Paper Rings (English)

Chapter 17

“There’s something you need to know.”

He was about to confess the details of his mother’s scheme last night when the red-haired lady raised her hand midair to halt the words coming out of his mouth. Although he was focused on manning the wheel, her steady gaze fixated on his face made him a bit wary. 

Unknowingly, he couldn’t help but hold his breath until she leaned back and her eyes wandered away from his direction. 

Through his peripheral vision, he saw her shrugging both shoulders and heaving a sigh. He wanted to ask right off the bat what that was for, but the slight grim emerging in her visage was a clear warning not to do so.

“Let’s talk about it later when we reach home,” she said in a flat tone. 

His eyebrows gathered in. Sander was aware of how insensitive he would often come across to other people, so the man started to think back on the words he’d just said. Why did she look a bit upset? Did he say something wrong? It was another one of her mysteries that he couldn’t c***k open. 

“Is there something wrong?” Unlike earlier, she didn’t welcome his quick glances through the rearview mirror. Instead, her head was turned away to the car window. “Are you still feeling a bit hungover?” 

“I think so,” she squeezed her eyes shut, almost as if avoiding eye contact or going any further with this discussion. “Plus, you’re driving. We shouldn’t discuss important matters while you’re behind the wheel. Let’s save it for later.” 

“Okay. You can take a quick nap if you want since this will be quite a long ride.”

No response was heard from Primrose. Her eyelids remained closed, and her shoulders were lowered and loose. In every red traffic light, his eyes would shift to his wife. Her eyelashes were twitching, so he was 100% sure that the woman was faking her sleep to avoid talking to him. 

In the past, he wouldn’t care even for a little bit when his past girlfriends would act this way. Heck, some even threw tantrums, but he didn't bat an eyelash. However, dealing with Primrose Dia must’ve ingrained something strange in his nonchalant brain. He hated the fact that he couldn’t figure her out completely. 

After driving for about an hour and a half, they arrived in front of his residence. Upon glancing over his shoulder, he could now tell that Primrose was already sleeping. Well, who wouldn’t? 

He also decided not to speak and turned up melodious music to fill the deafening silence between them earlier. That tune must've brought her into a real slumber.

Although he could see Elisha already unloading their baggage from the other car, his attention still lingered back to the lovely sight beside him. There was no trace of earlier dour expression on her face, and only a peaceful small smile adorned her lips as she continued to snooze away. 

“Look at that,” he whispered to himself while shaking his head. “One second, she’s surrounded by walls. Next, she’s completely defenseless."

There it was again! He found himself unknowingly reaching to cup her cheek like he did last night. His fingertips almost brushed through her skin when he suddenly decided to pull back. There was a fuzzy emotion tingling in his limbs as if he was in the presence of someone fragile that he was so afraid of breaking.

His silent adoration was cut short when his assistant knocked on the car window. When he saw her stirring up, the man averted his gaze in an instant. He rolled down the window to revert his attention and regain his composure.

"Sir, all the baggage is already inside…." Elisha stopped speaking upon seeing the red-haired lady still with heavy-lidded eyes. "Oh, is she still sleeping? My apologies."

"N-no, no. I'm already awake." Primrose ran a hand through her face to contain her embarrassment. It seemed like she didn't expect herself to fall asleep that deeply. She brushed her fingers through her hair in panic. "I'm sorry. I guess I was a bit hungover because of all the drinking last night."

"Right," Sander pulled out a mirror from the car's dashboard and handed it over to her. "You should sleep more later after eating lunch."

"T-thanks." She took the small hand mirror from his hand and frowned as soon as she spotted sleep marks on her face. "What the heck."

He bit down a smile as he unbuckled himself from the seat. His amusement halted when he noticed Elisha darting him a teasing look. He cleared his throat and pressed his lips into a thin line.

"All your things are already in the master bedroom. I also instructed the maid to change the bed linens and add another pair of slippers and bathrobes for Mrs. Mortel." Elisha briefed them as soon as they settled in the living room of his residence. 

"Master bedroom?" The new bride asked with eyes widened. "I can stay in the guest room….” 

“Good job,” Sander tilted his head in her direction and pursed a small smile before shifting back to Elisha. “Take the rest of the day off. Just stand by for the meeting later at 6 PM. I’ll call you if I need anything else.”

