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Chapter 92 - Chapter 92: Paige: If Chuck can handle it, so can I

Chapter 92: Paige: If Chuck can handle it, so can I

"Okay!"

Chuck, pleased by Justine's response, said, "Since you agree, I'll go over a few things. First, you must clean as thoroughly and consistently as possible. Second, you can't bring anyone with you. Third, you must text me before entering or leaving..."

He listed dozens of requirements.

Justine understood why Chuck, despite his wealth and his focus on cleanliness, hadn't previously hired a full-time housekeeper like her.

Most people would have balked at such demanding details.

Even if they agreed outwardly for the money, Chuck, being as perceptive as he was, didn't believe they would truly follow through on these meticulous requirements.

And Chuck, with his intelligence, had severe obsessive-compulsive tendencies.

So it was understandable that no one had ever taken on this kind of work before.

But she was thrilled to hear it.

The more demanding the requirements, the more meaningful her work was. At the very least, she could repay Chuck, her lifesaver.

Otherwise, it would be difficult to live with being indebted to someone who had saved her life without being able to repay that debt.

"Then I'll be heading out first."

After Chuck finished his instructions, Justine smiled and said goodbye. She had to take her things back to the dorm first, then pick up her best friend, Cheryl, from LAX later.

Chuck nodded and took out his phone to check a text.

At JFK Airport in New York, Monica was also waiting to pick someone up—naturally, Paige. After waiting for a long time, she couldn't help but send Chuck a text.

She knew Chuck was coming back today, and if she hadn't been there to pick up Paige, she would have gone straight to pick him up.

"Paige, over here!"

After sending the text, she saw Paige coming out and immediately waved to her.

Paige saw her too, walking alongside her mother toward them.

"Mrs. Carter,"

Monica said to Paige's mother.

"I told you to call me Linda,"

Paige's mother smiled. "I'll call you Monica too. Monica, thanks for taking care of Paige. I'm so grateful."

"You're welcome. Paige is so thoughtful and delightful,"

Monica praised.

"Haha."

Paige's mother, Linda, chuckled.

Paige glanced at her mother.

"I have another appointment, Monica. I'll leave Paige with you."

Linda glanced at the elegant new watch on her wrist and smiled, "Paige, remember to behave and don't give Monica any trouble."

"Okay, I get it,"

Paige said impatiently. "Just go to your date."

"That kid..."

Linda smiled awkwardly at Monica, but after divorcing her husband, she had quickly found her second chance at love and was indeed in a hurry.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of Paige,"

Monica said with an understanding smile.

"Okay, thank you then,"

Linda said without further delay. She thanked her and hurriedly took an Uber away.

Paige's father was a successful orthodontist with a high income, and they had lived a comfortable upper-middle-class life. The apparent reason for the marital problems was that Paige, a gifted child, consumed her mother's energy.

There was nothing she could do about it.

She couldn't hold back her daughter Paige's potential, could she?

Therefore, she devoted herself wholeheartedly to her daughter, enrolling her in every age-appropriate advanced program and institution she needed—from math camps at Stanford to violin lessons at Juilliard prep.

However, her ex-husband, Paige's father, not only failed to understand her dedication, but constantly complained that she focused all her attention on their daughter Paige and neglected his feelings, and so on.

After the divorce, she finally realized those were just excuses; the real reason was simply that the love had faded.

However, since re-entering the dating scene and experiencing a second chance at romance, she had also shamefully realized that she could no longer devote her full attention to her daughter Paige as she once had.

Otherwise, there would be no need for another guardian; she should have been the one caring for her 11-year-old daughter who was already in college.

Of course, these slight pangs of guilt were quickly washed away by the sweetness of new love.

"Paige, let's head home,"

Monica said cautiously, seeing Paige standing there expressionlessly, watching her mother Linda hurry away.

"See?"

Paige said coldly, "It's just raging hormones!"

Monica didn't know what to say, because she completely understood Linda's feelings. She couldn't help but feel excited when she got a text from Chuck in the car.

"Chuck?"

Paige glanced over.

"Yeah,"

Monica said tentatively. "You must be tired from the flight today. You should get some rest when we get home."

"You slept with him, didn't you?"

Paige suddenly asked.

"Uh."

Monica didn't know what else to say. She really didn't want to discuss this with Paige.

"Did you forget what I told you?"

Paige stared at Monica.

"I know, take it slow,"

Monica said guiltily, "but I tried to go as slow as possible..."

"Every single one of them is like this..."

Paige turned her head to look out the window, muttering to herself.

"Paige..."

Monica saw Paige's tears streaming down her face through the reflection in the glass. Thinking of Paige's mother who had just hurried away, and then thinking about how she herself wanted to go on a date and just wanted Paige to rest early, she suddenly felt overwhelmed with guilt. She pulled the car over to the side of the road and tried to comfort her, "This is all my fault."

"You're not wrong, it's me. Maybe I shouldn't exist in this world, always bothering and disrupting everyone,"

Paige said through her sobs.

"It's not your fault, it's our fault,"

Monica said quickly. "How about we have dinner together tonight?"

"Won't I be in the way?"

Paige turned her head and looked at Monica with tear-filled eyes.

"No, not at all."

Seeing such a delicate and beautiful little girl, so proud before, now acting like this, Monica's heart ached. She kept reassuring her, "You and Chuck are both geniuses, you both love math. You're working on that math competition together now. I'm sure Chuck won't mind. As long as you're happy."

"Okay."

Paige wiped her tears and said with a smile through them, "Monica, you're the best."

"Just call me Monica."

Monica suddenly felt happy and reached over to touch Paige's head with a smile.

Paige looked up at Monica's hand.

"Sorry."

Monica suddenly realized she was getting too comfortable. Paige didn't like this kind of physical contact.

"It's okay."

Paige pulled back from her unconscious reaction and smiled. "If Chuck can handle it, so can I."

"..."

Monica's smile faltered slightly. Although she was happy that she and Paige were suddenly closer, she still withdrew her hand from Paige's head. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but those words felt really awkward.

The car started moving again.

As Monica focused on the road ahead, Paige turned her head to look out the window, a slight smile playing on her lips.

(End of chapter)

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