Irene's hand that was closing the door stopped for a moment. She turned to her husband with a faint smile. "So if you make soup for a woman, you will lose your pride as a man?" she asked in a light tone.
James didn't realize the looming danger behind Irene's words. The man took off his robe and threw it on the chair. Then he threw himself onto the bed.
"It's not a matter of making soup or not! A man making soup for his wife shows that he is a good husband! But if Jean keeps on doing this…!"
Before James could finish his sentence, Irene had reopened the door to their room.
"Since you never make soup for me either, does that mean you're not a good husband?" Irene said calmly.
James immediately sat up when he heard Irene's words. He slowly turned his head towards his wife, who was smiling broadly. However, the woman's smile did not reach her eyes. It was at times like this that James knew he had spoken the wrong way and angered his wife.
"I-Irene… I'm talking about Jean, okay…? I don't mean…"
Irene did not say a word in response to James's attempts to persuade her. She just pointed towards the door with a big smile. Her message was clear, 'you can sleep in the guest room tonight.'
James slowly got out of bed and walked toward the door with unsteady steps. If Irene had gotten this angry, everything he said would only make things worse. His figure who got banished from his own room did not look like the honorable head of Widjaya Family at all.
That night, the younger couple slept happily, while the older one slept with their guilt restlessly.
*****
The next day, inside the Palace Apartments.
Inside the dark and gloomy room, there was no source of light other than a glimmer of sunshine. Its rays slipped in through the curtains, illuminating the dust particles floating in the air.
The apartment floor looked very messy. Clothes and shoes were scattered everywhere, covering the floor from the entrance to the bed. The chaos showed the madness that happened last night.
When it was about eight o'clock, Harold slowly opened his eyes. His eyelids felt heavy and his head throbbed painfully. He seemed to have drunk too much wine last night, so now he felt terrible.
It took Harold a moment to familiarize his eyes with the room's dim atmosphere. He slowly sat up while holding his head. As Harold turned his head, his gaze fell on the girl lying beside him.
The man looked at the girl he met at the club last night with a confused look mixed with surprise. The last thing he remembered from last night was drinking glass after glass of wine. As for what happened after that, Harold himself couldn't remember.
The man's gaze was fixed on the red marks that adorned the back of the girl named Michaela. He sighed and ran his fingers through her hair. His heart was racing fast, but Harold tried to force himself to remain calm.
At that moment, Harold's move made Michaela open her eyes. For a moment, their gazes met. The girl still looked drunk by the wine she drank last night.
Michaela yawned and rubbed her eyes, and only then did she realize the current situation. She caught Harold's glare at her. Michaela slowly pulled the blanket up to cover her body that was completely uncovered without a single piece of clothing.
"Brother Harold...You don't need to feel guilty," said Michaela in a hoarse voice, wet from just waking up. "I'm consented to this, so..."
Before Michaela could finish, Harold had gotten himself out of bed. The man went to the bathroom without saying a word. Michaela could only stare at his back disappearing behind the door before lowering her head. She let out a sigh of regret. Maybe she shouldn't have done this.
However, this was not the first time Michaela had done something like this. When she was accompanying Harold to drink last night, she deliberately spiked his wine with a drug. Based on Michaela's experience working in nightclubs, there were very few men who could withstand the effects.
Michaela knew she was cheating by doing this. But she liked Harold so much that she couldn't help herself. The man was handsome and also kind enough to help her when she was being bullied by guests at the nightclub. If Michaela could be with Harold, she wouldn't have to sell alcohol every night to make a living.
In the bathroom, Harold was standing in the shower. The icy cold water continued to wash his body, slowly starting to help him regain his sanity. Even so, he still couldn't remember anything about last night's events.
Harold could only remember that Lilia announced the news of her marriage last night, while he was with someone else. But what happened after that left no trace in his memory.
Harold put his hand against the wall and let the water trickle down his head. The drops of water slid from the corner of his eye, fell to the ground, and sprinkled countless droplets. The water droplets that fell hitting the floor broke into thousands of tiny pieces, just like his current mood.
Harold let out a deep breath. He was an adult and could take responsibility for his own actions. This was also not his first experience. Prior to working as a manager at Aphrodite Agency, the man had played with several women.
Ten minutes later, Harold came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. He glanced around the tidied room with a frown. The surface of the bed was arranged, and the clothes on the floor were neatly folded on the top of the bed.
The girl was still wearing the white dress from yesterday, and was looking at him carefully.
"Brother Harold..." she called hesitantly.
Harold glared at Michaela. The girl's beauty wasn't enough to match Lilia's, but her appearance gave off a pure and innocent impression.
Her long, straight black hair fell to her slender waist. Her deer-like eyes became moist and clear when she met Harold's gaze. Coupled with her white dress, Harold suddenly thought of Lilia. This girl dressed up the same way Lilia did when she was shooting for Ryan's music video.
Seconds later, he woke up from the memory buried deep in his mind. Harold took out a cigarette case from his pocket, then lit a cigarette. He exhaled the white smoke before asking in a cold voice, "Do you like me?"
Harold had worked in the entertainment industry for many years. He had dealt with many people. He only needed to observe someone's reaction to his words to know what they were thinking. Starting from last night, Michaela gave him the impression that the girl was trying to approach him and show her support.
Harold's straightforward question made Michaela blush. She wanted to express her affection implicitly, but she was too embarrassed to say it. So Michaela chose to just give a slight nod.
Harold leaned against the low cupboard by the wall looking at the girl he had brought to his apartment for the first time. The man then sneered and said, "But I don't like you!"
Harold's words made Michaela suddenly heartbroken. The girl immediately raised her pale face.
"Last night, you put something in the wine, right?" Harold said calmly.. In just one sentence, all the tricks that Michaela used had been revealed.
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