Dolores was left speechless.
She attempted to remove his leg, but he was too heavy.
Escape seemed impossible.
Resigned, Dolores stopped struggling. She turned around and reached for the telephone on the bedside table. Fortunately, it was within her reach.
Dialing the reception desk, she requested, “Hi, could you please fetch me a set of clothes from the mall? I’ll reimburse you later.”
“Of course. May I know your size?”
“S.”
“Alright.”
Before Dolores could end the call, the receptionist asked, “May I have your room number? We’ll deliver it to you.”
“…”
“Room 88,” a masculine voice interjected from behind.
Dolores turned to find Matthew staring at her.
Since when did he wake up?
“Room 88,” Dolores informed the receptionist.
“Alright.”
Ending the call, Dolores placed the telephone back on the bedside table.
“When did you wake up?”
Had he seen her naked just now?
Matthew smiled innocently, feigning ignorance. “Just now.”
Dolores felt a wave of relief. She wrapped herself tightly in the blanket and inquired, “Aren’t you getting up?”
Matthew turned to face her, propping his head up with one hand while his other arm rested on Dolores. “Why?”
Dolores turned away. “Nothing.”
She had spoken so clearly earlier. How could he have missed it? He was intentionally toying with her. She had caught on to his little game.
Dolores didn’t dare to rise from the bed before Matthew. All she could do was lie there and wait for the clothes to arrive.
After about thirty minutes, the doorbell rang.
Dolores felt as though a lifeline had been thrown to her. “Could you please answer the door?”
Matthew remained lying on the bed, inching closer to her and keeping the towel beneath him. “Why don’t you go?”
“…”
Matthew smiled mischievously. “I could go.”
Dolores stared at him, waiting for him to finish his sentence.
Matthew leaned closer to Dolores, his gaze meeting hers. “If you kiss me, I’ll go.”
“…”
Matthew grinned. “No? That’s alright. I have nothing planned today, no appointments whatsoever. I could take a day off.”
“…”
Dolores hadn’t returned home the entire night. She didn’t want to spend another minute in this situation.
After some contemplation, Dolores uttered slowly, “You… close your eyes.”
“Alright.”
Matthew closed his eyes, revealing his long, curly eyelashes.
Dolores gazed at his eyelashes and couldn’t help but think how similar they looked to Samuel’s.
At times, she couldn’t help but feel envious.
She hadn’t expected Matthew’s eyelashes to be so long and curly.
Trying to maintain her composure, Dolores instructed, “Don’t open your eyes.”
“Okay.”
Enveloped in the blanket, Dolores cautiously approached Matthew. His skin was smooth, and she could even see the fine hair on his face. Dolores closed her eyes and gently kissed his lips.
“…”
Matthew opened his eyes. The kiss had been fleeting.
She had pulled away before he could savor it.
“You promised,” Dolores bit her lip, fearing he would make further demands.
Matthew sighed. When would she willingly kiss him?
He got up and straightened the blanket for Dolores, then made his way to the door.
Abbot stood outside when the door swung open, holding a bag of clothes. “The reception gave me this when I passed by. I’ve already paid for it.”
Curiosity gleamed in Abbot’s eyes as he tried to peek into the room. He wondered about the identity of the woman inside.
When had Matthew become so unrestrained?
Their encounter last night must have been wild for her to need an entire new outfit.
Matthew grew impatient, furrowing his brow as he asked coldly, “Have you seen enough?”
Abbot quickly averted his gaze from the room, but his curiosity still lingered. He couldn’t help but inquire, “Who’s in there?”
“Since when did you have the right to question my personal life?”
Abbot smiled. “I thought it might be Ms. Flores.”
Everyone knew who Matthew was interested in.
Dolores was the one captivating his attention now.
“Here are the clothes, along with the car key,” Abbot handed everything to Matthew. Matthew then asked, “Did you find out what I asked you to investigate?”
Matthew was concerned that someone might harm Dolores, worried that someone might succeed.
He didn’t dare to consider what would happen next.
