My Contract Marriage

Chapter3

Lucas has been chatting with guests, and he is so skilled that his talents and charm always make him the center of attention in the crowd.

The bell in the banquet hall rang, and the dinner officially began. Emma was in charge of the flow of the banquet, and everything went smoothly without any surprises.

When the banquet ended, all the media stayed. Ella accompanied Lucas to accept their interviews. The interviews were brief, lasting only a few minutes, and almost all of them were answered by Lucas.

"I have other engagements. The driver will take you home," Lucas patiently said to her after the interview.

Ella was already feeling a bit tired, but she still played her role well, helping him adjust his tie. "Don't drink too much," she reminded him.

"Of course, I'll go home soon, my dear."

The driver safely took her home. Ella quickly finished her washing, and it was already late at night. She entered her study and organized the information she had found over the past few days.

Her last paper had just been published and had received praise from many authorities. She should have relaxed for a while, but she chose to continue being busy.

She was a Ph.D. student in the History Department of State University and had published papers in many top journals. Her papers were of high quality and had a high citation rate.

Her advisor thought highly of her, believing she could obtain her degree and even stay on to teach. Everyone thought so too.

But she wasn't working hard for the degree or the honor; she was fascinated by the history of the Far East. Making everyone understand this story was her ideal.

Every time new historical materials were discovered, she was truly excited, always full of energy when facing them. Tonight was no exception; she was completely immersed in the historical materials.

It wasn't until the sound of the electronic lock opening interrupted her thoughts that she realized it was late at night. She left the study and went to the living room, and as she expected, Lucas had returned.

Lucas stood at the door, his suit still neat, but his hair was a bit messy. He had a good figure, tall and strong, like a model on the runway.

An assistant stood behind him, holding a medicine.

Ella approached him, taking in his condition. There was a strong smell of alcohol on him, and he looked tired.

"Is something wrong?" Ella asked the assistant. "What is this medicine? Does he need to take it?"

"The engagement was important, and Mr. Lucas couldn't refuse their enthusiasm, so he got drunk. The excess alcohol triggered his stomach problem. These are sobering and stomach medications," the assistant replied.

"Give me the medicine, I'll make sure he takes it. You've worked hard; be safe on your way back," Ella said, seeing off the assistant like a host before turning to Lucas. He looked terrible. It was the first time she had faced this situation. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Lucas replied softly.

"Maybe you need to rest, and have a good sleep. But you have to take the medicine first."

Lucas didn't say anything; he seemed to be losing consciousness.

"Let me help you to the sofa, okay?" she carefully communicated with him.

"Okay," Lucas reached out his hand.

He was drunk, too hot, unable to walk by himself, and he needed help. Finally, Lucas reached the sofa.

"Wait a moment, I'll get you some water."

Lucas took the medicine, but he still looked bad. Ella didn't know what to do; she could only ask him, "What else do you need?"

He didn't answer, just looked at her. He had a handsome face, like a Greek sculpture, with a sharp nose like a spear, full and sexy lips. His eyes, always smiling, were now as deep as the sea, full of emotions.

Ella couldn't understand these emotions, nor did she know how to respond to them. She could only try to find a new topic: "Do you need me to call a doctor?"

Lucas remained silent, his thick eyebrows furrowing. This made Ella feel a sense of crisis like prey being stared at by a hunter.

She wanted to get rid of this feeling and tried to find her phone. Suddenly, he grabbed the hem of her nightgown and quickly let go. It was like a breeze blowing over the water, leaving no trace.

As he fell asleep, Ella breathed a sigh of relief. It was just a strange behavior of a drunk person.

Of course, she knew when his birthday was; it was an easily remembered date the day before Christmas Eve. Lucas had never told her, but she had seen his ID and remembered the day.

Their wedding day was close to Lucas's birthday, but at that time, they were not familiar with each other at all. Lucas was almost always on business trips, and she had no chance to send birthday wishes.

In their two years of marriage, they had met very few times, only playing the role of a loving couple when necessary.

Their repeated collaborations had transformed them from strangers into trusted partners, but they had never said "happy birthday" to each other.

On Ella's birthday, Lucas was also on a business trip and didn't even send a message of birthday wishes.

It was Emma who knew about her birthday and gave her two birthday gifts.

She guessed this represented Lucas's attitude: they were not yet close enough to give each other birthday wishes.

In addition to the mutual assistance stipulated in the agreement, they should not interfere with each other's personal space.

Lucas seemed to have fallen asleep. This time, Ella got up from his legs easily and looked at him, who had already lowered his head. She thought it was impolite to enter his bedroom without permission, but leaving him in the living room seemed inappropriate, so she decided to settle him in the guest room.

Ella helped him lie on the bed in the guest room. His tie was tight, so Ella untied it and unbuttoned his shirt to prevent him from feeling uncomfortable.

He quietly grabbed the hem of her nightgown and quickly let go. It was like a breeze blowing over the water, leaving no trace.

As he fell asleep, he stopped smiling. Maybe the medicine hadn't taken effect yet; his face was pale, and he looked weak.

Covering him with a blanket, Ella looked at him and hesitated before softly saying, "Good night. And happy birthday."