The Trending Topic Herself: The Villainess is the Superstar!

Chapter 286: The Jealous Husband Full of Suspicion

Ian’s eyes darkened unconsciously as he withdrew his gaze and said softly, "Thank you."

"No need to be polite! We’re such good..." Maya stopped mid-sentence and quickly recovered with a smile, "We’re so close, don’t worry about these formalities!"

The door to the private room opened, and a waiter brought in two bottles of beer and placed them on the table.

"Enjoy your meal."

The voice was quite sweet.

Maya thanked the waiter and continued to focus on her food. She had ordered quite a number of dishes, considering Ian’s taste, with an equal mix of meat and vegetables.

"Are you going to drink?" he asked nonchalantly, his tone revealing no emotion.

"It’s beer, I won’t get drunk. I’ll just have a couple of sips, don’t worry!"

Maya’s drinking capacity was not great, but she more or less had a threshold. She rarely allowed herself to get "drunk."

Ian withdrew his gaze and said nothing more.

"You help yourself to whatever you want to eat. I’m not sure what you like, so just tell me what you fancy."

The hot pot bubbled away, its red broth looking quite appetizing. Maya withdrew her hand.

"This is fine," he asked, seemingly casually, "Do you like this place a lot?"

Maya nodded, "The hot pot here is delicious."

He nodded, "You seem... quite familiar with the place. Do you come here often with others?"

"It was initially recommended by Monica. I don’t have many friends, but I’ve brought Ryan and the assistants here a few times, and they all praised it."

"Maya..." he felt something complicated he couldn’t describe, "Why didn’t you bring me here?"

"Bring you?" Maya paused, holding the chopsticks. She laughed it off, "You’re always so busy. How could I waste your time, hubby?"

"Have you brought Leo here?"

The sudden question caught Maya off guard, "Leo... what does Leo have to do with anything?"

"I saw him on the set last time." Ian sighed and held Maya’s hand, then unconsciously tightened his grip, "I know I might seem like a suspicious and jealous husband, but Maya... I really don’t have a sense of security."

She was clever and handled her relationships well. Everyone without exception had a good opinion of her. She always said sweet things, pleasing others while also pleasing herself. She wouldn’t respond, wouldn’t easily give her true feelings. Everyone around her, in her view, remained unchanged, like she was completing a task. Everyone to her seemed as unimportant as cardboard cutouts.

Thinking of this, Ian suddenly felt a sense of powerlessness.

Maya was like a kite, and he held tightly to the string. Who knew the kite had a blade, and no one could stop her from being free.

He didn’t want to admit it, but he had to; he couldn’t hold onto Maya, neither physically nor emotionally.

Maya dodged the subject lightly, "Don’t overthink it. I really don’t have much contact with Leo. We’ve grown up together, it’s a childhood friendship. I can’t just avoid him when I see him. I haven’t invited him for hot pot, nor have we eaten privately together."

After saying this, she carefully observed Ian’s expression, but seeing no change, she wasn’t sure if he was still upset.

Maya coughed lightly and began to scoop food for him with the communal chopsticks, "These are all very delicious, have a taste and see which one suits you best."

Ian’s mood seemed to return to normal, as he nodded slowly in thanks.

Even though the flavors were the same, Maya found herself not tasting anything. Ian’s words echoed in her mind.

He was asking for a response that she couldn’t give.

Realizing her thoughts made Maya feel foolish and ridiculous, for allowing herself even a moment of turmoil.

Maya kept her head down, eating the hot pot silently, while Ian said nothing. The atmosphere was cold, and the meal was not a happy one.

*

Vincent Summers, a straightforward man, couldn’t help but notice the odd atmosphere between Maya and Ian.

It wasn’t quite a cold war, nor a quarrel, but it felt strange.

When Maya got into the car, Vincent couldn’t help but whisper to Ian, "Ian, what’s up with you two? Why is Maya so quiet?"

Ian just gave him a cold look, clearly not in a good mood.

Vincent, taken aback and feeling wronged, thought that everyone seemed like they’d swallowed a bomb...

Meanwhile, his curiosity grew stronger; what on earth had happened between the two to make them so unhappy?

Maya wasn’t in the mood for shopping anymore. Not to mention she’d had two meals already, she felt an inexplicable irritation and had no intention of lingering outside.

When Ian asked what she wanted to do, she was blunt, "I’m a bit tired, let’s go home."

Vincent watched through the rearview mirror but didn’t say anything more.

Ian didn’t seem surprised and instructed Vincent, "Take us home."

Vincent hurriedly complied.

Back home, Maya went upstairs to sleep. She didn’t notice what Ian did, guessing he might go to work at the company.

Maya slept in a haze that afternoon, remembering her birthday, this sweet yet terrible day.

Maya was woken up by the ringing of her phone by the bed. She picked it up and brought it to her ear.

"Hello."

Monica’s voice came from the other end, "Maya, my darling, happy birthday!"

Jasper’s voice followed closely, "Maya, happy birthday."

Maya perked up slightly, "Thanks, Mom and Dad."

Monica’s voice was as gentle as ever, filled with joy, "I know you should be celebrating your birthday with Ian, so we won’t disturb you. You two should enjoy your time together, it makes your Dad and me so happy to see you both doing well. The gift has been sent over, check to see if you like it."

Maya felt a complex emotion she couldn’t describe, "I’m sure I’ll like it."

After hanging up with Monica, Maya headed downstairs. With the housekeeper not around, she needed to find the gift herself.

Seeing Ian silently sitting on the sofa, Maya hesitated and didn’t approach, "Honey, didn’t you go back to the company?"

"I promised to spend the day with you, so it’s a whole day."

Maya felt a bit uneasy, "You don’t have to do this. There’s no need to delay work because of me."

He lowered his eyes, "Are you looking for the gift? I put it in the storage room for safekeeping. Come, I’ll show you."

It was Maya’s first time going to the storage room, which was simply decorated but very large. Cabinets were filled with antique vases and paintings, clearly valuable.

"Aren’t you afraid of them being stolen without a secret door or underground tunnel to guard these treasures?"

She admitted she’d read too many martial arts novels.