Stolen Identity: Mute Heiress

Chapter 388: Spreading Love And Light

Mari and Jax walked down the quiet street hand in hand while Mari chattered endlessly about anything and everything, and Jax listened with an amused smile, contributing when his opinion was needed.

The night air was cool and streetlights cast soft yellow circles on the pavement.

Cars moved slowly down the road and laughter drifted from a nearby lounge.

As they walked past a row of small boutiques, a tall woman stepped out of one with shopping bags, walking in their direction.

She wore a simple black dress and heels. Her hair was dark and straight, her makeup soft and glowing.

Mari slowed down as the woman passed, and she smiled warmly at her. "Excuse me," she called, making Jax to wonder why she was stopping the stranger.

The woman paused. "Yes?"

"You look absolutely stunning," Mari said, giving her a thumbs up.

The woman blinked, then smiled wide. "Oh! Thank you so much." The woman laughed shyly. "You just made my night."

Jax watched the exchange quietly.

"Good. That was the goal," Mari replied with a wave then turned to Jax so they could leave.

"You look stunning too," the lady called after Mari before she continued on her way.

Mari resumed walking like nothing had happened. "What?" she asked when she noticed him staring.

"You just randomly compliment strangers?"

"Yes. Mostly females."

"Why?"

She looked at him like the answer was obvious. "Because many women are dealing with low self esteem and self doubts, and getting such random compliments would be a confidence boost."

He raised a brow. "Why limit it to women? Everyone loves compliments."

Jax said just for conversation sake not because he really meant it. He wanted to pick her brain and understand her.

"Because it’s my compliment to give, and I choose to give it to women. Feel free to give men random compliments," she said with a grin.

"Or maybe you could compliment men and leave men to compliment women."

"Would you be fine if your girlfriend stopped to compliment random men?" She asked with a silly smile.

"As long as they don’t get any ideas and follow you home, I’m cool," he said with a grin and she giggled.

"I don’t know about men, but women love compliments from women," she said. "I don’t know why, but it hits different when a compliment comes from another woman."

He raised a brow. "Because ladies are always envious of each other?"

Mari laughed. "No. Because it takes a lady to appreciate the effort you put into your looks. Ladies understand the skin care and fashion struggle. Most guys can’t even tell the difference between pumps and a stiletto."

He looked mildly offended. "That’s unfair."

She laughed. "I didn’t say all. I said most."

"That’s still unfair because I don’t know the difference."

She laughed out loud. "See what I mean? If a random guy had stopped her and said the same thing, she would probably have smile politely and kept moving. But she reacted that way to me because she believed I knew what I was saying."

Jax considered that. "Yet you ladies try to impress men."

"Nope. I don’t agree. Ladies mostly try to impress other ladies. Yes, we want to look good for our men, but we want to also look good in front of other ladies. Compliments from women feel like solidarity," Mari continued. "It’s like, ’I see you. I appreciate you. No competition.’"

He glanced back briefly at the woman walking away. "So, you’d prefer a compliment from a random lady over mine?"

"You’re still missing it. It’s not a matter of preference."

He stopped walking for a second and looked at her, arms crossed lightly as he waited.

She grinned up at him.

"Fine," she said. "Let me explain better. When a woman compliments another woman, it breaks comparison culture. It says, ’You’re beautiful and I’m not threatened.’ That’s powerful. So when I see a woman looking beautiful, I say it out loud," she continued. "Because maybe she needed to hear it from someone who isn’t trying to get into her pants."

He studied her face. "So, do you often get such compliments?"

She gave him a look. "I don’t give it because I want one."

He raised a brow but said nothing, only watched her.

She hesitated then shrugged. "I was bullied a lot in school. I couldn’t tell anyone about it until Emily found out. It sort of affected the way I saw myself and stuff. We see different ladies everyday, and we don’t know what they are going through or what negative words they’re battling with in their head. I just want to brighten their day and put a smile on their face."

Jax’s expression changed. The teasing left his eyes. "You were bullied?" he asked quietly.

Mari shrugged again like it was nothing. "It wasn’t dramatic," she said quickly. "Just hurtful comments. Snickers. ’Four eyes.’ ’Discount Andy.’ Childish stuff like that."

"Discount Andy?" he repeated.

She laughed softly. "Yeah. Because I wasn’t as bold or as beautiful a daring as my mom. I was awkward. I hid behind books. And my glasses were thick. I used to take them off during breaks and pretend I could see clearly," she added. "I’d squint at everything and bump into people just so I wouldn’t look... nerdy."

He blinked slowly, then instead of saying anything, he embraced her. "I’m sorry you went through that."

She sighed deeply. "Thanks. I’m over it now. I’d rather spread love and light than let something some dumb kids weigh me down."

