Chapter 8 Entanglement

"Wild cats are known to be combative. It's normal." Jake appeared silently behind him, mocking in tone. He had sent the police officers questioning Maggie away, as they were under his jurisdiction.
He heard every word she said clearly. Jake had a pack of cigars in his hand, offering one to Harold.
Harold declined, "I'm not used to smoking."
Jake lit his own cigar without a care. "While looking for you, I passed by a decent lounge nearby. Want to go there?"
Even when officials engaged in casual conversation, Leo, as a subordinate, was well-attuned and stepped aside.
"I have a meeting in the afternoon, sorry" Harold replied sincerely. Leo took the opportunity to return two cell phones, one of which was Harold's personal phone, which had no calls.
The other one was a work phone, with over a hundred missed calls and messages popping up. They were from the local government, and each matter was crucial, ranging from a letter with a smell of spoiled local pickles to key decisions at the executive committee meetings.
The lower levels sorted and submitted the matters to the higher levels, with the Mayor of Williams giving the final approval.
Fortunately, Harold was a workaholic and could handle it. When it came to work, he was meticulous and thorough, setting aside any personal emotions. His approval rating from Havenport was quite high.
"Let's not talk about work. Only personal matters," Jake said, exhaling smoke from his nose. "Mrs. Murphy, did you know that Heather is my younger sister? A professor from Yale University has been relentlessly pursuing her..."
Harold glanced at him and said, "Will you ever stop?"
He put on his jacket and walked down the corridor. In the distance, the view of the lake glistened with shimmering ripples, and a few fishing boats floated on the lake, serene, peaceful, and picturesque.
Harold didn't take the time to appreciate it. His gaze fell behind a fountain, where a girl was leaning against a pillar, her slender figure slightly trembling, her arms crossed tightly across her chest.
He could roughly imagine how thin her crescent white dress must be.
Maggie's ankles had lost their color from the cold, and she really didn't want to argue here. However, Matt in front of her wouldn't let her off the hook.
His usually gentle expression betrayed a hint of hostility. "Who gave you the pills? Who have you slept with?"
"It's none of your business."
"None of my business?" Matt rolled up his sleeves and put his hand on his waist, confronting her. "You promised whenwe juse got married that you would give your virginity to me. Shouldn't you fulfill that promise?"
Maggie closed her eyes in anger, then opened them and looked away. She couldn't believe she had fallen in love with this asshole.
Even after their divorce, he continued to play the possessive husband. Did he really care? Without the pills, he couldn't even get it up.
Maggie's voice became hoarse. "Don't you care about your reputation anymore? Didn't you get married just to satisfy the public? Now all the company executives are here. Don't push me."
Matt was taken aback and grabbed her wrist. "Maggie, what are you planning to do?"
She struggled hard and gritted her teeth. "Besides exposing your true intentions behind this fake marriage, I've also experienced a lot these past two years."
Even though Maggie's personality was not submissive, she had suppressed herself enough in this marriage of convenience.
She had made efforts. If Matt had cheated or had become impotent, there would still be solutions. At least she was willing to accompany him, willing to be entangled.
Emotions can't be cut off in an instant.
But his sexual orientation was the problem. He had only treated her as a family member from the beginning until the end. Maggie couldn't accept that.
Even though love often turns into companionship in the end for married couples, she tried to convince herself that she was just starting middle-aged married life a little earlier.
But this reasoning couldn't console her heart. Matt wasn't gay after marriage, he was a fraud. He never truly cared, it was all manipulation.
She had fed her deep affection to a dog, and her hatred for him grew.
"You wouldn't dare!" Matt said decisively. "The seventy or so thousand dollars your mom lost at the gambling table these past two years, I paid it all. With a TV host's salary, you think you can afford it?"
She leaned against the pillar, breathing heavily. "Who owes, who pays."
Matt shoved her. "Maggie, we really have to go this far? Haven't Mrs. Williams' connections brought you any benefits?"
...
Their argument was not too intense, their voices going up and down, but a few sentences could be heard from afar.
Harold took out a cigarette and lit it with the wind at his back.
Jake, like a piece of chewing gum, came over and kept introducing Heather's good traits.
She was an associate Professor, studied abroad, clean political background, gentle and elegant appearance, not spoiled, a perfect helpmate.
Most importantly, Heather was interested in him.
Harold had always had a bad temper. He served in the army in his early years, and a group of tough soldiers regarded him as their leader. However, he was influenced by literature and calligraphy since childhood and excelled in both. Officials appreciated him and he was promoted along the way.
No corner of the officialdom was pure, and he revealed his sharp edge and almost suffered a great loss. Later, he was promoted by the president to the municipal government. After a long period of political struggles, he also understood when to advance and when to retreat, and learned to be restrained.
"What did you just say?"
Jake was slightly surprised, as if Harold hadn't heard him clearly, "I asked you to find a good woman like Heather!"
"Mrs. Murphy is too outstanding. It's not easy to find someone like her. I won't trouble myself."
After speaking for a long time, he didn't continue the conversation, leaving Jake speechless. He followed Harold's gaze—
Maggie was still playing around with Matt.
Jake seemed to understand something and secretly exclaimed, "Could it be that wild cat you encountered?"