The Housewife's Return To Her Alluring Prime - Chapter 56: Chapter 56

Jared's expression paused for a moment when he saw me before he quickly composed himself. He politely said goodbye to Tracy's dad and walked over to me.
Tracy's dad, Mason Darwin, gave me a meaningful, scrutinizing look before calling out his daughter's nickname.
Tracy, with a hint of disappointment in her eyes, said to Jared, "Jared, I'm going back with my dad now."
Jared gave her a gentle nod. "Alright, go ahead."
Tracy didn't leave right away. She turned to me with a smile and said, "Mrs. Holcomb, I hope you don't misunderstand.
"Tonight is just a business dinner. Jared and my family are discussing a potential partnership. Don't worry. With me around, this deal is as good as done."
With that, Tracy acted gently and followed her father out of the restaurant.
Jared turned to me, his expression calm. "What brings you and your friend here?"
Melissa immediately shot back, "Mr. Holcomb, are you saying Victoria can't show up anywhere you are from now on?"
Jared smiled faintly and explained, "That's not what I meant."
Melissa continued, "Then what do you mean, Mr. Holcomb? Are you saying Victoria was stalking you?"
My chest tightened at her words, but I wasn't about to waste my breath asking about him and Tracy. I'd just ignore it completely.
Jared shook his head. "That's not what I meant. Victoria, are you heading back now? I'll ride with you."
"Sorry, I have to take Melissa home," I said, pulling Melissa along with me as we headed out.
Jared didn't try to follow us.
Melissa was still fuming. In the elevator, she asked me, "Victoria, why are you so quiet? You need to let it out. You can't just let him off the hook like that. You should at least make him put it in writing."
I replied coolly, "A man's nature is to keep falling for new women. Even if he wrote a promise, what difference would it make?"
Melissa burst out laughing at that and nodded. "Exactly. Men can't get enough of it."
Melissa kept ranting, "Did you hear that woman's tone? She sounded so sweet and familiar. Anyone who didn't know better would think she was his wife."
That suddenly brought back a memory from my previous life. Tracy once told me that at work, she called him Mr. Holcomb, but in private, she only used his name. And in bed, she'd use all sorts of flirty nicknames, even calling him Baby before.
"Melissa, don't get upset over them," I said softly.
"No, any normal person would be upset. Victoria, do you not love him anymore?" Melissa suddenly snapped out of it, her eyes going wide as she stared at me. "You only stop hurting and stop caring when you don't love someone anymore.
"So, is that it? You really don't love him anymore?"
I gave her a small, wry smile. "Honestly, there are still things I like about him, like his money. But as for the man himself, I stopped loving him a long time ago."
"Well, that's actually a good thing," Melissa said, arching an eyebrow. "But seriously, the guy is loaded. If you split everything fifty-fifty, you'd be rolling in billions."
I never dared to dream of becoming some crazy rich lady with billions. Just a tiny slice would be more than enough to keep me comfortable for the rest of my life.
After dropping Melissa off, I headed straight home. Jared was already there. He'd swung by Sally's place to pick up Yvonne. Right now, the two of them were in the kids' room, playing with building blocks.
Jared was dressed in a crisp white shirt and black slacks, looking all professional and business-like. Yvonne was wearing a princess dress, and with the warm light shining down on them, it was a really sweet scene.
"Mom, you're back so late?" Yvonne pouted when she saw me standing in the doorway. "Why are you busier than Dad? You don't even have time to play with me anymore."
Jared turned to look at me, then gently patted Yvonne's head. "Mom's just starting her business, so it's normal for her to be busy. I'll make sure to spend more time with you from now on."
Yvonne still wasn't too happy, her lips pouting even more.
I didn't join them in the kids' room; I just went back to the master bedroom. I was beat after a long day, and all I wanted tonight was a nice, relaxing soak in the tub.
So I started running the bath, sprinkled in some essential oils and rose petals, and in no time, the whole bathroom was filled with a soothing, floral scent.
Just as I was testing the water temperature, Jared showed up at the bathroom door. "The Darwin family has a new project I'm working on. Tonight was just a regular business thing. Don't read too much into it."
