Chapter 1411 Lies, All Lies
After getting back from the dinner party, it was already past ten at night.
Even though Laura didn't sleep well last night, she took a nap in the afternoon and wasn't that tired.
But Michael, while trying to get Maeve to sleep, couldn't fight off the drowsiness and dozed off halfway through.
He had crashed at Megan's place last night and didn't get much rest, so he was really beat now.
When Laura turned around, he was already out cold on his side, one hand still on Maeve, trying to soothe her.
Maeve, on the other hand, was wide awake and wriggling around on the bed.
Laura was now sure Michael hadn't gotten much sleep last night.
Thinking about how he kept talking about work, she decided to take Maeve out so he could get some rest.
The next morning, when Michael woke up and saw Laura still sleeping, he suddenly remembered he had fallen asleep first and felt pretty embarrassed.
He quickly tiptoed downstairs and saw Thea making breakfast. He hurried over, "Let me handle this."
"Alright, Laura does prefer your breakfast," Thea said. "And the night before last, Laura probably didn't sleep until almost dawn."
"Didn't you help her?" Michael asked, a bit concerned.
"I wanted to, but Maeve only wanted Laura to hold her," Thea sighed. "And Laura is really kind; she was worried I'd get too tired because of my age. I told her I could take the first half of the night, but she insisted on doing it herself. When I got up in the middle of the night to check on her, she told me to go back to sleep. Maeve was lying on her arm, and if she moved, Maeve would cry. In the morning, her arm looked really uncomfortable."
"From now on, unless I'm on a business trip, I won't stay out overnight," Michael said, frowning.
Thea nodded; there were some things she couldn't say directly.
She had said enough, and it was good that Michael understood.
Moreover, Thea thought Laura was very nice, not at all arrogant, and didn't treat Thea like a servant.
No wonder everyone in the Jude Family liked her.
Upstairs.
Laura was woken up by a phone call.
When the phone rang, she instinctively worried about waking Maeve, so she quickly took her phone to the balcony. After answering, she realized it was Derek calling.
"Are you still sleeping? Did I wake you?"
Derek's pleasant voice came through, and Laura yawned, "Yeah, you did wake me up. What's up?"
"You asked me to check on something last night. Remember?" Derek's words made Laura wake up. She remembered.
But then there was silence on the other end.
Laura's heart tightened, "How did it go?"
"Sorry," Derek sighed, "I have to tell you the truth. Recently, a Cassius did come to Madison, but it was about two weeks ago, and he left ten days ago. I wasn't sure, so I had someone double-check. This Cassius is indeed an expert in lithium batteries and has collaborations with a Jude Group's subsidiary, but he couldn't have been in Madison these past two days."
Laura didn't say anything, just looked at the garden downstairs.
Her mind was filled with what Michael had said yesterday.
"Laura, I'm sorry. When I was talking to Cassius last night, I put my phone on silent. Then we got so engrossed in the conversation that I lost track of time. When I realized it, it was already early morning, and I didn't want to disturb your rest."
"Laura, I'm really sorry. I swear I won't put my phone on silent again. I just got so caught up with Cassius; he's got all this core tech knowledge, and I lost track of time."
"I had no idea Maeve would start crying last night. If I had known, I would've come back right away, no matter what."
Michael sounded so sincere.
She had believed him.
But it was all lies.
Has Michael gotten so used to lying that he believes his own stories?
Laura felt like she couldn't breathe.
She felt oppressed, ridiculous, angry, and sad.
She felt like a fool.
How did Michael turn into such a liar?
"Laura." On the other end of the phone, Derek, sensing her silence, called out worriedly, "Don't worry, I'll help you get to the bottom of this."
"No need, I think I have an idea." Laura interrupted him with a hoarse voice, "I can handle it myself."
"Alright." Derek could tell she was on the verge of tears, and it made him feel awful. "No matter what you decide, I support you."
"Really?" Laura said with a self-mocking smile, "How will you support me? In the Jude Family, I'm always an outsider. Yes, I'm your dad's goddaughter, but everyone knows why he took me in as his goddaughter."
"But I'm always on your side," Derek said softly. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be telling you the truth today. If I were biased towards Michael, I would have secretly confronted him and told him not to deceive you again. But I believe you have the right to know the truth. You can investigate it yourself. If he really disappoints you, I'll help you."
"How?" Laura couldn't help but ask in confusion.
"I'll help you fight for Maeve's custody," Derek said in a low voice.
Laura's eyes almost welled up with tears.
The reason she had agreed to get along well with Michael before was actually for Maeve.
Laura knew she couldn't win against Michael or the Jude Family.
Moreover, Michael said he liked her and started treating her well, and she couldn't help but be moved.
She thought the kindness Michael showed to Megan would be given to her.
She thought being loved by Michael would make a woman very happy.
Maybe she was thinking too much.
The woman Michael loved was Megan, and she was Laura.
"Thank you." Laura ended the call, turned, and walked back into the room. Looking at Maeve's sweet and happy smile, she felt lost.
If possible, Laura really wished her recent life could continue like this.
That way, Maeve would definitely grow up in a happy family.
But there were no ifs.
"Honey, you're awake. Time for breakfast." Michael suddenly opened the door and came in, seeing her sitting by the bed, her long hair lazily draped, her profile as beautiful as a painting.
He couldn't help but lean over to hug her and kiss her.
"I haven't brushed my teeth." Laura avoided him and walked into the bathroom, closing the door.
She leaned against the door for a while, then walked to the mirror and forced a smile.
She washed her face and came out, regaining her composure.
While having breakfast, Michael said, "Let's find a time to take our wedding photos. I'll have the staff from the bridal photography studio come over this afternoon. You can discuss with them the type of photos you like."
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