To my surprise, his expression darkened. “Are we going back to your place or not? If we’re not, let me get down from the car. I’m going back to the hotel.”
What’s wrong with him? He’s just unreasonably angry right now.
I fell silent and drove straight to the villa instead. Right as he got down from the car, he made a call. Soon, someone brought his luggage over. When he saw me looking at him, he lifted a brow and questioned, “I’m starving. Why aren’t you making anything yet?”
For a moment, I was speechless.
I entered the villa and began preparing some food for him.
Dragging the suitcase behind him, he glanced around the house before asking, “Where will I be staying in?”
“There are bedrooms on the first and second floor. Have a look at them yourself. You can live in whichever room you prefer.” Cleaners were often hired to clean the house, and I rarely stayed here whenever Anthony was not around. Therefore, the interior of the house seemed silent and dead. Now that I think about it, Holden’s right. I should hire a housekeeper for this house. Summer is recovering well. If I bring her here, the house will be livelier.
After Holden looked around the house, he commented, “This house is worth tens of millions, but look at the state of it. How busy Mr. Featherstone must be.”
Then, he queried, “Your bedroom is on the second floor?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
When I saw him carrying his suitcase upstairs, I voiced, “Mr. Taylor, I’ll be going back to the Moore Residence at night, and I won’t be coming back here. Is there anything you need? If so, do tell me, and I’ll get the things you need later.”
Standing in the middle of the stairs, he turned around to stare at me with widened eyes. “What do you mean by you’re going to Moore Residence and not coming back? Are you going to make me stay in this house all by myself while you enjoy a sweet home somewhere else? Sienna, do you have a heart? How can you just leave me here by myself?”
His words were giving me nothing but a headache. “Mr. Taylor, I’m supposed to go back to the Moore Residence anyway. Anthony isn’t home, and I rarely sleep here. You’ll be fine living here. There’s a car in the garage, and you can drive yourself anywhere you wish to go. If you really don’t want to go out of the house at night, I’ll prepare something for you to eat later. In a while, I’ll get a housekeeper to come here and prepare your meals. Don’t worry.”
He scoffed. “What do you mean by don’t worry? I’m very worried. What’s the difference between living here and living in a hotel? No. You have to stay here tonight, or else I won’t sign the contract. I won’t listen to anything else from you.”
At that point, I have no words for him. Why is he so childish?
“Mr. Taylor, let’s put aside how inappropriate it is for us to live under the same roof and talk about how I’m also a married woman. Do you really think it’s appropriate for us to live together?”
“What’s wrong with that? I’m not asking you to share a bed with me. I don’t care. You have to stay here tonight, and it won’t matter even if you call Anthony. Also, I don’t want to eat anything else but the pasta you make. It’ll be the same at night; you have to cook for me. Otherwise, I won’t sign the contract. You can mull over this yourself.” With that said, he stormed off to the bedroom.
Speechless at his words, I fell silent. It was not that it was inconvenient for him to live in the villa—the villa was big enough for another person to live in, not to mention the fact that I had once lived under the same roof as him—but that I was worried about Armond.
Anthony had told me Armond would come to me for that box. However, with the current situation, it would be impossible for Armond to ask for the box from me directly. Instead, he would be trying to get the box secretly.
This villa was our primary residence. He would not be able to do anything if no one was around at night. However, if someone was, I was worried that he would use me to threaten Anthony to hand over the box to him.
After placing his things in the bedroom, Holden went downstairs. When he noticed that the pasta was almost done, he took a bowl to put it beside me. Staring at the pasta, he asked, “Do you know how to make anything else?”
I shook my head. “No. I only know how to make this.”
He frowned. “I knew it. How can a woman like you know how to make anything else but pasta? I’ve really overestimated you.”
He knows nothing else but how to infuriate others. Spinning around to shoot him a glare, I then huffed, “Any more rubbish from you, and I’ll throw you out. I’ll get Anthony to discuss the contract with you. I’m not a shareholder of the Featherstone Corporation. You can do whatever you like; it’s none of my business.”
He clicked his tongue. “You ungrateful woman. How can you get angry just because I’m speaking the truth? Look at the other women. They either do makeup or they make sure they present themselves well. Now, look at you. You’re bare-faced all the time, and with the kind of lifestyle you lead, I’d say you’re going to have menopause earlier than the rest.”
“Ah!” Unable to hold back, I stomped his foot, and he yelped. “Sienna, what in the world is wrong with you? Why did you step on my foot? It hurts like hell!”
“Keep running that mouth of yours, and I’ll do it again. The pasta’s done. Add anything you like, but don’t put too much of it. Otherwise, it’ll taste bad.” He’s just like a kid sometimes. How childish.
After a moment of hesitation, he raised his head to look at me again. “I don’t know what to add. Help me add something. I’ve never done this before.”
