SWNOVELS Chapter 73
Cherise looked at the person who drew the attention of her employees and passersby alike, and it would be lying if she didn't see the appeal as well.
There stood Hudson leaning against her car with one hand tucked into his pocket pants while he had a cigarette on the other, either oblivious to how much he was drawing attention or he was just so used to it that it didn't bother him. Some sentences are incomplete if you are not reading this novel on FindNovel.net. Visit FindNovel.net to read the complete chapters for free. His six-foot-tall figure was wrapped in a tailored three-piece suit and a long black coat, which did nothing to hide the muscles beneath it.
His usually tidy hair was wind-swept; some of the strands had fallen in front of his face and instead of making him look unkempt, it actually made him look younger and more attractive. Her pink car in the background did nothing to dampen his image. It instead added a sweetness to him.
Now she knew that the giggles and whisperings from her female employees were not because of Hudson and the pink car, but because he looked so attractive.
Cherise’s heart skipped a beat because this was her dream when she was married to him - to Hudson waiting for her like this instead of sitting impatiently in the car whenever they were going out.
She hesitated to walk toward him because she knew everyone would talk about them and their pictures might even be spread across all social media with how many people were watching them.
She could ask her employees not to take pictures, but what about the passersby? She could do nothing about them.
She could already picture the headlines because she knew how the media worked - “Hudson Amery is driving his ex-wife. What does this mean?, “Hudson Amery is wooing his ex-wife’, or even “Match Made in Heaven’ because of their matching outfit with their black suits, white shirts, and black long coats.
It didn’t matter whether what they wrote was factual, as long as it could sell, they would just write about anything to satisfy the gossip mongers.
Cherise had already started to regret agreeing to his request and wanted to find an alternative for them to meet at Agatha's place instead of driving there together with him.
Just as she was hesitating, Hudson's eyes locked with hers and he let the cigarette b**t fall from his hand to the ground before crushing it with his perfectly shiny leather shoe.
He moved gracefully and yet still manly toward her, without giving Cherise any room to flee away and she could already hear more whispering around her.
Cherise swallowed as Hudson stood before her, his scent of sandalwood and cinnamon enveloped her even though they were out in the open air.
She cursed herself for still getting an effect from him even though it hadn't before. It must be because of him waiting for her and nothing more, she convinced herself.
Hudson took the tea box from her and asked, “Are you ready to go?"
“Yeah” She nodded and felt Hudson's hand on the small of her back, stirring her toward her car, opening the door for her, placing the tea box in the back seat, and going to the driver's seat as though it was a natural occurrence for them.
There was no awkwardness in any of the actions. He did everything flawlessly, and as usual, with that manly gracefulness of the wealthiest man in Country B.
Hudson started the engine and the car cruised along the road to the Amery Mansion.
“What did you buy for Grandma?" he asked to fill the silence between them.
“Tea,” Cherise replied without looking at him and pressed the button to let the hard top cover them as the wind was getting too much for her and they still had a long way to go until they reached their destination.
Hudson didn't feel anything by Cherise blanketing them with the hard top. He was already used to people seeing him driving Cherise’s pink car, to the point of not being bothered by it, but he still welcomed the warmth nonetheless.
“Tea?” Out of everything he could think of, he never thought Cherise would buy tea for his grandmother.
“Agatha loves tea," Cherise said and Hudson glanced at her from the corner of his eyes to see her smiling slightly. “We used to drink tea and talk about anything and everything every time I visited her
Hudson saw the sad look on Cherise’s expression and felt regretful again. He knew Cherise and his grandmother were tight, but he didn’t know the extent of their closeness.
Judging by how sad she looked now, it seemed he had hurt her relationship with Agatha with their divorce.
Cherise was an orphan, and maybe she felt Agatha was a mother figure, just like he did, and he had taken that away from her.
Hudson did not know what to say to that without talking about their divorce, so he cleared his throat and asked. “What kind of tea does my grandma like to drink?”
He knew she liked tea, but since he wasn't a tea drinker and the only tea he liked was the one in Keith's office, he felt all other teas were just that - tea. They all tasted similar albeit had different aromas of flowers.
Cherise laughed. “Your grandma loves exquisite blends of tea."
Hudson forgot to breathe for a second as he heard Cherise's laughter. It had been so long since they had such a lighthearted conversation, or maybe never, and he wished for their encounters in the future to always be like this.
“So how did you get such exquisite blends in such a short amount of time?” he asked, wanting this relaxed conversation to keep going.
“Oh, Julian is a tea lover as well,” Cherise shrugged. “So I asked for some of his collections.” Hudson's grip on the steering wheel tightened and he wanted to sneer at her. Julian, huh?! It always was all about Julian!
But he managed to keep his expression neutral as he wanted to show her he'd changed. He wouldn't become his old self who only knew how to either ignore, be angry, or force her.
“I'm sure she'll love your gift,” he said with as much neutrality as he could muster and a hint of a smile.
Cherise peeked at Hudson from the corner of her eyes. She was puzzled by all of Hudson's actions today, and this time was not an exception.
She had expected him to be angry at the mention of Julian just like what usually happened, but this time, he wasn't even affected by it and seemed genuinely pleased with her gift for Agatha.
And she couldn't believe how easy it was to talk to him. There were no sneering or insults from him as of far yet, and she'd rather for it to remain this way. She didn’t want her mood to be ruined when she was going to meet Agatha.
Cherise didn't want to delve too much into the reasons behind Hudson acting like a normal human being, though.
Maybe he really was happy that she had gotten Agatha something she loved because he loved her too and it'd make him happy when his grandmother was happy.
They remained silenced for the rest of the drive, but unlike the usual awkward and tense silence, this time it was a comfortable silence.
Forty-five minutes later, they arrived at the gate of the Amery Mansion which was situated at one of the most high-priced land in Country B.
Amery Mansion was something like what you read about castles, except that it was surrounded by vast greenery and there was a lake.
The whole area was encircled with high bricks and a tall gate. It would still take more than ten- minute drive from the main gate to reach the mansion.
The mansion itself was not as old as it had dated. It was opulent and white, with pillars, giving it an understated high-class look, unlike most mansions which basically screamed wealth with the owners making sure of it.
Hudson and Cherise reached the main huge door of the mansion to see Agatha already waiting excitedly for them with a huge smile on her face, leaning on her cane and with her trusted maid by her side.
“Cherise!” Agatha waved with energy that didn’t match her age.
Cherise didn’t wait for Hudson to open her door for her as she saw Agatha trying to come and get her from the car.
She rushed toward Agatha and embraced the old lady who had been too nice to her, her eyes tearing up at how much she had missed the only mother figure she had ever known ever since her mom died.
Agatha returned her hug and patted her back before drawing back and brushing Cherise’s hair away from her face.
“Look at you being even more beautiful now,” Agatha said, her own eyes shining with unshed tears.
Cherise wasn't the only one who was filled with emotions. Agatha really loved Cherise and at one point wished Hudson would fall in love with her because she could see what a loyal, dedicated, and caring young lady she was.
Alas, her grandson was too blinded by his prejudice against women, and even though now he seemed to have had a change of heart, Agatha did not know whether he would be able to get Cherise back.
“And you look even younger and more energetic than the last time I saw you,” Cherise smiled at her. “How is that possible? You have to tell me your secrets.”
“Oh, you young lady,” Agatha slapped Cherise’s arm lightly and playfully. “Always know how to make an old lady feel young”
Hudson had never really paid attention to the way his ex-wife and grandmother interacted, but he smiled and felt warm by the view in front of him.
Cherise chuckled and hugged her again. “I've missed you. I'm sorry I divorced him without telling you and haven't contacted you since.”
“Oh, you don't have to worry about it" Agatha waved her hand. “None of it was your fault. If any, it was my idiotic grandson's fault.”
Hudson's lips, which were curved up into a smile changed into a thin line. Wasn't his grandma supposed to help him? Why was he calling him an idiot in front of Cherise?
She should point out all his best qualities and not remind her what a jackass he had been toward her during their marriage!
“Come, let's go in." Agatha pulled Cherise into the mansion with the help of her maid. “You arrived just in time. Dinner is just ready to be served.”
Hudson looked at his grandma helplessly. Not once did she acknowledge his presence ever since he and Cherise arrived here.
He took the tea package from the back seat and followed them silently into the mansion. “Grandma, Cherise bought you something,” he called out, not wanting to be excluded.
“You are such a caring lady, Cherise,” Agatha said and gestured for her maid to take the package from Hudson. “Always brought me presents every time you came. Too bad my grandson was too blind to see how nice you were"
She looked and sneered at Hudson as she said the last two sentences, nearly making Hudson slacked-jaw. Again with the sarcastic remark?
He had started to regret bringing Cherise here tonight. Maybe it wasn't a good thing to ask his grandma to help him.
Agatha and Cherise went to the dining room and sat on the dining table, but when Hudson pulled out a chair, Agatha stopped him.
“You don't get to sit with us,” Agatha said sternly. “You'll sit at the children’s table.”
Hudson looked at his grandma in confusion. Children table? Since when did they have one? Even Cherise was confused by Agatha's words. She didn’t want to sit at the same table with Hudson if she could help it, but children’s table?
Knowing what was on their mind, Agatha pointed to a spot a few feet away from the dining table. Hudson and Cherise looked in that direction and Cherise nearly laughed out loud when she saw Agatha had placed a single table there.