Chapter 17
1/3
Chapter 17
Scarlet was halfway through her meal when William returned.
William had handsome features. Compared to his older brother Julian, who was always steady and composed, William was more of a reckless playboy.
It was colder than it had been the last few days. He wore a black overcoat over a gray suit. The dark colors made him look more mature and masculine.
Scarlet hadn’t expected him to return so suddenly. She sat there in a daze for a while. William walked in and draped his overcoat over the back of a dining chair. He glanced at the spread on the table and smiled.
“Now that Ruth’s back, the food’s on a whole different level,” William said.
The compliment sent Ruth over the moon. “I didn’t think you were coming home to eat today! Mrs. Cooper is almost done. I’ll make two more dishes right away,” Ruth said.
Scarlet could understand Ruth’s reaction. She was once in her shoes, getting swept up in William’s charm until she lost
herself.
Ruth served William a plate of pasta. He didn’t mention that he had already eaten out and sat down to eat.
Scarlet looked down at the cat on her lap. The table hid it from his view. She wondered whether she should take the cat to her room immediately to get it out of his sight or keep it hidden, hoping he wouldn’t notice. But William had sharp ears. He heard the loud purring and looked up.
“Is Ruth’s cooking so good now that she can turn a tractor engine into a main course?” William asked.
Before Scarlet could answer, the cat’s ears twitched. It jumped from her lap onto the table and stared at William with a mix of curiosity and caution. The smile vanished from William’s face, and he frowned.
“Why is this thing still here? I told you to get rid of it,” William said.
Animals can sense human emotions. The cat instinctively shrank back.
“Just eat up,” Scarlet said. She picked up the cat and locked it back in its room. She didn’t return to the dining table. Instead, she grabbed a book and sat in the living room to wait for him to finish.
William lost his appetite. When Ruth brought out the new dishes, he had already put down his fork.
“You’re done already?”
William wiped his mouth with a napkin and said, “I’ve lost my appetite because of her attitude.”
“I wasn’t trying to annoy you,” Scarlet said from the living room. She felt wronged since he was the one who said he wouldn’t be back. “I didn’t know you were coming home.”
William chuckled. “So, are you saying I shouldn’t have come home?”
Scarlet didn’t want to have another pointless argument. She paused and put down her book.
“Do you have a moment?” she asked.
“No. I’m busy getting pissed off by you,” Willlam said slowly.
“I have something I need to talk about,” Scarlet said. “You’re always busy, so can we talk now?”
William stared at her for a moment. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his legs. His expression was cold.
“Fine. Talk,” he said.
X CLOSE
Chapter 17
2/3
Scarlet looked at Ruth, who was still standing nearby. “Let us talk in our room,” she said.
She stood up and headed upstairs. William sat in his chair and watched as she walked up the spiral staircase. He pulled out a cigarette, tapped it against the box, and put it between his lips. He pulled out a lighter and lit the cigarette.
He tossed his lighter onto the dining table and took a long drag, his fingers lingering on the cigarette as he rested his hand against the edge of the wood.
A plume of smoke curled upward, veiling his features in a hazy blur.
Ruth couldn’t read his expression. She didn’t understand why the atmosphere had suddenly turned cold again, or why they’d stopped eating entirely.
William’s gaze swept over the steaming dishes. “Why did you add eggplant and asparagus to the dishes?”
Ruth blinked, feeling a sting of hurt. “What? But… I thought you liked them. I only made things I thought were your favorites.
William raised an eyebrow. “When did I ever say I liked eggplant?”
“You said it was delicious. You also used to love asparagus.”
It must have been a lifetime ago. William didn’t remember it at all.
“Do you cook these often?” he asked.
Ruth’s expression faltered. “Well… yes.”
“No wonder she’s getting thinner each year.” William narrowed his eyes.
He usually wore a faint, lazy smile-a sort of rakish charm that made people mistake him for being easygoing or approachable. But when that smile vanished, and his natural intimidating pressure took over, it was suffocating.
“She’s a picky eater. She doesn’t like eggplant or asparagus. Didn’t you know that?” William asked.
“I just thought that since you liked it-” Ruth explained.
“How many times a year do I actually eat here?” William questioned softly, but Ruth could feel the fury radiating off him.
She fidgeted with her hands and said meekly, “Then, I’ll stop making them.”
William didn’t answer. He moved to snuff out his cigarette but realized there wasn’t an ashtray in sight. Without a word, he jammed the half-finished butt right into the middle of the eggplant.
With that, he stood up and headed upstairs.
The master suite on the second floor was massive. The door opened into a private sitting area where Scarlet was perched on a deep purple velvet couch. Her head was tilted back against the cushion, her eyes fixed on nothing.
She had been waiting for a while before she finally heard him coming up the stairs.
William walked in, his gaze falling upon her.
As Scarlet looked up, the bright light captured the long, elegant curve of her neck. Her skin was pale and flawless, making the emerald necklace resting on her collarbone stand out in stark contrast.
William still remembered how soft and fragile she had felt under his touch.
Scarlet was lost in the glare of the ceiling light, her eyes stinging slightly. It took her a few seconds to register his presence. By the time she snapped out of it and sat up, William’s gaze had already shifted away with cold indifference.
“You…”
X CLOSE
Chapter 17
3/3
Just as she was about to start their conversation, William’s eyes flicked past the wooden screen behind her toward the king-
sized bed.
“What are you hiding under the covers?”
“I’m not hiding anything…” Scarlet instinctively turned to look.
Sure enough, there was a distinct lump right in the middle of the neatly made bed. It hadn’t been there when she’d changed her clothes earlier, and she hadn’t been back to the bed since coming upstairs, so she’d missed the change entirely.
William walked over and yanked the duvet back.
A litter of kittens was huddled together in a pile, fast asleep.
Scarlet stared, speechless. She had no idea when the calico cat had managed to sneak her babies onto the bed.
The room downstairs was locked from the outside. How on earth had the cat picked the lock to get out?
William’s brow furrowed instantly. He dropped the duvet and took several steps backward, his face twisting in pure disgust.
Scarlet scrambled over, terrified he might lose his temper and toss the kittens out the window.
“Scarlet,” William said, his voice strained. “If you hate me enough to want me dead, at least use a more sophisticated method.
11
Scarlet was baffled. How were a few tiny kittens that could barely walk supposed to kill him? Just by being too cute?
“If a few kittens are enough to kill you, you’re way too fragile.”
“I’m fragile?” William let out a frustrated laugh, but before he could snap back, he let out a sudden, violent sneeze.
He scrambled back another two steps, covering his nose, but the sneezes kept coming.
Scarlet suddenly came to the realization. “You’re allergic to cats?”
William let out a harsh, watery scoff. “You’ve just figured that out?”
“You never said anything! How was I supposed to know?” Scarlet felt a twinge of guilt. “Believe it or not, I didn’t put them
there.”
“If you didn’t hide them, who did? Me?”
Scarlet had no way to explain it. There was no logical way to describe how the calico cat had staged a prison break and carried her kittens-with calculated, tactical precision-into the bedroom just to deliver a lethal blow to William’s sinuses.
Act Fast: Free Bonus Time is Running Outl
Claim
End of the Contract,Start of His Obsession
Join Our WhatsApp Channel For Fast Update Or More Novels: 
Join Our WhatsApp Channel For Fast Update Or More Novels: