"..." Although Felix Preston was skeptical, he still nodded. "Okay."
"Let's eat," Sonia Quincy said, not dwelling on the topic. She placed another piece of chicken on Felix Preston's plate. "I can cook now, so leave the three meals a day to me from now on. If you don't mind, I can even bring lunch to you at work."
A faint smile touched Felix Preston's eyes. "There's no need. My office is a bit far, so you don't have to go through all that trouble. I'll just grab a bite for lunch."
"If you're going to be doing all the cooking from now on, then I'll wash the dishes. You have your own work, too. Don't get too tired."
Felix Preston had addressed every single point Sonia Quincy just made, his replies both thoughtful and meticulously earnest.
As Sonia Quincy ate, she watched him, the admiration in her gaze unconcealed.
When Felix Preston felt her gaze on him, his heart skipped a beat.
This was the first time he had ever seen such a look from Sonia Quincy.
Sincere, warm, and without a trace of scheming.
This wasn't something Sonia Quincy could fake, no matter how much she tried.
'It's so strange. Starting yesterday afternoon, Sonia Quincy underwent a complete transformation, inside and out. Her personality, her tone of voice, her very way of thinking—it's all different. If this is an act, can someone really fake it this convincingly, this perfectly?'
Felix Preston was filled with doubt.
Sonia Quincy was well aware of this. She knew Felix Preston didn't believe her, and she understood that he had no feelings for her. The only reason he'd asked her to stay was for the sake of their unborn child.
The villainess had done countless evil things, but the child was innocent. Felix Preston could distinguish between the two.
Sonia Quincy understood Felix's state of mind but wasn't anxious about her own predicament. 'The original villainess's evil deeds came first. Wearing her face, there's no way I can clear my name overnight.' So, she prepared herself to play the long game.
'I'll just take it slow. They say time reveals a person's true character. Eventually, Felix Preston will naturally start to see me differently.'
...
Sonia Quincy's design work went smoothly, and her second-hand luxury goods sold quickly.
A few of her customers were from Aethelburg, and they received their new treasures the day after placing their orders.
The original villainess may have been vicious, but her taste was impeccable. The luxury goods she'd bought were exquisite and of high quality, holding their value even as second-hand items. Every customer who received their purchase left a glowing review.
On top of that, Sonia Quincy was charming and witty in her chats, which made many customers especially fond of her. Two of them even posted about her on the Spudster app, attracting a huge wave of new customers.
Her shop's traffic was excellent, with seven or eight sales a day. At this rate, it would only take a few more days to turn all her remaining items into cash.
One day, Felix Preston came home a little earlier than usual. The moment he'd changed his shoes and stepped inside, Sonia Quincy was standing before him, phone in hand.
"Felix, I have some money for you."
"What money?" Felix Preston was at a complete loss.
Right there in front of him, Sonia Quincy transferred 920,000 yuan into his payment app account.
"This is the money I've made selling my things over the past few days. I'm giving it all to you. It's 920,000 yuan in total. 860,000 of that is from Holly Hayes, and the other 60,000 is what I earned from selling my clothes and shoes. Take it and use it for the company."
Just as she finished speaking, Felix Preston's phone chimed with the notification of an incoming transfer.
Felix Preston's eyes widened. His clear, slightly husky voice was filled with astonishment. "All of it? This is all money from selling your things. Why aren't you keeping it for yourself?"
"Money burns a hole in my pocket," Sonia Quincy said honestly, grabbing a Northern-style steamed bun she'd just bought from the table and taking a bite. "As soon as I have money, I start buying all sorts of odd things. I spend a little here, a little there, and before I know it, it's all gone."
"It's dangerous to leave money with me, so I've decided to give it all to you."
Felix Preston looked down at her, a small smile playing on his lips, amused by her casual, carefree manner.
"But... didn't you used to love money more than anything? Are you sure you're okay with giving it all to me?"
