Housewives Never Despair

Chapter 2 The Unexpected Ring

As soon as I hung up, Harper's name lit up on Daniel's mobile phone.

The conversation ended, and Daniel's expression turned as stormy as thunderclouds.

Standing before me, he shrugged off his robe, barking, "Yvonne, grab me a suit. I need to be in the office, now."

I scrambled to the closet, retrieving a suit in haste.

The moment Daniel saw the suit, his face twisted in displeasure.

"Have you lost your fashion sense? What kind of suit is this? Am I going to work or a clown convention?"

That was typical Daniel. When foul-tempered, he became mean.

Familiar with his temper, I kept my lips sealed, wishing for nothing more than to have him out of my hair.

In a shaky voice, I stammered, "I-I'll find a different one."

But that did little to improve his temper. Irritated, he brushed past me and dialed his emergency contact, pressing "1."

Moments later, Sofia's soothing voice floated through the speaker.

"What can I do for you, Mr. Scott? Is there something urgent?"

Throwing me a withering glance, Daniel replied coolly, "Send over a suit pronto. We've got an issue with the Zenith Project."

And with that, the call ended, his dismissal as swift as his decision.

Later, he berated me as if I were a subordinate who had messed up at work.

"Can't you try to catch up with the times a bit? What are you doing all day, just lounging around at home? I'm not asking for any stellar accomplishment, but it wouldn't hurt to take some cues from Sofia and improve your taste."

Once he had made his point, he was done with me, donning his robe and disappearing into the study.

I stood there, fingers fiddling with the lapels of his outdated suit jacket, an old relic Daniel had abandoned here five years ago.

Over the years, items like his clothes, watches, even his underwear, were well out of my jurisdiction, all curated by Sofia, leaving me on the sidelines.

On the rare occasion I tried something, like planning a gift for our anniversary, Daniel never opened them. They simply accumulated dust in the study, forgotten.

Every gift I had chosen for our anniversaries or his birthdays these past five years held a special quality.

There was a miniature figurine missing a certain vital part.

There was a talisman of ill-will.

There was a voodoo doll not lacking in pins.

And there was a charm wishing him and Sofia an exhausting experience.

Every year, I imagined Daniel stumbling across these items and his reaction to them.

But alas, he remained blissfully unaware for five straight years.

As I lingered in my thoughts, Cici's angry shout came from the other room.

"Who do you think you are, barging in without so much as ringing the bell?"