He couldn’t bear it.
“Do it as soon as possible. Also, find out what Maria has been up to lately.” Once he calmed down, Matthew thought things through. Dolores had just returned. She couldn’t possibly have any enemies.
The only person who might want to harm Dolores was Maria.
She better be innocent this time.
Otherwise, Matthew would seek revenge on Dolores’s behalf!
“Alright,” Abbot glanced at his watch. “I have an appointment there at 7:30.”
“You should leave now.”
Matthew shut the door.
Approaching the bed, he handed the clothes and the car key to Dolores.
Dolores was stunned. She lifted her head and looked at Matthew. “This is…”
“I thought you liked it,” Matthew replied calmly, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
Dolores had expressed her desire to buy the car, not because she had a particular fondness for it, but because she needed it for transportation. She never expected that Matthew would remember Terry’s casual mention of it.
“I’ll pay you back,” Dolores said, taking the car key from him.
“Don’t talk about money with me,” Matthew said, lowering his gaze and looking into Dolores’ eyes. “I don’t need the money. Well, give me one more kiss as payment for the car.”
Dolores pushed him away gently. “Don’t be silly. Go get dressed.”
Matthew took a step back, his hand reaching out to caress Dolores’ hair. “You’re my wife. Isn’t it a husband’s responsibility to buy his wife a car?”
The word “husband” caught Dolores off guard, almost causing her to choke on her own saliva. She dared not mention money again after that.
“I’ll go take a shower,” Matthew said, grabbing a clean shirt from the wardrobe and heading towards the bathroom. He hadn’t showered last night because he fell asleep while hugging Dolores. He felt uncomfortable and wanted to freshen up.
He also wanted to give Dolores some space. He knew she wouldn’t be comfortable getting dressed in front of him.
Dolores sat on the bed, still wrapped in the blanket, looking at the closed bathroom door. She held the car key in her hand. Although Matthew’s actions made her feel disrespected, he had never crossed any boundaries with her.
For instance, last night, he sensed the atmosphere but never pushed her.
He even remembered a casual conversation they had.
His kiss had been tender.
Dolores felt conflicted.
She wiped away her tears.
In contrast, Samuel, whom she had always trusted and respected, had behaved shamelessly towards her.
Once Dolores finished getting dressed, Matthew had also finished tidying up. They walked out of the room together.
The car was parked in the hotel parking area.
Matthew sat in the passenger seat and commented, “This is my first time sitting in your car.”
Dolores glanced at him. “Are you sure you don’t want to drive?”
Matthew remained silent, buckling up his seatbelt as a response.
Dolores started the engine, and they drove off.
The journey was quiet. Both of them were lost in their own thoughts, refraining from speaking to each other.
When they arrived at Dolores’ place, she unbuckled her seatbelt and said, “I need to check on them first. Then we can go for lunch.”
She hadn’t returned home the whole night, and she was worried about her children.
She had never spent the night away from home before.
“Okay,” Matthew replied, staying put in the passenger seat.
Matthew watched as Dolores entered the building. Then he reclined his seat, gazing in the direction of her unit.
Knock, knock.
Someone tapped on the car window. Matthew turned around and saw a small hand.
Lowering the car window, he saw a little boy standing by the car door. The boy looked up and asked, “Were you with my mom last night?”
Before Matthew could respond, Samuel shouted, “Pervert!”
“…”
Samuel’s anger flared up every time he saw Matthew.
What had Matthew done to make Samuel hate him so intensely?
“I think we need to talk,” Matthew raised an eyebrow. Samuel’s attitude could significantly impact Dolores’ relationship with him.
After all, Dolores cared deeply about Samuel.
“I won’t talk to you. I’ll help Mom find another guy. Someone richer and better-looking,” Samuel retorted angrily, his frustration evident as he remembered how Matthew had left them.
He felt an overwhelming desire to bite him.
Matthew opened the car door and stepped out.
“Kid…”
Matthew’s phone buzzed in his pocket. Retrieving it, he saw that Abbot had sent him a video.