Chapter 14
1138 Words
Adrian emerged from the bathroom, wearing a white bathrobe that revealed his bronzed chest. He was drying his hair with a towel, looking irresistibly sexy. Melina blushed and quickly averted her gaze. What was she even looking at? Adrian noticed Melina and, after a slight pause, walked to the wardrobe. He pulled out a blanket and tossed it to Melina, coldly ordering, “Go to sleep.”
“Huh?” Melina looked around the room, which didn’t even have a sofa. Where was she supposed to sleep? After scanning the room, she looked back at Adrian incredulously. “You want me to sleep on the floor?”
“Want to sleep in my bed?” Adrian’s dark eyes narrowed slightly at Melina. Her face turned beet red as she hugged the blanket tightly and protested, “Of course not! But do you really expect me to sleep on the floor? It's so uncomfortable.”
Adrian tossed the towel onto the table, turned off the light, and collapsed onto the large bed. Melina’s pitiful little face disappeared into the darkness. Adrian, you’re an ungracious, heartless, selfish jerk. Melina lay down on the floor beside the bed, her spot by the window obscured by the bed itself. The hard floor made it impossible for her to fall asleep. Was she really going to live like this from now on? She at least needed a sofa.
“Hey, Adrian...” Melina sat up and pushed him lightly. “Are you asleep?”
Adrian remained silent, too lazy to deal with Melina. But she didn’t care about his coldness and continued, “How about we buy a sofa tomorrow?”
Adrian finally responded, “No.”
No? Melina didn’t have the courage to ask why, and she wanted to respect his quirks. But she still persisted, “How about this then: I sleep on the floor on odd days, and you sleep on the floor on even days?”
A woman he bought should just obediently follow orders, right? Why was this woman so talkative and disobedient, not to mention unafraid of him? Adrian wondered again if he had chosen the wrong person. He shook her hand away and growled, “Shut up.”
Even though she was bought by him, she was still a person. She had to fight for her rights. “Hey, are you even a man? No grace, no humanity. I already let you have the bed for more days. What more do you want?”
Adrian, usually calm and collected, suddenly sat up, his dark eyes glaring at Melina. In the darkness, his sinister gaze made her feel as if he wanted to tear her apart. Melina, slightly frightened, leaned back. “Alright, alright. You win. You can have the bed. I won’t argue. But you have to give me an extra blanket.”
She reached out to grab Adrian’s blanket. Caught off guard, he let her take it. Melina happily laid it on the floor, lay down, covered herself with the blanket, and closed her eyes to sleep. Adrian was stunned, sitting there for a long time, unable to recover. What kind of woman was she? She dared to defy his authority and even snatched his blanket. She wasn’t afraid of him at all.
What kind of woman was she?
In the morning, Melina was sleeping soundly, and Adrian, unusually, hadn’t woken up early either. As they slept deeply, a sharp voice suddenly pierced the air.
“What’s going on here? Why is one of you on the floor and the other on the bed?”
Adrian woke up, and so did Melina. With such a loud voice, it would be strange if they didn’t wake up. They both opened their eyes simultaneously and saw Lauren standing by the bed, her face clouded with anger.
Melina’s heart sank. Busted.
Adrian’s lazy eyes gradually turned cold, and his face darkened.
Family Tribunal.
“Why are you sleeping separately?” Nancy looked suspiciously at Adrian and Melina.
“Yeah, what’s going on with your marriage? What couple sleeps separately? Adrian, is this a fake marriage to fool us?” Lauren looked displeased and worried.
Paul and Henry didn’t speak, but it was clear that Henry was deeply hurt, clutching his chest. After a long pause, he said, “Is this all just a sham marriage for my sake...?”
Adrian’s face turned icy as he crossed his hands on the table. “Don’t interfere in my private life. And from now on, knock before you enter my room.”
Henry suddenly slammed the table and stood up, furious. “You insolent brat! Asking your mother to knock before entering your room? What kind of attitude is that? Is it wrong for us to care? What kind of talk is that? Do you want to give your grandpa a heart attack?”
“Grandpa, please don’t get angry,” Melina quickly tried to soothe Henry. His health wasn’t great, and if he got too upset, it would be their fault. “It’s my fault. Adrian’s bed is too high-end, too soft for me. I couldn’t get used to it, so I slept on the floor. Look how grumpy Adrian is. He’s mad at me.”
Did she really have a knack for lying? Melina wondered as she reflected on herself.
Nancy, however, seemed to understand suddenly. “Oh, I see. Melina needs some time to adjust. Let’s have breakfast before it gets cold.”
“I’m done.” Adrian got up to leave, but Melina grabbed his arm. He hadn’t eaten a single bite. That would be bad for his stomach. “Wasting food is unethical. Finish your meal before you go.”
She actually dared to order him around? He had never been forced to do anything he didn’t want to do. No one had ever defied him, not even his family. Yet this woman dared to insist that he eat before leaving?
He frowned at her while she smiled at him, seemingly unbothered by his icy demeanor. The Chambers family elders were worried Adrian might get angry and unintentionally hurt Melina.
Melina, however, kept smiling and continued lecturing Adrian, “An empty stomach in the morning will upset your stomach and leave you without energy for the day. Eat, don’t just stand there. Grandpa, Grandma, Dad, Mom, you should eat too. It’ll get cold.”
The elders of the Chambers family lowered their heads to eat, peeking at Adrian and Melina. Adrian didn’t ruthlessly shake off Melina’s hand; instead, he picked up his chopsticks. He gave Melina a cold look and said, “You wrinkled my clothes.”
“Oh, sorry.” Melina quickly let go and helped smooth out the wrinkles. Then she sat down to eat, and Adrian couldn’t help but glance back at her.
- Writer