“Will do that, sir. I’ll get going now.” After the Mortel Malls President nodded, the jolly assistant beamed at Primrose and winked. “Goodbye, Mrs. Mortel.” 

“B-bye. Thank you for assisting me last night and also today.”

“My pleasure.”

As soon as Elisha walked out of the scene along with other men who lifted their bags inside, the lady glanced at her husband. He welcomed her gaze as if already expecting her to say something about their room arrangement. 

“I can stay in the guest room or even the living room,” she said while standing up from her seat. “I don’t want to take up your personal space just like the last time I stayed here.” 

“It’s okay, stay in the master bedroom for a while. I’ll be a bit busy for the week because of the current situation, so I can just stay in the study for the meantime.” 

“But…” 

“There’s a recliner chair in my study, don’t worry.” He reassured her as he pulled out both hands from his pockets. “Besides, there are a few things I have to fix in the guest room, so I would be more at ease if you settle in the main bedroom for now.”

“Pardon our intrusion, sir and madame.” A virile voice interrupted Primrose’s attempt to argue. Both of them turned to the tall man with glasses. Behind him were two ladies adorned in maid uniforms. “The room is now prepped up as per Ms. Elisha’s instructions, and we’ll be serving lunch soon.” 

“Thanks, Tyler.” The Mortel Malls President looked at her. “This is Tyler. He’s the head butler of this house. The two girls behind him are Greta and Shannon. They’re my hired helpers.” 

“Nice to meet you all,” she tucked her hair behind an ear and slightly nodded her head to welcome their presence. “I hope we can all get along.” 

“Welcome home, Mr. and Mrs. Mortel. Congratulations on your wedding.” Greta, who was sporting bob-cut hair and doe-like eyes, delightfully beamed at her. “I’m a big fan of your video art podcasts back when you were still the student representative of Penelope University.” 

“Oh, that was so long ago,” she covered a hand to her mouth. Her attention diverted to Sander upon seeing the puzzled look on his face. “It was a student council project I used to be part of, and I was an Arts major.” 

“Ah, I see.” 

“Thank you for watching the podcasts, Greta.” She offered he palm for a handshake, which the maid gladly accepted. In the middle of her delight, she noticed the other girl, Shannon. Her eyes were twinkling while intently staring at her. “And you must be Shannon?” 

“A-ah, yes. I’m Shannon, Madame. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” the younger maid hurriedly replied and lowered her gaze in embarrassment.

“Same here. And all of you can just call me Rosey.” 

“That includes me, right?” the man standing beside her joined in. His eyebrows were wiggling, and the grin on his lips was obviously meant to tease her. “Rosey?”

“You’re already calling me that even without my permission, dummy.” She crossed both arms across her chest and frowned at him. “Can I call you Waddles, then?” 

“You already did,” there was a hint of mischief in his face after he winked. He didn’t give her a chance to ask what he meant as he reverted his gaze back to the house helpers. “Anyway, after the meals for the day have been prepared, you can all leave for the day. The news about the virus seems serious, so it’s better that you’re all with your families.” 

After Sander’s instructions, they all returned to the kitchen. The newly wedded couple was left in the living room. Primrose could only lick her lips wet amid the continued silence. The awkward tension between them earlier in the car seemed to have returned. 

“You can start unpacking if you want,” he suggested while bending down to pick the remote from the coffee table. He didn’t glance her way and just went on clicking the TV open. 

“O-okay. Thanks.” 

“Just in. The national government had just laid down pandemic restrictions.” The red-haired lady halted her steps toward the bedroom door upon hearing the voice of the newscaster from the television. 

“Heavier restrictions will be implemented within major operating cities starting tomorrow until the end of the following month. Health protocols must be observed at all times, so the public is still advised to stay home, and the private working sectors are encouraged to implement work-from-home setups to avoid further spread of the virus.” 

That announcement made Primrose glance over her shoulder. To her surprise, her husband was already looking back at her. A month and a half in this house, with this man. She thought and swallowed hard. 

“Should I call Elisha and ask her to pick up your painting materials from your studio?” Right then, she knew that they were thinking the same thing. “I think this whole situation is really going to take a while, so….” 

