On the same day Jake was accepted as Kody's driver, based on the CEO's assistant's evaluation. But of course, all of it was based on Mary's recommendation.
After returning from Gold Fashion's office, Jake headed back to his new employer's apartment to pick up Elsa. Sure enough, the little one looked fresh and cheerful after spending time with Mary.
Jake was also grateful—not only had Mary breastfed his daughter, but she had also provided a fresh stock of milk for Elsa that would last through the night. The devoted father kept thanking Mary, knowing how much her help truly meant to him.
Time passed quickly. Kody had just woken up from a long night of wild pleasure with Milan. He started searching for his phone.
As a top executive, he needed to stay up-to-date with all the reports from his assistant. Kody began reading through the pending messages, and after catching up on quite a few, he decided to call his assistant.
But as he opened the call log, one of his brows raised when he saw a call from Mary that had lasted for several minutes. It confused him—he didn't remember answering her call.
"If Mary called around that time, wasn't I… with Milan?" he muttered lazily, but quickly sat up, now alert. He adjusted his posture to make a call back to Mary.
He didn't want her to grow suspicious. He even signaled Milan—who had just come out of the bathroom—not to make any noise.
After a few seconds, the call connected and Mary's voice came through.
"Mary, did you call me earlier this afternoon? Sorry I didn't answer. I've been really busy here. You know Victor didn't come with me, right?" Kody immediately asked, giving his explanation before Mary could say anything.
But on the other end, all he heard was a heavy sigh.
"It's Mom. Tell me—what should I say when your mother starts asking me about… children?" Mary's voice came after a pause. That made Kody freeze.
"I'll be back soon. Just steer the conversation away if it goes in that direction. Take her shopping or something. You know what she likes. I've got to go," Kody replied hurriedly. He tossed his phone aside and rushed to get cleaned up.
At Goldwin Estate, where Mary and Kody lived—a luxurious apartment complex in the heart of the city—the morning sun lit up the building.
Inside their unit, the sound and aroma of beef being pan-seared filled the kitchen. Mary, her hair tied up in a ponytail, was busy preparing a meal for her mother-in-law, who had come to visit.
"Mary, is it still not ready? What are you even cooking? Are you trying to starve your mother-in-law?!" came the voice of Kody's mother—Mrs. Betty—from behind her.
Before Mary could respond, her mother-in-law grabbed a piece of meat already plated and tasted it. "What is this? It's so salty!"
Spits
"You really are trying to kill your mother-in-law early, huh? Who could eat something with a whole kilo of salt in it?" she mocked, yet continued chewing the rest of the beef.
"Where's your maid? How could a place this big not have any housekeepers? Poor Kody, having to come home to this mess. Can't you spare some of his money to hire a maid?" she continued to scold her daughter-in-law.
Mary, trying to stay calm, wiped the sweat off her forehead and responded with a forced smile, "Mom… Here, household assistants are paid by the tasks they perform. Besides, Kody and I are rarely home. We usually eat out. So our helper only cleans the house. And… today's her day off."
Her explanation was hard to argue with, especially as Mrs. Betty's mouth was busy chewing yet another piece of that same "salty" beef.
Mary turned back to her cooking.
"Mary, come with me to the hospital this week!"
Mary turned around again. "Are you feeling unwell, Mom? I can call our family doctor if you want."
"Oh, stop pretending," Mrs. Betty snapped, and Mary's heart sank—she now understood where this was going.
"It's been four months since you gave birth. I think it's time you try again. Remember, you've been married for five years. Kody needs a child to carry on the family name."
"Do you not understand or are you just pretending not to know? Do I really have to spell it out that you're a problematic woman? Ever since the beginning, you've had so many complications—how many miscarriages have you had?"
Each word from Mrs. Betty pierced Mary deeply. She could no longer bear it. She turned off the stove and faced her.
"Mom, thank you for your concern. But didn't you and Kody hear the reason I've been having miscarriages all along?"
Mary's response silenced Mrs. Betty. She had indeed heard that the fertility issue was on Kody's side—his sperm quality was poor, made worse by his drinking and smoking habits.
Even so, Mrs. Betty wasn't the type to admit defeat. She still wanted to put Mary down, no matter what.
"Kody also told me we'd go to the hospital together… whenever he has time. You know how busy he is, even working on weekends," Mary added with a strained smile, which finally made her mother-in-law fall silent.
"Well, I'll respect your privacy. But listen to this, Mary," she continued. "I heard the manager position at the company is still vacant. Wouldn't it be better if we filled it with someone from our own circle rather than an outsider?"
'Why are we suddenly talking about the company now?' Mary sighed inwardly.
"I can't make that decision, Mom. That's my father's authority—he owns the company. And the manager role should go to someone he trusts. Why are we even bothering with this?" Mary replied, still smiling. "Who do you think would be a good fit for that role?"
"You could talk to Mr. Steven and suggest Milan for the position. She's Kody's childhood friend, and you know her too, right? She's the ideal daughter-in-law. Beautiful, career-focused, and respectful to her elders."
Mrs. Betty didn't feel even a little bit guilty mentioning another woman to her daughter-in-law. She kept praising Milan in front of Mary as if to show the contrast between them.
'Her again… Isn't it enough that I already heard her voice? Do I have to hear her name too?' Mary thought bitterly. Her heart ached.
"Mom, can you please not—"
Ding… dong…
Just as Mary was about to ask her mother-in-law to stop insulting and comparing her to other women, the doorbell rang, cutting off the conversation. Mrs. Betty rushed over to open the door.
"Oh my, you're here already? Come in!" she greeted joyfully.
She had invited her socialite friends over to her son and daughter-in-law's home.
Meanwhile, Mary sighed and rubbed her chest, feeling helpless, 'Why didn't she tell me she was inviting guests? I was hoping to talk to Kody when he got home later today,' she thought sadly.
That's the hard life Mary lived—always having to give in to her mother-in-law's words. Still, no matter how noisy or difficult Mrs. Betty was, she was still family.
"Mary, bring out drinks for my guests!" came the sharp, formal tone of her mother-in-law, pulling Mary out of her thoughts.
"Yes, Mom…" Mary replied from the kitchen.