Chapter 8:
1582 Words
Emily guessed right; Amile brought her to Ricard’s private domain. As they entered through a wooden gate, a large lawn, a pavilion, rockery, fountains, and a sea of flowers greeted them...
Following Amile for a long walk, they finally reached a three-story building with French architectural style.
The interior was simply furnished, in a style close to nature, which Emily knew matched Ricard’s tastes.
As they continued, Emily couldn’t help but marvel at the beauty of the place, thinking living here might extend her life by a few years.
Amile didn’t enter the house, but stood outside the door and said, “Since CEO William is here, he wouldn’t let you stay in an ordinary guest room.”
Emily thought to herself that those guest rooms were already very expensive. But compared to this independent villa, they indeed fell short.
Amile added, “Mrs. William, this is a private area; no one else is allowed in, so you don’t need to worry.”
Mrs. William?
It was the first time someone had called her that, making Emily blush. “Assistant Jayce, just call me Emily.”
Amile smiled and said, “You are the wife of CEO William; I can’t think of a more appropriate title than ‘Mrs. William’ for you.” There was a hint of meaning in Amile’s words, but Emily, who hadn’t even held Ricard’s hand yet, blushed even more.
“Go ahead and rest; I’ll take my leave.” Amile smiled and politely departed.
Standing in the large living room, Emily felt a bit at a loss. At that moment, Ricard entered, took the backpack off her shoulder, and led the way upstairs. “The room is on the second floor.”
With his long legs, he deliberately walked slowly so Emily could keep up.
Following behind him, Emily said, “Ricard, can I discuss something with you?”
Ricard opened the room door, placed Emily’s backpack on the luggage rack, and then said, “Norman handled This small matter of room arrangements.”
Emily: “...” Alright, she thought, better to go along with it.
Ricard drew back the thick curtains, revealing a panoramic view of the boundless ocean, where the sea and sky seemed to touch. The sound of waves crashing against the rocky shore provided a cheerful symphony. Emily sighed from the bottom of her heart. “What a beautiful place!”
Ricard said, “If you like it, we can come here often.”
Emily shook her head. “It’s not that I don’t like it.”
Not that she didn’t like it, but that she couldn’t bear to spend hard-earned money here, and she didn’t want to spend Ricard’s money either. Although he had given her a checkbook, she had no intention of using it. If they ever divorced, she wanted to leave with her dignity intact.
Ricard heard her genuine words but didn’t press further. Instead, he said, “Let’s go eat first. After lunch, rest for a bit, and you’ll join the afternoon activities.”
Emily nodded, “Alright.”
After a moment, Ricard awkwardly said, “Emily, if you want to soak in the hot spring tonight, you can use the private one here.”
Emily instinctively shook her head. “I’m fine soaking with everyone else.”
Ricard reasoned, “No man wants his wife wearing so little in front of other men.”
Oh...
Emily suddenly found Ricard very traditional. Even if he didn’t love her, it seemed he had an opinion about other men looking at her.
After their afternoon nap, Emily joined the group. Lucia said enviously, “Emily, you’re lucky to stay in the luxurious villa.”
Emily replied, “Staying with the boss isn’t as convenient as you think.”
She meant Ricard, but Lucia thought she was referring to Amile and agreed, “You’re right, it’s more fun with friends. If you want, you can squeeze in with us tonight.”
Emily declined, fearing Ricard might come get her at night.
To ensure everyone had a good time, the Human Resources department had prepared many fun games, dividing everyone into four teams: red, blue, yellow, and green. The first game was a beer-drinking contest.
Each team had a man and a woman drink two liters of beer from a large container using straws, with the first team to finish winning. The last team to finish would face a truth or dare punishment.
The branch managers took part first.
In the first round, Emily’s red team won first place, and the yellow team finished last, so their members had to face the truth or dare punishment.
The yellow team was undergoing their punishment when the aloof and proud CEO appeared, immediately becoming the center of attention. Ricard signaled everyone to continue playing and simply sat on the side, quietly watching the competition.
