Valerie watched Julian closely, relieved to see his expression soften slightly. She offered a smile and ventured, "Julian, now that you've met Matthew, you must feel a bit better about him, don't you?"

Julian shook his head, teasing. "Not quite. It's going to take more than just meeting him to win me over."

Ashley chimed in, gently nudging Julian. "Raise up a bit! They're married. Do you want to split them up? Honestly, I think Matthew seems like a catch—handsome and well-dressed. Valerie, did you land a wealthy husband? Who is he, really?"

Ashley's tone, initially neutral, grew increasingly sharp, casting a shadow over the conversation. When Valerie had first announced her sudden marriage, with no wedding or dowry, Ashley had been convinced Valerie had lost her senses, marrying a nobody without even introducing him to the family.

But today's encounter with Matthew had turned Ashley's assumptions upside down. He was far from the pauper she had imagined. Instead, he was strikingly handsome, impeccably dressed, and lived in the upscale Slotmond Estate, which was even more prestigious than Clutvale Estate.

This made Ashley reflect, somewhat resentfully, on her own marriage to Julian. While Julian wasn't unattractive, he certainly didn't possess Matthew's striking features. Julian had a round face and was on the shorter side, traits inherited from his parents. Ashley sometimes wondered how Valerie and Julian could be siblings. Julian was an ordinary man, whereas Valerie could turn heads in a simple shirt. It seemed unjust—Valerie was more attractive than her, and Valerie's husband was more handsome than hers.

Driven by a mix of envy and curiosity, Ashley inquired, "Seriously, Valerie, who is he? It's time to tell us the truth."

Valerie played it cool. "Oh, he's just a driver, but his boss treats him well, so he's well-paid."

"Really? He doesn't look like a driver, though…" Ashley was skeptical.

"It's true," Valerie insisted with a dismissive wave. "Let's not get hung up on that. There's something else I need to discuss with you both." She lowered her voice. "I haven't told him about my pregnancy yet, so please keep it under wraps for now."

"You haven't told him you're pregnant?" Ashley's eyes widened in disbelief.

"I'm planning to surprise him for his birthday in two months. Plus, the pregnancy is still very delicate, and I don't want to jinx anything by sharing too soon," Valerie explained, hoping to prevent Ashley from accidentally revealing too much.

Julian and Ashley nodded, understanding her reasons. Keeping the pregnancy a secret seemed more like a sweet secret in their marriage.

As their conversation wrapped up, Matthew came in with the fruit. Valerie was relieved he hadn't caught their earlier chat. She directed Julian and Ashley to the living room to take a seat while she headed to the kitchen. Matthew followed with more fruit to wash. Alone in the kitchen, Valerie realized how stressed she had been. Now feeling more at ease, she allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, Mr. Grant," she said, appreciating his effort that day, yet feeling a pang of guilt for keeping her pregnancy a secret. Eager to shift the focus, she asked, "What made you think to get toys for Aiden in advance?"

She was ready to commend his thoughtfulness, but his answer caught her off guard. "Kids usually get scared of me, so I thought I'd better come prepared."

The final "11:25 AM" appears to be extraneous and has been removed. There were also some inconsistencies in names (Mauhew/Matthew) that have been corrected for consistency.