\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWealthy families truly do have the wildest stories. Compared to that, my dad just having an affair is so weak,\u201d Xyla said with a sigh.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucy questioned, \u201cAre you alright in the head?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Xyla waved it off. \u201cI\u2019ll tell you another day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then, she turned back to Scarlet and asked, \u201cSo, you agreed?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet smiled. Technically, it should have been a bitter smile, yet it was so faint that it carried a calm demeanor. It was as if she had already made peace with fate.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Unlike young women from wealthy families like Xyla, Scarlet had lost her parents\u2019 protection at a very young age. She had grown up stumbling through hardship, and all she ever wanted was a safe, uneventful life.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If she had a choice, she would never have stepped into that muddy mess. Back then, she had wanted to refuse. However, Justine was already irritated from being pressured by Emily.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With a sharp tone, Justine stated, \u201cScarlet, we raised you and paid for your education. Now, the family needs you. You don\u2019t have the right to refuse.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Xyla, pampered since childhood, couldn\u2019t care less about any of that. She scoffed, \u201cSo what? People need to be a little selfish. Screw gratitude and all that nonsense. If you want to repay it, fine. If you don\u2019t, tell them to get lost!\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, you\u2019re just too kind. They tell you to repay a favor, and you actually do it. If my parents died because of someone else, and they still expected gratitude, I\u2019d scam them out of 100 million dollars! Otherwise, what good am I?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was too naive. Scamming the Cooper family? Even if Scarlet somehow got the money, she would still need to be alive to spend it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At that moment, Scarlet only felt tired, and she was mentally exhausted. She brushed it off casually. \u201cAlright. Next time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There wouldn\u2019t be a next time.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Seeing that Scarlet was in low spirits, Lucy stopped arguing with Xyla and pulled Scarlet away to eat. At the dining table, when Scarlet mentioned that she had already brought up divorce with William, the piece of meat Lucy was holding fell straight off her fork.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve finally come to your senses! Do you have any idea how long I\u2019ve been waiting for this day?\u201d Lucy exclaimed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet smiled. \u201cWhy does it feel like the whole world wants us to get divorced?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWho else besides me?\u201d Lucy questioned.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJustine, Shaun, and the others. Even the media and himself,\u201d Scarlet said, pausing before mentioning William.\u00a0<\/p>\n
William had probably wanted a divorce for a long time. Even though Lucy had always hoped Scarlet would leave him, hearing that still made her heart tighten.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucy wanted the divorce because she saw how Scarlet had been living for the past few years. Others didn\u2019t know, but she did. If no one felt sorry for Scarlet, she did.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWilliam is just handsome and rich. What\u2019s so great about him? Divorce is the right move. I\u2019ll take you out to meet some college men!\u201d Lucy waved her hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Lucy asked, \u201cDo you know what\u2019s harder than diamonds in this world?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet was a little distracted, so she failed to stop Lucy in time. Then, Lucy\u2019s voice completely drowned out the restaurant\u2019s violin music. Lucy shouted, \u201cA young man\u2019s dick!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
X CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
The violin\u2019s final note went off-key. A waiter holding a tray froze, mouth hanging open. At the next table, a woman in a white dress, who looked innocent and gentle all evening, spat out a mouthful of water straight onto her blind date\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Bathed in the stares coming from all directions, Scarlet no longer had the emotional bandwidth to be sad. She raised a hand to cover her forehead, blocking those looks. Feeling speechless, she said, \u201cThank you for the comfort. I\u2019m not sad at all now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
After all, dying of secondhand embarrassment was far more urgent. On the other hand, Lucy didn\u2019t care about the gazes at all. She glared right back at them. With a smug expression, she said, \u201cIt works, doesn\u2019t it?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the time they finished eating, it was already late. Scarlet and Lucy weren\u2019t headed in the same direction, so they parted ways at the restaurant entrance. Scarlet hailed a cab and headed back to the villa at Wolke Bay.\u00a0<\/p>\n
