Chapter 7

Awkwardness flickered on Arabella's face for a moment before she quickly plastered on an innocent smile and said to the staff, "Wanda, please serve Heidi a bowl of swordfish chowder." She turned to Heidi and said gently, "I'm so sorry, I forgot to ask earlier. Heidi, have some chowder to warm up. This swordfish chowder is from a special recipe and is excellent for improving your health." Wanda Ulyse quickly brought over a steaming bowl and placed it by Heidi's hand. Heidi glanced at the soup, a tight knot forming in her stomach. While preparing for pregnancy, she read through countless books, painstakingly taking notes on what was good to eat and what to avoid. Swordfish should be avoided when trying to conceive or during pregnancy due to its high mercury content. She didn't know if Arabella was truly ignorant or just pretending not to know. Honestly, Heidi didn't care to figure it out anymore. In the past, she would have comforted herself, believing Arabella was simply naive, like the time she "accidentally" spilled the soup Heidi had spent hours making. Maverick had merely frowned and said, "Arabella didn't mean to." The truth was, the Cannol family didn't need Heidi to cook. It was Susan who intentionally made her do it. But for Maverick, Heidi had endured it all. How foolish she had been. Now, since she didn't need to prepare for pregnancy anymore, she wasn't about to indulge Arabella any longer. "Thank you, but no. My health is just fine, and I don't need this," Heidi replied firmly. Susan's face immediately darkened, and she slammed her fork down onto the table. "Heidi, what did you say? Arabella was being kind to you. How could you speak to her like that?" "Mom. Let's just eat," Maverick interrupted in a low voice. It was unclear who he was defending, or if he was simply irritated by the situation. His words felt like a command to silence everyone. Heidi couldn't help but think to herself that here she was, being reprimanded by his mother and being set up by his so-called sister, and the best Maverick could do to defend her was a passive "Let's just eat". Was she supposed to be grateful? Benedict was the peacemaker. He wasn't close to Maverick or Heidi, but he had always been polite and respectful. He quickly intervened. "Alright, alright. What's the big deal? Heidi's healthy, and that's a good thing. If she doesn't want the chowder, that's fine too. Come on. Let's eat before the food gets cold." He served Susan some food, then smiled at Maverick. "Maverick, I heard the cops have been really busy lately. I saw on the news that there are strict checks before the year ends." "Yeah," Maverick answered, keeping his responses short. The meal passed in awkward silence. Heidi didn't touch her food. She simply sipped her glass of water slowly. When the glass was nearly empty, she called for the staff to refill it. At that moment, Maverick's phone vibrated loudly on the table, and its screen lit up. Heidi's eyes casually flicked over. The caller ID read "Arabella's Doctor". Maverick's brows knitted. He reached for the phone, intending to swipe it away, but Arabella reacted faster. "Oh, it's Dr. Walker calling! You should answer the call! Is my test report ready? I'm so scared…" Maverick's finger hovered over the screen, and for a moment, he didn't move. Heidi watched his reaction, the last bit of hope she had left quickly dissipating. Susan, clearly displeased, asked sharply, "What are you waiting for? Take the call. Arabella's health is important." Maverick stood up, turning to Arabella and comforting her, "Don't be scared." Then, he glanced at Heidi. "I'll step outside to take this call." He picked up the phone and walked toward the patio, leaving the tense situation behind for Heidi to face alone. Everything in the dining room remained the same. No one seemed to find the situation unusual, except Heidi. So, the primary contact of Arabella's doctor was Maverick. During the six months that she was kept in the dark about all this, he had become so involved in Arabella's life. What was Heidi to him then? A wife by name only? Someone he used occasionally to satisfy his physical needs? The glass door slid shut, cutting off his voice outside. Heidi could only see Maverick's blurry outline on the patio. One hand was in his pocket, while the other held the phone as he nodded occasionally. "What are you looking at? Maverick cares about his sister. Isn't that natural?" Susan's cold voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Arabella piped up, "Don't say that. It's my fault. I shouldn't have let Maverick worry about me." As she spoke, she glanced at Heidi and continued, "Don't be mad at Maverick, Heidi. He's always been responsible. I'm often sick, and he always takes care of me. It's just how he is." Heidi gave a cold, humorless smile. "He's responsible, huh? Then did you know that he's married?" "Of course I do…" "Then why did you give him late-night calls and texts? Why did you leave his contact info with your doctor? "You're always summoning him to do this and that for you. Don't you have any shame, hanging on to someone else's husband like that?" No one expected Heidi to snap like that. Arabella's eyes widened, tears welling up. "I wasn't…" Arabella started, her voice trembling. Heidi stood up, towering over her. "Arabella, if you're really sick, go to the hospital and stay there! Don't go after other people's husbands!" This time, even Benedict couldn't sit idly by. "Heidi! How could you say that?" Susan was enraged. "Heidi! Do you have any manners? What happens in our family has nothing to do with you!" Heidi didn't spare her either. "Your family? Susan, are you forgetting Maverick's last name is Cadwell, not Cannol?" She continued, "I'm his wife, and I'm here representing the Cadwell family. You're just someone who remarried long ago and didn't even care about your son for 20 years. "Now you take on some other woman's daughter and try to interfere with my marriage? Who do you think you are?" "You!" Susan was so furious that she could barely breathe properly. She pointed at Heidi and sputtered, but no words came out. Heidi didn't give them any time to pause. She turned her attention back to Arabella, who was already starting to cry. "Let me make this clear to you today, Arabella! Maverick has a wife! He's not your babysitter, your knight, or your guardian! "If you haven't weaned yet, go back to your mother! Stop pretending to be weak and destroying other people's families in the process!" Susan slammed her bowl onto the table, spilling soup everywhere. "Shut up! How dare you make such a bad assumption about Arabella?" Heidi laughed coldly. "Your whole family is really good at making assumptions, though. You assume I'm a pushover and someone you can manipulate. You also assume Maverick doesn't have a wife, and you can cozy up to him however you like. She continued, "Especially you, Susan. You couldn't even raise your son properly, and now you want to lead someone else's daughter astray?" "How dare you!" Susan, who had lived a life of privilege, had never been spoken to like this. She stormed over, her hand raised to slap Heidi across the face.