Reborn with My Genius Husband-Chapter 101: Some Greenhorn Wants to Steal My Wife?
Chase Hawkins was crushed. "..."
He had to admit... that was a fair point.
He was a fan of Holly Winslow’s looks, but he didn’t have the guts to become Mortimer Quincy’s cousin-in-law.
Paul Powell let out a boisterous "HAHA" and said, "Exactly. Even if she were attached to your hip, she’d still have nothing to do with you."
Chase didn’t dare get mad at Mortimer, but he had no such qualms about Paul. He shot an elbow back at him. "Luna Lynch has nothing to do with you, either."
"Quincy, I’m gonna kill you!"
Furious from the embarrassment, Paul Powell tried to put him in a headlock, and the two started wrestling right then and there.
The others laughed as they watched the spectacle.
Just then, someone from Class 5 bought a large bag of water and passed it out to the boys. Shane Lester glanced at Holly Winslow in the distance, hesitated for a moment, then walked over. "Holly, here’s a drink for you."
Holly’s voice, which had been reciting classical Chinese, came to an abrupt halt. She looked up with a sweet smile. "I’m not thirsty, you can have it. Thank you."
Pantheon’s eyes widened when he saw this. ’Well now, a real love rival,’ he thought, shooting a look at the scowling Mortimer Quincy.
Mortimer strode over.
Just as Shane Lester was about to place the bottle beside her, a large hand intercepted it. A cool male voice said, "Thanks. I was just getting a little thirsty."
Mortimer took the water, twisted the cap open right in front of Shane, and took a large gulp. Then, he handed it to Holly. "Holly, have a sip."
Holly Winslow: "..."
’So childish, Mortimer.’
That’s what she thought, but she still played along with a certain someone, taking the bottle and pressing it to her lips for a small sip.
Being younger, Shane Lester lacked Mortimer’s composure and couldn’t handle the situation. He immediately said he was heading back to the classroom.
Mortimer watched his retreating back with displeasure, then quickly looked away. He took the water bottle from Holly’s hand and tossed it into a nearby trash can, all in one smooth motion.
Holly Winslow: "..."
Pantheon and Zeke Zane, who had been watching the whole time, ready for a show, were also speechless. "..."
With Shane gone, Mortimer lost his enthusiasm for the game. He sat down next to Holly and watched the others play.
Holly kept her eyes on her classical Chinese text and whispered, "Don’t pick on him. We grew up together, we’re just friends."
’We have to go back to the Winslow estate for the holidays, and we always end up visiting the Lester family. It would be so awkward then.’
Mortimer leaned back lazily in his chair. "I’m not picking on him."
"He’s too weak."
His last sentence dripped with disdain.
’Some greenhorn trying to steal my wife?’
’Too late.’
’My wife and I have already done everything.’
Holly had no idea what he was thinking. If she did, she would’ve given him a massive eye-roll.
...
High school gossip always travels fast. The story of Mortimer Quincy targeting Shane Lester spread throughout the entire sophomore class, and even the teachers in their office heard about it.
Gabe Chaucer even made a point to check in on Mortimer. He asked, "Mortimer, do you have some kind of feud with Shane Lester from Class 5? You can tell me, and I’ll help you sort it out."
He truly worried himself sick like a mother hen just to get his students to focus on their studies.
Mortimer frowned. "Shane Lester?"
A moment later, he added, "Who?"
"Don’t know him."
Gabe Chaucer had a whole speech prepared, but now he had to swallow it all. ’Who’s spreading these rumors!’ he fumed. ’If I catch them, I’m docking them a hundred points!’
That afternoon during study hall, an announcement came over the school’s PA system. The dean of students gravely repeated three times that students were not to spread rumors, and anyone caught would be docked five points.
Only then did the wave of gossip about Mortimer and Shane finally die down.
But that guy Mortimer was a real piece of work. During the once-a-semester, all-school cleanup, he abused his authority as a student leader and assigned Class 5 to restroom duty.
Zeke Zane, holding a trash basket, looked at Mortimer, who was holding one as well. "Mortimer, you never cease to amaze me."
