How the Ice King Became my Doting Billionaire Husband

Barclay stood frozen in place, like he'd been struck by lightning.

Morwenna got married? No, it was Stuart who got married?

Barclay looked utterly crestfallen.

Morwenna thought to herself, Barclay really cares about Adelaide.

Knowing that Stuart was married and that Adelaide was no longer an option, Barclay's heartache was clear.

Barclay was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice his phone buzzing incessantly.

The caller seemed determined to reach him, dialing one call after another until Morwenna, unable to watch any longer, reminded him, "Barclay, your phone's been ringing off the hook. You gonna answer that?" Without even glancing at the caller ID, Barclay picked up the phone in a daze.

The next second, he was met with the scolding of a middle-aged woman on the other end.

"Barclay! What have you done this time, blowing through a million bucks? Was it for that manipulative Adelaide again? How did I end up with such a blockhead for a son? Get back here this instant!" Snapping back to reality, Barclay quickly covered the phone's mouthpiece, embarrassed that Morwenna overheard his mom's tirade.

Morwenna cleared her throat and turned away, pretending not to listen, though she had heard every word.

And she couldn't help but agree with Barclay's mom.

Adelaide was trouble, no doubt about it.

Barclay shifted awkwardly, whispering, "Mom, I've got something to take care of, I'll come back later."

"What could you possibly be busy with? Running off to the Vaughn estate, dragging Fletcher along to treat Adelaide's brother, right? Adelaide only had to give you a sweet look, and there you go, heart on your sleeve. Get yourself home now, or I swear I'll go find Adelaide myself."

"Mom! How can you say that?"

"End of discussion! If I don't see you in twenty minutes, I'm hunting down Adelaide."

The voice on the phone was so loud, Morwenna, sitting right next to Barclay, could hear every word crystal clear.

With a sympathetic tone, Morwenna said, "You better head home, Barclay. I'll manage just fine here."

"How can I leave you here? What if that old hag gives you trouble?"

Morwenna chuckled, "Do you really think she can get the better of me? Or do you think you're stronger than I am? Go on, don't let your mom worry." Barclay was at a loss for words. Indeed, he couldn't even best Morwenna in strength. If anything happened, who would be protecting whom?

With a sigh that made him look like a deflated balloon, Barclay conceded, "Alright... I'll head back then."

Mainly because if he didn't, his mother might actually storm out in the middle of the night to confront Adelaide.

"Go on, then," Morwenna waved him off.

With Barclay gone, Morwenna sat back down, alone.

Violet shot Morwenna a few venomous glances but was ultimately more concerned about her son to make a scene.

Glancing at her phone, Morwenna noticed Stuart hadn't reached out to her yet, so she sent him a message: "Stuart, I'll be home late tonight." After waiting a bit with no reply, Morwenna assumed Stuart was still caught up with work, not giving it another thought.

After all, Stuart was known for his late-night work marathons, often sleeping in the mornings.

Intent on getting back to her writing, Morwenna's phone pinged twice suddenly.

Expecting it to be Stuart, she checked her messages only to find a text from Claude.

"Ms. Winslet, I finished the book you brought over the other day. Are you leaving again tomorrow? Could you bring me another book?"

Morwenna was astonished. The book she had delivered was a hefty volume; how had Claude managed to finish it so quickly?

Worried, she responded, "Did you stay up all night reading? Your eyes aren't in the best shape, and staying up like this is bad for both your eyes and health.”

No sooner had she sent her message than Claude's reply came through.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Winslet, I just got so caught up. I won't do it again. So, will you bring me another book tomorrow?"

Claude waited anxiously for her response, glued to his phone. His reason for staying up wasn't so much the enthralling content as it was his hope to see Ms. Winslet once more.