Paper Rings (English)

Chapter 26

“So, you’re saying it’s been years since you last painted?” Primrose arched an eyebrow while scanning the canvas Sander was dabbing paint on. When the man tilted his head to meet her confused gaze, a mischievous smirk crept his lips. “You lied, didn’t you?”

He placed the brush down and blinked. “Lied? About what?”

“You said the last time you painted was when you’re still a teenager.”

“Yes. And I also said I’m familiar with the process, didn’t I?”

The red-haired lady pouted before scooting down right beside him. Her eyes returned to the picture where both of them were painted sleeping on a couch with Snowflake in between them. It was almost done. All she had to do was put some details to make it appear according to her style.

It has been five straight days since they started working on this, along with his strange condition of having both their faces on the canvas. And while she agreed that it was a great strategy to attract donations for Winter Galleria’s cause, the real intention behind his suggestion remained a mystery for her.

“Why did you want both our faces in this painting?”

She didn’t beat around the bush. In fact, she has been asking this since the day he suggested it. But her husband seemed evasive.

Even though she wasn’t facing his way, all her being could feel that the dashing man’s gaze was solely pinned on her. Her hand reached for the paintbrush, attempting to divert his attention. However, his eyes stayed on her.

“Wanna take a guess this time?”

She heaved a sigh and darted an annoyed look in his direction. “How can I possibly tell what you’re thinking? I’m not some kind of psychic who reads minds and rides broomsticks."

"Oh, trust me. You're good at that," the tip of his mouth twitched into a wider smile. It made her eyebrows gather, so Sander cleared his throat almost immediately. "Reading my mind, I mean. Not riding a broomstick…."

"You wanted to prove something to your Ex," she cut him off.

Her sudden answer brought silence to the four-cornered room. It was part of the silent thoughts she didn't know she would be able to say. That suspicion was playing at the back of her mind for a few days, but the hesitation in mentioning it seemed to vanish today.

On the other hand, Sander Mortel appeared unfazed despite her brave query. Not a single waver or mouth twitch happened in his visage, and it was as if he was expecting her to ask that.

“Has it ever occurred to you that I might be doing this to prove something to my wife rather than someone I’m not associated with for years?”

He said it in a casual and unimposing tone, but it rendered Primrose almost speechless. In an attempt to hide the strange emotion emerging on her face, she lowered her gaze to the ground and bit her lower lip. She found herself cupping her nape unknowingly, suddenly shy to follow through her brave facade.

“Why would you want to prove something to me,” she whispered.

“Because I refuse to let her pop out of our conversation so naturally.” He snatched the brush from her hand, making them lock gazes. “But of course, I can’t take her out of the equation if you still have worries about her.”

“W-worries? I’m not worried about her.”

“Right,” he shot her with the same bemused smile she used when Sydney arrived days ago. “Let’s just say it’s me.”

“You’re surprisingly irritating. Has anybody told you that?”

“Has anybody told you that you’re adorable when you sulk like that?”

“N-no,” she rolled her eyes at him and folded both arms across her chest. “But I wouldn’t be surprised that you find me so amusing. You even kissed me.”

Did she intend to say that? Obviously not. But her mouth has the tendency to betray her from time to time, so all she could do was be bold about it.

The man didn’t need to say anything. His slightly open lips already gave away the fact that he was taken aback.

“What? You don’t want that kiss to pop in our conversation as well?”

Because he didn’t respond right away, the silence between them was slowly making Primrose uncomfortable. Before she could mouth another retaliation to brush the awkwardness in the air, a peal of low laughter emerged from her husband’s throat.

Far from his usual condescending smirk, that pleasing sound that radiated genuine delight was music to her ears. Although it made her brows furrow, she couldn’t find it in herself to be completely annoyed with him.

“You’re right,” he said while tracing fingers through his jaw. The trace of amusement was still apparent on his visage. “It’s hard not to cross the line when there’s a constant delightful presence around you.”

“You say things like that so easily….” she paused for a while. “....as if you really meant it.”

She was about to stand up when his hand reached for her wrist. Upon glancing back at him, her lips were engulfed with his. It was soft and inviting, as if pulling her in for more. Unlike the first one, where she was tense, her hand found its way to his broad chest.

She unknowingly tugged his collar as the kiss deepened. Her eyelids were tightly shut, but the tingling in her limbs was comparable to seeing fireworks up close. Full of wonders and heart fluttering.

“Do you still think I don’t mean it?” he asked as soon as the continuous parting of their mouths halted.

As her eyes fluttered open, her sight was welcomed with his soft and inquiring gaze. All she could do was hold her breath, still dazed with their closeness. The lady wanted to say something clever to lift the tension away, but her mind was up in the clouds—blank and calm.

“I….” she pressed her mouth into a thin line and ran a hand through the strands of her red hair. “I have to cook lunch. Sydney must be hungry.”

Her attempt to immediately escape the situation made her forget that her wrist was still held captive by Sander. When he didn’t let go, she darted a pleading look in his direction. The pounding of her chest was unbearable. She felt that as long as she was in his presence, it would burst in no time, and her heart would jump out of her ribcage.

