\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet put down the cat toy and stood up.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
William was standing in the living room, glancing at his watch. He caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye and raised a brow. \u201cWhy are you always acting out lately? Do I really have to come home and invite you personally?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t have to come back at all,\u201d Scarlet said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William ignored the jab. Noticing a stray cat hair on her clothes, he frowned and handed her a box.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have 20 minutes. Go upstairs and change,\u201d he instructed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet didn\u2019t take the box. She turned on the faucet and began slowly rinsing her hands. \u201cI already said I\u2019m not going.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
William seemed to have plenty of patience to burn today. \u201cDo you want me to help you change?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet gritted her teeth and turned to face him. \u201cIs there even a point in us showing up together? Who are we even putting on a show for?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
William\u2019s gaze turned cold. \u201cYou think I\u2019m here to play house with you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet opened her mouth to argue, but William cut her off with a mocking smile, saying, \u201cDon\u2019t flatter yourself. I don\u2019t have the time. No matter how much you hate it, you\u2019re still my wife. Attending these events is basic social etiquette.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He tossed the dress onto the couch and ordered, \u201cDo your job.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He was right. She really was overthinking things. He didn\u2019t have the heart or the interest to play the happy husband. He only wanted her there because she was his lawful wife, and her absence would be an insult to the host.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet picked up the dress and went upstairs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While they were on the way to the Thompson residence, Scarlet stared out of the window without saying a word to William.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William eventually shifted his gaze toward her. He had picked out the dress himself. It had a pale blue gradient washing over the smooth white silk fabric, making the dress look elegant and effortlessly beautiful.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The dress was cinched at the waist before flowing down in soft pleats. It perfectly suited her graceful demeanor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William\u2019s eyes slowly traced the lines of her body. \u201cIs the dress a bit big on you?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet\u2019s hands tightened on her lap.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The dress was a little loose. She wondered whose measurements he had actually been remembering when he bought it. She kept the back of her head toward him and ignored the question.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve certainly grown a temper over the last two years,\u201d William said. He didn\u2019t sound angry, his tone lazy and casual. \u201d Who taught you to give me the cold shoulder?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet turned around. \u201cWhen have I ever given you the cold shoulder?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She didn\u2019t even dare. Besides, he wasn\u2019t around almost all the time. Where would she even find the time to give him an attitude?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet had never been the type to throw a tantrum. When she was angry, she just knitted her brows and stared. She probably thought she looked intimidating, but to anyone else, she looked utterly harmless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Like right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William let out a soft laugh, seemingly in the mood to tease her. \u201cFine. You\u2019re always glad to see me. Happy?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
X CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
practiced smile, looking every bit the trained professional.\u00a0<\/p>\n
John Thompson was over 80 years old, but the birth of his great-grandson had him looking radiant and full of life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William led Scarlet over to greet him. John let out a hearty chuckle as soon as he saw them. \u201cI knew you were back the moment a couple of bottles went missing from my wine cellar.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t go blaming me,\u201d William said. \u201cI don\u2019t do the dirty work.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, you just make that brat Shaun do it for you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shaun, standing nearby, looked offended. \u201cGrandpa, I\u2019m your grandson. Don\u2019t you feel embarrassed saying that out loud?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
John glared at him. \u201cYou\u2019re the one who should be embarrassed!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shaun shrugged. \u201cAt least I\u2019m not an idiot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
John ignored him and turned back to William. He\u2019d watched William grow up. William was practically like a grandson to him. He patted William on the shoulder. \u201cHave you finally decided to come home for good?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
William gave him a roguish grin. \u201cI kept dreaming that you missed me, so I had to hurry back and ease your suffering.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
John beamed and raised his hand as if to strike William, but only playfully tapped his arm. \u201cYou little brat! You really have the nerve to tease me.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet stood quietly to the side. Aside from her initial greeting, she hadn\u2019t said a word.\u00a0<\/p>\n
John turned his attention her way and said warmly, \u201cI haven\u2019t seen you in a while, Scarlet. You\u2019re getting more beautiful every time I see you.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet offered a polite smile.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Perhaps because the family had just welcomed a new member, John\u2019s mind was stuck on one topic. \u201cYou and William have been married for almost three years now, haven\u2019t you? When are you two planning on having a baby?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet\u2019s smile froze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Everyone in their circle knew the marriage was a cold one. For a couple that lived separately, parenthood wasn\u2019t even on the\u00a0<\/p>\n
map.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The atmosphere grew noticeably tense. \u201cWe haven\u2019t really discussed it yet,\u201d Scarlet said, trying to be vague.\u00a0<\/p>\n
John wasn\u2019t buying it. \u201cWell, start discussing it! You two have such good genes. It\u2019d be a crime not to have a child. Don\u2019t you think you owe me that much?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet didn\u2019t think this had anything to do with him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shaun chimed in with a scoff, \u201cGrandpa, even Aunt Justine isn\u2019t nagging them. Why are you so worked up? It\u2019s none of your business.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho says Justine isn\u2019t worried? Look at her! She\u2019s been hovering over that baby all day. She looks like she\u2019s ready to kidnap the kid and take him home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The group looked in the direction John was pointing. Not far away, Justine was indeed cradling John\u2019s great-grandson with a doting smile on her face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
John turned back to Scarlet. \u201cSee? Your mother-in-law is practically begging for a grandchild. Hurry up and give her one.\u201d Scarlet was at a loss for words. She shot a pleading look at William, but he just stood there with an indifferent look on his face. He had no intention of helping her out of this.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet gritted her teeth and said, \u201cActually, I don\u2019t have any problem with having kids.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room went dead silent. Every head snapped toward William.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William raised an eyebrow. Under the weight of John\u2019s concerned stare, he asked, \u201cAre you implying that the problem is with me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 9\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet gritted her teeth and said, \u201cActually, I don\u2019t have any problem with having kids.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The room went dead silent. Every head snapped toward William.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William raised an eyebrow. Under the weight of John\u2019s concerned stare, he asked, \u201cAre you implying that the problem is with me?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not my place to give the details. You should probably explain it to Mr. Thompson Senior yourself,\u201d Scarlet said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With that, she lifted the hem of her dress and walked away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A heavy silence settled over the room. No one knew what to say. Even John was speechless.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William watched as Scarlet slipped away. She had the nerve to glance over her shoulder once, but the moment their eyes met, she spun back around and walked even faster.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William let out a frustrated laugh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shaun looked like he\u2019d been hit by lightning. The idea that William might have performance issues in the bedroom was harder for Shaun to process than if he\u2019d had them himself. He stared at William\u2019s lower body in pure, wide-eyed shock.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William\u2026 are you\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
William reached out and shoved Shaun\u2019s jaw shut. \u201cShut up. Don\u2019t make me hit you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Chapter 9\u00a0 Chapter 9\u00a0 Scarlet put down the cat toy and stood up.\u00a0 1\/3\u00a0 William was standing in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-end-of-the-contractstart-of-his-obsession"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}