My Actor Husband's True Face

Chapter 16

"Should you really be acting like this?"

His voice was low and magnetic, seductively so to the ears, but the look in his eyes held disapproval, laced with a hint of anger.

Shannon had long grown attuned to the man’s emotions; even the slightest shift didn’t escape her notice. It was as if a chip had been implanted in her, making it impossible to stay indifferent even when she wanted to.

Still, instead of trying to pacify him, she simply curled a faint smile and said nothing in return to Maxime’s words.

She couldn’t deny that a part of her was still afraid of him, a lingering fear she had cultivated over the past three years. But this time, she wanted to face that feeling, not accommodate it.

Seeing her silence, Maxime chuckled. "Stop pretending. I know this isn’t the real you."

Hearing that, Shannon automatically turned toward him. Her appetite vanished, and her stomach suddenly felt full. She set her spoon down and replied calmly, "Mr. Maxime Grant Caldrich, the world doesn’t revolve around you. Not everyone who once liked you will continue to do so. You're just an ordinary man who will grow old like the rest of us."

She stood, pushed her chair back, and said, "Anne, I’m full. Thank you for the lovely lunch."

Then she walked away, returning to her room.

As for Maxime, he couldn’t quite grasp where he had gone wrong. Last night, his assistant Linda had complained to him about Shannon’s behavior, saying she’d returned to her domineering self. So he assumed that after nearly a month apart, Shannon had only been pretending to be indifferent and wanted a divorce.

A deep frown formed on his face, and his eyes looked slightly glazed as he fell into thought until Anne’s voice startled him.

"Mr. Maxime, I hope you remember what Old Mr. Caldrich personally told you."

"Tsk." Maxime scoffed. How could he forget, when there was always someone around to remind him? His grandfather had never bothered to hide anything from him, including placing people to keep watch over him.

In an effort to repair his relationship with Shannon, his grandfather had forbidden him from taking any long-term jobs that required him to be away from home for extended periods. So it could be said that Maxime was currently an actor on an unexpected break.

Maxime felt slightly frustrated.

"Anne, please filter what you tell Grandpa and what you don’t. His health isn’t in the best condition right now, after all."

"Understood, Young Master," Anne replied with a small nod.

...

Over the next few days, Shannon continued to see Maxime around the house. The man looked utterly unoccupied, doing nothing but watching television or casually playing games. Even though she didn’t understand why and felt a bit curious, she didn’t ask Maxime or Anne, who had suddenly become a permanent presence in their home.

On the morning of the third day, Shannon had everything prepared for a formal meeting with representatives from the production house and Flynn. She had been looking forward to this day and had prepared herself thoroughly.

She stepped out of her room looking neat and professional, her work bag in hand, and headed to the dining room for breakfast.

Anne saw her and greeted her as usual. "Good morning, Miss Shan. You look lovely today."

"Thank you. I’m heading out for work, wish me luck," she said casually, though the spark in her eyes was hard to miss.

Anne said a few more words before hurrying off to have breakfast prepared right away.

At that moment, Maxime walked in as well. He glanced at Shannon with a curious look, then took his usual seat at the table.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

Shannon was checking her phone and replied absentmindedly without even looking at him, "Job hunting."

Maxime narrowed his eyes. "Why do you even need to work? Isn’t the monthly allowance I give you more than enough?"

Upon hearing that, Shannon turned her gaze toward him, but there was no emotion in her eyes. She couldn’t tell whether Maxime had truly forgotten or was just pretending.

Two years ago, after Maurice’s complaint, he had stopped giving her a monthly allowance altogether. All household matters, expenses, and such had since been handled by one of his assistants.

As for her own expenses, tuition fees, clothing, and everything else, they came from the inheritance left by her grandfather. She also had shares in the Pearce family’s small company, which were managed by her grandfather’s former secretary and sent to her monthly.

So it was safe to say she hadn’t used a single cent of Maxime’s money to support herself, aside from food and accommodation.

“I asked you a question. Why didn’t you answer?”

Shannon let out a long sigh before finally replying, “If you’re so concerned about your money, why don’t you ask your assistant? Or Anne? Don’t ask me.”

“Shannon…” Maxime’s voice suddenly trailed off as if something clicked in his memory. He pulled out his phone and began texting his assistant.

Meanwhile, Shannon continued eating with gusto, completely ignoring the turmoil brewing inside him. Once she was finished with breakfast, she left the room.

She had already ordered a ride during breakfast, so her car had arrived by the time she stepped outside. Unfortunately, just before she could get in, her hand was grabbed by Maxime, who came out of the house like a madman.

He pulled her toward the trunk of his car and said, “I’ll drive you. Where are you going?”

Yanking her hand free from his grip, Shannon glared at him.

“Are you insane? I already ordered a ride, and I don’t need you to drive me.”

“The driver’s been taken care of. You have no choice but to go with me,” Maxime shrugged lazily, not even blocking her view.

Someone entered the car she had ordered and smoothly drove away. Shannon stared at Maxime, anger and frustration simmering in her gaze.

“I honestly don’t understand how your brain works!”

Now she was truly furious. Maxime’s behavior had been odd lately, but she had let it slide these past few days since he hadn’t bothered or pressured her.

But this was different.

She knew Maxime had always been someone who liked forcing others to bend to his will, to his ego, but that had never been directed at her. To him, she had always been like a passing breeze, not worth his time.

But now… something felt deeply off.

“What exactly are you hiding?”