The Queen's Back

For sreason, when Mona thought of Chelly, she recalled the last tshe'd seen Gordon grasp Chelly by the shoulders. vague unease tugged at her heart.

A It was nearly eleven o'clock at night when Mona finally heard the sound of a car pulling up outside it was Maxwell coming back.

Mona sat up quickly from the couch and hurried outside to greet him.

Maxwell parked his car and strode forward just in tto see Mona stepping out of the doorway.

She was wearing a white nightgown, her long hair casually draped over her shoulders, and the warm light from the house softened her features, adding warmth to her smile.

The softest part of Maxwell's heart seemed to awaken. This was what it felt like to have someone waiting for him at home! Before, when he hadn't been married to Mona, no matter how late he returned, the house had always been dark, an echo of his own solitude.

But now, with Mona, his hwas filled with light, and someone cared for him.

Mona saw Maxwell standing still, gazing at her, and walked over, taking his hand as she asked softly, "What's wrong? Stunned at the sight of me?" Feeling her touch, Maxwell wrapped her small hand in his own, his eyes meeting her bright gaze. "Yeah, you're simply too beautiful to look at." At those words, Mona's mouth lifted into a light smile. "We're not newlyweds anymore. Aren't you embarrassed to be this sweet?" Although she feigned a little disapproval, her heart was full of happiness.

After all, everyone would want their beloved to shower them with praise.

"Not at all," Maxwell said sincerely, "You're still as young and lovely as ever. I'm just speaking the truth, not sweet talk." "Alright, alright, if you say so," she replied with a smile.

By now, they had made their way back to the living room. Since Maxwell had already eaten dinner outside, they went straight to their room. Maxwell headed to take a shower, while Mona lay on the bed, texting Ava, who had reached out first.

Ava sent a message. [Mona, I'm in love! It's that movie star I mentioned before-Joseph Vander. I'll find a chance to introduce you to him sometime.] As Mona read Ava's text, she sensed an unusual somberness in her friend's tone.

Normally, Ava was upbeat and expressive, her words reflecting her joy. Perhaps in the past, when she had a new boyfriend, she'd have introduced him right away, eager to share the excitement.

In this brief moment, Mona couldn't help but feel that Ava might not have fully moved on from Bud, and meeting Joseph had merely given her a suitable distraction.

Mona thought for a moment and replied: [Ava, do you love him?] In the dark of night, Ava looked at the question Mona had sent her: [Do you love him?] Ava silently asked herself, 'Do I love him? Did I accept Joseph because I love him?' The answer was obviously no.

Ava: [What's the point of loving? We fit well together, and he's kind to me. He loves me, he spoils me, he's willing to skip kissing scenes for me, and he even acknowledgespublicly online.] For an actor on the rise, admitting he has a girlfriend could mean losing support from his female fans, and refusing to do kissing scenes would limit his career. But Joseph was willing to make these sacrifices for Ava surely, this was true love from him.

When Mona saw Ava's reply, she knew Ava's heart hadn't let go of Bud. Perhaps Ava's recent return to the country and seeing Bud with his girlfriend had influenced her decision, along with the fact that Joseph was genuinely good to her.

In truth, Mona's guess wasn't far off.

The final reason Ava accepted Joseph was that she'd unexpectedly run into Chelly at a restaurant and overheard Chelly say that she and Bud would soon be married. Meanwhile, Joseph had been persistently pursuing Ava, and it made sense to give him a chance.

She needed to let Bud go, and she read online that the best way to move on from someone was to open her heart to someone new.

And Joseph, who had been so devoted to pursuing her, seemed like the right choice.

After a long pause, Mona finally replied: [Ava, no matter who you're with, I just want you to be happy every day.] That was probably the biggest wish of any best friend-to see their friend live a happy, fulfilling life.

'Happy?' Ava thought as she looked at Mona's message. 'Am I really happy with Joseph? It seems... not bad.' Ava then replied: [Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be happy.] Just then, Maxwell emerged from the shower. Mona put down her phone, walked over to him, and took the towel from his hand, gently rubbing his hair dry.

His dark hair was freshly shampooed, giving off a clean, refreshing scent.

As she dried his hair, she asked, "What's up with Bud today?" She wondered if Bud's recent behavior might have something to do with Ava's new relationship.

Ava was loyal in love, and it was unlikely she could move on so quickly.

With Mona, Maxwell never hid anything, including Bud's quiet reminder on the way out: "Don't tell your wife." "It's simple," Maxwell said. "Bud's about to marry Chelly, and only now he's realizing that the one he truly cares for is your best friend." That was why Bud approached Maxwell for a drink, hoping Maxwell could help him figure out what to do and make a decision about his next steps.

Mona's hand, which had been gently rubbing Maxwell's hair dry with the towel, suddenly paused when Jonly she m heard Maxwell say that the person Bud truly loved was Ava. "Really? Bud admitted it himself?" Mona asked, clearly surprised. Maxwell nodded. "He never wanted to get married, didn't want kids, and if it hadn't been for that accident recently, he wouldn't have even thought about finding a girlfrieSo, when Ava pursued him, he turned her down. Now, with his wedding around the corner, he's just realizing it's Ava he cares about." "This is going to be very complicated," Mona murmured.

Bud was about to marry Chelly, and Ava already had a boyfriend-two people who loved each other were now with someone else.

"Lately, Nigel has been getting slower and slower. There's still no word on Chelly, even after I asked him to look into it," Maxwell said, reaching for his phone to call Nigel.

Mona quickly stopped him. "Honey, you don't need to call him. I spoke to Nigel on the way here, and he said we should have snews in a few days."

It was already past eleven, and Nigel was likely resting. Maxwell, as a boss, really had no sense of time, andm Mona couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for Nigel. Meanwhile, Nigel, hard at work elsewhere, suddenly sneezed twice, wondering if someone was bad-mouthing him!

"Alright, let's wait a couple more days, then," Maxwell said, putting his phone He! down. He relaxed, enjoying Mona's attentive care, and placed his large hand over hers, stroking it softly.