Charlie was telling the truth.
For the first two years, he really didn't earn money.
It was Kate who had been supporting him all along.
The more Edward Salt understood this, the deeper the mockery in his eyes.
His stepmother's son was truly something.
Two years without a single penny?
And to be completely taken care of by his wife?
Oh, to be a leech and not have one shameful bone in his body.
He had never seen a person so shameless.
Mark Salt laughed and shook his head too.
The way he looked at Charlie was as if he were looking at a giant baby.
That was because, in his opinion, Charlie was deliberately lying and demeaning himself. He was clearly an adult, but it was funny seeing him do something so childish.
But what if he wasn't a giant baby?
That would show Jessica's ex-husband was no good either. Failed to educate their child.
Compared to Edward, they were a hundred thousand miles apart.
Mark's heart swelled with a sense of superiority.
…
Charlie didn't plan to stay long.
He went there only at his mother's request.
After sitting there for a while, he was ready to go home.
Jessica said, "Please stay and leave after dinner."
Charlie declined. "No, I have to go back to cook for my wife."
His mother sighed. "You really are a child. Why are you lying about the fact you're married?"
Lying?
Edward listened in.
There was even greater disdain showing in his eyes towards Charlie.
It turned out they all thought he had great self-control.
They thought his wife was fabricated.
That meant they believed the leech thing was just a made-up story too.
But that also meant they didn't believe he had any skill at all. And, he barely did. He could only play games. Why would he be a leech?
He had to be a leech.
"I'm not lying. I'll let you meet Kate if there's a chance."
Charlie was speaking when his phone chimed with a message notification. It was Kate, and she was asking why he wasn't home.
Charlie immediately replied to her.
When Jessica saw her son fiddling with his phone, she thought to give up. She just said, "Fine, forget it! Go home. But let Mark drive you back."
Mark answered, "Yes, Charlie. At least let me spare you the taxi fare and give you a ride home."
Charlie locked his phone screen. He again said, "No need. My wife will come and pick me up later."
Turning his head, Charlie said to his mother, "When Katey gets here later, I guess this will be the perfect time for you to meet her."
"You…" Jessica's eyes hurt and she couldn't hold back tears. "Charlie, stop! Is it really that fun to lie in front of your mother? I know for sure your father wouldn't buy you a car or a house. So, how could you possibly marry a woman when you have nothing?"
It was at this moment Edward chimed in, saying, "Charlie, my brother. Cut the bull. Renting a car and hiring a girlfriend to pick you up will cost an arm and a leg. Just let my dad drive you home to save money."
Charlie smiled and didn't say anything.
A while later.
The roar of an engine pulled in from the intersection.
Then, a Maserati MC12 stopped outside the front door.
As the car door opened, Kate stepped out. She was wearing high heels. She was tall and had an attractive figure that swayed as she walked forward.
Both Jessica, her salty husband, and her son were stunned.
Kate approached them.
Charlie took her hand and then introduced her to his mother.
"Mom, this is your daughter-in-law, Kate Ford."
Jessica was dumbfounded.
The beautiful girl driving the Maserati MC12 was actually her daughter-in-law?
How could her son be so capable that he managed to get his hands on such an outstanding and exceptional woman?
Jessica stared at Kate and excitedly said, "Girl, your family must be quite wealthy! How did you meet my dear Charlie?"
This was the first time Kate had met her mother-in-law, so she was a little nervous.
"I guess I should call you Mom? Charlie and I fell in love and married like any other young couple. My family is also quite ordinary. The wealthy one is Charlie. The Maserati is a gift he gave me."
"What?" Jessica didn't believe it. "The car was given to you by Charlie?"
Jessica wasn't just shocked, but Mark and Edward were also stunned. They were confused, even.
"Charlie is very kind, you know? Of course, that's to be expected. His goodness must come from his amazing mother and her teachings."
Jessica let out a dry laugh.
She hadn't taught her son anything.
She divorced her ex-husband years ago.
Her debt to Charlie was only a debt.
After that, Charlie introduced Mark Salt.
"Kate, this is my mom's current husband. His name is Mark."
Kate froze for a moment but immediately made sure to react.
"Hi, Mark."
"Good, good."
Mark nodded. At this point, only embarrassment was left.
Just moments ago, he always thought Charlie was making things up to show off. It hadn't occurred to him that Charlie wasn't lying at all.
The young man, at such a young age, had managed to marry a beautiful woman. And on top of all that, he had earned enough money to give a Maserati worth over ten million dollars.
That was the same as stepping on the pinnacle of life and proving how good he was at disguise.
Looking back on his own life, even in his prime, he couldn't compare to a man like Charlie.
As for his own son, Edward.
He wasn't worthy of being in the same room as Charlie.
He was trash in comparison.
After these introductions, Charlie guided Kate to leave.
There wasn't a single mention of Edward.
He stared at Kate as she was led away by Charlie's hand.
In Edward's heart, he couldn't hold back disgusting envy and jealousy.
F*ck!
What was the reason?
Charlie's background wasn't as good as his, so how could he do so well for himself? How could he find and marry such a beautiful woman?
This isn't fair!
It's so unfair!
It's a complete lie!
This is what Edward insisted.
It wasn't possible Charlie was that great.
The most likely scenario was he married into Kate's family.
Charlie was very handsome. That was undeniable. He was the trophy type women liked.
Especially truly wealthy families.
So, the wealth had to belong to the Ford family.
Taking Charlie's face into account, he imagined Kate was only willing to say the Maserati MC12 was a gift from Charlie. Edward didn't think that was the truth.
But now, Mark looked at his son with imbalance in his heart.
He couldn't help but scold him and say, "Look at your ugly mug. I've given you so much over the years, but you still ended up far worse than your stepmother's child. Goodness, what a waste!"
...
On the way home.
Charlie was driving.
Kate suddenly reached out and hugged him.
This made Charlie feel a bit weak. The touch and compression on his shoulder instantly made his heart ache. He nearly ended up letting go of the steering wheel.
Charlie asked her, "What's wrong?"
"I didn't know your parents were divorced."
Charlie smiled and said, "Isn't it common, you know? Divorced parents are unfortunately common. My parents split when I was still in elementary school. They had time to start their own separate families. I've lived in the awkward gap between them for a long time."
Kate's eyes were full of what looked like heartache. She said, "This is why I wanted to hug you. You might not have experienced the warmth of a loving home with your own family, but you can with me. We can build that together."
"When we have a little baby, you can give your child what you weren't given in your own childhood."