Reborn as Mr.CEO’s Fat Wife
Chapter 898: Do We Have to Play So Thrillingly?

Chapter 898: Chapter 898: Do We Have to Play So Thrillingly?

David Locke started his car and sped all the way to Lica Garden. He quickly realized that this was an extremely old neighborhood, and though Mary Scott had told him the location yesterday, she hadn’t specified the building or floor.

Parking at the chaotic entrance of the neighborhood, he realized just how little he knew about the current Mary Scott.

No, to be precise, he hadn’t known much about Moll Scott back then either.

Their young love had been incredibly pure at the time, and owing to his personality, he hadn’t taken the time to really understand Moll Scott’s family. All he knew was that her father worked outside the city, their family was affluent—not top-tier high society, but still wealthy enough to have a driver escort her. Her parents doted on her immensely.

During their relationship, he’d even dropped her off at home a few times. That house had been worth millions at the time. But when Moll Scott broke up with him and admitted she’d fallen in love with someone else, his unwillingness and anger spurred him to seek her out again—only to find the house abandoned. Afterward, all he heard was that Moll Scott had gone abroad with that boy. He tried contacting her family, only to realize that there wasn’t even a single person who knew where she’d gone.

Immature and blinded by anger, his rationality clouded by hatred, he now stood before this run-down neighborhood, thinking about everything Moll Scott had been through in the entertainment industry—all of which seemed completely incompatible with the life of a girl from a privileged background.

And her hand last night—when he’d held it—had a thin layer of calluses. That was totally unexpected for a pampered young lady or even a minor celebrity. Where exactly had she been all these years? And why had she fallen to the point of being merely a utility woman in the industry?

A pile of unanswered questions confronted David Locke. Questions he hadn’t thought about before. Now, looking back, he found the whole situation riddled with discrepancies.

With one hand resting on the steering wheel, David lit a cigarette for himself. Staring at the smoky, bustling neighborhood in the early morning, he took a deep drag before dialing Mary Scott’s number. This time, she’d blocked even his current number.

"Ha." Listening to the mechanical female voice over the phone, David sneered and pressed his tongue against his molars. He then dialed Brandon Piers’ number. "Hey, Brandon. I heard you have a hacker genius on your team. Can you do me a favor?"

Three minutes later, David found a parking spot, extinguished his cigarette, and headed into the neighborhood.

Mary Scott had gone to the market first after returning home. It was lunar new year, and she’d given their housekeeper the day off. She carried back large bags of groceries to the apartment, where Alfred Scott, who hadn’t seen her in a while, greeted her enthusiastically.

"Wow, Sis, you bought so much food. Can we even finish all of this tonight?" Alfred exclaimed as he reached out to take the bags.

Mary dodged him. "Who said this is all for today? I’m going to head out again shortly to stock up for the new year."

"Then I’ll go with you." A bit disappointed he couldn’t grab the bags, Alfred frowned slightly. His sister really treated him like a patient.

"No way. You be good and stay home. I’ll handle it myself." Predictably, Mary refused outright.

Alfred rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Sis, it’s been three months since my surgery. The doctors say I need to move around more. How about this: I’ll go with you, but I’ll only carry the lighter stuff?"

He felt like he was going to rot if he stayed cooped up in the house any longer.

Seeing Alfred’s pitiful expression, Mary hesitated for a moment. It was true he couldn’t stay inside all the time. "Fine, but you must do what I say when we’re out. No running around or wandering off."

"Sis, I’m not a child anymore." Alfred stood deliberately next to Mary, trying to prove his maturity.

Mary looked up at the tall young man towering a head over her. Annoyed, she shoved him aside. "So what if you’re tall? You’re still my little brother."

Then she carried the groceries into the kitchen. While sorting things, she asked Alfred what he wanted to eat.

Over the years, the siblings had relied on each other. They’d developed decent basic life skills along the way.

Alfred didn’t have any preferences. He helped Mary pluck vegetables while occasionally asking about her job. Mary replied nonchalantly.

Earlier, Mary hadn’t just gone to the market—she’d also stopped by the pharmacy. She’d taken flu medication before coming home, worried Alfred might notice she was unwell or—even worse—that she might pass her illness on to him. At first, she hadn’t felt anything, but once inside, her body warmed up, and a combination of medication and sleeplessness brought on overwhelming drowsiness. Her eyelids kept drooping.

Alfred, noticing, surmised how exhausted she was from work. He quickly ushered Mary out of the kitchen. "Go sit down; I’ll cook. After we eat, you need to nap."

"It’s fine. I’ll do it; it won’t take long." Mary rubbed her eyes, trying to stay alert. Just then, a knock sounded from outside. She nudged Alfred. "Go open the door. Did you order something?"

Alfred scratched his head as he walked toward the door. "No, and aren’t deliveries paused during lunar new year?"

Still pondering as he opened it, Alfred was about to ask if the visitor had the wrong address. Before he could, the man entered directly—a man even taller than Alfred’s impressive height. Alfred stared at this familiar face, his mouth moving but no words coming out, just as his sister poked her head out of the kitchen. "Who is it?"

Alfred glanced back at Moll Scott, torn, clearly recognizing David Locke. His sister froze in her tracks, staring dumbfounded at the imposing figure standing in the cramped apartment. A small two-bedroom flat already felt suffocating; with David inside, the room seemed even more so.

Hearing Moll’s voice, David turned his gaze to her. What met his eyes was a woman in a small apron, holding a spatula—every inch a picture of domesticity. His brow furrowed deeply as he raspily replied with his smoke-roughened voice, "It’s me."

Mary stood in place, staring at David, as though he were silently conveying: *I’ve found you now.*

Yesterday, she’d only mentioned the name of the neighborhood, and Lica Garden was massive, composed of several areas with tens of thousands of residents. How had he located her?

A cold sweat broke out on Mary’s back from sheer shock.

"Sis, is he your friend?" Alfred, of course, recognized David’s face. He was the man his sister had loved to the point of heartache—later, a man she dreamt of even after their breakup in a foreign country. But hadn’t they separated?

David, hearing Alfred’s words, glanced at Mary. "Your sister didn’t tell you she’s married—and her spouse is me?"

"What?" Although Alfred had long been aware of his sister’s feelings for this man, the word ’marriage’ still shocked him to the core. He turned wide-eyed to his sister with confusion written all over his face.

Mary was equally taken aback by David’s bluntness, her mouth opening and closing with no words forthcoming. There was simply no way to refute this.

Finally snapping out of it, Alfred found his voice. "Sis, is... is this true?"

Alfred couldn’t believe his sister had gotten married—especially to the man she’d loved for so long. Although initially stunned, he quickly became happy for her.

Mary nodded stiffly, "Sort of, I guess."

And in her heart, she cursed out David’s ancestors eighteen generations deep. The man clearly knew they were on the brink of divorce yet chose this moment to spill their marriage to her brother, fully aware Alfred had just undergone surgery and couldn’t handle stress.

"Sis, why didn’t you tell me about such a big deal?" Alfred said, sounding a bit reproachful.

Mary offered a forced laugh. "Well... I, uh, wanted to surprise you."

What a surprise indeed!

Alfred didn’t understand his sister’s mental journey; he merely sensed tension between them. Still, basic hospitality nudged him. He beckoned David to sit and fetched him a glass of water.

David took this chance to observe the cramped apartment. Though small, the place was warmly decorated—but it was a far cry from the opulence of Moll Scott’s past life. He’d done some inquiries before coming and knew they were renters here.

In other words, this pigeonhole of a space couldn’t even be called their own.

Mary couldn’t ignore David’s scrutinizing gaze, making her feel exceedingly self-conscious—like being stripped bare under harsh light. Yet, her brother was present, so she couldn’t say much. She turned sharply and went back to cooking.

With an extra guest, Mary had to prepare one more dish. When it was served, David and Alfred had already started chatting. Mary, uneasy about what Alfred might say, called them to help instead.

There wasn’t a proper dining table in the apartment. The three gathered around the coffee table for breakfast. Normally, Mary was used to seeing Alfred slouched on the small, short stool, but seeing David awkwardly perched there made her deeply uncomfortable. "Uh... you should head out once you finish eating."

The comment essentially chased him off in no uncertain terms.

David looked up at her briefly before taking a sip of corn porridge and a bite of sautéed cauliflower. Then, raising his gaze again, he asked, "You made this?"

At his home, there were housekeepers and chefs—there was no need for Mary to cook. It was the first time he realized she knew how to. Even if the dishes were just simple stir-fries, he was haunted by memories of her once-pampered life, so seeing her like this felt surreal.

Mary thought he was criticizing the food. "Not good enough? If you don’t like it, don’t eat it."

"No. It’s quite good." Yet his heart felt anything but good.

Mary hadn’t expected this response. She stiffened momentarily, saying no more.

Alfred jumped in to mediate. "Brother-in-law, is this the first time you’ve tried my sister’s cooking? She’s decent at it. Her best dish, though, is pizza. She used to work at a pizza—"

"Eat your food. Why are you talking so much?" Sensing Alfred was about to expose her, Mary quickly interrupted, stopping him cold.

She didn’t think working was a disgrace, but for some reason, she just didn’t want this man to know.

