Reborn as Mr.CEO’s Fat Wife
Chapter 948: Love Drives People Mad

Chapter 948: Chapter 948: Love Drives People Mad

Charlotte Leigh’s scandal successfully diverted most of the attention from "Detectives and Wilderness," drawing the media and public’s gaze elsewhere.

Various opportunistic bloggers also jumped on the bandwagon to tear into Charlotte Leigh. For her, it was destined to be a sleepless night.

Yet, while the online community seemed eager to drown Charlotte Leigh with their verbal venom, Simon Baker was inexplicably grateful to her, repeatedly praising how her scandal had come at the perfect time.

James Jerome and Stella Murray also sat nearby, relishing the drama with great enthusiasm, occasionally clicking their tongues in amusement. Suddenly, Brian Joule thought of something. "Director Locke, isn’t Charlotte Leigh under the same company as Mary Scott?"

If he remembered correctly, Charlotte Leigh had been dropped from the "Secret Room" production team not long ago due to her diva behavior. He had once overheard some staff members whispering that she had offended a certain director.

Today, when the incident on the "Detectives and Wilderness" set had just erupted, and the target seemed to be Mary Scott, Charlotte Leigh’s sudden scandal felt too coincidental for Brian not to read between the lines.

David Locke, hearing this, nodded slightly. "Yes."

His tone was cold and detached.

Simon Baker and the others looked up sharply, sensing an unspoken tension in the air.

David Locke met their gazes, remaining calm. "The hospital has arranged for specialized care. I’ll go pick up Mary. Feel free to do as you please."

After speaking, Martin, standing behind him, politely bowed to the group and wheeled David Locke away.

It wasn’t until the silhouettes of David Locke and his assistant vanished down the hospital’s plain corridor that the remaining group snapped out of their trance. Stella Murray, in particular, lightly patted her chest. "Did anyone else feel, for a moment, that Director Locke’s aura was absolutely terrifying, like those stories about an unmatched killing intent? I could hardly breathe."

James Jerome patted Stella’s shoulder in agreement with her observation.

Simon Baker couldn’t help muttering, "Could today’s events somehow be connected to that Charlotte Leigh?"

Brian Joule surveyed the reactions of his companions, then glanced at the space where Locke had disappeared, offering a low reminder, "Without evidence, it’s best not to jump to conclusions."

However, despite his words, everyone present with even a hint of intuition understood that this matter was very likely tied to Charlotte Leigh. Otherwise, why would a rising starlet suddenly be hit with an explosive scandal out of nowhere, one so overwhelming that there was seemingly no path to recovery? It was almost certain that, after tonight, Charlotte Leigh would vanish entirely from the entertainment circle, her reputation irreparably destroyed.

A gust of cold wind swept through the winter night, making all of them shudder involuntarily. Each silently vowed to themselves never to cross Director Locke.

Meanwhile, after David Locke got into the car, he instructed Martin to drive to the local police station.

By the time David Locke arrived, Mary Scott had just finished being questioned. She turned to the side and addressed Lambert Norman, "I’m leaving now."

"Moll." Lambert unexpectedly called out her name, halting Mary in her tracks.

Mary’s body stiffened upon hearing that name, but she turned back to him. "...Thank you for today."

"Do you really have to draw such a distinct line between us?" Lambert asked bitterly.

Mary felt conflicted. Looking at the once-proud man before her, who now repeatedly stepped back for her sake, she was filled with guilt, regret, and gratitude. After a long pause, she sighed softly. "You know as well as I do that our departure together back then has been a thorn in his heart. I don’t want to keep hurting him."

"Heh. I know. Go on." Lambert chuckled lightly, his tone a mix of mockery and bitterness. In the end, he waved her off, choosing not to make things harder for Mary.

Though Lambert’s laugh left her unsettled, Mary pressed on, hardening her resolve. "I’m leaving now."

And with that, she hurried toward the car glowing with headlights in the darkness.

Once inside, Mary immediately sensed the oppressive atmosphere in the car. Unable to resist, she glanced at the man beside her. Sure enough, his face was clouded with a dark expression. She cautiously asked, "How long have you been here?"

"Does it matter how long I’ve been here? What matters is, if I had come any later, would you have left with him?" David Locke’s voice was cool and unreadable.

The moment he spoke, a wave of frustration surged within him.

"No, I said I’d wait for you," Mary replied earnestly, as if unaware of the man’s displeasure.

"Why don’t I believe you?" David retorted, his tone tinged with sarcasm.

Mary turned her head to study David silently.