With the CEO present, everyone’s actions became a bit more restrained, but when the host announced the start of the second game, everyone threw caution to the wind.
The second game was apple biting. A rope hung an apple, and each team chose a pair of one man and one woman to bite from either side of the apple. The last team to finish had to endure the harsh punishment of being doused with ice water.
The red team unanimously pushed Emily forward to take on the challenge, recognizing her significant contributions in the first game. Feeling uneasy, she glanced at Ricard, and seeing his indifferent expression, she mustered some courage and stepped forward.
Norman from the red team also volunteered to compete alongside Emily.
At that moment, Amile glanced at Ricard, but unlike Emily, she immediately clapped her hands and said, “Does everyone want CEO William to join the game?” Everyone wanted it, but no one dared to say it out loud. Now that the Assistant Jayce had mentioned it, the group’s courage grew.
Everyone chanted in unison, “CEO William! CEO William! CEO William!” Amidst the cheering, it took a long while before Ricard slowly stood up. His composed yet aloof expression seemed to convey reluctance.
As he walked towards the stage, Emily silently prayed that he wouldn’t choose her team, but Ricard came straight to her.
“Oh!” The crowd let out an excited scream. The girls regretted it immensely. Had they known that CEO William would take part, they would have fought tooth and nail for the chance, even if it meant being drenched.
Contrary to everyone’s excitement, Emily kept her head down, not daring to look at Ricard. If she had known Ricard would join, she would have come up with an excuse about her period.
The host shouted, “Get ready!”
The members of the other three teams immediately moved closer, focusing on the apple hanging in the middle. Emily still kept her head down, thinking she would just give up, but Ricard then said softly, “Do you really want to lose?”
No! Emily’s competitive spirit flared up. She raised her head and gave Ricard a defiant look. Who was afraid of whom?
The host shouted, “Begin!”
The members of the other three teams immediately started.
The crowd cheered, “CEO William, go! CEO William, win!”
Ricard told Emily, “You bite and hold the apple steady; I will eat it.” This was their strategy: instead of both of them biting at the swinging apple, Emily would hold it still while Ricard ate.
Emily nodded. However, intending to do something and actually doing it are two different things. Before her mouth even touched the apple, Ricard’s cool, clean breath overwhelmed her senses.
The crowd’s cheering grew louder, “CEO William, go! CEO William, win!”
“Don’t be scared; I’m here!” Amid the thunderous cheers, Ricard’s deep, seductive voice reached Emily’s ears.
Emily took a deep breath, bit into the apple, and closed her eyes in fear as Ricard approached. Her heart pounded wildly. Throughout the process, Emily kept her eyes closed, unaware of Ricard’s expression, only feeling the apple getting smaller and her heartbeat faster.
Suddenly, Emily felt warmth on her lips—Ricard’s lips had touched hers.
“Oh, my...” The crowd clapped and screamed.
Startled, as if shocked, Emily jerked back, her face as red as the apple they were biting.
The host then announced, “The blue team, yellow team, and green team have completed the challenge. The red team loses!”
The red team lost, meaning Emily and Ricard had to endure the punishment of being doused with ice water. However, no one dared to approach the aloof CEO with a bucket of ice water.
If that were the case, it would dampen everyone’s enthusiasm. At that moment, Jayce, another assistant of the CEO, stood up and said, “I’ll do it.”
The crowd clapped and cheered. Jayce lifted the bucket, carefully avoiding Emily, while Ricard opened his coat to shield her, resulting in him being nearly drenched, while Emily remained mostly dry.
Emily, seeing Ricard completely soaked, worried he might catch a cold, but couldn’t express her concern openly. She could only look at him anxiously.
Ricard noticed her concern, accepted a towel from a staff member, and while drying his hair, moved closer to Emily and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
He casually dried his hair with the towel and smiled lightly at everyone. “Continue playing. I’ll go change.”
- Writer
