Chapter 24: Impression
Michael never expected Wendy to refute him in such a daring and self-righteous manner. His impression of her had always been that Wendy was submissive and obedient.
As Wendy made direct eye contact with Michael, she could not help but swallow dryly. The truth was that she felt very afraid.
Ultimately, Wendy conceded and bowed her head first. In a small voice, she whispered, "I don’t even know what you’re doing back here at midnight. You woke me up from my sleep."
The night was very quiet. Even though Wendy’s voice was very soft, Michael still heard every word she said.
Unable to hold himself back, Michael released Wendy’s arm and grabbed her chin instead. He forced her to meet his eyes again as he said, "Wendy Stewart, don’t forget that this apartment belongs to me. Do I have to pick a good time to come home?"
This apartment was a casual gift from Michael after they got married. It was a very ordinary place with two bedrooms and one living room, consisting of no more than 100 square feet.
Yvonne, on the other hand, stayed in a luxurious apartment in a high-end neighborhood of Lake City.
Even though Wendy had never visited Yvonne’s accommodation, it did not take a genius to figure out that Michael would definitely not treat the Yvonne badly.
Wendy thought, he’s right, this apartment belongs to Michael, but when has he ever treated this place like his home? I begged him endlessly to come home in the past, but he never did.
At this thought, Wendy grew curious about Michael’s motive for coming here tonight.
"Mr. Lucas, this apartment belongs to you. Naturally, you can come back whenever you want to" said Wendy. Even though there were many thoughts weighing on her mind, her words didn’t give away any of her opinions.
However, Michael perceived her response to be emotional and indicative of her displeasure.
Ever since Christian’s return and Wendy’s encounter with him at his grandmother’s birthday dinner, she had grown cold and distant. She was nothing like her old self.
Michael narrowed his eyes slightly as he studied Wendy carefully. His gaze lingered on her hands and wrists.
Wendy felt uncomfortable with his intense staring. She reached out and pulled the blanket over herself as she asked nervously, "What are you trying to do?"
Michael’s gaze made her feel like she was his prey, like she was being hunted right now. It made her feel repulsive. Her movement thoroughly angered Michael. He grabbed her blanket and tossed it onto the floor before pressing her down with his own body.
In an instant, Wendy felt her world suddenly spin. She found herself pinned down against the bed in the following second, and all she could see was Michael’s widened eyes.
She yelled in shock and pushed Michael away forcefully, "Go away! Get off me!"
"Wendy Stewart, I am your husband. As long as we have not gotten divorced, you are obligated to please me" said Michael as his eyes filled with burning rage. "Are you trying to guard your body for Christian’s sake? Don’t even dream about it!"
"Ah!" Wendy squeaked. She really wanted to struggle, but the little strength she possessed was no match for Michael’s forceful restraint.
As her lips were sealed shut by Michael’s kiss, she could not speak. And Michael did not wish to hear what she had to say.
Wendy now understood what Michael wanted to do. The pungent stench of alcohol clinging to him reminded her of what he used to do every time he returned home in a similar state. Just when Wendy shut her eyes and was about to passively accept everything that was going to happen, she suddenly thought about the baby in her belly.
She thought, right, I’m pregnant now. I cannot let Michael do whatever he wants with me anymore. My fetus is only slightly over one month old, it cannot possibly withstand this.
Perhaps her baby gave her newfound strength-Wendy made use of it and did all she could to shove Michael aside. Then, she curled up in the corner of the bed. Wendy managed to push Michael off the bed, where he landed on the floor in an embarrassing manner.
He stood up and looked at Wendy. His gaze was full of surprise.
Wendy had completely changed. No matter what he did in the past, she never rejected his advances.
The thought of Wendy doing this for Christian made Michael unable to suppress the anger that unfurled in his chest.
When Wendy saw the rage in Michael’s eyes, she stared at him fearfully. She exclaimed loudly, "Don’t come near me! Otherwise, I’ll call the Cops!"
"The cops?" Michael acted like he had just heard the funniest joke in the world as he said, "What are you going to tell them? That your husband tried to rape you?"
Wendy swallowed a mouthful of saliva. She knew that it was impossible to threaten Michael with the cops. Since Wendy could not act tough with Michael, she could only soften her tone. In a pleading manner, she said fearfully, "Michael, please just spare me this once. I really have given up on trying to make you love me, and I meant it when I said that I’m willing to give up my status as your wife to Yvonne. As long as you agree to get divorced, I’ll promise you anything."
In the past, Wendy would agree to anything as long as Michael promised not to divorce her.
Now, however, things had become the complete opposite.
Michael could not help but chuckle, "You’ll promise me anything?"
Wendy nodded her head.
"Fine. I want you to leave Christian and come back to work for me as my assistant."
When Wendy heard this, she widened her eyes. She never expected Michael to raise such a condition.
If she continued to stay by Michael’s side as his personal assistant even after their divorce, there would be no way for her to hide her pregnancy from him. And if that happened, then everything she had done would have been for nothing.
She could not agree with this request. Biting her bottom lip, Wendy shook her head. She said, "Besides this, I..."
Before Wendy could finish talking, Michael laughed coldly, "Wendy Stewart, do you know just who you are right now? You’re still my wife, but you’ve developed such an intimate relationship with Christian. If other people find out about this, do you know how damaging it will be to my reputation?"