Feeling her gaze, David grew uncomfortable and turned his head away from her line of sight.

Mary found his reaction amusing and reached out with her slender, fair hand to turn his face back toward her, so they were face-to-face once again.

It was rare for Mary to initiate contact. Despite his irritation, David couldn’t bring himself to resist her. He allowed her soft hand to guide his face while his gaze dropped slightly, curious to see what exactly this "seductress" was up to.

After pulling David’s face to hers, Mary didn’t release him immediately. Instead, she leaned in, her slight frame pressing toward him as she gently sniffed at him.

David, already somewhat dazed by the touch of her soft hands, felt his heart race at the sudden proximity of her beautiful face. As Mary leaned closer like a curious little puppy, sniffing him here and there, a dry itch crawled up his throat. "What are you doing?"

His voice had already turned husky.

Mary, however, seemed completely unfazed, sitting back upright with feigned indifference. She ignored David’s question and remarked to herself, "Smells sour."

David finally understood, his face growing darker. "Who’s sour?"

"You are. I can smell it," Mary teased.

David: "..."

The tender, flirtatious spark in his heart was instantly doused, replaced by an even deeper scowl.

Seeing this, Mary’s lips curved upward, unaffected. Instead, she broke into a soft, amused laugh, further darkening the expression of the man beside her.

From the driver’s seat up front, Martin felt like he was dying a little inside.

The icy atmosphere in the car plunged even further—until Mary leaned in once more. But this time, instead of sniffing David, she placed a soft kiss on his lips.

Boom!

The perpetually brooding man was caught utterly off guard by Mary’s bold move. He froze, the cold edge to his demeanor evaporating as he stared, dumbfounded, at the woman before him, seemingly unable to comprehend her actions.

Seeing his reaction, Mary’s previous doubts were affirmed—this man genuinely cared for her. It was only the past wounds between them that had led him to pretend otherwise, treating her with cold indifference and sharp words.

She sighed faintly in her heart and coaxed him gently, her voice soft like a whispering wind. "Don’t be mad. Does your leg still hurt?"

David, still flustered by Mary’s unexpected kiss, shook his head, then nodded, momentarily forgetting what he ought to answer.

Mary interpreted his response as him saying his leg still hurt. Remembering how he had broken his cast while searching for her in the mountains, she felt a pang of guilt. Lowering her head, she pressed a tender kiss to where his knee was.

David had already been deeply affected by Mary’s sudden affectionate gestures. Now, feeling her gaze filled with both heartache and devotion as her lips brushed his knee, he felt his heart—all too vulnerable in Mary’s presence—melt completely. With one swift, possessive move, he wrapped her tightly in his arms, his voice huskier now, tinged with an almost threatening edge. "Moll Scott, do you know what you’re doing?"

Mary, though held so tightly it almost hurt, felt an indescribable sense of security. Instead of resisting, she longed to be even closer.

After the harrowing events of the day, with Adam Piers and Zoe Thatcher’s plight shaking her to her core, Mary’s nerves had been stretched to their limit. She had been an anchor of composure for everyone else, but deep down, fear—the kind that made her soul shiver—had left her shaken.

Yet in David’s embrace, she felt safe, realizing for the first time just how much she feared death, and how much she feared losing him.

"Of course I know," Mary murmured softly after a long pause, her lips brushing near David’s ear.

Her voice was light, almost teasing. "I’m seducing you. I’ve never wanted you more than I do now."

David’s breathing hitched. Hearing her unguarded confession, he grew bolder. Lowering his head, he gently nipped at her ear, murmuring back with a trace of playfulness and heat, "Are you sure about this?"

"Absolutely." Mary’s voice carried a playful lilt as she deliberately nuzzled against him.

Unable to restrain himself, David tilted her face upward and gazed into her eyes, his expression fierce and unyielding. In her candid gaze, he saw only himself, a revelation that sent a surge of emotions racing through him.

Giving in fully, he captured her lips in a powerful, consuming kiss.

"Mmm..."

Mary let out a soft sound as David’s possessive kiss overwhelmed her. Before she could protest, he only deepened the kiss, the hunger behind it both thrilling and demanding. Yet instead of pushing him away, she wrapped her arms around his neck, willingly leaning into him.

In the front seat, Martin felt as awkward as he could possibly be.

He couldn’t understand how Director Locke and Mary Scott’s earlier palpable tension had seamlessly transformed into this intense, passionate display. And right there, in a car with no partition, no less!

Martin felt somewhat discriminated against as he prayed fervently for his presence to fade into oblivion. From the way the two behind him were lost in each other, they appeared utterly oblivious to his existence.