Jax nodded slowly and they resumed walking. She looked down at the pavement as they walked as though she was reliving those moments.

"Why didn’t you tell anyone?" he asked.

She gave a small smile. "I thought it would make it real. And I didn’t want to disappoint my mom. She was this confident superstar. I didn’t really feel like her daughter. She was like an idol to me."

The streetlight above them cast a soft glow on her face.

"I grew into myself later," she continued. "Contacts helped. Learning makeup helped. But it took time to stop hearing those voices."

Jax stopped walking again, and this time she almost walked past him. He pulled her gently back by the hand.

"You were always beautiful," he said simply.

She gave him a look. "You didn’t even know me then."

"I don’t need to. I know you." He held her gaze. "And even if you wore glasses the size of windshields," he added, "you would still walk into a room and the whole place would light up."

Her lips twitched. "Are you flirting with me or being sincere?"

"Both."

She smiled properly now. "So, back to our conversation," she said softly, "when I compliment women, I mean it. Because I know what it feels like to feel invisible. Or not enough."

He nodded slowly.

"And I don’t want to be another woman who silently compares. I’d rather be the one who says, ’You look good. Keep shining.’"

He squeezed her hand. "You’re kinder than you pretend to be."

She gasped lightly. "Excuse me? I don’t pretend not to be kind."

"What I mean is, you act wild and dramatic," he said calmly. "But you notice things and you pay attention to people."

She tilted her head as she looked at him carefully. "Well, that’s annoyingly accurate."

He gave a faint smile and they resumed walking.

"So," he added, "you don’t prefer compliments from women over mine."

She rolled her eyes. "You’re stuck on that."

"I just need clarity."

She laughed.

"But seriously," he said, "I’ve seen women tear each other down more than men do."

She nodded. "True. That’s insecurity. But that’s also exactly why genuine compliments matter more."

He looked ahead for a moment, thinking. "Alright," he said finally.

She tilted her head. "Alright what?"

"Women love compliments, but I think men would love encouragement more, so I’ll come up with a wave to spread love and light to men."

Her eyes widened dramatically. "Excuse me? Say that again."

"Don’t be dramatic or smug."

She gasped. "The emotionally careful architect lets himself be influenced by me?"

He rolled his eyes. "Don’t exaggerate."

"Fine." She leaned into him as they walked. "I think that’s a wonderful idea."

He smirked. "Yeah. Your TED Talk on the sidewalk gave me the idea."

She laughed so loud that a couple walking ahead glanced back.

She didn’t care. She slipped both arms around his arm now, hugging it close as they walked.

The gallery came into view ahead.

Mari squeezed his hand. "Okay," she said brightly again. "Time to see your brain on walls."

The gallery had tall glass windows and white walls inside. Soft lights shone on large paintings hung neatly in rows.

Jax pushed the door open for her and immediately a small bell chimed as they stepped inside together.

The place was calm and quiet. Almost sacred.

Different paintings hung in the wall. Paintings of landscapes, abstract art, and portraits.

Some were bold and loud, others were soft and simple.

Jax walked beside her, hands in his pockets now as they moved from painting to painting.

"Are they all yours?" She asked as she stopped in front of a large painting of a storm over the sea.

The waves were wild, the sky was dark, but in the corner, there was a small light in a lighthouse.

"No."

She leaned closer. "This is yours," she said quietly.

He nodded once. "How did you know?"

She smiled at him. "It feels like you. And it reminds me of one of the paintings in your house."

"What inspired this painting?"

Jax stood beside her, quiet for a moment. He looked at the painting like he was looking at a memory. "I painted it when my father was abducted by the cartel before he was murdered. The storm was everything I couldn’t say out loud," he added. "The lighthouse was what I was trying to be for Chad and Venita."

Mari’s chest tightened as she looked back at the panting. "That’s depth."

She moved to the next painting, and they walked slowly around the gallery while she tried to guess which paintings were his. She got most and missed a few.

After spending some minutes there, they decided it was time to go.

"I had a wonderful time," Mari said as Jax drove her home.

"Me too. I enjoyed talking to you."

She smiled. "Same here."

When they got to her house, he parked the car and got out first to open her door, then escorted her to the door.

"Do you want to come in?" She asked hopefully.

"No." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, my love."

She pouted. "Goodnight."

"Go in."

"I want to see you go."

"No. I want to make sure you get inside safely and shut the door behind you," Jax insisted.

"Call me when you get home," she said as she opened the door with her fingerprint.

"I will. I love you, Maribel."

"I love you too, soul candy," she said with a grin before walking inside.

He shook his head with a smile, "You never listen, do you?" He muttered under his breath as he walked away.