Reborn as Mr.CEO’s Fat Wife
Chapter 969: The Passionate Miss Song

Chapter 969: Chapter 969: The Passionate Miss Song

As soon as David Locke finished speaking, his phone rang. Looking at the number, his annoyance became uncontrollable. He picked up the phone and wheeled himself outside to take the call.

The call connected, and a deep, resonant voice came through, sounding somewhat similar to David’s but notably older. "What kind of nonsense are you messing around with back home? Do you really think the sky’s high and the emperor’s far, that I can’t control you anymore?"

"Are you the emperor? What era do you think it is? Aren’t you afraid you might hurt your back talking so big?" David spoke with no trace of politeness, gripping the phone tightly.

The person on the other end audibly took several deep breaths before continuing, clearly irritated. "Rest assured, my back is just fine—don’t believe me? Ask your mother!"

David: "..." What a shameless old man.

"Now tell me, what the hell are you doing? What kind of ridiculous woman did you marry? Clean this up immediately, so you don’t embarrass me. At my age, I shouldn’t still be dealing with veiled jabs from all kinds of bastards."

David was visibly irritated. "What do you mean, ’ridiculous woman’? Mary is my wife, officially recognized by law. And as for people throwing shade at you—that’s none of my business."

Edward Locke choked and retorted sarcastically, "So, it seems like you’re really invested in this little celebrity. Is it the same woman who betrayed you and left you crying back then?"

This time, it was David’s turn to be at a loss for words. "Anything else? If not, I’m hanging up!"

"So it is her. Your mother asked me to remind you not to get used again. Also, with how recklessly you’re behaving now, you’ll soon become the arch-enemy of the entire entertainment industry. When that happens, there’ll be no need for you to stay in the industry—just come back and take over the farm so I can finally have some rest," Edward leisurely advised, before pausing and adding, "And about your little wife, it’s best not to let your grandfather find out. If possible, divorce her. Otherwise, given his temper, once he learns who her father is, you should be ready to be kicked out of the family too."

"Constance Scott is Constance Scott; she is herself. That doesn’t mean anything. Besides, when the Scott family fell into trouble, she was still just a kid." The mention of divorce made David’s temples throb. His tone grew increasingly hostile, yet he still couldn’t help but defend Mary just a little.

Unfortunately, Edward couldn’t care less. "I’ve said my piece. How you handle it is up to you."

After dropping that remark, Edward hung up, then turned to his wife, who had been watching him intently. "Looks like your son is bewitched again this time."

Mrs. Locke huffed in annoyance. "Getting tripped up by the same woman twice. How impressive. I can’t help but want to meet this little lady myself."

"Going back home for this?" Edward asked reluctantly.

"He’s almost offended everyone in the entire circle. Should I just sit by and let him keep causing trouble?" Mrs. Locke snapped.

"Don’t get angry—it’s bad for your health. He’s already an adult; he knows what he’s doing. Going back now will only make him dig his heels in out of spite. Instead... heh, I’ll go with you." Halfway through his sentence, Edward met his wife’s icy glare and immediately changed his tone, motioning for the butler to book tickets.

Having ended the call with his father, David sat outside for a long time before heading back in.

Martin was staring at the screen with a grave expression. Seeing David enter, he quickly approached. "Director Locke, Helena Marion is like a rabid dog. If this continues, even ten or fifteen days won’t be enough to extinguish the flames."

"Have we managed to get in contact?" David’s face remained stoic.

"We have, but judging by what Helena said, she doesn’t have the final say in her team," Martin replied hurriedly.

"Have we identified the person behind her?" David asked, staring at the screen intently. Although he’d already utilized much of his personal network to ease a good portion of the heat surrounding Mary, dealing with such relentless attacks, any lapse could lead to a resurgence. Dragged out like this, even if Mary didn’t fall entirely, this incident would leave a lasting impression on the media and audiences—forever linking her to her father, the vile, corrupt official infamous for stealing billions.

"Yes, we’ve tracked it down. The legal owner of Helena Marion’s company is a woman named Erica Hamlet. She started in real industries, but her background is murky. The Gertrude family has always operated within gray areas. That particular company is one of her less conspicuous ones; she doesn’t participate in its operations. However, her husband, Jason Emerson, does. He’s a former journalist and now manages the company."

Hearing Jason Emerson’s name, David frowned. "Look into Jason Emerson’s connections with Charlotte Leigh. Also, check Charlotte’s OB-GYN records at Doctor Felix’s hospital."

"Understood." Martin immediately began making arrangements.

