CHAPTER 44: YOU ARE KIND TO ME, BRUCE

Hilla smiled. She looked at Margaret and asked casually, "How much will Bruce give you as pocket money per month?"

"Why do you want to know?"

Margaret was wary of Hilla because she still doubted that Hilla had done something to her phone last time.

It seemed that Hilla wanted to hide something from the Andersons. Margaret thought Hilla was not a good person.

Hilla was very satisfied with Margaret’s vigilance. However, if Hilla wanted to beat someone, he would have no time to respond.

As Hilla walked closer to Margaret, she heard a faint noise coming from outside the door. Although Margaret might not notice it, Hilla did.

After all, Hilla was Anderson’s territory. She might as well let go of Margaret. "Don’t move. If you dare beat me, I will fight you to the death!"

Margaret was afraid of Hilla’s approaching. However, Margaret was well-brought-up in the Anderson family. She wouldn’t and couldn’t fight back.

Margaret had thought that Hilla would run out or lose her temper to her family after being teased by her, just as most young and rich ladies did.

But she didn’t. Instead, Hilla was calm. Margaret thought to herself, "What exactly does Hilla want, Bruce or his money?"

Both of them were deep in thoughts. Margaret closed her eyes tight. As Hilla was approaching her, she immediately pushed Hilla away, "Hilla, you bitch!"

Hilla fell to the ground.

The door opened. Someone exclaimed.

It was Horton. He looked at Hilla, who was on the ground. Then he curled up his lip corner and said to Bruce, who was in a wheelchair, "Marvelous! There is a drama in the Anderson family."

Bruce’s face was dark. Horton smiled and waved to the dumbfounded Margaret, "Margaret, go and beat her up!"

Hilla rolled her eyes to Horton.

Margaret glanced at Hilla and immediately withdrew her hands. She looked at Bruce and said nervously, "Bruce, I didn’t push her."

She really didn’t push her!

Although she intended to do so, Hilla had already stopped one or two steps away from her. She hadn’t even touched Hilla. How could she push her onto the ground?

When Margaret saw Hilla sitting on the ground, she was dumbfounded. At first, she could not figure out what Hilla was doing. When she saw Bruce and Horton at the door, she realized that Hilla was acting!

Moreover, Hilla wanted to deceive them by hurting herself.

Then Margaret stomped angrily and said, "Hilla, you are such a drama queen. It’s unfair. Drop the act. You bad woman. Tell Bruce that I didn’t push you."

Sitting on the ground, Hilla ignored Margaret and turned around to look at Bruce and Horton with her tearful eyes.

Hilla sobbed with one hand touching the eye corner and the other propped on the ground. She said in a tearful voice, "Darling, it’s not Margaret’s fault. I fell to the ground by myself."

The scene amused Horton. He held back after Bruce gave him a cold gaze. Then he patted on Bruce’s shoulder.

Hilla’s body was trembling and sobbing.

Hilla was still sitting on the ground, wearing a pitiful expression. Having recovered for a short time, she looked still pale and weak. However, Margaret was unkind to Margaret, keeping saying that she would force Hilla to leave the Anderson family.

Margaret doubted that Hilla had said that on purpose.

Margaret looked at Hilla in disbelief and thought to herself, "Hilla is such a drama queen."

"Believe me, Bruce. I didn’t push her. She is pretending. Hilla, get up. Stop acting."

Margaret was driven mad. She had never been wronged like this since she was a child.

When she was about to pull Hilla up from the ground, Bruce, who was at the door, finally said in a low voice, "Stop being naughty!"

Hearing Bruce’s words, Hilla’s body trembled slightly. She knew that Bruce was angry, so she immediately stopped sobbing and covered her face with her hands.

It was not easy to be a drama queen!

Hilla knew that Bruce had said those words to her. However, Margaret would misunderstand Bruce, and she thought Bruce was scolding her.

Margaret was so sad that Bruce had blamed her only.

Her eyes were red as if she was close to tears. She said in a tearful voice, "Bruce, I didn’t. It was Hilla. Why did you believe her without knowing the truth?

"Margaret, get out of here."

Bruce frowned and spoke in a low voice. However, Margaret thought Bruce scolded and blamed her for pushing Hilla.

She felt deeply wronged. It was all Hilla’s fault.

Margaret glared at Hilla with her red eyes. Then she burst into tears. Bruce had never scolded her like that because he cherished Margaret the most in the Anderson family.

Margaret thought Bruce had changed because the person he cared most about was Hilla.

She felt that the Anderson family abandoned her. She glared at Hilla and Bruce. Then she stomped and said anxiously, "I didn’t push her. She fell onto the ground by herself. I hate you. Bruce, I will never forgive you! How could you blame me for Hilla’s sake?"

Margaret ran out of the house, and Horton immediately followed her. Only Hilla and Bruce were in the room. Bruce came towards Hilla with his wheelchair.

...

Silence reigned the room.

Hilla was still sitting on the ground. Then she saw a pair of men’s shoes, which were Bruce’s. Then she turned to his clean trouser legs.

As Bruce was sitting in a wheelchair, Hilla had no reason to fear him. Hilla could easily break his arms or legs. However, Hilla still felt stressed to be with Bruce.

