Since Mr. Scott has been kind enough to pay," Marlowe added, "perhaps he could do me another favor and take all these packages home for me. Thank you."
She turned to Victoria. "I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat."
"Sure, let's go," Victoria agreed.
They left Grant standing in the baby store. He tried to follow, but the cashier called after him, "Sir, you need to enter your PIN and sign first."
After completing the transaction, he left Kevin to handle the packages and hurried after the women.
At the restaurant, they had barely sat down when Grant appeared and took the seat next to Marlowe.
As she was about to order, he snatched the menu from her hands.
Before she could protest, he said, "If you're hungry, we should go home. I've had the chef prepare proper meals for pregnant women. The food here isn't suitable for you."
Marlowe felt like she had cotton stuck in her throat. She took a deep breath. "Please explain why everyone else can eat here but I can't. Am I not human too?"
Victoria leaned back in her chair, preparing to watch the drama unfold. She couldn't get a word in edgewise anyway.
Grant explained earnestly, "I misspoke. What I meant was that this food isn't appropriate for you. As a pregnant woman, you need to be careful about what you eat and drink. Restaurant food usually contains MSG, fennel, and other additives that you should avoid. That's why we should eat at home."
Victoria raised an eyebrow, impressed that he'd done his research.
But Marlowe wasn't having it. "No need. I'm eating here. I'm not that delicate. I know you don't usually dine in places like this, Mr. Scott, so please don't let me keep you."
Grant tried to speak, but Marlowe cut him off. "Besides, what you're worried about won't happen. I can ask them to prepare my food without those additives. Worst case, I just won't eat."
Grant realized that even if she went hungry, she wouldn't return home with him.
They had reached an impasse, both equally stubborn.
After an awkward silence, Victoria cleared her throat. "If neither of you is going to eat, can I at least order something for myself?"
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