Chapter 13
924 Words
He was the patron, and she simply needed to obey.
Arriving at the Chambers household took about half an hour. Adrian instructed the staff to take Melina's suitcase, and then they walked into the house together. The same plump servant opened the door, but there was a peculiar look in her eyes as she smiled and said, "Welcome home, Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Chambers."
Melina didn’t think much of it and changed her shoes before following Adrian inside. The four elders, who had heard them come in, emerged from their rooms. Lauren and Nancy greeted them, with Lauren smiling and saying, "All settled in now, huh? It’ll be much livelier with everyone under one roof."
Nancy, despite her old eyes, immediately noticed the injury on Melina's face and exclaimed, "Oh my, Melina, what happened to your face?"
“What happened? Let me see.” Lauren also came over to inspect and saw the red, swollen area with a scratch mark. Nancy turned and began hitting Adrian. "You unfilial grandson! Did you hit Melina? You’ve learned to hit women now?"
Adrian, being a grown man, stood there and endured the hits from the elderly woman. He didn’t react, as if the blows didn't hurt. His expression was stoic.
Melina, now anxious, recalled the injury she had forgotten in her earlier haste. She quickly held Nancy's hand and explained, "Grandma, it wasn’t Adrian. Really."
Nancy paused, looking concerned, "If it wasn’t Adrian, then who? Tell Grandma, and I’ll have your grandfather take care of it."
"Really, it wasn’t him. Grandma, think about it. Adrian is so strong, and his hands are big. If he really hit me, my face would be swollen like a pig’s head, and I wouldn’t be standing here like this. Plus, Adrian would never do something so disgraceful as hitting a woman."
Nancy, still furious, demanded, "Who did this? Who bullied my granddaughter-in-law? Adrian, you’re her husband. How can you let her be bullied like this?"
Adrian stood there, his face set in a hard, cold expression, eyebrows knotted. Lauren seized the opportunity to push Melina into Adrian's arms and urged, "Adrian, why are you standing there like a block of wood? Take Melina to your room and put some medicine on her."
Melina found herself in Adrian's embrace, her heart racing and cheeks flushing. She tried to step back, but he held her by the waist. She felt the anger radiating from his hand as he coldly commanded, "Go to the room."
"Oh..."
Before she could finish her sentence, he was already guiding her upstairs. His embrace made her heart beat faster and her cheeks burn. She felt like she was in a dangerous situation.
Once they were in the room, Adrian practically pushed her inside. She almost stumbled but managed to steady herself. He had already shut the door, his eyes dark and stormy as he approached her. She couldn’t help but take a couple of steps back and nervously whispered, "Hey, you said you don’t hit women!"
Adrian closed the distance between them, standing just centimeters away. She could hear his heartbeat and breathing, sensing his anger and frustration. Melina braced herself, eyes shut tight, ready to accept whatever was coming. "If you have to hit me, just don’t hit my face..."
Adrian’s gaze softened as he looked at her face, swollen and scratched. Her eyes were tightly shut, her lashes trembling, making her look pitiful. He reached out and gently touched her injured cheek.
Melina felt his hand near her face and flinched, opening her eyes to see his hand frozen in mid-air. "What are you doing?" she blurted out, heart pounding. Was he touching her face because he felt sorry for her?
Adrian seemed momentarily taken aback. A flicker of embarrassment crossed his face before vanishing. He withdrew his hand, his expression hardening. Leaning close, he said in a low voice, "Remember, I don’t want people thinking that Adrian's wife is a shrew."
Melina’s face flushed with shame. She understood now. He thought she got into a fight and embarrassed him. Even though their marriage was a sham, to outsiders, she was Mrs. Chambers. If she behaved poorly, it reflected badly on him and the Chambers family.
Lowering her head, she murmured, "Don’t worry, it won’t happen again."
Adrian opened a drawer and took out a first aid kit, tossing it onto the bed. "Put on some medicine and then come downstairs."
He left, and Melina sat on the bed, finally taking in Adrian’s room. It was stark in black and white, minimalist yet elegant. The bed was black, the sheets white. The floor was covered with a white wool carpet, and even the curtains were white. The floor was so polished it reflected like a mirror.
There wasn’t much furniture: two bedside tables, a desk, and an open partition that revealed a study with a piano. It was clear he preferred simplicity and avoided anything overly complicated.
She felt like she was intruding into his private world, a place she never expected to be. After applying some ointment, she went downstairs to join the family for dinner. No one asked about her face again.
After dinner, Adrian returned to his room first. Melina chatted with the elders but was eventually urged by Lauren and Nancy to go back to Adrian’s room. She felt dazed, realizing she would be sharing a room with him. Looking at the bed and the intimate space, she felt nervous, drinking glass after glass of water, her heart pounding like a drum.
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