Reborn with My Genius Husband

Chapter 320 - 330: The Hidden Money in the Red Wine Box Reappears

Speaking of which, even after all these years, Holly Winslow remembered it clearly: Mortimer Quincy had also hidden a secret stash of cash.

He must have been out of his mind, hiding ten thousand yuan in a red wine box.

She let out a soft "harrumph," but she still had to protect her husband’s pride, so she lied, "He doesn’t hide any."

"If you just look at Zeke Zane on his own, he seems so much better than other guys. But when you compare him to your handsome cousin, there’s just no contest."

Anna Willow clicked her tongue a few times, then added, "But my Zeke is still a great guy, aside from the whole hiding-money thing."

Holly put an arm around her and chuckled. "Alright, alright, I get it. Your Zeke is a great guy. How much did he hide? Why are you so angry?"

"Not much. Just over a hundred," Anna said.

Holly suddenly felt a little sorry for Zeke Zane...

’That rascal Mortimer hid ten thousand.’

’If Anna got this angry over a hundred, she’d probably have to live separately from Mortimer for a decade.’

Just as she was thinking about that rascal Mortimer’s crimes, his voice called out from outside the door, "Honey, can you come out for a second?"

Holly stayed put and called back, "The file is in the third cabinet in the study."

The voice outside went quiet. A moment later, he called out again, "Honey."

Holly...

Anna gave her a little push, a mischievous grin on her face. "Go on, I’ll sleep by myself tonight. Otherwise, your handsome cousin will turn into a statue, pining for his wife."

"We haven’t spoken in days. Just a minute."

Holly quickly slipped on her slippers and went out, gently pulling the door closed behind her. She whispered to a certain someone, "What do you want? Itching for a fight?"

Mortimer pointed to his own lips. "My mouth is itching."

As he spoke, he bent down and gave her a quick kiss, then said, "Good night, honey."

Holly let out a soft "harrumph" and kissed him back. "Good night, darling. Don’t set the AC too low, or you’ll catch a cold."

"Mm-hmm."

Mortimer watched her go back inside before returning to his room. He picked up his phone and sent a message to his high school dorm group chat (titled "Married Men, Steer Clear"): "@Zeke Zane, your wife is at my place. She’s already asleep. Don’t worry."

Zeke Zane: ...

’Don’t worry my ass.’

His wife was sleeping at someone else’s house, and he was supposed to not worry?

He replied: Mortimer Quincy, do we have some kind of grudge? Is this how you treat a brother?

Pantheon: Ooh, gossip. Zeke Zane, did you have a fight with your wife?

Boris Owens knew the inside story because he was right next to Zeke Zane at the time: His secret stash was discovered.

Pantheon: Hahahaha, where’d she find it? Mine hasn’t been found yet. It’s in a red wine box.

Mortimer raised an eyebrow. Deciding to be a "good guy" all the way, he took a screenshot and sent it to Cynthia Owens with a single tap, without saying a word.

Not long after, Pantheon wrote: Which son of a bitch snitched to my wife? My secret stash is gone now too. Good thing I hid another one.

The so-called "son of a bitch" then took another screenshot and sent it to Cynthia Owens. After that, Pantheon stopped making a peep in the group chat.

Mortimer raised his eyebrows in satisfaction, then went to sleep.

Pantheon and Zeke Zane, having been played by Mortimer, teamed up the next day and called Holly Winslow. They told her that Mortimer had hidden a secret stash in a red wine box.

When Holly found out...

’Mortimer wouldn’t be stupid enough to hide his stash in a red wine box *again*.’

But when she got home, she checked all the red wine bottles anyway.

A lot of people had given Mortimer red wine over the years. She went through several of them and, to her surprise, actually found thirty thousand yuan.

...

’Quincy the Puppy!’

’Very good.’

When Mortimer received the photo from Holly showing the red wine and thirty thousand yuan, he subconsciously replied: Whose is it?

’Which idiot would hide this much cash?’ he thought.

Holly: Quincy the Puppy, stop pretending. From now on, I won’t take your salary anymore, so you won’t have to hide anything.

Then she turned off her phone and went to bed, a clear sign that she was angry.

Mortimer: ...

’Fuck!’

He got home but couldn’t get into the bedroom. The "evidence" was laid out in the living room...

If it weren’t for the fact that Zeke Zane and Pantheon couldn’t possibly come up with that much money, he would have suspected the two of them of framing him.

After thinking for a minute or two, he figured someone must have slipped the money in when giving him the gift.

He and Holly rarely drank red wine, which was why they’d never discovered it.

’Dammit.’

’To hell with their money.’

He stared gloomily at the thirty thousand yuan that had fallen into his lap like a curse. He felt like his lungs were about to explode from rage.

...

Holly smelled the aroma of crayfish. She sniffed the air, then couldn’t resist putting down her book and leaving her room. Pretending to go to the living room for some water, she caught a glimpse of crayfish, hairy crabs, and two milk teas on the table.

Mortimer waved her over. "Honey, come and eat. I just ordered it."

’She’s out.’ He breathed a sigh of relief. ’As long as she comes out, I have a way to coax her.’

It had to be said, that rascal had Holly’s psychology figured out completely.

Holly harrumphed and said with feigned pride, "I’m not eating."

"Come on, honey. I ordered all this for you."

Mortimer led her over to sit down. Seeing her struggle with whether or not to start eating, his eyes crinkled with a smile.

In the end, Holly ate.

Once his wife was eating contentedly, Mortimer finally explained in a gentle voice, "Honey, that thirty thousand isn’t my secret stash. It must have been a gift from someone."

He paused, raising a hand as if taking an oath. "Honey, I give you my entire salary every month."

Satisfied with the food, Holly was now willing to listen. She was half-convinced. "Hmph. Who knows how much your salary is? You’re the boss. You can pay yourself whatever you want."

Mortimer made a phone call. "Send me the pay stubs for the last few months."

The person on the other end was clearly stunned. "For the whole company?"

"Just mine."

...

A few minutes later, the pay stubs arrived. After looking them over, Holly harrumphed, then said excitedly, "So we just got a free thirty thousand?"

If Mortimer didn’t understand his wife, he wouldn’t be Mortimer Quincy. He said, "Mm-hmm. I’ll take you to buy a purse tomorrow."

Holly immediately broke into a wide smile. "Perfect! I have the day off tomorrow."

Men who’ve been married for over a decade really are different. They’ve got coaxing their wives down to a science.

As for Zeke Zane and Pantheon, they were in a "miserable" state. Their allowances were cut in half, and they became the butt of jokes for Chase Hawkins and the others.

...

Holly used the "thirty thousand" she’d come by for free to buy each of her students a box of chocolates to boost their energy.

She repeated tirelessly to them, "Class, just hang in there for another two or three months. After that, you’ll have a two-month-long, homework-free summer vacation."

Each box of chocolates only cost a few dozen yuan, but the students were all thrilled. When Holly got to a boy in the back row, he asked with a grin, "Ms. Winslow, will there be a next time?"

Holly glanced at him and nodded. "There will be if you score a 120 on your English exam."

This boy was good at math, but his skills were lopsided; his English was barely at the passing line.

The boy looked like he had a massive headache and quickly shook his head. "In that case, I’d rather not have any."

Holly couldn’t help but smile. She reached out and knocked on his desk, encouraging him. "Harry Chaucer, work hard. After the college entrance exams, I’ll have your teacher’s husband treat you all to hot pot."

The students were used to hearing the term "teacher’s husband." He often came to the school to pick up Teacher Winslow, so over time, they had all developed a good rapport with him.