Chapter 16
Such obvious neglect made Barbara feel upset, but she dared not speak out.
In the following days, everything in the household was changing silently.
Barbara, unlike Margaret, was not a career woman and never contributed a single penny, Charles, because he was not ambitious and had no real talent back then, was pushed by his family to marry into his wife’s family for the greatest benefit.
Currently, the household expenses were all subsidized by Charles swallowing his pride and going back to his family to ask for money. As time went by, the Rivera family also expressed dissatisfaction.
Forced by circumstances, the daily Premium Bird’s Nest Delicacy was downgraded to inferior fragments. The drastic difference in texture quickly dulled its novelty after a few servings, so they simply removed it altogether.
Charles’s quality of life was steadily declining.
Not just at home–even the special privileges at school vanished one by one.
Yet they still managed to get by.
Until the kindergarten called unexpectedly: Charles had broken out in rashes all over his body.
Charles stumbled into the infirmary, his gaze sweeping over the roomful of teachers. “What happened here?”
Dead silence followed his question. Unable to contain his fury, he fixed the homeroom teacher with an icy gaze. “Well?”
Only then did he realize: the teachers no longer treated him with their former deference.
No praise, no compliments, not even anyone pouring him tea.
“Principal, where’s the director? You must give me an explanation for today’s incident.”
“It should be an allergic reaction.”
Just as he reached for his phone, the director rushed over breathlessly: “My apologies, Mr. Rivera. Previously, Ms. Lewis personally handled all matters regarding your son’s uniform. You might not be aware–your son is allergic to this specific fabric. Ms. Lewis always arranged custom tailoring for him. We assumed you’d coordinated this…”
“And about the meals–we had dedicated catering before, but due to budget constraints… those services were discon- tinued. Rest assured, the quality of meals he shares with other children remains excellent.”
“If you’re concerned, we can provide samples for testing.”
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Chapter 16
288 Vouchers
Charles’s stomach dropped. He suddenly remembered–this had indeed happened.
Charles realized he had forgotten it himself.
In the past, she always felt that even though she didn’t work, she contributed the most to this family. But now he final- ly understood what Margaret had sacrificed for their well–being.
Charles stood at the center of the infirmary, the marble floor magnifying the gloom on his face.
The teachers before him didn’t dare breathe.
“So all these years, whether it was Mu Jin’s clothes and outings or his meals and drinks–down to the smallest details -Margaret handled everything. Why did she never mention it?”
Charles’s voice was hoarse, part question, part statement.
The kindergarten director nodded: “Miss Lewis said Mu Jin was her whole world. She had a difficult delivery when he was born, and he’s been sickly since childhood, needing extra care. You’re often busy, so she asked us not to bother you. She handled everything–we only sent you reports for minor matters.”
Charles sat back down on the stool, utterly bewildered.
From the moment they married, Margaret had tended to his every need with meticulous care. Knowing his taste for luxury, she always gave him the finest things. He’d assumed she was just a vulgar upstart who only knew how to throw money around–useless at everything else—and that he alone held this family together. Yet reality kept jolting him awake: that wasn’t true at all.
Margaret poured her heart into caring for him and their child, remembering every tiny detail about them.
“Charles, would you like me to contact the previous manufacturer for you?”
the kindergarten director tentatively asked.
“No need.”
Charles took his child and stubbornly turned to leave.
When he got home, he saw Barbara lounging on the garden swing chair, the Ragdoll cat in her arms lazily stretching.
Suddenly, he missed Margaret a little–that woman would never be like this.
Actually, during their first married year, Margaret always squeezed out time to be with him. But he loathed her in- tensely, blaming her entirely for Barbara’s departure.
The closer she got, the more disgusted he felt. He even did many things unbecoming of a young master.
Margaret never held it against him. Time after time, she showed up to clean up his messes.
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