“We ought to get used to one another,” she said in chorus with him. Her fingers skimmed through her jaw as she took a quick exhale through her nose. “Sure, I’d appreciate that. Thank you.”

As soon as she finished taking a shower, Primrose started to feel a little sleepy. She decided to take a short nap before lunch was served, but her sleepiness was too persistent. When her eyelids fluttered open, the sight of the sunset greeted her through the bedroom window. 

“Ah, I’m hungry,” she frowned and tilted her head around the empty bedroom. 

As she bounces up from the bed, her eyes caught the sight of the small table near her bedside. On the tabletop was a bowl of minestrone soup along with a rainbow salad wrap. She couldn’t help but smile out of gratefulness for the helpers that Sander had introduced earlier. How thoughtful of them not to wake her and even bring her food to bed.

“Did he eat already?” she wondered while gazing at her reflection in the mirror. 

The living room was silent when she decided to step out of the bedroom. All lights were on, but there was no sight of Tyler, Greta, or Shannon anywhere. Primrose rubbed her arms and pouted. She hoped that someone could join her to eat as the lady wasn’t used to eating alone. 

She gaped at the floor standing wall clock, only five minutes before six in the evening. Unknowingly, her eyes lingered in the direction of the study room where Sander was probably in. 

“His meeting probably started already,” she sighed and fiddled with the tip of her hair. The recollection of what happened in the car brought a sour taste to her mouth. She ruffled her hair in frustration. “Why did you have to be so mean to him, Rosey?” 

Before she knew it, her feet already brought her in front of the study room. She was pacing back and forth, debating if she should knock or just sleep her hunger away until his meeting finished. Her feet were in the middle of turning back to the bedroom when the study room opened its door.  

“Oh, you’re awake,” Sander’s lips pursed a small smile. “What are you doing in front of the study? Do you need something?” 

It took a while before she was able to regain her discernment. Her palm crawled to her nape while tapping her heel on the floor. She couldn’t stare directly at the man, so her eyes settled on the collar of his shirt to hide her discomposure. 

“N-nothing,” she cleared her throat. “I was just wondering if you already ate?”

“I have a quick meeting in a bit, so I might eat until that’s finished.” His thick-set eyebrows furrowed as he scanned her visage. “How about you? Did you eat the food I left in the room?”

“Not yet. I was hoping we could….” Primrose paused and pressed her lips into a thin line. “Nevermind.” 

Her attempt to step away was interrupted with his hand grabbing her wrist. When their eyes connected, his intense gaze contained drops of curiosity. She could tell from his titling head that he was about to speak queries she’d find a hard time answering. 

“Are you still upset?” There it was, the question she has no answer for. What was she upset about anyway?

“W-what are you talking about?” she tried to dispel the topic and pull her hand back. However, the man didn’t let her go. “Go back inside. You’ll be late for your meeting.” 

“They can wait.” 

“W-what?” 

His mouth slowly formed into a playful grin. “How can I go if my wife is upset?” 

“I’m not upset. Why would I be upset?” she managed to say despite the rising of heat in her cheeks. Sander’s teasing face plucked her nerves, and now all she wanted to do was scowl at him. She looked down at the wrist he was holding and gritted her teeth. “I thought you wouldn’t do anything not indicated in our agreement, so why are you grabbing me all of a sudden?” 

In his eyes gleamed an inner light as the grin on his face only got wider. His grip on her wrist loosened until he finally let it go upon failing to contain a low snort from his mouth. 

Her brows furrowed following his reaction, “why are you laughing?” 

“Nothing,” he shook his head repeatedly. “I’ll wrap the meeting fast. Give me around thirty to forty-five minutes. Let’s eat together.” 

“You’re busy. You don’t have to eat with me….”

Everything stood still when his fingers skimmed through the bits of hair covering her forehead. It was like her surroundings turn in slow motion. She wanted to gasp for air, but her pride wouldn’t let her. So she just held her breath until he started to speak again. 

“Forty-five minutes, okay?” 

The lady had no chance to disagree. His eyes squinted in mischief before he turned his back from her and went back inside the study. She remained standing there like her feet were nailed to the ground. 

Her hand reached for her cheek as she mumbled the words, “What the hell is happening with you, Primrose Dia?”