Chapter 52
“Mr. Grant, what’s this for? Didn’t you give me one last time?” Valerie asked.
“That one was for furniture purchases. This card is for daily expenses. You work hard cooking, so I’ll deposit money into it every month. Use it as you please, and no need to inform me.” To avoid raising her suspicions, Matthew added, “I get paid around the 15th of each month, about 3 thousand dollars.”
Valerie quickly shook her head, refusing to take advantage of him. “We agreed last time that you’d pay the big stuff, and I’d take care of the daily expenses. Besides, groceries don’t cost that much.”
But as soon as she finished, she got a glare from Matthew, and the intense pressure made her obediently take the card.
+5
She couldn’t help but mutter to herself, “How come the rules change every day? We clearly agreed to split the cost, so why is he so generous with his money now? And he used to say he often traveled for work and wouldn’t be here every day, but now he’s back every day. Is he going to stay here forever?”
Matthew saw her lips move but didn’t hear her voice, asking curiously, “What are you muttering about?”
Valerie’s face immediately showed embarrassment, and she quickly added, “I was thinking that if you truly feel indebted to me, helping with the cleanup and doing the dishes would suffice.”
As he lived alone in his house yet hadn’t bought a single piece of kitchenware, it was clear to Valerie that he didn’t cook and left the chores to the hourly cleaners. Valerie didn’t take her request seriously. After all, if he didn’t do the dishes, she would convert this chore into money and spend it from the two cards he gave her as she saw fit.
“Doing the dishes? Sure.” To her surprise, Matthew suddenly asked and then got up to start clearing the table.
“Hey…” Valerie was taken aback, surprised that Matthew would actually comply.
Matthew first stacked the dishes and carried them into the kitchen, then wiped the table with a cloth and dumped the food scraps into the trash can in the kitchen.
He was tall, with good looks to boot. Even simple tasks like washing plates and wiping tables, he did them in a way that was oddly pleasing to watch. The only issue was that he probably didn’t do these things often, so he was quite clumsy at it. Especially when scrubbing grease off the dishes, he grimaced with disdain like he was trying to wear the porcelain down to the bone. Valerie even doubted if he’d crush the dishes.
・
Moreover, Valerie noticed that he had a bit of a cleanliness obsession, unable to tolerate even a speck of grease on the utensils. This led to him washing a single dish while constantly washing his hands, and in the end, it took him nearly 20 minutes to clean just six pieces of tableware. Valerie swore she had never seen cleaner dishes before.
It was a bit tough for the back, though. The kitchen countertops were designed for folks around 5 to 5.7 feet and were too low for Matthew. He had to bend over the whole time to do the dishes. After 20 minutes, his back was as stiff as a board.
Valerie couldn’t bear to watch anymore. “Mr. Grant, if it’s
uch, let me do it next time…”
But Matthew refused, “No need.” He didn’t think it was women’s obligation to cook. Valerie had a full–time job. Cooking was already quite a burden on her. Moreover, it was his idea, so it was only right for him to share the load. However, doing dishes was indeed a bit challenging for him.
After pondering for two minutes, he ordered a dishwasher. It would arrive and be installed tomorrow. Matthew’s brows, knitted for long, finally began to unfurl. He casually asked Valerie, “Weren’t you planning to buy kitchen stuff? What else do you need? I’ll place the order together.”
dollars, falling silent as this man had spent over a month’s
Valerie stared at the payment page for the dishwasher, which showed a
salary in just a few seconds.
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