His explanation actually took me by surprise. I thought he'd just try to sweep it under the rug like before, acting like nothing happened and hoping I'd keep quiet about it.
It looked like Jared really had changed a bit lately. Sometimes I wondered if there was some weird balance in the universe. When one person stopped loving, the other suddenly started to care.
So now that I didn't love him anymore, Jared was the one trying to win me over.
I gave him a light smile. "Relax. I'm not overthinking it. We're all just working hard, right? I know things aren't easy for you. Darling, you really do so much for this family."
'Even going so far as to use your looks to please your guest's daughter,' I added inwardly.
My considerate words made Jared's gaze stiffen for a moment.
I quickly got up and gently ushered him out. "I'm going to take a bath now. You go tuck Yvonne in."
I shoved Jared backward until he was out of the door; his scowl flashed, and I slammed the door in his face.
After my bath, Jared was still in Yvonne's room, coaxing her to sleep, while I'd already crawled into bed.
That night, Jared didn't come to mess with me.
Early the next morning, before my alarm even went off, my phone started ringing.
Sally's voice came through the line. "Victoria, I'm heading over to your place now. Get Yvonne dressed. We're going to Leayinn Church to pray. It's Sunday."
I was momentarily stunned, then remembered that Sally always liked to pray on Sunday.
"Mom, can I just skip it this time? I've still got work to finish today," I tried to politely decline.
"No way, you have to go," Sally cut me off, her tone leaving no room for argument. "You need this more than anyone. Anyway, I'm already outside. Go get Yvonne up, now."
I knew Sally usually acted all easygoing, but when it came to things she cared about, she could totally pull out that classic rich lady attitude.
I got up, got dressed, and went to wake Yvonne. But Yvonne wasn't having it. She rolled over in bed a couple of times and promptly fell back asleep.
I had no choice but to change her clothes right there in bed. Yvonne grumbled irritably, "Mom, didn't you say you were done with me? Why do I have to get up so early?"
"Your grandma wants to go to the church to pray, and she wants to bring you along," I explained.
"I don't want to go," Yvonne whined, still cranky from being woken up.
"Your grandma's here. You can tell her yourself," I said, not in the mood to argue anymore, and got up to get ready.
As I walked past Jared's room, I saw his door was already open. It looked like he'd headed out early.
Sally had come over for breakfast, and she wasn't alone. Quinn was with her, wearing that signature look of indifference.
"Come on, sweetie, hurry up and get downstairs. I will buy you a toy later today," Sally coaxed, showing just how good she was at spoiling Yvonne. Sally would promise Yvonne anything.
Quinn was already eating breakfast upstairs. When I came down, she barely glanced at me. "Victoria, you're really starting to enjoy the good life, huh?
"Weren't you used to cooking at home? Now you've got two maids, and you just get to kick back and relax."
Sure enough, Quinn just couldn't stand to see me doing well. The moment I looked comfortable, she got annoyed.
Wendy, looking a bit awkward, set down a plate of freshly baked pies and quickly slipped back into the kitchen.
I sat down at the table and said coolly, "Once you get married, you'll definitely make a great wife. You're already so considerate of your future in-laws."
Quinn rolled her eyes. "Not everyone gets the same life, you know. I'm definitely not doing any housework. Don't lump me in with you, Victoria."
"I never did any housework at my parents' place, either," I shot back.
"That's different. Your family and ours? Not even close," Quinn said, practically oozing with superiority.
Just as I was about to snap back, Sally came down the stairs, holding Yvonne's hand. I had no choice but to keep quiet and finish my breakfast in silence.
After breakfast, we all headed out to Leayinn Church.
The church was ancient and said to be super effective. People flocked here from all over just to pray for a little luck.
On Sunday, the place was packed. But since Sally was a regular, she always had someone arranging everything for her whenever she came to pray.
I was standing in the hall, eyes closed, sincerely wishing for a little more money in my life, when I suddenly sensed someone walking right next to me.
Just then, I heard Jared's voice by my ear. "What are you praying for?"