She did not dare look up at him because she feared Bruce would look at her with indifference and disgust.

She pursed her rosy lips slightly. When Bruce approached her, she could sense his coldness. Bruce had stood beside her for a long time before he said, "Stand up from the floor. It is cold."

As the floor was carpeted and the room was air- conditioning, she didn’t feel cold at all, but she did shiver slightly. Hilla lowered her head and said, "Okay." Then she stood up from the ground.

Hilla was still looking at his trousers, her hands tugging the cloth corner. She looked at Bruce’s trouser legs and whispered, "Sorry, I was wrong."

Did Hilla say she was wrong? She was a lady from the Holt.

A faint surprise passed over Bruce’s face. Then he looked at her red and slim fingers and asked, "What for?"

"Margaret did not push me down just now. I heard someone was approaching, so I deliberately fell to the ground by myself, so that you would misunderstand and blame Margaret."

Bruce had never thought that Hilla would admit her mistakes. Although she said in a tearful voice, she looked stronger than before.

She was like a child who had done something wrong, waiting for Bruce to scold her.

Bruce turned his gaze and looked at Hilla’s collar.

Probably because Hilla was too concentrated on her acting, she didn’t even notice that her collar was loose. Bruce wanted to help her with that, but he didn’t and asked, "Why were you doing that?"

"Margaret keeps saying that I have cheated on you, and she said I am a bad woman. I’m unconvinced by that."

Hilla pursed her lips. Ever since she was a child, Halle would yield to her. She was also the apple of her parent’s eyes. In her childhood years, it was Hilla who often sneaked on Halle to their parents.

What’s more, what she had said was true. Her parents would feel sorry for her and believe her.

Bruce knew Hilla well. He remembered that Hilla had put grape skins on his lip when

he was lying on the bed. However, Hilla did not admit that when Orlenna asked her. Bruce did not pay attention to her complaints but asked casually, "Are you bad?"

"I do have some shortcomings. Everyone has shortcomings. But Margaret behaves more like a princess than me." Hilla replied to Bruce, her thumb finger pressing on the index finger.

She was honest about her shortcomings. Meanwhile, she had successfully said something bad about Margaret.

Bruce looked at her, not knowing she was happy or angry. Then he asked, "Do you have ... any intimate male friends?"

Bruce paused for a moment when he asked this question. Hilla immediately answered, "Of course I have ... No! I don’t!"

She intended to say that she had male friends. When she realized what Bruce meant, she immediately denied it.

Hilla once had a crush on Julian. However, Julian didn’t matter a lot to her. She had already explained to Julian. He was even not Hilla’s first love.

It was normal for a young girl or boy to have a crush on others. If any, few of the young girls would confess like Hilla.

Hilla pouted her lips. She was qualified to be Ms. Anderson because she had told all to Bruce.

Bruce frowned slightly at her unspoken words.

"Margaret is bad-tempered."

Bruce replied to her after a while. Hearing his words, Hilla immediately added, "Yes, she is. She also said that she had evidence showing that I have cheated on you. And you will get divorced with me and kick me off the Anderson family."

Bruce furrowed again. Did Margaret really have any evidence?

"I won’t," Bruce said casually.

Hilla raised her eyebrows. She didn’t quite understand what he meant, so she whispered, "If she goes too far, will you reduce her pocket money?"

Bruce finally raised his eyelids and looked at Hilla with a smile.

It was the first time that Hilla had seen Bruce smile. His smile was warm, just like a sun in winter.

She was lost in his smile. However, Bruce suddenly asked, "Do you want me to reduce her pocket money?"

"I don’t. If my pocket money could be as much as hers, it would be quite fair."

Margaret had said that Bruce cherished her the most, so he must give Margaret a lot of pocket money.

Probably he would give Margaret 800 thousand dollars as pocket money. Hilla thought if she could get 150 thousand dollars from Orlenna and 500 thousand dollars from Bruce, she would be very rich. However, if she could get the same pocket money as Margaret, she would make a fortune!

Thus, she could live as economically as possible and save the money to redeem the villa of the Holt family.

"No problem!" Bruce nodded.

"Are you sure?" Hilla was surprised at his agreement. If she were as rich as Margaret, she would be the happiest person in the world.

"Of course! I give Margaret 80 thousand dollars as pocket money per month. It is indeed unfair to give you 500 thousand dollars instead. You’re considerate. Margaret will be happy about that."

Hilla didn’t expect that at all.

"What did you say? Margaret only got 80 thousand dollars per month?" Hilla thought it was 800 thousand dollars. Did Bruce tell her the truth?

"The Andersons are thrifty, even if Margaret is a lady of the Andersons. It is enough for her."

500 thousand was far more than 80 thousand!

Hilla was stunned. Why didn’t she ask Margaret first? Probably because she had stayed with Margaret for a long time, she became slow-witted.

"Although Margaret would lose her temper sometimes, she is nice. Margaret did not say that on purpose. We’re family. I would forgive her," Hilla said. How could she be so stupid to say that?

...

Hilla kept wondering how she could get her pocket money back. She didn’t want to be like Margaret.

