The Perfect Wife's Perfect Revenge novel Chapter 78

“Weekend plans? Anything important going on?”

McNeil couldn’t help himself—he asked, “Got a date with your Miss Fannie?”

Marcus grinned. “Yeah, we’re heading out for some lamb hotpot. You guys have fun.”

He hopped into his McLaren, engine roaring as he sped off.

On a whim, McNeil pulled out his phone and dialed Victoria’s number. He wasn’t sure why—maybe just curiosity, maybe something else.

It rang for ages before she finally picked up.

“Where are you?”

Victoria was surprised to get a call from McNeil in broad daylight, especially on a weekend. He had their daughter with him, so she couldn’t imagine what he wanted.

“I’m at home. What’s up?”

She hesitated for a second, but answered truthfully.

Simms Place was her home now, after all. The house belonged to the Turner family, so it wasn’t a lie.

McNeil could hear the clack of a keyboard in the background. He remembered catching her up late at the computer the other night and relaxed a little.

“No reason. Just checking in.”

He hung up and went back to find Violet and their daughter.

Victoria stared at her phone for a moment, then sighed and muttered, “He’s lost his mind.”

Not long after, her phone rang again.

She assumed it was McNeil and ignored it.

It wasn’t until the third call that she finally, annoyed, snatched up the phone.

He used to complain she called too much. Now that she’d given him his space, he was suddenly the one checking up on her.

The caller ID just showed an “M.” Victoria quickly answered.

Max didn’t look happy, slouched at the table, but he still managed a polite, “Hi,” when he saw her.

“What’s up with Max?” Victoria asked, handing him a big toy race car she’d picked out for him.

Max brightened for a moment at the gift, but soon slipped back into his funk.

Marcus ruffled his hair, exasperated. “He lost a game with some friends, and he’s been sulking for days.”

Victoria’s concern showed. “What game was it?”

Max finally looked up. “A racing game. I even lost to a girl.”

He’d lost to Gwyneth, and he couldn’t let it go.

He’d even tried rematching with his friends, always taking first place—so Gwyneth must have cheated, he reasoned. There was no way she could’ve beaten him otherwise.

“Kids and their games,” Marcus said, shaking his head. He’d never expected Max—usually so upbeat—to take a loss this hard. The boy had already lost his parents so young; it broke Marcus’s heart, but he didn’t know what else to do. He wasn’t any good at video games himself, so he couldn’t exactly help.

“What’s the game? Maybe I can take a look?” Victoria offered.