The Ex and Her Riches novel (Gwendolyn and Maverick)

Chapter 182 A Fake Hug

As expected, the little meanie Gwendolyn was not so easy to deal with.

He shook his head and sighed inwardly, vowing to himself never to mess with this young domineering lady in the

future.

On the other end of the call, Asher had no idea that he had been played by Gwendolyn. He said earnestly, “I heard

from Treyton that you’ve been gathering evidence on the Lane family from Fairlake recently, so I took the liberty of

looking into it for you since I have the time. I’ll have Treyton fax it to your office tomorrow.”

Gwendolyn chuckled to herself inwardly.

She thought that this timing was too convenient as Asher should not have had so much free time.

It seemed that this was premeditated, and Asher had deliberately waited for her to be punished before bringing up

the matter.

So, is he using the carrot and stick method?

Although it was a bit unpleasant to think about, Gwendolyn remembered her promise to let Asher use her as a

punching bag once for tricking him.

In her opinion, it was worth it.

There was also no reason not to accept the evidence that was going to be delivered straight to her hand.

Gwendolyn reluctantly agreed and showered Asher with a series of compliments before finally managing to end the

call.

Since Maverick was in the hospital, it was quite late by the time Gwendolyn finished kneeling. She quickly tidied up a

room and asked Treyton to make do with it for his stay at Bay Villa for a night.

The next morning, Gwendolyn went to work at Wright Construction Group as usual.

The evidence Asher had gathered was quickly sent to her via fax as promised. She gathered the papers and bound

them together into a booklet before carefully reading through them.

As expected, Asher’s efficiency was truly impressive once he took action.

This evidence was detailed enough to put Samantha in prison for the rest of her life.

Tomorrow, she would bring justice to the Lane family.

She called Yulia for a meeting and was busy until the afternoon.

She thought of Maverick, who was still recovering in the hospital. She then made a call to William and instructed

him to find a small item for her.

Gwendolyn packed up her things and headed back to Bay Villa first when it was time to get off work.

She saw Elven upon arriving at the villa entrance, which was not something she had expected.

She frowned and asked, “Why are you here instead of staying at the hospital?”

Elven explained, “Mr. Wright said he didn’t want to stay in the hospital, so he insisted that Dr. Xenakis re-examine

him and complete the discharge procedures.”

He’s already been discharged from the hospital?

Gwendolyn fell silent for a moment. She had planned to visit Maverick at the hospital that evening.

Well, it seems that his injury has mostly healed since he can be discharged from the hospital.

As Gwendolyn was about to walk inside, Elven leaned in close to her and whispered, “Ms. Shalders, I think there’s

something odd about Mr. Wright this time.”

“Even you think so, huh?” Looks like Maverick is really acting strange.

Gwendolyn frowned, an indescribable look in her eyes.

Elven nodded. “Mr. Wright went straight into his room as soon as he returned, and he hasn’t come out since.”

“I see. Okay.”

Gwendolyn had a steely expression on her face as she walked straight into the villa and headed up to the second

floor.

The door of Maverick’s room was closed, but it was not locked.

Gwendolyn pushed the door open and entered the room. The bed was neatly made, showing no signs of anyone

having laid on it.

Maverick was lying quietly on the lounge chair by the window, dressed in a luxurious dark suit. He was admiring the

sunset outside the floor-to-ceiling window in a leisurely and relaxed demeanor, his eyes cool and composed.

Since it was late autumn, the sunlight that fell upon one’s body would not feel warm.

Yet, the faint halo from the sunlight that graced his handsome, perfect side profile only served to make his face

appear even more divine and aloof.

However, as she got closer, Gwendolyn noticed his thin lips were dark and chapped. His face was also extremely

pale, as if he had no blood within him, which just proved that he was still unwell.

“Don’t lie flat. It will put pressure on the wound on your back.”

Maverick was lost in the beauty of the sunset, so he did not notice Gwendolyn approaching him until she was right

at his feet.

“You’re back.”

He hurriedly propped himself up, trying to stand. “I was so engrossed that I lost track of time. You must be hungry,

right? I’ll go cook something right now.”

“That’s okay. If you’re not feeling well, I’ll let you take a day off today.”

Gwendolyn held his shoulder, guiding him to sit back down.

Upon touching him, she realized how cold and icy his entire body was as if he had no warmth at all.

