Chapter 7 What's It to Him If She's Bullied?
Mason Reed had a hunch about her unease and kept his tone casual. "Go to the bedroom, open the cabinet drawer. There's a box inside—bring it here."
"Oh," Clara Bennett murmured, following his instructions. Sure enough, tucked deep in the drawer was an intricately carved wooden box. The floral patterns were exquisite, almost mesmerizing, and a faint, pleasant scent wafted from it.
Mason Reed took it from her and flipped it open. Inside gleamed a handful of golden treasures: a necklace, earrings, a ring, and a striking bracelet—gold interwoven with creamy jade, its luster rich and captivating.
Clara Bennett's eyes widened, her gaze darting to him in confusion.
"This..."
"We got married, and I didn't give you a proper dowry," Mason Reed said, inspecting each piece with a nonchalant air. "Consider these my way of making up for it. Take a look—anything you don't like?"
Under the table, Clara Bennett's hands clenched and unclenched, her nerves tingling. She stole a glance at his stoic face, and despite herself, a trickle of sweetness seeped into her heart.
Every piece was flawless, stunningly crafted.
But where had he gotten them?
Mason Reed caught the flicker of doubt in her eyes and chuckled lightly. "Relax, these aren't stolen or snatched. They're legit."
Clara Bennett's face flushed instantly.
How could she suspect her own husband like that?
"Keep them," he said, sliding the closed box toward her, his deep eyes locking onto hers. "This is everything I've got—everything this house has. We're married now, so it's only right you take charge of it. I'm handing over all our assets to you."
"Mason, I..."
"One more thing," he cut her off. "You're heading back to your family today, right? I won't go with you. Apologize to them for me."
Clara Bennett blinked, then let out a long, relieved breath, her whole body easing.
"Okay," she said with a small smile. "You do your thing—I can handle it!"
Watching her visibly relax, Mason Reed shook his head, a quiet laugh bubbling up inside. This little wife of his was something else—every emotion played out on her face like an open book. She couldn't hide a thing.
With a personality like that, how could she not get pushed around?
Pushed around?
His hand paused mid-air, chopsticks hovering. A sudden tightness gripped his chest. What if she went back to her family today and they bullied her?
But if she got bullied... what was that to him?
Mason Reed's thoughts tangled into a mess. He shoveled a few bites of food into his mouth, then set the bowl down, grabbed his jacket, and headed out.
Clara Bennett didn't know where he was off to. She tidied up the house quickly before catching a bus. On the way, her phone rang—it was Sunny Lin, who chattered nonstop until Clara Bennett stepped off the bus, still on the line.
"I swear, you're way too laid-back! What day is it today? Your third-day visit! And your husband's gone AWOL? Does he even care about you—or this marriage?"
Clara Bennett just giggled sheepishly on the other end.
Sunny Lin was two years her senior, her best friend from school days, with a fiery, take-no-nonsense personality. Clara Bennett always said if Sunny had been born in ancient times, she'd have been a warrior heroine.
Right now, that heroine was on a roll, her words firing like a machine gun. "That broke nobody should thank his lucky stars he landed you! And he doesn't even appreciate it—not even showing up for your family visit? He—"
"Okay, okay!" Clara Bennett interrupted, tugging at a strained smile. "I didn't want him to come. Today... I'm going home to get the money. If he's there, everything falls apart!"
The line went quiet for a moment, followed by a heavy sigh from Sunny Lin.
"Clara, you've thrown your whole life away for this!"