“I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable, but I’ll apologize for nothing else.”

She dabbed the back of her hand to her reddening cheek and looked away. “I’m not uncomfortable, just surprised. You keep initiating it when we’re clearly not supposed to be doing this.”

“Did it make you feel displeased?”

“No, it’s not like that.” This time, she placed a palm across her face to hide her erupting emotions. She felt conflicted, but she was sure it was more of confusion to her feelings rather than the displeasure he spoke of. “I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry.”

As a small smile spread through his lips, the grip on her wrist also loosened. Just when Primrose thought he would lean in, Sander tucked her hair behind an ear.

“It’s okay. There’s no rush. You can think about it.”

The moment she stepped out of the bedroom and shut the door behind her, a deep sigh emerged in her mouth. Was it out of relief? Maybe. She held a hand to her chest to feel the heavy drumming of her heart. When her eyes shut, the counts of the kiss played at the back of her head.

“What are you doing there?” Sydney’s voice brought her discernment back to reality. The youngest Mortel had a furrowed brow while scanning her visage. “Are you sick or something? Her face is glowing so red.”

“N-no, no. It must be the weather.”

“Really? It’s not that hot today.”

She shrugged her shoulders and walked to the direction of the kitchen. “Are you hungry? Just give me half an hour. I’ll whip something real quick.”

“Do what you want,” the blonde lady replied unenthusiastically. Her gaze shifted in the direction of their bedroom. “How about Sander? Is he not going to help his precious wife cook lunch?”

“He’s a bit busy with the painting. Let’s just let him be for now.”

“That man surely doesn’t know when to rest,” Sydney stride to the kitchen as well, watching her pull out ingredients from the refrigerator. “Considering how he’s still managing the company from the sidelines.”

Primrose halted and met with the blonde woman’s gaze. “I thought he already handed his position over to you?”

“Technically, he did. But with the company struggling over the pandemic and the shift, he can possibly leave right away even if he wanted to.”

“The company is struggling?”

It was news to her, especially because there wasn’t word of mouth going around, and both siblings didn’t show it despite living together under one roof.

“Well, not financially.” Sander’s younger sister had a defeated look on her face that followed a long sigh. “The board just trusts my brother so much, and his sudden departure and marriage to you seem to bother them.”

“It’s because of my father, isn’t it?”

She didn’t need to hear anything. The answer was written all over her face. Although hearing about Wilson Dia put a sour taste to her mouth, she managed to get her head back to cooking.

"Do you really need to go to New Caledonia?"

Sydney's voice made it clear that it wasn't a question. Rather than that, there was an earnest plea flashing through her eyes.

Her jaw tightened as she continued to slice the potatoes into cubes on the chopping board. The sound of knife tearing through the vegetable filled the unnerving silence between them.

"I'm not the only one who wants to settle in New Caledonia, Sydney."

"My brother is not that complex," the youngest Mortel immediately followed through. "And I know you're not as clueless as I thought you'd be. We both know that if you change your mind about migrating, Sander would stay. From what I see now, he'll be wherever you are."

Hearing those words from the younger sister her husband treasured so much brought a pang of guilt to her system. Part of her was relieved that the man wasn't here to hear that because she could already imagine the pain in his eyes.

"You're unbelievably selfish, Sydney."

"What?" Her eyes widened, as if unsure with the bitter words she just spouted.

"Did you know that Sander would defend you every time someone in your family would belittle your ability to run the company?" She placed the kitchen knife down the counter. "And now you're describing him as if he's someone who doesn't make his own decisions?"

"Don't speak like you know so much about him. How long have you known my brother, anyway?" Sydney smirked and folded both arms. "You must think you got him wrapped around your finger. But let me tell you, there's a high chance that you're the one getting played with."

"That's for me to figure out, I don't need your warning." She huffed and shook her head in disappointment. With her recent encounters with Sydney, she obviously didn't expect her to act like this. "Whether Sander wants to fly to New Caledonia or not, that's also for him to decide."

"Even if you know that staying would be better for him than leaving?"

"You're not the one to decide what's good and what's bad for him. You should stop before you turn like Sandra who likes keeping tabs with your brother's every move...."

Her words were interrupted with a slap that almost made her jaw bounce out. There was an instant hint of swelling in her cheek, so she automatically reached for it. When she glanced across the kitchen counter, the youngest of the Mortel household was already standing in front of her.

A kiss and a slap, all in one day? Primrose almost wanted to laugh at the ridiculous situation. While she wasn't one who liked confrontations like these, the thread of her patience already snapped.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Sander's domineering voice rang in the entire house before she could mouth anything. He marched from the bedroom doorstep to her side and scanned her swollen cheek.

"Are you alright?"

Considering the hard-rock expression on his visage, she could already guess that the man saw and heard everything. At this time, all she could do was nod to ease the anger budding in his pair of eyes.

"Pack your bags," he tilted his head to look at his younger sister. "You're getting out of my house. Now."