The Queen's Back

Mona met Maxwell's sulky gaze and couldn't help but smile. She turned to Barbara and said. "Thanks for giving up the shoes, Barbara. I'll take them now. It's getting late, and I need to head home for dinner, so I won't be shopping with you any longer. I'll be on my way," After she said that, Maxwell pulled Mona out of the shoe store without even glancing back at Barbara, while Ava and Bud followed behind them.

Seeing Barbara's frustrated and wronged expression. Ava felt a thrill of satisfaction. She thought about how she had secretly slept with Teddy, and how devastated Mona must have been when she casually switched fiancés at the engagement ceremony. At least this new fiancé treated Mona well and was willing to spend money on her. Aside from not being able to do anything intimate, everything else was good.

Once outside, Bud struck up a conversation with Ava as they walked slowly behind. He remembered his mission for the day. to find a way to take Ava away. She spent too much time glued to Mona, which was making Maxwell unhappy.

Mona, still holding Maxwell's hand, soon realized that Ava hadn't caught up. She turned to Maxwell and said, "Wait a second. Ava is lagging behind."

As soon as Ava arrived, Mona asked, "Why are you two walking so slowly?"

"Slow? I think it's just right. You and your husband should head home first. Bud and I are going out for lunch, Ava replied with a gentle smile, winking at Mona with her big eyes, as if to say, "You know what I mean." Ava hadn't expected Bud to invite her to lunch.

Mona glanced at the two of them, sensing something was off, and nodded slightly at Ava. "Okay, enjoy your lunch..

"Well, Mona, since she won't be going to your place tonight, I'll just take her home myself, Bud said with a cheerful smile. giving Maxwell a knowing look and urging him to seize the opportunity.

He was willing to sacrifice his own charms for his buddy.

Upon hearing this, Mona immediately released Maxwell's hand and pulled Ava to a nearby corner.

"Ava, you're not coming back home with me tonight?" Mona asked, genuinely concerned that Ava hadn't fully recovered from the Soren incident.

Ava nodded. "No, I need to go back to my own place. I've been staying at yours for a while now."

She then turned to Maxwell with a teasing smile. "If I went home with you, and we slept together every night, your husband would be furious. He might just kick me out in the middle of the night." "What are you talking about? He knows what happened. He wouldn't be that petty. By the way, are you still scared about it?" Mona asked, worried.

"Scared? Not anymore. Anyway, hurry back to enjoy your time with your husband. I need to go pursue my own happiness," Ava said with a laugh, heading towards Bud, feeling increasingly attracted to Bud.

The four of them parted ways at the elevator. Ava and Bud headed upstairs to the restaurant, while Mona and Maxwell went to the parking lot to drive home.

Barbara stood behind the group, glaring fiercely at Mona and Maxwell, filled with hatred and a desire to tear Mona apart

"Let's head back. We have plenty of time. We need to learn to endure. Once your father's business is settled, you can do whatever you want. It's just a pair of shoes. You can buy several pairs and throw them in Mona's face in the future!" Beatrice said venomously.

Beatrice had managed to take Jeremy from Eamily, and after discovering Barbara was Jeremy's child, she even encouraged him to sabotage Emily's brakes, leading to her unfortunate accident. Beatrice firmly believed Barbara could do the same. Whether it was the Clem Group or Maxwell, whom Barbara desired, Beatrice was confident that everything would eventually belong to Barbara.

Barbara forced a smile, saying, "I hope that day comes soon. These past few days had been too suffocating for her.

Meanwhile, Mona and Maxwell arrived at the underground garage. Mona looked at the two cars in front of her, a little puzzled, and thought, 'Never mind, I'll just leave my car here and ride back with Maxwell.

Just as she was about to speak, she heard Maxwell say, "Mona, what are you dazed about? Why aren't you opening the car

door?"

"Open the car door?" Mona asked, surprised. "Are you getting in my car?"

Maxwell nodded. "Yeah, I left my car for Bud. I need you to drive me back. Or you could give me the keys, and I can drive."

Driving Maxwell was something she had never done before. The only time was when he taught her to drive and sat in the passenger seat, but that was different.

Mona quickly opened the passenger door and, mimicking Maxwell's gesture, gestured for him to get in.

Maxwell smiled, cooperating with her as he settled into the passenger seat.

Mona got in on the other side, inserted the keys, fastened her seatbelt, turned the ignition, and as she gripped the steering wheel, she stole a glance at Maxwell. For some reason, she felt a butle nervous. Taking a deep breath, she said, "Maxwell, are you ready? We're about to set off." "Yeah, let's go." Maxwell noticed how tightly she was gripping the wheel. "Mona, I told you last time not to hold the wheel so tightly. Why are you still doing it today?"

Hearing this, Mona glanced down at her hands and quickly relaxed her grip. "I forgot for a moment, but it's all good now. Let's go

With that, she drove the car toward the exit. Although she had felt a bit nervous earlier, now that she was actually driving. the tension had eased, and excitement began to bubble within her.

On the way home, Mona played some soft music and admired Maxwell's handsome profile in the passenger seat. Thinking about Barbara's and Beatrice's expressions today, she felt a surge of joy and unconsciously began to hum along to the music.

Perhaps it was her unintentional display of happiness that caught Maxwell's attention. Once the song finished, he couldn't help but ask, "Did you have fun shopping with your friend today?"

His tone held a hint of jealousy. He rarely saw her this cheerful when she was with him.

"Yeah, I had a great time shopping today because I made Barbara unhappy. If she's unhappy, I'm happy, Also, those shoes were a gift from you, right?" Mona asked.

Since Maxwell had already bought them, there was no point in mentioning her original intentions, especially since the shoes were quite expensive.

"I bought those shoes for you. And if you come across anything you like in the future, just buy it," he said, pulling out his bank card to slip into Mona's bag. Money was the one thing he had in abundance right now.Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

24