Shooting him a look of disdain, I groaned. “Did you just crawl out from under a rock? This is the first time I’ve seen a man who can’t even do something as minor as this. Anthony’s so much better than you. No wonder you haven’t found a good girlfriend even though you’re already at this age.”
Apparently, my words stunned him, for he whined, “What do mean by I haven’t found a good girlfriend even though I’m already at this age? It’s because I’m not looking for one, okay? If I wanted to, I’d have found one already. I have a house, a car, and money. Moreover, I’m handsome. I can have anyone I want. I’ll look for a girlfriend tomorrow.” With that said, he brought the bowl to the dining table and whipped his head to the side. “It’s not like everyone’s the same as your Anthony.”
Despite finding the way he was mumbling under his breath hilarious, I managed to stop myself from laughing. “But truthfully, have you found no one you really like all these years?”
Freezing, he then muttered, “No. I did meet some, but they’re not suitable for marriage. All they do is ask for money from me. So they’re suitable for me to have fun with. I’m looking for a woman who isn’t greedy for my money.”
That’s not what he should be thinking. Thus, I said, “That’s the wrong idea you have. At a certain age, other than loving you, girls have to have monetary desires. Do you really expect her to have no desire for anything?”
He clicked his tongue in frustration. “Can’t she just want me?”
“Even if she only wants you, she still needs to live. Do you think by wanting you, she can pay her bills? Asking for money from you is a sign of her reliance on you. I’m sure you’ve come across women who never asked any money from you, but I’m also sure you never cherished them, did you?”
The corner of his mouth twitched. “How did you know about that?”
I pressed my lips tightly together. “Of course I’ll know about it. That’s how people like you are. You can’t find a sense of accomplishment from girls who want nothing from you, so you’ll neglect and chase her away. In the end, you’ll be left with those who’ll ask for things from you. However, once you spend more time with those girls, you’ll start assuming that they’re only around for your money. Then, you’ll break up with them. Hence, at the end of the day, you’re the one who’s trapping yourself in this cycle.”
Many men were like that. They spent their money on women, not because they loved the woman, but because they could find a sense of accomplishment from them. After all, at a certain point in life, people needed others relying on them to feel like they were succeeding in life.
Holden narrowed his eyes at me and questioned, “What about you? Does Anthony give you money to spend?”
I nodded honestly. “Of course. I’m not working right now, so what can I possibly do if I don’t use his money? He’s not like you. Our walk-in closet has the latest clothes of the season because he buys them all for me. He also buys me pieces of jewelry and bags. Although he did not love me as much at the start of our marriage, this has always been a habit of his. I only wore some of these clothes, but he still keeps the wardrobe updated every season. Furthermore, his card is with me until now.”
He scrunched up his face and muttered, “No one can be as generous as Anthony. A whole wardrobe of a season’s clothes is worth millions. I’d rather give hundreds of thousands to those women and let them pick the clothes they like.”
I shrugged. “That’s why I said you’re different from Anthony. His love has always been subtle. I’m blessed to be his woman in this life of mine.”
As he dug into his pasta, he mumbled, “If you were my wife, I’d do the same.”
Instantly, my brows knitted, and I asked, “What did you say?”
Slowly stuffing more pasta into his mouth, he uttered as he looked into my eyes, “I said the pasta is great. I want more at night.”
In response, I rolled my eyes at him. I did not have an appetite for food, so I only had a few mouthfuls before I went to the fridge, looking for milk. Right then, Anthony called, informing me that the housekeeper he had just hired had arrived.
Thus, I stepped out of the villa to bring the housekeeper in while Holden continued with his food.
The new housekeeper was a simple woman in her forties. She greeted me when she saw me and told me her name was Nelly. After I briefly explained to her the situation, she nodded and began her work in the villa.
After Holden finished his serving, he even took mine, seemingly still hungry. When I noticed it, I stiffened, and he commented, “You cooked too little. Make more tonight.”
What could I say to that? I only nodded in response.
I had nothing to do in the afternoon, so naturally, I did not go to the office. However, what surprised me was Armond. He had called me and went straight to the point—he wanted to meet me.
I pursed my lips before replying, “There’s no point for us to meet. Mr. Murphy, what you’re looking for is not with me.”
His chuckles traveled out of the speakers. “You’re overthinking this. I just want to invite you to a meal. Nora is here in K City, and you were once close friends. Are you not going to have a meal with her now that she’s here?”
Sensing something else lying behind his friendly tone, I frowned before answering, “I’ll invite her another day. I won’t interrupt your meal with her.”
“Sienna, I heard you’ve rented a small place for Shane’s parents. I’ve met with the two today, and they told me they want to thank you personally by inviting you to a meal. Is that inconvenient for you? If you reject, the two might be upset.”
His words made my heart skip a beat. Why did Armond go to see Sasha’s parents? Did Shane cross Armond?
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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