As I stepped out of the bathroom, I was shocked to see Anthony making the bed. He had already replaced the bloodied sheets with fresh, clean ones. Thankfully the mattress was waterproof, so it was easy enough to wipe it clean.
Just as Anthony was about to reach for the dirty sheets on the rug, I rushed forward and picked them up. “I’ll do it!” I cried out, face red from the embarrassment.
He frowned and replied, “The weather’s cold. Let me handle it.”
“No… you don’t have to!” No matter how close a relationship was, it was never appropriate to have someone else clean up this sort of mess.
Anthony gazed at me with an unreadable expression. “Don’t worry about it. Just let me wash that.”
Before I could open my mouth to protest against it, he had already grabbed the sheets.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that one of the most prominent businessmen in K City would be rolling up his sleeves and washing a bunch of dirty sheets in the bathroom.
The stained pajama pants soaking in the basin had also turned the water red. It was a sight that was hard to miss, and Anthony had clearly noticed it.
Despite so, he remained cool as a cucumber as he poured the dirty water away and added detergent. “Has your stomach been hurting these days?”
“No!” I shook my head. I had been in R Province for the past four years. Taking care of Summer had resulted in an irregular life with frequent long nights. As such, it was common for me to suffer from body aches and exhaustion. Apart from that, everything else was fine.
Seeing Anthony washing the sheets made me so embarrassed that I could feel my face burning up. After some hesitation, I decided to leave the bathroom.
At that time, Summer was practicing her cycling in the living room downstairs. It didn’t pose much of a hindrance since it was a huge space.
Upon seeing me, her face lit up. “Mommy, look! I can cycle now!” she shouted in excitement.
She started cycling again to show off how good she was getting. That explained why she had been quiet all this time. She had been practicing really hard on her bicycle.
“Have you had breakfast?” I asked as I walked towards the kitchen.
Summer nodded, still preoccupied with her bicycle. “Mr. Featherstone came by earlier and gave me breakfast and pastries. I’ve already eaten my share. He said you’d be coming down soon to eat, so I didn’t call you.”
I nodded. True enough, I saw the breakfast spread on the kitchen table.
We didn’t hire a housekeeper, only a part-time maid who came punctually to clean up the place.
Previously, we had a housekeeper take care of Summer before we came back to the Stanhope residence. But after hearing what she had been telling Summer, I became warier of outsiders.
Summer was still young after all, and it was important to watch our words around her. If we had an outsider live with us, I wouldn’t be able to check in on her whenever I liked or keep track of what they had been telling her.
Hence, it just felt better to do it myself.
When I returned to the bedroom, Anthony had already finished washing the sheets and my pajama.
I stood silently behind him as he hung them up to dry. Right then, I could feel my cheeks flushing up again.
Realizing that I was there, he turned around and look at me with a gentle gaze. “Had your breakfast yet?”
I nodded and walked toward him. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I whispered, “Thank you!’
He grabbed some tissue to wipe his hand dry before focusing his attention on me. “What are you thanking me for?” He chuckled.
I tried to reply, but no words came out. My eyes were getting watery when I gazed back at Anthony. “Just wanted to thank you,” I blurted out.
He laughed and pulled me in closer. “Don’t go anywhere else today. Just have a good rest in bed.”
As he said that, he swept me off my feet and carried me to the bed. Frankly speaking, I thought he was overreacting, so I giggled. “I’m alright!”
Anthony said nothing as he left me in bed and went downstairs. Even though he had taken the day off, he had been bustling around the house since morning. Work kept him busy, yet he still had to take care of me and Summer when he got home.
As I thought about that, I couldn’t help but blame myself for having inconvenienced him again.
It was impossible to fall asleep now. It was cold outside, so going out was a no-no. But staying home sounded boring too.
With that, I made up my mind to head to the study. Reading to pass the time definitely sounded like a better idea.
I had only reached the bedroom door when I bumped into Anthony carrying a bowl of ginger carrot soup. I thought he had gone downstairs for breakfast, yet here he was…
Glancing at the bowl of soup in his hands, I shook my head. “I’ve only just had my breakfast. I don’t have the appetite for anything else now.”
I had stopped throwing up in the past few days, but I still had to watch my food intake. My stomach would churn if I overate, and I’d find myself dry-heaving.
Anthony knew that better than me and didn’t force me to drink the soup. After that, he placed the bowl in our room and said, “You can eat it later when it’s cooled down.”
I nodded, knowing that he was just worried about me. “I want to go read in the study. Do you want to come along?” I asked.
He raised his eyebrows, took my hand, and led us to the study.
The decoration of the study in this new villa had taken Summer’s needs into consideration, so it was vastly different from what we had in the previous villa.
Anthony had designed this study to be extra-large. Not only that, but he also paid special attention to the selection of books and materials in it.
He was worried about leaving Summer alone downstairs, so he carried her up to the study as well.
A children’s study with a starry night sky was even designed especially for Summer. It was dreamy and exquisite, truly a work of art.
Summer hadn’t learned many words, so her choice of books was mainly comic or picture books.
I didn’t want to put too much academic stress on a five-year-old. So instead of making her study more, I let her spend time pursuing her interests.
Initially, I had intended to let her pick up piano when she was three but was told that it might not be good for her joints as she was too young. As such, I let her attend dance and drawing lessons instead.
That entire time, we had a very relaxing and leisurely time in the study. However, even though Anthony had taken the day off, he still had work to tend to.
I had been reading for a while when I looked up, only to see him still busy with work.
Meanwhile, Anthony was typing away furiously at the keyboard with an unwavering focus. He looked especially charming when he was deep in concentration. It was as if he had been placed under a spotlight that accentuated his handsome face.
He paused to pick his cup up for a sip, only to realize it was empty. With a slight furrow of his brows, he placed his cup back down and went back to work.
I closed my book and went to get his cup. Upon that, he glanced at me and smiled. “I can do it later!”
“I just want to walk about.” I smiled back.
He smiled again and went back to work. After refilling his water, I decided to check in on Summer out of habit.
She was lying on the rug, engrossed in her comic book. Her chin was propped up in her hands as she swayed her little feet.
That kid was devouring her book page after page, pausing for a bit only to lick her lips that had gotten dry.
I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle upon realizing how alike she and Anthony were. At the same time, I decided to get her a cup of water too.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
Leave a Reply