Sonia Quincy nodded, her gaze firm. "Of course. We're husband and wife, what's there to be reluctant about? You just take it. Just give me a little money for snacks now and then."
Felix Preston's lips parted slightly. He'd lost count of how many times he'd been stunned by Sonia Quincy's transformation.
In his memory, Sonia Quincy was someone who loved money more than life itself. She had no principles when money was involved. But now, she had sold all her beloved possessions and given every last bit of the money to him.
Without a hint of complaint or reluctance.
This was a complete contradiction to the Sonia Quincy he used to know.
'What kind of grand scheme would make Sonia Quincy put on such an act? Or... is she not acting at all? Is there some other reason forcing her to change like this?'
'Could it be... that she has truly repented?'
BZZZ—BZZZ—
Just as Felix Preston's mind was reeling, the phone he had placed on the shoe cabinet began to vibrate.
He picked up the phone, glanced at the caller ID, and answered immediately.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
Mom... Hearing that word, Sonia Quincy couldn't help but shudder.
In the original novel's plot, the villainess not only had an unhappy marriage with Felix Preston, but her relationship with his mother was also extremely tense.
Felix Preston's father had divorced his mother long ago, so Mrs. Preston had raised him and his sister all by herself. She was a strict mother, and the children she brought up were exceptionally accomplished, with Felix himself being the prime example.
But toward the villainess, Mrs. Preston had shown a tolerance and gentleness she rarely extended even to her own children. She didn't mind the villainess's "fake heiress" status, nor did she care about her awful reputation in Aethelburg. From the day she married Felix, Mrs. Preston treated the villainess as her own daughter, often buying her gifts and cooking her favorite foods.
Her only wish was that she and Felix Preston would have a good life together.
But the villainess showed no gratitude whatsoever. She would refuse any gift from Mrs. Preston worth less than six figures, and if she took one bite of a home-cooked meal and didn't like it, she would throw the whole thing in the trash. Mrs. Preston's kindness was repeatedly trampled upon until even her immense patience couldn't endure it any longer.
Still, she never directly confronted the villainess. She simply and quietly withdrew her kindness, no longer meddling in her daughter-in-law's affairs.
But this didn't please the villainess, either. With Mrs. Preston ignoring her, she started spreading vicious rumors, claiming her mother-in-law was abusing her, looking down on her, and treating her with contempt.
Mrs. Preston was someone who could not stand having her name dragged through the mud. When the villainess caused this uproar, she went directly to her to demand an explanation. Of course, the villainess was spouting nonsense, so what explanation could she possibly offer? Unable to reason with Mrs. Preston, she started throwing a hysterical tantrum. Mrs. Preston had lived her entire life with dignity and never stooped to such behavior. Faced with the villainess's provocations, she could only remain silent.
In the end, it was Felix Preston's sister who couldn't watch any longer. She stood up to the villainess and got into a huge argument with her, and the two almost came to blows.
In fact, just the day before Sonia Quincy transmigrated, Felix's sister and the villainess had a two-hour shouting match over the phone. If the villainess hadn't been pregnant, Felix's sister would have certainly slapped her.
This was why Sonia Quincy had reacted so strongly to the call from Mrs. Preston.
"Okay, I'll head over tomorrow." After hanging up, Felix Preston turned to look at Sonia Quincy with an incredibly complex expression.
Sonia Quincy suppressed her own trepidation and gave Felix Preston a gentle smile.
Felix Preston said softly, "Mom said she needs me for something and asked me to come over tomorrow. You... if you're not comfortable with it, you can just stay home and rest. I'll go by myself."
"No, it's fine. I can go with you tomorrow." 'Although a part of me really doesn't want to deal with the mess the old villainess left behind,' Sonia Quincy knew she had to go with Felix.
'If she wanted to build a good life with Felix, the relationship with her mother-in-law was a hurdle she had to clear. There was no avoiding it.'
"Are you sure you want to go with me?" Hearing her words, Felix Preston's eyes widened in shock. "But don't you... hate being around my mom?"