But Alfred’s half-revealed comment gave David enough to piece things together—so she had worked at a pizza shop? But why? Wasn’t she abroad with that other man? Did he deceive her?

That didn’t make sense. Even if the guy betrayed her, what about the Scott family?

Chided by his sister, Alfred made a playful face and lowered his head to focus on his food.

David seized the moment to ask, "Where are Uncle and Aunt?"

Since he’d arrived, he hadn’t seen anyone else. Normally, families would gather during lunar new year, yet it seemed like other than Alfred’s belongings, the apartment carried few traces of anyone else.

The question made the air in the room drop suddenly—the sort of silence where breaths were caught mid-motion and tension was palpable.

"Cough, cough. Sis, is there more corn porridge? I want seconds," Alfred coughed, trying to change the subject.

Mary nodded. "Go serve yourself."

Alfred scrambled away, retreating posthaste. He didn’t know the specifics between his sister and her ex-boyfriend turned husband, but it was crystal clear to him that David knew almost nothing about their family history.

Once Alfred left, Mary turned to glare at the man who was awkwardly hunched over on the low stool. "When will you leave?"

With Alfred gone, Mary shed all pretensions; there was no need for a farce anymore.

David continued eating without responding to her attempts at eviction.

His unyielding behavior irritated Mary to no end. "Director Locke, what exactly do you want? We’ve already made things clear. If you feel I still owe you anything, I’ll settle those debts soon enough."

"You followed Fred Norman out of the country. Where is he now? Did he leave you to live like this?" David said, deliberately sweeping his eyes around the room once more.

The look in his eyes stung Mary deeply. She pressed her lips together tightly. "That’s none of your business."

"Oh." David let out a low chuckle before continuing with his meal. After a while, he suddenly spoke again. "Pack your things and come home with me."

Mary clenched her chopsticks tightly, bracing herself for another bombardment from him. The words that came out next left her flabbergasted. "Home?"

"Since we’re legally married, and we’ve consummated the marriage, my home is naturally yours," David said, his tone muffled. While he’d suspected her situation might not be great, stepping into this apartment confirmed how much worse it actually was, leaving his heart wrenched.

Years might pass, everything might change, yet he still couldn’t bear to see her suffer.

But his words made Mary laugh bitterly. "Have you forgotten we’re getting divorced?"

It was a fact known across the internet, publicly announced by none other than himself.

"That was just anger talking." David gritted his teeth. He couldn’t understand how this woman remained so oblivious—after all this time, she still loved to provoke him! Couldn’t she just follow his lead and make things easier for both of them?

Mary, stunned, stared at him. She knew exactly how proud this man was. And yet, not only had he chased her all the way to Lica Garden, but now he’d admitted the whole divorce talk came from a moment of anger. She looked at him as if he were someone she didn’t recognize. After a long pause, she shook her head. "We can talk about us later. As for your place, I can’t go back right now. Alfred needs me here, and I’ve got a variety show to film soon."

Even if she didn’t have the show to film, Mary wouldn’t dare go back. Her body still hurt everywhere, and she struggled to walk without revealing discomfort.

"Filming during the holiday season? Starlight is so unbelievably demanding!" David said irritably. "After the new year, I’ll have someone terminate your contract with them. Do as I say."

"No need. There’s only five months left in my contract with them. Don’t interfere," Mary immediately rejected. She’d already endured this far—there was no point in owing David a million dollars over something that’s already almost done.

Given how he was already transactional over her debt, based on their history, a million-dollar favor might lead her to the end of her rope—or life. As much as she liked him deep down, Mary still feared being completely destroyed by him.

David stared at her for a long moment. "I’ll arrange for Alfred to come stay at my place for the holiday. You should come too."

"I’m not going." Mary felt like she was losing her mind. This man was so ridiculously domineering—he was never like this before.

"That’s not up to you," David said, a devilish smirk pulling at his lips. "I’d hate for Alfred to find out you married me for his surgery expenses."

The threat couldn’t be more blatant!

Mary trembled all over, her wide doe-like eyes glaring at David. "You... you..."

The words barely formed when David suddenly leaned forward and pressed his hand to her forehead. "You’re feverish."

The cool touch jolted Mary. Instinctively, she pulled back, but the low stool slid under her, sending her falling toward the ground. In his haste to steady her, David’s stool slipped too, causing him to topple directly onto her.

Alfred emerged leisurely from the kitchen, assuming the conversation was about done—only to see David lying atop his sister. He froze in place. Was this even appropriate? How scandalous!

...

was rejected twice and is still under revision. If you’re interested, check out ’Double Joy PF’ on Twitter.

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