Thirty minutes later, Martin returned with an update. "Director Locke, your instincts were spot on. Jason Emerson indeed has ties with Charlotte Leigh. We uncovered Jason’s hotel check-ins, and Charlotte has been at the same hotel before. Conveniently, Charlotte has a meeting scheduled for tonight, which aligns with the time Jason left his office earlier. I suspect they might meet."

"Have someone keep an eye on them. When the timing’s right, give Mrs. Hamlet a heads-up." David’s lips curled coldly. The leverage he had would only invite trouble if hurled out now. Better to let them take each other down first.

Martin quickly went to arrange it.

David rubbed his temples, continuing his coordination with the PR team to anticipate and prepare for various potential scenarios.

By the time David checked the clock again, it was already 6:00 p.m. Thinking of the earlier message Mary sent him, his expression softened as he called for someone to take him back to the hotel.

He had skipped lunch with Mary, but at least he could still make it in time for dinner.

Dialing Mary’s phone, it rang only a few times before she picked up, her voice laced with concern. "Finished with work?"

"Yeah. I’ll be at the hotel soon. So how are you planning to eat me? Tell me, I want details." David teased shamelessly.

Mary, who had regretted her earlier moment of impulse for half the afternoon, flushed deeply at his words. "Who wants to eat you? Don’t you have any shame?"

Unbothered by her objections, David casually sent her a screenshot of the message she’d sent him that morning.

Seeing the screenshot, Mary was dumbfounded. "...You shameless man!"

After a moment of thought, she recovered with a deadpan reply. "I’ll roast you, steam you, stir-fry you. Hurry back—I’ve already prepped the seasonings and am just waiting for the oil to heat up before tossing you in the pan."

David: "...Quite creative!"

Mary laughed. "Not as creative as you."

The two continued their playful banter until David arrived at the hotel, only to be greeted by a fully prepared dinner spread.

Looking at the table laden with a feast, David was astonished. "You made this?"

Mary raised an eyebrow. "Who else could it be? You?"

David chuckled lightly. "You’re so talented, Moll."

Mary: "..." What kind of backhanded compliment is that?

Ignoring the man’s teasing tone, Mary walked up and pushed David’s wheelchair towards the bathroom. "Go wash your hands for dinner."

With that, Mary hummed to herself, stepping out to decant the wine the hotel had just delivered.

David came out just in time to see Mary swirling the wine in the glass. "Is today a special occasion?"

Amused, Mary replied, "You don’t know?"

David shook his head. It wasn’t her birthday, wasn’t his, and wasn’t the anniversary of their relationship or of getting their marriage certificate. He genuinely couldn’t think of a reason.

Seeing his confused expression, Mary couldn’t help but find it amusing. She guided him from his wheelchair to the dining table. "Don’t worry. You can think about it after you eat."

Handing him a knife and fork, David still seemed puzzled until his attention caught the pink display on the shopping mall billboard outside the window. Suddenly, it dawned on him. "It’s Valentine’s Day?"

"Not too stupid after all." Mary finally saw recognition on David’s face. She lit the candles on the table and switched off the room’s main lights.

In an instant, the dinner table transformed into the perfect setting for a romantic candlelit meal. Mary admired her carefully crafted ambiance, her face glowing with a gentle and soft smile.

The sight of her smile momentarily dazzled David, before guilt crept in. "I’m sorry, Moll. I forgot."

Today marked their first Valentine’s Day since reuniting, yet he had completely forgotten about it and hadn’t even prepared a gift.

Mary, sitting across from him, gently patted his hand. "Why are you apologizing? You’ve been so busy these past few days running yourself ragged over my troubles. Remembering a day like this would’ve been strange. Besides, you didn’t remember, but I did, so isn’t that enough?"

David gazed down at her soft hand resting on his, his heart swaying like the flickering candlelight. "Moll..."

"Enough of that. No more spoiling the mood," Mary cut him off, pouring him a glass of wine. She added almost sheepishly, "Oh, and... the wine and groceries were all charged to your card."

David blinked, the earlier guilt quickly replaced by amusement. Seeing her slightly embarrassed expression, he felt an inexplicable satisfaction. His little woman had cooked for him personally and organized a romantic candlelit dinner—of course, he was delighted. Taking a sip of the wine, he said, "What’s mine is yours. Don’t be shy. Why else would I earn money if not for you to spend it?"

"Alright." Mary didn’t argue, merely smiling as she took a sip of wine. Under the swaying candlelight, she tentatively broached the topic. "I had the lawyer today negotiate the compensations with LG and Raspberry. Things are mostly resolved now. Once it’s finalized, I’ll hold a press conference to announce my retirement from the entertainment industry."

