Chapter 79
"My mother's villa," Hudson ordered Miles the moment Miles settled in his driver's seat.
Miles was startled but didn't show it. For all he knew, his boss had tried to avoid visiting his mother.
He couldn't remember the last time his boss had asked him to drive him there, as Hudson had always avoided it like the plague.
The journey to Dahlia's villa started off with silence between Hudson and his PA until Hudson tapped his finger against the armrest, creating a rhythmic sound.
"Miles, how did the maids at Crescent Villa feel about Cherise?" Hudson suddenly asked, making Miles really surprised and rattled by the question that he unconsciously stepped hard on the break.
Fortunately, they had come to a stretch of road peaceful enough that there weren't any cars in front or behind them, or there would be some serious damage.
Hudson glared at him, and Miles swallowed nervously, followed by his fast apology. "I'm sorry, Sir. You took me by surprise."
"Drive," Hudson ordered, and Miles slowly let the car glide back on the road.
"So?" Hudson asked, and the rhythmic sound of his finger turned fast, showing his impatience. "How did they feel about Cherise?"
Miles looked at his boss through the rearview mirror, uncertain how to answer his question. Should he tell his boss the truth? But Hudson hated Cherise. What if he knew the staff at Crescent Villa, their marital home, treated her well? Sensing his PA's hesitation, Hudson told him, "Tell me the truth."
"Well, Sir," Miles said cautiously, "from what I heard, everyone loved her."
Miles braved a glance at his boss from the rearview mirror again, and when he saw no sign of anger, he decided to tell him the reasons.Belongs © to NôvelDrama.Org.
"Miss Cherise was always kind to all the maids," Miles began telling him about Cherise's act of kindness. "She was friendly to everyone and remembered all their spouses and kids' names. Visit NovelDrama.Org to read the complete chapters for free. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on Job ni b. com. She always bought them and their family little, meaningful presents every holiday. She never once looked down on them for being maids. She even helped them do their chores, especially the older maids, even though she was the mistress of the house."
Hudson listened to Miles praising Cherise, and he felt that dull ache in his heart again. He didn't know all this information before. He knew Cherise was nice, but he thought it was only an act.
But then a thought struck him. How could he have thought of her as a gold digger?
If she really were one, she wouldn't be friendly to the maids. He knew that fact for sure because of his mother, who looked down on others after successfully marrying his father and climbing the social ladder.
And he had heard similar stories from others. Gold diggers would try to act nice to secure their footing and ensure they would be accepted by others, but once they got what they wanted, all pretenses would be thrown out the window.
Sure, most of them would still act nice toward their husband so they wouldn't lose their position, but they would look down on others.
How could he forget that fact? And how could he forget the way Cherise interacted with their maids? Just like Miles had said, she always seemed friendly with them, and they seemed at ease around her yet still respected her.
"And I heard from the head housekeeper that when Miss Cherise first settled in the villa, she didn't know how to cook, but she was relentless in learning about it so she could always cook for you."
That made Hudson pause. He had never heard of a country bumpkin who didn't know how to cook. Shouldn't they know how to do all household chores because they have no luxury in hiring a maid?
Especially for an orphan like Cherise. How did she survive if she couldn't cook before marrying him? And why would she do such a thing when they had maids to do that?
Before Hudson's mind could wander even further, he heard Miles say, "Miss Cherise would have small cuts and burns on her fingers and arms, but no matter how the maids wanted to help her, she would always smile and say she wanted you to taste her cooking, as it was one of her duties as your wife and she had nothing else to offer."
Hudson felt sick when he heard Miles used to say she had nothing else to offer. He felt more and more like a jerk. He had taken her and used her body nearly every night, and she thought it was not enough for him.
Truth be told, he had always taken her roughly without waiting for her consent, but he thought he had the right because they were husband and wife. Now, he felt like he had sexually assaulted her during their marriage. Pushing down the nausea he felt, he said, "I never saw any cuts or burns on her."
Except for papercuts or the burns on the day when Emely lied and blamed her, he thought to himself, and just like the jerk he was, he chose someone else over his wife even though a few days later he felt bad about it. "The maids told me Miss Cherise asked everyone if you asked, they were to say those were papercuts," Miles said.
Hudson didn't know what to feel. Shocked? Angry at himself? Cherise had come to him and complained she got papercuts, but he always ignored her or took a jab at her.
He remembered the increasing number of bandaids around her fingers and mocked her for being too soft, feeling pained just because of papercuts.
"And the burns?" Hudson asked hoarsely, trying to swallow down his guilt.
Miles went quiet as he seemed to think about it.
"Miss Cherise usually wore long sleeves to hide them, and once they started to heal, we all saw them, they were small. You were the only one who didn't see them, Sir," Miles replied without thinking and immediately regretted it. He just accused his boss of not caring about his wife straight to his face! "I'm sorry, Sir," he spluttered. "I didn't mean to imply-"
To his astonishment, Hudson cut him off and muttered under his breath, "I was a jackass to her, wasn't I?"
Since it sounded like a rhetorical question and self-blame, Miles shut his mouth and didn't answer but was a bit thrilled.
Did his boss finally regret his actions before? Was his boss finally falling in love with Miss Cherise? If they could get back together, he and the rest of the staff would be happy!
Because the thought of having a new evil mistress like that Emely made everyone shudder with dread. They all saw the press conference, and Miles saw firsthand how bossy she was when she ordered everyone to throw away everything belonging to Miss Cherise before.
She was the type who looked down on staff, and he was sure he would make their lives a living hell, just like Dahlia and Poppy.
Hudson thought about Miles' words. He said the staff at Crescent Villa loved Cherise, but it didn't mean they didn't abuse her based on how he did not witness them himself but only heard it from the head housekeeper.
He still needed to ask them himself and scrutinize their every minuscule reaction when he faced them to see if they were telling the truth.
To be honest, it sent a wave of relief and a sense of hope that Miles' words were true. After all, it was his home, and his staff would not dare to hurt the mistress of the house, but it could not be said the same for the staff at Dahlia's house.
His expression turned grim. "Miles, did Cherise use to visit Moonlight Villa while I was working?"
"She did, Sir." Miles nodded in confirmation. "But she visited them only when you asked her to."
Hudson thought of the many times he asked Cherise to his mother's villa. Whenever his mother or Polly asked him to go and visit him, he sent Cherise instead because he was so against meeting his mother.
"Did she..." Hudson swallowed, nearly unable to ask his question. "Did she look different after she visited them?"
Miles thought about it and replied, "She always looked paler than when she arrived, but other than that, she was still the same friendly and sunny Miss Cherise."
And he should know it because he was the one who drove her everywhere, which was why Hudson asked him all these questions.
Miles was never allowed inside, and he always waited in the car. Whenever he asked her if she was alright, she smiled at him and told him she was fine.
He knew how much Dahlia and Polly hated Cherise, and he deduced they had insulted and mocked her; that was why she always looked pale after visiting them.
Miles never knew why his boss kept sending his wife there, knowing how much his mother and sister despised her, but he was just a PA and could not voice out his question.
She always looked pale after each visit? That thought sent a shiver down Hudson's spine. He hoped it was because of their words and not physical abuse, though mental and emotional abuse could even be worse, but if they indeed added physical abuse, then he was the one who sent her to the gallow.
The more he learned of Cherise's misfortune when they were married, the more Hudson wanted to kick and punch himself.
Hudson's shaky hands reached toward the liquor compartment, but he thought better of it. He remembered Keith's words on how he needed to have a clear head when talking to them.
So, instead, he took a bottle of water, took a large gulp, and tried to steady his breathing to calm himself down.
When they reached the Moonlight Villa, Hudson had resumed his cold and aloof appearance people knew him to be.
He descended, and Miles, who was asked to follow his boss, stepped behind him despite his confusion.
The staff at Moonlight Villa was surprised by Hudson's visit, but the head housekeeper, a middle-aged woman, had worked for Dahlia since Dahlia had moved to the villa, so she was able to show her professionalism. "Master Hudson, welcome," she greeted politely and asked a maid to brew a pot of coffee.
Hudson ignored her and went to sit on the plush couch in the living room while Miles stood behind him like a bodyguard.
"Where's my mother and Polly?" Hudson asked.
"Madam and Miss Polly went out to meet Madam's friends for breakfast," the head housekeeper replied.
Hudson nodded. Maybe it was good that they weren't home. He could talk to his mother and sister another time and this could give him the opportunity to ask the staff without the interference of his mother. "Gather all the staff here," Hudson ordered her cooly.
The head housekeeper was confused but obeyed him. After all, Hudson was their Young Master.
Once all the staff was gathered and lined up in front of Hudson, he asked, "Is this all the staff here?"
"Yes, Master Hudson," the head housekeeper replied as she poured a cup of coffee for Hudson.
Hudson nodded and took the cup, savoring the coffee before placing it back on the table and leaning against the couch.
His posture was languid, yet his aura was still powerful. He opened his mouth and asked, "Did any of you ever abuse Cherise? With your words or even physically?"