As I entered the bathroom to get a basin of water, he sat on a chair and looked at me silently, seemingly lost in his thought.
“Why are you looking at me like that? What’s on your mind?” I asked.
He gave me a faint smile. “I thought you’d be angry after talking with Rylee just now, but you seem so calm now. I’m surprised.”
After wiping his hand, I put the towel down into the basin and glanced up at him. “Let’s say you have several investment projects on your hand now. Which kind of investment project would you be most worried about?”
He fell silent for a while and answered, “The ones that I don’t fully understand and lack confidence in.”
I nodded in response. “It’s true that I used to be wary about your relationship with Rylee, but that’s because I was not sure if you cared about her out of responsibility or out of romantic interest. However, now, I’m sure that you won’t have any romantic feelings for her. It’s not only because of me but also because of Joe. You know that Joe loves Rylee, and she knows it, too. Even if you don’t consider my feelings, I’m sure you would consider about Joe’s.”
His expression turned sombre. “Are you not confident in my love for you? Why do you think that I would not consider your feelings?”
“That’s the worst-case scenario,” I replied truthfully.
“What’s the most favorable one?”
“You’d care about me and reject all the other women for me.”
He laughed and leaned towards me. “Sienna, I love you more than you’ll ever know.”
However, I pushed him away, stood up, and glanced at his injured arm. “Anthony, this is the second time you get hurt because of another woman. To be honest, I’m not happy about it.”
As soon as I finished speaking, I took the basin to the bathroom and took a shower.
When I got out of the shower, I noticed a bouquet of roses in the room. It was rather beautiful. Anthony sat on the bed and grinned at me. “I know saying sorry is not enough to cheer you up, so I got you flowers. At least it’s pleasing to the eye.”
I gave him a nonchalant shrug. Indeed, flowers always make women happy.
“I pity your personal assistant, Joseph.” It must have been difficult for him to get flowers at this hour and send them to our room in such a short time.
Chuckling, he scooted over and patted the spot next to him. “Come here.”
Looking at the clock, I realized that it was getting late. It’s time to turn in.
After I applied my skincare products, I went to lay down beside him and saw that he had not slept yet. He seemed to have something to say, so I asked, “Is there anything troubling you?”
He nodded and said in a serious manner, “I’m not sure about your attitude towards Marcus. It worries me.”
I was stunned for a second before it dawned on me the meaning behind his words. “Marcus and I are only friends and business partners. Apart from that, we won’t have any other relationship.”
Satisfied with my answer, he smiled and pecked me on the lips. Due to his injury, he did nothing more and went to sleep.
I was completely exhausted after such a long day. As soon as I closed my eyes, I drifted off to sleep.
Since Anthony had injured his arm, he would definitely need help in his daily routine activities. Therefore, I planned to wake up earlier than usual to attend to his needs. However, when I woke up the next day, the spot beside me was empty, and the sound of running water came from the bathroom.
I quickly got out of bed and saw him struggling to twist a towel. He cursed under his breath and furrowed his eyebrows in frustration.
I held back my laughter and walked to his side. Taking away the towel in his hands, I said, “I’ve told you to call me whenever you need help. It’s hard to do this alone.”
When he saw me coming in, his frown disappeared instantly. “Did I wake you up?”
“Nope.” I wring the towel dry and raised my hand to wipe his face. “I usually wake up at this hour. Besides, it’s my husband who got hurt. How could I not get up early to take care of him?”
With his hands on the sink, he leaned back and lowered his head slightly so that I could reach him easily. Enjoying my “service,” he suggested, “You should be my private caregiver today. What do you think?”
Although it sounded as if it was a request, I knew that it was a command. Hence, I nodded. “No problem. Hmm, but you have to go to the city to work. I can’t leave Lavelian Village at the moment.”
He nodded in response. After thinking for a while, he said, “I won’t go to the city today. I’ll stay here.”
I gave him an “OK” hand gesture. After both of us were done freshening up, I went back to the room to change my clothes. Since the weather was good and there would be less work today, I figured wearing a dress would not be a nuisance. Therefore, I took out a dress that I had not worn for a long time from the wardrobe.
It was a nice knee-length dress that enhanced the slenderness of my legs. Besides, since I seldom wore bottoms that exposed my legs, the skin tone of my lower limbs was quite fair. My legs looked long and fair in this dress.
Then, I went to the dressing table and applied some light makeup. Otherwise, I would look bland in this outfit. A moment later, Anthony came out from the bathroom and landed his gaze on my legs, frowning.
I paid no heed to his frown and continued my makeup. When I was ready, he had also changed into a well-pressed suit, looking smart and dashing. I took my bag and said, “Let’s have breakfast at the restaurant downstairs.”
He nodded in response. Bending down to put on my shoes, I suddenly noticed that he was still frowning at me. “What’s the matter?” I asked, puzzled.
He pursed his lips. “Nothing.”
There were not many people by the time we arrived at the restaurant. Placing my hand at the crook of his arm, I brought him to a table by the window and sat down.
On a fine morning like this, the village against a backdrop of rolling hills and lush green forests was a pretty sight to behold.
With such a spectacular view of the natural scenery, my mood improved significantly. After ordering some food, I put my chin on my hand and continued to admire the beautiful scenery outside the window.
A few minutes later, I noticed that Anthony was looking at me. I thought that he needed my help, so I turned to him and asked, “Do you need anything else? I can take it for you.”
He shook his head. “You’re not allowed to wear skirts anymore!”
Before I could react, he had draped his coat over my thighs to my chagrin.
I was also distinctly aware that everyone around us who was having breakfast glanced toward us more often than was necessary. Do I look indecent?
I examined my dressing again, but I didn’t find anything overtly inappropriate. “Do I look strange at all?” I pleaded with Anthony.
He nodded solemnly. “Yes. You’re too beautiful, that’s the problem.”
I was flabbergasted for a moment and burst into laughter the next. “Where did you learn to say things like that?”
He took a sip of water at length. “Just don’t wear skirts this short again.”
“It looks good on me,” I pouted. “Why can’t I wear it?”
“It’s too short!” Anthony said brusquely.
Nora said that Anthony’s reaction like this was a common ailment amongst men. They would try to restrict their wives’ freedom to dress provocatively to the best of their ability but would enjoy looking at skimpily dressed women out in public.
“Rylee and Rachel wear short skirts often and I think they look nice,” I said deliberately. “Why can’t I do the same? You can ogle at others but why can’t I let others ogle at me? Anthony, you’re being unreasonable.”
“Do they have anything to do with one another?” Anthony fixed his beady eyes on me.
“Yes, they do,” I said after some thought.
“Don’t you think that you’ve gotten fat recently?” he said critically. “Your fat thighs will be more obvious in a short skirt.”
“I actually thought that I’ve gotten skinnier!” I protested after a shocked silence.
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.
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