Hearing Hilla said "We’re the family," Bruce nodded slightly and said, "You’re right. We are family. There is no need to fuss about it."

In any case, it was Margaret who gave up first when she argued with Hilla. Hilla would never suffer any losses.

Hilla smiled embarrassedly and said, "I didn’t mean it just now. I was just angry. Could you just forget what I said?"

She really hoped that Bruce didn’t remember what she had said.

"Which one?" Bruce smiled and asked. Although it was impossible for him to remember all her words, he could remember a few words at least.

Hilla felt embarrassed to mention the pocket money, so she shifted the topic. She looked at a delicate gift box on Bruce’s lap and said, "You went out to buy a gift, right? It’s for Orlenna or Margaret? I can send it for you."

Hilla was such a considerate woman that she was even willing to send a gift for him to another woman. How could Bruce reduce her pocket money? 500 thousand dollars was not much.

Bruce turned to the blue box and handed it to Hilla, "It’s for you!"

"Me? Did you buy me a gift? Thanks."

She felt awkward to receive the gift because she had just bullied Margaret, and she got a huge sum of pocket money each month.

However, Hilla took the box happily and sat on the bed to open it.

The box was big and light. It must be a piece of clothes.

Hilla thought about whether she should wash up before trying it on.

She opened the box. It was a cheongsam with a print of "Apple of the Eye" on it.

It was red and delicately patterned. Bruce must have prepared it for a long time. He was so kind to her.

She still remembered that her mother was overjoyed to mention this cheongsam to her. Her parents had lived a happy married life.

Although she did not quite understand the love between her parents, she was also happy for them.

In her fifteenth, her mother once said that she would give this wedding dress to Hilla. Then she had embroidered a rose on it.

Her mother’s name was Rose. This cheongsam was named by her father to show their affection.

"How do you know this? That’s why you went out to buy me this, right?"

Hilla raised her head. Her skin was white and fair. Her eyes were dark and bright.

However, she was touched by Bruce, and she tried to hold back her tears.

Hilla’s heart kept beating hard when she looked at Bruce. Bruce always knew what was in her mind and what she wanted.

Yesterday, she had thought that this cheongsam would no longer belong to her.

However, she didn’t expect that Bruce would buy it for her.

It was like a dream. Hilla still couldn’t believe it.

Hilla frowned and could not help but pinch herself on the face. Before Bruce could stop her, she winced in pain.

"It hurts. It’s not a dream. It’s real."

"Bruce, how did you do it? The owner of this cheongsam said that she wouldn’t sell it."

Hilla had decided to beg the owner for this cheongsam. However, she even didn’t know who the owner was and where she lived. It turned out that she could do nothing.

Moreover, even if the owner agreed to sell it, Hilla might not afford it.

As she was Mrs. Anderson, she could borrow money from the Anderson family or ask Orlenna for help, but she didn’t. She had come up with many ideas, but she gave all of them up in the end.

The Anderson family had helped her a lot. She knew the reason why she would get married to Bruce. It was not right for her to ask more.

She had already exchanged the villa of the Holt family with her marriage. With what could she exchange this cheongsam?

Bruce didn’t notice the expression on Hilla’s face but said, "The owner also bought it from others. Of course, she would not sell to someone who could not afford it."

Although Hilla was familiar with this kind of word which often appeared in novels, she was still moved by what Bruce had done.

She was close to tears. Then she immediately threw herself into Bruce’s arms. "Bruce, you’re so kind to me! Thank you!"

She could not afford both the villa and the cheongsam, which would cost her a huge sum of money.

She had planned to buy this cheongsam back at a price higher than the market price, but she didn’t do that. Probably it cost Bruce a huge sum of money to buy it back and its price was several times higher than the market price.

Bruce was stunned when he finally realized that Hilla was leaning against his chest.

He could smell the faint fragrance of Hilla.

He paused for a moment before he hugged Hilla tight and smiled, "It seems that this cheongsam is more important than me."

"No, it isn’t. This cheongsam is priceless, but it is less important than you." Bruce raised his eyebrows and smiled happily. He was quite happy to hear that. It seemed that Hilla was prone to be sick and could recover soon. To be precise, Hilla was recovered soon because of this cheongsam.

"Candy, why did you eat so much today? Let me rub your belly. You should walk around after you eating lots of dog food. You little fat puppy! Cookie is taller than you now."

In the garden, Hilla squatted on the floor, and she was bathed in warm sunlight.

It was already early winter, and the weather became colder and colder.

When she saw Bruce in the wheelchair, she immediately stood up and ran towards him. Then she helped him with the blanket.

"It is fine today. Do you want to take a walk?"

Bruce was slow in recovery. Horton said that he would recover soon if he kept practicing, but Bruce still could not stand steadily after such a long time.

Bruce looked at Hilla with a tender gaze. Hilla was looking at him eagerly. Then Bruce smiled, "Okay."

"Then I’ll help you. Be careful! Let’s have a seat on the stone bench not far from here."

It was just a few paces off. A normal person could get there easily. However, it was difficult for Bruce. He still could not stand steadily and fell into Hilla’s arms.