"There’s no need. Things are improving now. If you love acting, keep at it. Otherwise, all the scripts we’ve been reviewing would go to waste." David, unaware of the shift in Mary’s expression, was preoccupied with brainstorming ways to make up for forgetting Valentine’s Day, perhaps with a belated gift.

"But..." Mary began.

"No buts. Isn’t it Valentine’s Day? We shouldn’t waste it," David interrupted before she could continue.

Mary glanced at the man who seemed adamant about her future. She thought about his exhaustion from when he arrived earlier and felt a pang of heartache. Yet, she also remembered how he had talked about advancing her paycheck for the "The Doctors" supporting role. It became clear to her that David had no intention of giving up on her or allowing her to leave the industry amidst scandal.

The more time she spent with him, the more she realized how difficult it was to change his mind once he’d made a decision. Over the past few days, he had pulled up half the industry’s dirt to shield her.

Sighing inwardly, Mary chose not to press the issue. Instead, she refilled his wine glass. "Try it. It’s just something I picked up, but it’s not bad."

"It is pretty good," David said, cutting into another piece of steak. "And so is this."

Mary was in high spirits after the praise. As they ate, she shared amusing stories of how she had learned to cook while working part-time at a Western restaurant in the M Kingdom.

David had looked into Mary’s life back then and knew that her time in the M Kingdom had been far from the carefree picture she painted. Still, he listened attentively.

The dinner stretched over two hours. Unintentionally, they finished three bottles of wine. Overcome with excitement, Mary spontaneously danced for David under the flickering candlelight.

Perhaps emboldened by the wine, Mary was unusually bold and passionate that night. Mid-dance, she threw him a sultry look, slowly shrugging off her jacket to reveal a seductive red slip dress beneath. Her pale, flawless skin gleamed against the fiery red fabric, and the flush on her cheeks from the alcohol made her even more captivating. Her gaze toward David burned with unabashed intensity.

David, who rarely had any defenses when it came to Mary, found himself utterly undone. By the final note of her song, he stood abruptly and pressed her against the dining table, his voice hoarse as he commanded, "Sit up."

Mary didn’t resist. Instead, she smirked provocatively, swayed her slender waist, and elegantly perched atop the table. She then beckoned him with a finger. "Well, I’m ready. Are you?"

David’s mind buzzed, his throat dried up, and he leaned down to kiss her flaming red lips. Just as their lips were about to meet, Mary placed a small fist on his chest, stopping him.

David’s dark eyes burned with a hint of menace as he stared at her. The predatory gaze sent heat pulsing through Mary’s body, but she firmly reminded him, "Your leg."

"You’re teasing me this much and only now worrying about my leg? Too late. Forget my leg—I’d even give you my life right now," David growled before losing all restraint as he kissed her again. This time, he showed some control, not allowing himself to be as reckless as before.

Half of Mary’s body went limp in his embrace from the intensity of his kisses. Her mouth curled into a mischievous smile, satisfied with the reaction she had provoked. Yet, even in the passion of the moment, insecurities lingered in her heart. Those insecurities only made her respond more fervently, as if hoping he wouldn’t be too angry with her tomorrow when he found out the truth.

David felt that Mary was exceptionally clingy tonight. Normally, she was like an adorable but useless damsel. Yet tonight, emboldened by the wine, she was uncharacteristically bold and proactive. She even tried things she would usually shy away from—all the while being mindful of his injury.

Mary’s antics amused and frustrated David. Weakened by the effect of the wine and thoroughly beguiled, his resolve crumbled entirely. "I wish my leg would heal faster," he muttered, frustration evident.

Their lovemaking lasted until the first hints of dawn began to color the sky. Exhausted but content, Mary felt like she was suffocating from the exertion. Glancing at David—now fast asleep and looking utterly at peace despite the dark circles under his closed eyes—she felt an inexplicable pang of tenderness. She kissed his cheek softly before slipping out of bed with deliberate care.

After a quick shower, Mary emerged to find David still deeply asleep. She gazed at him for a moment longer before quietly putting on formal attire and leaving the hotel room.

Mia Anderson was already waiting for her outside. Upon spotting Mary, Mia whispered anxiously, "What about Director Locke? Do we really not tell him?"

Mary nodded resolutely, "He would never agree to this. Let’s go."

Mia sighed, a sense of unease lingering. "By the way, Mary, news just broke that Charlotte Leigh is in trouble! Maybe we don’t need to go through with this after all..."

Mary’s steps faltered. "What kind of trouble?"