The Ex and Her Riches novel (Gwendolyn and Maverick)

Concealing the emotions in her eyes, Gwendolyn put down the comb and went to the basin to freshen up, ignoring

the man.

After a few more minutes, her forehead was slightly damp, and though her fair and clean cheeks were devoid of

any makeup, she still looked fresh and attractive. As she walked out of the restroom slowly, her gaze inadvertently

shifted toward the man in the dark military overcoat standing by the door.

There was a newly lit cigarette between the man’s fingertips.

It’s been only a few minutes, and he’s already lighting another cigarette. Two cigarettes at night and two in the

morning. Does he even care about his lungs?

Seemingly noticing her gaze, Cedrick slowly turned his head and met her eyes.

However, after just two seconds of eye contact, he averted his gaze in dejection and resumed smoking.

Frowning, Gwendolyn swiftly walked over and tried to snatch the cigarette from his hand. “Stop smoking,” she said

firmly.

Afraid that she might accidentally hurt herself, Cedrick moved his hand out of the way to prevent the spark on the

cigarette butt from burning her.

Despite so, his handsome face wore an arrogant expression, devoid of the sorrowful look he had last night.

“My wife is the only person in this world who has a say in my actions. Since you claim not to be my wife, you have

no right to interfere with my matters.”

Gwendolyn’s expression turned cold, though she attempted to conceal the displeasure in her eyes. “I may not be

your wife, but I still have the right to intervene.”

Assertively, she snatched the cigarette butt from his hand, threw it on the ground, and stamped it out.

“Megan and I don’t smoke, yet you’re making the house stink with smoke and subjecting us to inhaling second-hand

smoke. Don’t you think that’s too much?”

What she said made sense, and she seemed genuinely furious, her strong aversion to the smoke evident.

Despite her anger and aversion to the smoke, she did not express any concern about the potential health

consequences of smoking for him.

Cedrick’s complexion grew slightly paler as he swallowed the bitterness welling up inside him. Avoiding her fierce

gaze, he mustered a weak smile.

“You’re right. It was wrong of me to do so. I’ll go somewhere further to smoke then.”

As Cedrick stood up to leave and put the pack of cigarettes back into his pocket, a sudden gust of wind brushed

past his ear. Instinctively, he tilted his head to dodge the incoming attack, but to his surprise, he felt a delicate hand

grab his back collar.

Annoyed, he attempted to strike back, but he didn’t dare to use too much force, afraid of hurting Gwendolyn.

The woman evaded his counterattack and deftly showcased her skills in jiu-jitsu without holding back.

The two of them then started fighting at the doorway.

When Megan heard the commotion from the kitchen, she rushed out to mediate. “Oh my, what’s happening? Why

are you fighting?”

Cedrick was caught off guard by Megan’s sudden appearance, and he eased up on his defensive movements as he

glanced at her.

Seizing the opportunity when he was distracted by Megan, Gwendolyn skillfully executed a shoulder throw, directly

knocking down the tall man.

With her knee pressing down on his lower back, she swiftly pinned his hands, locking them behind his back, and

skillfully used the sleeves of his own coat to bind his hands together.

Cedrick didn’t dare struggle, for he was afraid of hurting her.

The entire process was swift, taking only a few seconds.

Fueled by her anger, Gwendolyn stood up and lifted Cedrick by his collar. Pressing down on his restrained hands,

she raised her knee and delivered two swift kicks to his sturdy buttocks.

“Ouch, that hurts…”

He was certain that his buttocks were undoubtedly bruised.

Her kicks packed significantly more force compared to when he kicked Nico.

Cedrick felt his legs tremble, but he took a deep breath to hold back groans of pain as he continued to let her beat

him.

Behind them stood Megan, who was stunned by Gwendolyn’s impressive combat strength.

Meanwhile, Charles, who had just finished washing up, leaned against the wall and kept his eyes trained on

Gwendolyn’s face, observing her expression carefully.

Outside in the courtyard, Nico, who had just returned from a two-kilometer morning run, witnessed the one-sided

fight as well.

His eyes widened in utter shock.

Is this considered domestic violence?

Gwendolyn continued launching kicks at Cedrick, aiming only at fleshy parts to avoid causing serious injuries to his

bones.

After teaching him a lesson, she reached into his pocket and took out the cigarette pack before coldly releasing

him.

The cigarette pack was then thrown to the ground, and Gwendolyn stepped on it, crumpling it in the process.

Narrowing her eyes in disgust, she glared at the cigarette pack. Then, as though still not satisfied enough, she

kicked it far away.

After handling the cigarettes, she fixed her gaze on the back of Cedrick’s head and delivered a stern warning. “I’ll

say this once, and only once. I despise cigarettes, and I can’t stand it even if you smoke elsewhere. The mere smell

of smoke nauseates me. I don’t care if you’re some important figure in Salinsburgh. As long as you’re here, you

must abide by my rules. If you dare to smoke or provoke me again, I won’t hesitate to teach you a lesson once

more. Feel free to test my patience if you dare.”

Upon shooting him one last cold glare, Gwendolyn turned to hold Megan’s arm. Her voice softened when she said,

“He reeks of cigarette smoke. I know you can’t stand it too, Megan. Don’t let him in.”

Megan seemed hesitant. “But… it’s time for breakfast.”

“He seems content to have cigarettes for breakfast, so it shouldn’t be a big deal for him to skip one meal. Let’s

ignore him and enjoy breakfast ourselves.”

Megan wanted to say something more, but Gwendolyn dragged the former back into the house and didn’t give her

a chance to.

Charles continued to lean against the door, observing the way Gwendolyn treated Cedrick when he suddenly

received a fierce glare from her.

“If you ever bring such an impolite guest over and cause trouble for me and Megan again, you’ll not be welcomed

here anymore,” she warned.

Charles was utterly astounded by the sheer ferocity with which Gwendolyn had pummeled Cedrick moments ago.

She didn’t hold back at all.

Looks like she has truly lost her memories. I bet her impression of Cedrick is worse now.

With that thought in mind, he curled his lips into a smile. “Got it.”

After the three of them entered the house, Nico hurriedly went over to help Cedrick up.

“Cedrick, are you okay?”

Holding his aching waist, Cedrick shot Nico a glare wordlessly. His expression clouded over. How can I be okay when

I’ve been beaten up by my wife this early in the morning?

Although he had himself to blame for intentionally provoking Gwendolyn, she didn’t hit him out of concern for his

health. She did it because she detested the smell of smoke.

The beating he endured was not worth it at all.

He heaved a sigh in dismay and leaned weakly on Nico’s shoulder. As his long eyelashes drooped, he appeared

listless.

Nico sighed as he assisted Cedrick in straightening his coat and then asked with concern, “If Gwendolyn doesn’t

remember you, why did she still hit you?”

The ferocity with which Gwendolyn had beaten Cedrick just now was so intense that Nico felt a twinge of pain in his

own buttocks just by watching from the side.

Cedrick fell silent for a few seconds before replying, “She caught me smoking two cigarettes last night and two

more this morning.”

Nico was shocked. “You smoked four cigarettes in just a few hours?”

Cedrick remained silent.

“Don’t you think you’re going too far, Cedrick? Aren’t you afraid of damaging your lungs? You deserved to be

beaten up, and she should have kicked you even harder!” Nico said, fanning the flames.

Cedrick lifted his chin from Nico’s shoulder and shot him a cold glare.

Just one look from him was enough to cow Nico into silence.

“I’m sorry…” he said as he made a gesture of zipping his mouth shut.

Cedrick smirked. “I didn’t bring my cigarettes by the way. It was your cigarette pack that got thrown away.”

“What?” Panicking, Nico quickly checked his pocket.

Sure enough, the cigarettes were gone.

Nico’s face instantly fell. Elbowing Cedrick, he said earnestly, “Cedrick, those cigarettes were expensive. I usually

only smoke one every few days. Now that they’re all gone… can I at least get reimbursed?”

Fuming, Cedrick said coldly, “You can ask whoever stomped on them for reimbursement.”

With that, he pulled his coat tighter around him and exited the courtyard for a stroll.

Since Gwendolyn refused to let him into the house or have breakfast, he opted to step outside and embrace the

cold wind. The brisk air might help dispel the lingering smell of smoke on his body and clear his mind.

“Cedrick?” Nico called out from the courtyard.

Knowing how sensitive Gwendolyn was to cigarettes, he would never dare to ask her for compensation.

Cedrick didn’t bother looking back. Soon, his long strides carried him far away.

Nico wanted to go after Cedrick, but Megan called him in for breakfast.

Famished after his morning run, Nico decided to head inside and have his breakfast first.

Five minutes later, Cedrick reached the stream. He had just found a suitable rock to sit down on when Nico came

trotting over.

With a foolish grin on his face, Nico took out two warm steamed buns that he had been hiding in his coat. He

squatted by Cedrick’s feet and handed them over.

“Skipping breakfast is bad for your health. Have some buns.”

Cedrick glanced at the steamed buns and suddenly remembered Gwendolyn’s words to Megan just now. He seems

content to have cigarettes for breakfast, so it shouldn’t be a big deal for him to skip one meal.

Instantly, he lost his appetite.

He turned his gaze away coldly as he replied, “I’m too angry to eat.”

Nico patiently tried to persuade him. “Please have some. Gwendolyn watched me take these just now, and she

didn’t say anything. This could be considered as silent consent from her.”