The Perfect Wife's Perfect Revenge novel Chapter 272

Gwyneth shook her head stubbornly, refusing to take it, and just as adamantly refused to explain why. Eventually, she made up some flimsy excuse, insisting Max take her to find her dad and Violet.

The moment Marcus saw Max and Gwyneth together, he frowned slightly.

Those two could never be in the same room without bickering. Neither would back down, and every encounter seemed to end in a shouting match. Marcus dreaded the inevitable argument, knowing it would ruin everyone's mood.

But after watching them for a while, Marcus was surprised to find something had changed. Max led Gwyneth around the house like a gracious host, showing off every corner of the villa. Gwyneth, for once, followed quietly, letting him take the lead. Max even offered her his favorite snacks and toys, generously sharing what he loved.

Gwyneth, in turn, was nothing short of polite—a far cry from the tantrum-prone child Marcus remembered.

"Gwyn's really changed," Marcus remarked, settling onto the couch. Across from him, Violet and McNeil sat side by side.

Just then, Isaac and Curtis arrived. Isaac glanced at the empty space beside Marcus, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Weren't you supposed to bring your girlfriend tonight? Still not ready to introduce her to us? Come on, it's just the two of us—what, do you think we'd scare her off?"

Violet shot Isaac a look, then glanced at Marcus. There was no way he'd actually invited Victoria, right? She'd bet anything Victoria wouldn't show up. After all, they were McNeil's friends.

Victoria had been married to McNeil for years, and McNeil had never so much as introduced her to his friends. If Victoria really showed up here tonight, it would just be embarrassing for her.

"Maybe Marcus is just too protective of his girlfriend," Violet teased, "Doesn't want to show her off to the group."

McNeil sat stiffly beside her, tension showing in his posture, though no one seemed to notice.

"That's not it," Marcus replied, swirling his glass of red wine. "She's just a bit shy."

"What are you two talking about?" Isaac asked, laughing. "Are you speaking in code or something?"

Curtis, more observant than most, picked up on the tension. He wasn't usually interested in his friends' personal lives, but he remembered McNeil reacting the same way the last time Curtis mentioned his crush, Ms. Turner. Maybe McNeil was just going through something—he certainly acted like a man nursing a broken heart.

Violet, sensing the awkwardness, tried to change the subject. But Marcus smirked and turned to her.

"Violet, haven't you been keeping Mr. Langford satisfied lately?" he teased, his meaning clear to the men in the room, who struggled to keep straight faces.

McNeil's sharp retorts and bad mood had been obvious all evening, and Marcus suspected it was due to trouble at home—maybe their love life had hit a rough patch, and McNeil was acting out.

McNeil shot the three snickering men a cold stare, while Violet's cheeks flushed a deep red.