Chapter 7: A Second Marriage

The corridor of the house was long, seeming to stretch on endlessly.

"Madam, this is the young master's room. At this time, the young master is resting; you should wait outside for a while."

Isn't today the wedding day?

Shouldn't he at least get up to greet her?

Selena Patrick didn't have a good first impression of Jeffrey Maugham.

"Do I... sleep in the same room as him?" Selena Patrick asked.

The butler, who hadn't expected this question, hesitated for a moment, "I will need to ask the matriarch about that."

"Oh." She glanced at the adjacent secondary bedroom, "How about I put my things in this room and wait for your young master to wake up?"

"That works too."

Without a wedding ceremony or any ritual, Selena Patrick lay alone in the secondary bedroom, staring at the ceiling.

If it weren't for the marriage certificate grandma had sent her through the butler yesterday, she would have thought she had married into a fake marriage.

"Who are you?" A crisp boy's voice.

Selena Patrick shot up from the bed. The boy standing in front of her looked about five or six years old, with big, fuzzy eyes, scrutinizing her.

"I am... Who are you?" Selena Patrick countered.

The little boy smacked his forehead, "You're the new wife my dad just married, right?"

Dad?

Does Jeffrey Maugham have a son?

She only heard that he was unwell, when did he get married and have a child?

Amidst her shock, Selena Patrick straightened up and looked at the little boy, "Yes, I am the new wife Jeffrey Maugham just married. Are you... his son?"

The little boy didn't answer her question but pointed at her clothes, "Why aren't you wearing a wedding dress?"

Selena Patrick wanted to wear one, but no one had prepared it, so she couldn't.

"Who said you can't get married without a wedding dress?"

The little boy covered his mouth and giggled, "You're so silly, only second marriages don't wear wedding dresses."

Second marriage?

Damn, she married a sickly man, and it's a second marriage. As soon as she entered, she became a stepmother. This was really disheartening.

"You said Jeffrey Maugham is your dad? You are really his son?"

Selena Patrick tried to get some useful information from the little boy.

The little guy, with a mischievous look, stared at her, blinking his big eyes, "You're marrying my dad, and you don't know anything about him?"

Know?

Of course not.

She hadn't even met him.

"Oh, my little lord, what are you doing here?" The butler rushed over, grabbed the little guy's hand, and tried to take him away.

The little guy complied, but before leaving, he left Selena Patrick with an enigmatic smile.

Eerie.

How could such a little kid look so sinister?

Selena Patrick suddenly felt uneasy. What awaited her in this imposing mansion?

Not long after.

Selena Patrick heard voices coming from the corridor.

It was grandma and several family members.

"grandma, you've been too low-key with this grandson's wedding. Even though it's not Jeffrey's first marriage, it's the girl's first, and it's not right to have no wedding ceremony."

"Our Maugham family is a reputable household. We should at least send out invitations. The dowry and other gifts, we should still accept them."

The old lady kept her lips pressed together, her smile extremely calm.

"Jeffrey's health has not been good recently. The wedding can be made up later."

A simple sentence silenced everyone.

Hearing the conversation outside, Selena Patrick got up.

No wonder Jeffrey Maugham has a son; it turns out it's really a second marriage.

Unfair.

But then again, she wasn't exactly a virgin either, so let's call it even.

The old lady and her group entered Selena Patrick's room.

Seeing her simple white dress, the accompanying women laughed, covering their mouths, "grandma, even if there's no wedding, you can't dress so shabbily. Shouldn't you change into something else?"

"She looks quite pretty, but..."

The woman's gaze swept over Selena Patrick, and she swallowed her words with a smile.

The group seemed to be mocking Selena Patrick or the Maugham family, lacking tact.

The old lady came to Selena Patrick, took her hand, and patted it gently, "From now on, you are the Maugham family's daughter-in-law. Taking care of Jeffrey will require your effort."

"Yes, Grandma," Selena Patrick replied, lowering her eyes.

"Let me introduce you," grandma said, and the two women stepped forward.

"Selena, this is elder sister-in-law Hilda Maugham from the second uncle's family, and this is sister-in-law Lydia, also from the second uncle's family. Your two cousins are currently abroad on business and couldn't come back. We are all one family now, and there will be many more opportunities to meet."

"Sister Hilda Maugham, sister Lydia," Selena Patrick greeted politely.

"Your voice is sweet. It seems to suit Jeffrey's taste," Hilda Maugham said, covering her mouth with a laugh.

The old lady's face darkened, "You two were the first to marry into the Maugham family. In the future, you must set a good example for Selena. Jeffrey is not well, and everything inside and outside will fall on Selena, which will be tiring."

"grandma, you make it sound like we're going to bully her. We were nice to Jeffrey's previous wife, too."

After saying this, Hilda Maugham was pulled by Lydia, who knew she had said too much.

"I didn't mean it that way. grandma, we will treat Selena like a sister. You can rest assured."

Selena Patrick looked at the two women, feeling a sense of unease about her future in the Maugham family.

The Maugham family was large, and power struggles were inevitable. To survive in this family, she needed someone to protect her.

And the best person for that was Jeffrey Maugham.

As Selena Patrick pondered how to win over Jeffrey Maugham, the butler entered with a tray.

"Madam."

Selena Patrick's eyes fell on the tray, "This is...?"

"These are some jewelry the matriarch prepared for you. Although there was no wedding, nothing is missing."

The tray was set down, and the red silk cloth was lifted, revealing a row of golden accessories.

From earrings and rings to bracelets and phoenix hairpins, everything one could wear was complete.

No matter how exquisite they were, to Selena Patrick, they were just a stack of red banknotes.

"The matriarch really dotes on her granddaughter-in-law. These jewels make me envious," Hilda Maugham said jealously.

The old lady ignored her and patted Selena Patrick's hand, "There will be more in the future."

"Thank you, Grandma."

"Alright, rest for a while. Later, I'll have the butler wake Jeffrey up, and you can meet him." The old lady turned to leave.

"Grandma, take care."

After seeing off grandma, the two troublesome sisters-in-law also left.