Only the untimely sound of a growling stomach broke the heated moment in the car.

Initially lost in the kiss, Mary didn’t register the sound until David pulled away, his gaze resting pointedly on her lower abdomen.

"Hungry?" David’s voice carried a gruff quality, his usual composure entirely gone.

Mary, her lips still flushed from their embrace, shook her head. Yet, right on cue, her stomach let out another resounding growl.

"Heh..."

The situation was undeniably embarrassing. Mary let out a dry laugh, hoping to mask her awkwardness.

David chuckled softly, leaning in to affectionately nuzzle her cheek. His voice grew gentle. "What do you want to eat?"

"Anything’s fine..." Mary wished she could just disappear in that moment.

Sensing her discomfort, David murmured close to her ear, "Don’t worry. After we eat, we can continue this... back home."

"Huh?" Mary blinked up at him, her doe-like eyes slightly hazy from both confusion and lingering emotions.

David swallowed against the growing tightness in his throat. Steadying himself, he placed a hand over her eyes to shield them from the intensity of his gaze. Then, addressing the driver, he asked, "What’s good to eat nearby?"

Forced out of his protective pretense, Martin had no choice but to respond. "I’ll search right away."

He quickly triggered the voice command on the navigation system to scan for nearby restaurants.

Mary, still puzzled by David covering her eyes, squirmed slightly under his hand. When she failed to remove it, she resorted to the unexpected. Darting her tongue against his palm, she gave him a playful, teasing lick.

The faint, ticklish sensation sent a jolt through David, momentarily rendering him speechless. Retracting his hand sharply, he stared at Mary in surprise.

Blissfully unaware of the emotions brewing in his gaze, Mary tilted her chin up in triumph. "That’s what you get for covering my eyes. Hmph."

David exhaled deeply to regain some semblance of composure, lowering his voice. "What do you feel like eating?"

Mary didn’t really know. Up front, Martin had no luck either; options were limited due to their location—West Mountain—and the holiday season. As Mary pressed her face against the car window, watching the night blur past, something caught her eye. "Is that a restaurant up ahead?"

Slowing down as directed, Martin followed her pointed finger and spotted a small noodle shop. Glancing back uncertainly at David, he suggested, "Director Locke, perhaps we should head back to the hotel for dinner? This place doesn’t seem very... appropriate."

Before David could respond, Mary made the call. "Let’s try it."

Seeing her enthusiasm, David relented. Though the tiny, dimly lit restaurant looked worn and unrefined, he simply said, "Alright."

Moments later, Martin found himself watching the illustrious Director Locke and the rising star Mary Scott walk hand-in-hand into a modest noodle shop of barely twenty square meters.

Martin shook his head with resignation. "Love makes people crazy."

Unfazed by Martin’s opinion, the two leads of this impromptu culinary adventure seemed downright excited as they stepped inside the small shop.

The shopkeeper, visibly more surprised than the couple, greeted them warmly. "What would you two like to order?"

It was then that Mary noticed the shop, while small and simple, was impeccably clean. The question had come from an older woman in her sixties, her hair streaked with silver but her energy full of vitality. Her kind smile and gentle demeanor radiated warmth.

"What should we have?" Mary turned to the man by her side.

David took her hand, guiding her to sit. "You decide."

Taking him at his word, Mary looked down at the menu and pointed to something curious. "Grandma, what’s this ’Sweet Couple Noodles’?"

"Ah, that," the elderly woman chuckled, slightly bashful. "It’s just regular pulled noodles with a secret seasoning of ours. My husband named it decades ago to celebrate our shop’s forty-year anniversary."

Mary and David expressed genuine surprise. "The shop’s been open for forty years?"

"Indeed," the old woman replied, her face lighting up with nostalgia.

Mary pressed her lips together, intrigued. "Does the dish carry any special meaning?"

"It does," the older woman explained. "My husband and I have been married for forty-three years. We opened this place three years after our wedding. We’ve lived a harmonious life, raised two children, and built this shop together. So, we hope the couples who eat here can also enjoy a life of love and companionship, growing old together." Her gaze shifted affectionately toward the kitchen.

Just then, an older man peeked out from the busy kitchen, his voice carrying affection. "Did we get customers, dear?"

"Yes, just now," the woman replied, her tone soft and bright. She turned back to Mary and David. "Have you decided?"

Mary smiled at David, who gestured for her to choose. Instead, he spoke up. "Two bowls of the Sweet Couple Noodles."