"Not many people know about us being married in the first place," Wendy murmured.
"Do you think you can make me a cuckold just because not many people know about our relationship?" said Michael as he continued laughing, now out of anger. This was the first time he felt helpless while facing Wendy, because he did not know how to deal with her.
"That’s not what I meant," replied Wendy. She did not feel like she could adequately explain things to Michael, but that did not stop her from trying as she repeated herself, "There is nothing between me and Christian, please don’t make things up in your head."
"You protect Christian at every opportunity you get, you agreed to become his personal assistant, and you won’t even let me touch you. How can you still say that there is nothing between the two of you?"
"Michael..." Wendy knew that Michael would never believe her. He never did in the past, and now that there was such a big opportunity for a misunderstanding standing before him, it was even more unlikely that Michael would choose to believe her now.
However, Wendy still had some feelings for Michael. She said kindly, "Christian is not a simple person, he just wants to get back at you. I think you should put more thought into whatever you decide to do. Don’t end up falling into his trap."
"I know even clearer than you that Christian is not a simple person," Michael snorted. "I just never expected you to shift your affection and fall for him so quickly."
Michael always knew Wendy as a woman who would resort to all kinds of unscrupulous acts just so they could be together.
Now, however, she had changed her target. If it were anyone else but Christian, Michael could put up with it. But that was not the case.
"I just..." Before Wendy could finish her words, she shut her own mouth.
She sighed and did not continue to speak. After all, it was useless even if she tried to explain more.
"Michael, I’m telling you very seriously right now, let’s get divorced," Wendy decided to change the topic. "Even though I cannot promise to leave Christian and quit my job as his assistant right now, I only need two months. I promise you that after two months, I will disappear, and you will never see or hear from me ever again."
"Two months?" Michael snorted, "Why two months? Are you expecting Christian to marry you within two months?"
Wendy realized that talking to Michael was an extremely tedious process. She could not come clean about her true relationship with Christian. On top of that, she had to protect the baby in her belly. Moreover, Michael did not trust her in the least bit.
"Forget it, there’s no point talking about this," said Wendy weakly. "You should consider my offer to get divorced carefully. It’s late now, and I have to work tomorrow. I’d like to get some rest now."
Wendy did not understand Michael’s reluctance to get divorced.
She thought, isn’t this what he has always wanted? Even if he just wants to get back at Christian, I’m sure there are many other ways to do it. Why is he insisting on not getting divorced?
Wendy observed that Michael displayed no signs of wanting to leave. But since things between them had come to this, she guessed that Michael was probably also not in the mood to do anything else. The atmosphere between them was very awkward. It was difficult for Michael to back off, and both staying and leaving seemed inappropriate.
After giving it some thought, Wendy gathered her courage and asked boldly, "Do you want to go back to Yvonne or stay here with me?"
Just as she had expected, Michael snorted at her words and turned around to leave. Wendy knew that Michael had always hated her, especially when she took the initiative between them. She had only said those words to test him. If Michael chose to stay, she would not have known how to react as well.
Fortunately, Michael chose to leave. The result of this experiment did not bring Wendy any real happiness, because it only revealed that Michael still hated her. Even if he occasionally unleashed the beast within him, it was only so he could punish her. Wendy felt flustered when she was reminded of what would happen every time Michael chose to stay in the past.
Sighing, she whispered, "I presume that you’re very gentle with Yvonne."
Then, she smiled bitterly and shook her head.
"I’m sure you’re gentle. After all, you love her very much."
...
After Michael’s departure, Wendy spent the rest of the night in and out of sleep and in a state of grogginess. She felt exhausted the next day.
Christian was very observant. When he noticed her fatigue, he asked, "You didn’t sleep well last night?"
Wendy nodded with a calm expression on her face, "Don’t worry about it, I won’t let this affect my work. Since I’m your personal assistant now, what would you like me to do?
"Go and take a nap. I’ll let you know when it’s 12 P.M.," said Christian as he glanced at the time.
It was 9:30 A.M. in the morning, and he believed that a nap would rejuvenate her
"That’s not necessary. It’s working hours now, and..." Before Wendy could finish talking, Christian took her hand and led her into the adjacent lounge.
"I really don’t need a nap," said Wendy. She suddenly felt at a loss as she took in the simplistic furnishings around her.
In the past, Michael would always take the opportunity to squeeze her dry and bully her as much as he could. She never stopped working. This was the first time that anyone was allowing her to rest during working hours.
"You’re not allowed to leave this lounge before 12 P.M.," Christian commanded her. "This is an order."
Since Christian had made his declaration, Wendy could not continue to reject him.
Nodding, she replied sincerely, "Thank you."
It did not matter what Christian’s ultimate goal was or what he was trying to do. At least for right now, he was doing this for Wendy’s sake Wendy felt grateful.
Christian was no longer surprised to hear such words from Wendy. He used to think that Wendy was merely intelligent. Now, he had come to realize that she was also a grateful person.
Christian thought, even though she loves Michael and I knows that we’re rivals, she does not hold any personal prejudices against me because of this. Whenever I do something wrong, she isn’t afraid to scold me or to express her disdain for me. But whenever I help her out, she makes sure to thank me. It’s difficult for anyone to be able to do this.
Christian could not help but change his impression of Wendy.
