Trouble in Paradise

The next morning, I woke up in the guest room. I reached over to the space next to me, only to find that it was cold.

I got up and freshened up. Well aware that it'd be an uphill battle to break through Nicholas's walls, I wasn't in a hurry.

I was naive in the past, thinking that I could take on the world alone. In fact, he would've crushed me long ago if I weren't his wife. Mom's passing taught me a valuable lesson, and I wouldn't repeat the same mistake.

I put on a white nightgown and applied some light makeup. By the time I went downstairs, Wendy was already preparing breakfast.

Sitting at the dining table, I peeled an egg and tossed it into Nicholas's coffee. Then, I began eating my breakfast.

Soon, Nicholas descended the stairs with Claudia's hand in his. He was tall and lean, making Claudia seem petite next to him. I glanced at them briefly before turning back to my food. Last night had been wild, and I was famished. Once they sat across from me, I swallowed my food and said, "Morning, Claudia."

I didn't look at Nicholas. Instead, I stole several glances at him and noticed how sated he seemed. He was satisfied, but my poor back was suffering.

An awkward smile crossed Claudia's face. "You're up early, Ariana."

"Well, I wasn't that tired. I didn't sleep much, I replied, sneaking a suggestive look at Nicholas.

The newspaper in his hand suddenly dropped onto the table. Clearing his throat, he feigned sobriety and said, "Don't talk while you're eating."

I exchanged glances with Claudia.

Nicholas lifted his cup of coffee to his lips, but he ended up with a mouthful of egg when he took a sip. As he spat it out, the liquid splattered all over his freshly donned suit.

I hurried toward him with some tissues the moment he got up, but I deliberately moved slower than Claudia.

Staring at Claudia wiping him down with some tissues, I feigned helplessness and

said, "I've no idea what Wendy was thinking. You never eat stuff like this in the morning

"How could she forget what her boss likes after all these years? Your clothes are all dirty now. What should we do?"

I reached out to help, but a crisp slap landed on the back of my hand. The sound was so audible that even Claudia froze and gaped at me.

"A-Ariana, I didn't mean to," she stammered.

Flustered, she intended to come over and comfort me, but she couldn't bring herself to leave Nicholas's side either. She swayed, seemingly caught in a dilemmą.

As soon as Wendy heard what happened, she dashed out of the kitchen and apologized to Nicholas. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Hawk. Shall I take your clothes and clean them now?"

A surge of warmth coursed through my chest. Wendy clearly saw me peeling the egg for Nicholas earlier, yet she still intended to change his coffee for him.

I stopped her and chimed in, "Honey, I peeled the egg and tossed it into your coffee. You were so tired yesterday, so I merely wanted to give you some extra nourishment Clutching my reddened hand to my chest, I tried my best to sound vulnerable and wronged.

Wasn't Claudia an expert in acting? As someone who was four years older than her, my extensive experience hadn't been for nothing.

After all, I intentionally tripped over my own feet to fall into Nicholas's arms when I first met him. He was already much older than me, and our lives didn't intersect. In fact, our every meeting had been carefully planned.

Just as I drifted off into reverie, Wendy shielded me behind her and said, "Please. don't blame Mrs. Hawk. After all, she's only concerned about you and wanted to do something nice for you. Didn't you also tell me to brew some herbs for her? "See? Love goes both ways."

I knew Wendy meant well, but I had no intention to bear Nicholas's children. Nicholas's expression seemed quite odd. Nudging Claudia's hands away from his chest, he rubbed his face and said, "Did I say I was going to blame anyone? I'll just go

upstairs and change."

I went back to my breakfast once he left. After staring at me for some time, Claudia stormed toward me and hissed, "Ariana, Nick promised to take me to school. Don't do this again. You're going to make me late.

"Is that so?" I drawled, my gaze fixated on her face!

then."

take you to school instead

I got up and set aside the milk I had yet to finish. Grabbing a tissue to dab my mouth,

I strode briskly to the car as I continued, "I won't get out of the car, so it's fine that I'm in my nightgown. Hurry up and eat."

Claudia forced a smile. "It's okay, Ariana. I've already made plans with Nick."This is from NôvelDrama.Org.

"Oh," I replied coolly. "Maybe next time then. I'm just worried that we might grow distant."

"What do you mean?" Someone suddenly interrupted our conversation.

Donning a navy suit, Nicholas stood tall and exuded an air of sophistication. While he had both hands tucked in his pockets, his gaze appeared deep-set. He seemed to be musing over something. Claudia also spun around. Realizing that Nicholas had already changed, she seemed delighted. She skipped over to hold his hand.

As she wrapped her arms around his, she turned back to me and said smugly, "See, Ariana? I told you Nick wouldn't let me be late."

I responded with a demure smile. Dutifully, I saw them off and waved as they left. Once they were gone, I returned to the dining table and texted Nicholas about what he said during breakfast.

"You said I shouldn't talk when I eat, but we're not supposed to talk while sleeping as well. But you never seem to talk less during 'sleeping'."

A man was usually more uninhibited than a woman once he was no longer

restrained. In the throes of lust, his dirty talk never ceased.

"Mrs. Hawk, you kept implying that I'm impotent," Nicholas replied promptly.

I finally texted him back after I finished my breakfast. "I'm not."

"Come to my office

in 30 minutes. I want you to say it to my face."

A chuckle left my lips as I stared at the phone screen. It felt as if I was having an illicit affair.