Gwendolyn furrowed her brows. “Why are you so cold? You don’t look well. Is the wound on your back still hurting a

lot?”

Maverick flashed a slight smile to reassure her. “It stopped hurting a while ago. I guess my hands and feet are cold

because I’ve been lying down for too long, but I’m fine. I just need to rest for a couple of days, and I’ll be good.”

Gwendolyn simply didn’t believe it.

He was speaking in a weak voice, his eyelashes trembling from time to time. She felt that he was always forcing

himself to be strong.

“Sit down and let me take a look at your injury,” she said and began to remove his suit jacket.

Maverick clutched his collar tightly, refusing to let go. “My injury is really not a big deal. It’s almost healed, and it’s

wrapped in gauze anyway. Even if you take off my clothes, you won’t be able to see it.”

What he had said was true indeed.

Gwendolyn reluctantly let go.

Maverick’s body lost support and staggered slightly. He quickly reached back to support himself on the recliner.

Noticing Gwendolyn staring at him, he curled the corner of his pale lips slightly, appearing somewhat languid. “It’s

rare to see you care about me like that. How nice.”

Gwendolyn rolled her eyes at him.

However, considering that he did save her this time, she didn’t ridicule or mock him. Instead, she said with a serious

expression, “You know I don’t like being indebted to others. Since you saved me this time, I’ll grant you one request.

What would you like?”

“Really? Any request will do?”

Maverick slightly lifted his head, making eye contact with her, a faint glimmer flashing in his dark pupils.

“Apart from remarriage and emotional demands, I will try my best to fulfill everything else you ask for. Just tell me.”

Maverick just laughed, for she knew very well that those were all he wanted.

Forget it. I don’t have much time left anyway.

“Okay, then. Just stand there and don’t move.”

Gwendolyn nodded and stood still.

Maverick removed his hand from the lounge chair, and he sat up straight. Gathering his courage, he slipped his

hands through her trench coat, tightly encircling her slender waist. “Let me hold you for a moment. Just a moment

will do.”

Her body was warm, while his was icy cold.

With this embrace, he felt warmth even in his heart.

“Just that?”

Gwendolyn was slightly taken aback.

Is his request really that simple?

“Yeah…”

Gwendolyn stood still, her posture rigid and straight, allowing him to rest his head obediently on her stomach as his

hands wrapped tightly around her waist.

However, after standing quietly for a while, she suddenly realized that her hands were hanging by her sides. She

felt a bit awkward, not knowing where to place them.

Since it was his request, it wouldn’t be nice not to hug him back.

So, instinctively, she reached out her arms toward his back.

Halfway through, she stopped again.

Her fingers stiffened for a moment when she recalled the injury on his back. Eventually, she chose to stroke his

head instead.

His jet-black hair was short and neatly trimmed, soft and silky to the touch, making it a pleasure to run one’s fingers

through.

As Gwendolyn stroke his head, she gradually lost her mind.

She simply couldn’t stop.

Maverick, who was being stroked on the head, furrowed his brows.

For some reason, he felt as if Gwendolyn was petting a dog.

He was unwilling to let go of Gwendolyn’s embrace at first, but at that thought, he took the initiative to release her

from his arms.

He laughed insincerely. “Okay. My demands have been met, and you don’t owe me any favors.”

Gwendolyn withdrew her hand from stroking his head.

After pondering for a while, she took out a delicate, small black and gold gift box from her trench coat pocket and

handed it to him.

“This is the thank-you gift I wanted to give you.”

Maverick looked up at her with a hint of suspicion. Was she just testing me when she asked me to make a request

earlier to see if I’d be too greedy or ask for something excessive?

He took the gift box from Gwendolyn, his fingertips trembling as he untied the ribbon.

It was a syringe about the thickness of a pinky finger, quite similar to the special drug he was injected with.

Is this…

Maverick furrowed his brow, his dark eyes gazing at her with a mix of emotions.

Gwendolyn explained calmly, “The special drug I injected you with is called 023 special drug. This is the antidote for

023. It’s painless, and after the injection, your body will quickly return to normal.”

“W-Why…” Maverick bit his lower lip, suppressing the suffocating feeling in his heart. He took a deep breath and

asked, “Didn’t we agree… to end the employment agreement only when the contract period is up? Or do you still…

want to draw a clear line between us?”