As the night deepened, the car passed through the streams of lights. After a while, the bustling cityscape outside the window gradually gave way to quieter, more secluded scenery.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet glanced out the window. The night sky held only a few stars, and in the distance, the faint outline of the northern suburban mountains was visible.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her gaze lingered there for a long time. Truthfully, she hadn\u2019t expected to fall in love with William in the beginning. Even though they had grown up under the same roof, she had never liked him. In fact, she had found him a little annoying.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To this day, Scarlet still didn\u2019t like eating watermelon because every time she saw one, it reminded her of her bowl cut. Back when William was in school, he was reckless and unruly. He dated and fought. He did it all. Once, he beat up the school bully so badly that the guy ended up getting hospitalized. The school demanded that he call his parents in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With bruises on his face, he stood there with his hands in his pockets. As arrogant as ever, he said, \u201cMy parents are busy. They don\u2019t have the time for such trivial stuff. If you have something to say, just say it to me. I can take responsibility for\u00a0<\/p>\n
myself.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
As such, the teacher called Scarlet instead. They didn\u2019t dare to do much to William, but with Scarlet, they were far less gentle. Their tone was harsh and severe, insisting that she contact someone from the Cooper family immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
With no other choice, Scarlet called Justine. Justine assumed she had caused trouble at school and scolded her thoroughly. So, growing up, she always saw William as frivolous, heartless, and a troublemaker.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For someone like Scarlet, who only wanted a quiet life and to avoid trouble at all costs, William was trouble incarnate. There was no love between them at the start.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After the wedding, they were distant. On their wedding night, they slept in separate rooms. Since he couldn\u2019t take time off work, there was no honeymoon either.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Gradually, as time passed, they became more familiar with each other. They stopped feeling like strangers sharing a rental. After they got married, William was nothing like the boy in Scarlet\u2019s memories. He was gentle, always smiling, and very good at coaxing people. If he wanted to, he could make one genuinely happy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
After winter set in, William finally freed up some time and suggested they go on their honeymoon. He booked a trip to Icemere. However, on the day of departure, a sudden blizzard hit, and all flights were canceled.\u00a0<\/p>\n
They ended up staying temporarily at a villa in the northern suburbs, planning to wait for the flight the next day. Unexpectedly, overnight snowfall blocked all the roads, trapping them there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That winter, the snow fell heavily. Scarlet stayed with William in a secluded mountain villa. Snowflakes flew everywhere\u00a0<\/p>\n
outside the window, but it was warm inside. Day and night, it was just the two of them.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was where they first slept together. She still remembered that when she was bored one afternoon and leaned against the window, staring at the snow outside, he walked up behind her and followed her gaze.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He asked, \u201cDo you want to build a snowman?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
X CLOSE\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 20\u00a0<\/p>\n
3\/3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet didn\u2019t know whether William had read her mind or simply wanted to play himself. Either way, they were perfectly in sync. Since her parents\u2019 death, it had been many years since anyone had built a snowman with her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That afternoon, she had a lot of fun. He built one next to hers, deliberately making his taller and bigger. Her mild perfectionism found the mismatch uncomfortable, but he said, \u201cIf I\u2019m not a bit taller than you, how can I be your husband?\u201d Upon hearing that, she was stunned. Then, he placed two black grapes on her snowman\u2019s head for eyes. His own snowman got two raisins instead. He stated, \u201cI\u2019m tall, and you have big eyes. Is that fair?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlet muttered, \u201cMy eyes aren\u2019t that big.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
William laughed. \u201cNot big? They\u2019ve practically charmed me to death.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned to look at him. Snow had settled on his eyelashes. His brown eyes curved gently, filled with warmth. Amused, he warned with a smile, \u201cScarlet, stop staring. If you keep looking at me like that, I\u2019m going to blush.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Act Fast: Free Bonus Time is Running Out!\u00a0<\/p>\n
Claim\u00a0<\/p>\n
X\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0 Chapter 20\u00a0 1\/3\u00a0 Chapter 20\u00a0 \u201cWealthy families truly do have the wildest stories. Compared to that, my dad just […]<\/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-128","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\/128","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=128"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":154,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/128\/revisions\/154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}