Chapter 34
If she didn’t try her best to please him, he would accuse her of being sarcastic. When she shamelessly flirted with him, he would call her brazen and disgraceful.
In the end, he simply couldn’t stand her. No matter what she did, it was wrong in his so she decided to stay silent. She would agree to whatever he claimed.
eyes,
Estrella’s declaration only made Jason feel more uneasy. He would have rather had a heated argument with her than this stifling silence..
Looking at Estrella, he said, “Estrella, why don’t I believe you when you say Korey has no ulterior motives?”
Estrella couldn’t help but laugh. The guy hadn’t been back in two years. With her arms crossed over her chest, Estrella gave Jason a playful look and teased, “Jason, shouldn’t I be asking you the same question? With your resources, couldn’t you find Serene a job anywhere? Why on earth did you have to place her in the secretarial office at Nelson International? You assume everyone is up to the same tricks as you?”
Jason was speechless. His gaze softened slightly as he asked, “You’re still bothered by her?”
Estrella chuckled, “Who am I to take offense? Id consider myself lucky if you stopped giving me grief.”
Estrella never argued with him about external matters. Her policy was to focus on the major issues and let the minor ones slide. As long as Jason was willing to have children with her, that was enough for her. But now, she wasn’t in the mood to have children, which made Jason somewhat redundant.
Ignoring Estrella’s indifference, Jason coldly stated, “Estrella, you truly don’t deserve the title of Mrs. Nelson.”
Playing along, Estrella feigned a sigh, “Two years of marriage and not a baby to show for it, I really don’t deserve it, do I?”
Jason’s expression darkened. He felt like she was insinuating something. Abruptly getting out of bed, he tightened the sash of his robe and retorted, “I’m not going to waste time arguing with you.” After saying that, he stormed out of the room.
Estrella glanced towards the door, with a sarcastic smile on her lips, and then pulled out a chair at the desk and sat down to work.
Shortly after, her phone on the table rang. It was a call from Kristin. Estrella answered the call.
“Estrella, are you home yet? Jason should be there, right?” Kristin’s voice came through quickly from the other end.
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“He just left.”
Upon hearing that Jason was out again, Kristin’s voice rose, “Why’s he gone out again? Wasn’t he staying at home these past few days?”
Before Estrella could respond, Kristin continued with earnest concern, “Estrella, this can’t go on between you and Jason. If it keeps up, I’m afraid your marriage won’t last. You need to prioritize having
a child. A man’s heart will only settle once he has a child. And Estrella…”
Realizing what she was about to say might hurt Estrella, Kristin swallowed the words about the fortune- teller’s predictions.
But she thought to herself that, all the fortune-tellers had said Estrella could only have children with Jason. Why wasn’t Estrella taking it seriously? If it had been Kristin, she’d have been obsessed with it day and night, not going off to work.
Estrella, tapping away at her keyboard, reassured her mother, “I know. I’m taking it to heart.”
The thought of spending a lifetime with Jason was more than she dared to hope for. Having a child already seemed like reaching for the stars.
Kristin spoke up, “Then I’ll give Jason a call and have a word with him.”
After hanging up with Estrella, Kristin dialed Jason. The call connected, and she immediately laid into him, “Jason, did you leave again? Estrella comes home and you’re out. What are you trying to do? Do you even want this marriage? I’ll tell you now. There won’t be another daughter-in-law for me besides Estrella. So reign in your wandering eye, If you dare even think about divorcing Estrella, you’ll see what your father does to you. You won’t get a dime.”
After listening to Kristin’s tirade, Jason rubbed the bridge of his nose and replied, “I haven’t left. I’m at home.”
Surprised, Kristin paused before urging, “If you’re home, then go and make it up to Estrella. There’s no shame in a man sweet-talking his wife. And remember, the holiday is over. The year is almost up. I can’t count on you for a grandchild this year, but at least get Estrella pregnant before the New Year. Otherwise, the gossip will be unbearable.”
Even if others didn’t talk, she herself was starting to wonder. It had been over two years. Why wasn’t Estrella pregnant? The check-ups showed she was healthy. Could it be that her son was the issue?
Jason remained silent as Kristin pressed on, “Jason, are you listening to me? Now go and comfort Estrella. Couples fight, but the bed is where…”
Before she could finish, Jason abruptly hung up. Kristin could talk till dawn and still have more to say.
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Jason carelessly tossed his phone onto the nightstand and glanced at the door, thinking of Estrella’s cool demeanor earlier. He flopped back onto the bed, too lazy to get up.
He had already made the effort to visit the Dorvold family the past few days; he wasn’t about to keep humbling himself before her.
In the room, Estrella, with black framed glasses perched on her nose, was deeply engrossed in a case file, completely oblivious to Jason. Thoughts of children had slipped her mind.
The following morning, as Estrella was getting ready to head to the law firm, she opened her bedroom door to find Jason emerging from the opposite room in his pajamas.
Estrella, surprised, remarked, “You didn’t go out? Then I wronged you last night when I talked to your mom.”
True to form, Estrella was straightforward. Jason gave her a disdainful look. Then, taking the opportunity while she was speaking to him, Jason inquired, “Why are you up and about so early when everyone else is resting?”
Estrella replied with a smile, “Some people are lucky, but I have no such fortune. No one’s looking after me, so I have to go earn a living!”
Jason’s expression darkened; he felt slighted again.
However, when he thought about it, he found it was true. In the two years they’d been married, he hadn’t given Estrella any money or gifts.
we
Jason was left speechless by Estrella’s blunt remark. She sauntered over to him and
to Well why don’t w straightened out his pajama top. “Feeling guilty after my little dig, huh? Well, why just have a baby? I don’t need your money. You just enjoy the ride.”
Jason’s face darkened instantly. He reached out to pinch her cheek. “Estrella, if you were a guy, no woman would be safe from your mischief.”
Though he teased her with his words, Jason actually sighed in relief internally. That shameless Estrella had finally come back, so it seemed they were moving past the whole. festival fiasco.
After their recent spat, Estrella had been all talk and no action, not constantly throwing herself at Jason like before, leaving him feeling a bit discontent. He felt something was missing. As a result, he grew even colder towards her.
In the dead of night, Estrella was fast asleep when she was suddenly awoken by a commotion downstairs. Wrapping herself in a thin blanket, she opened her bedroom door only to find Jason, dead drunk, being carried home by Thomas..
Estrella’s brows furrowed. “Thomas, what’s going on?”
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“Ella, thank goodness you’re here. Give me a hand, will you? I can hardly hold Jason up anymore.” He continued, “We all got together tonight, and Jason drank too much with the boss.”
Estrella descended the stairs. “He’s not one to be reckless with himself. Did something happen?”
Ever since they were married, she hadn’t seen Jason behave like this. Even at Korey’s welcome party, he had grabbed a drink but never ended up like this.
Seeing Estrella’s concern, Thomas leaned in and whispered a few words into her ear.
**
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