Mortimer raised an eyebrow, not the least bit embarrassed. "Thanks for the compliment."
The Rocket Class’s assigned area was the small grove, where they were to clear away trash.
Holly wasn’t very close with the other girls in her class, so she was picking up trash in a corner by herself. Mortimer came over with his basket and heard her reciting, "The road to Shu is hard, harder than climbing to the clear blue sky..."
The sight of her reciting poetry while picking up trash was so amusing that he couldn’t help but laugh.
He decided to tease her and feigned a look of horror. "Honey, there’s a rat at your feet! Don’t move."
The color drained from Holly’s face, and her skin crawled. Not daring to look down, she let out an "AHH!", spun around, and leaped into Mortimer’s arms. She clung to him like an octopus, trembling with fear. "Hubby, get it away!"
"Hubby, get it away, quick!!"
"Hurry! I’m scared to death."
A rat had once crawled over Holly’s foot when she was a child, leaving her with a severe phobia.
Her sudden leap made Mortimer stumble. He quickly grabbed a nearby tree trunk to steady himself, then wrapped both hands around her to hold her up.
Seeing her clinging so tightly to his neck, he coughed. ’Crap, I took this too far,’ he thought, and quickly tried to soothe her. "It’s already gone. You’re okay now."
He didn’t dare let her know he had just been teasing her; otherwise, he’d be getting the cold shoulder for at least a week.
Holly clutched his shirt, looking like she was on the verge of tears. "Carry me out of here. Hurry. I don’t want to stay here."
"Okay, okay, okay, we’ll go right now." Mortimer held her with one arm and stroked her head with the other.
Everyone nearby heard Holly’s words and froze for a moment. What had she just yelled?
’Hubby?’
’We must be hearing things.’
Zeke Zane and Pantheon, who were in on the secret: "..."
’Shouting that so openly... aren’t they being a little too disrespectful of Old Shaw?’
Gabe Chaucer ran over and saw Holly clinging to Mortimer, looking terrified. He subconsciously overlooked the important detail and asked with concern, "What happened?"
"There was a rat," Mortimer said, giving a guilty cough.
Hearing the word "rat," Holly hugged Mortimer even tighter and urged, "Carry me out of here. I don’t want to be here. Hurry."
The other girls instinctively backed away.
Rats were a pretty common occurrence, so Gabe Chaucer didn’t suspect a thing. He waved his hand, allowing Mortimer to carry Holly away.
Holly sat on the steps, taking several minutes to calm down. She looked at Mortimer with a pitiful expression and said earnestly, "Let’s never come to the grove again."
Mortimer, who had dug his own grave: "..."
...
「Friday, after school.」
When Holly and Mortimer arrived at the gates of Jarton Second High, there were still seven or eight minutes until school let out. The security guard had them sign in before allowing them to enter.
Seeing that the restrooms at Jarton Second High had been doubled in size, Holly said with a look of regret, "I missed out on the deluxe restrooms at Jarton Second High."
Mortimer chuckled at her words. "An ocean-view mansion might not be possible right now, but your hubby can satisfy your wish for deluxe restrooms immediately."
Holly thought about the card Mortimer had given her, which had over seven hundred thousand on it. ’Poverty is a disfiguring disease,’ she thought, then said with a fawning smile, "Quincy the Moneybags, please be my sugar daddy."
Quincy the Moneybags lifted his chin. "Give me one kiss, and it’s all yours."
Holly said, "Mortimer, in ancient times, you’d be one of those besotted kings who gets publicly denounced."
Mortimer raised an eyebrow. "The most handsome besotted king, at least."
Holly: "..."
’Quincy the Besotted King, have you no shame?’
Just as they reached the door to Class 8, the dismissal bell rang. Knowing she was coming, Anna Willow and Iris Kensington rushed out, smothering her in hugs and kisses. "Holly!"
"Holly."
Holly was thrilled to see them and kissed them back. By then, other students were filing out of the classroom. Xavier Jennings scratched his head as he came over to say hello. "Holly, you’re back."
