Matthew stood by the sink, his sleeves rolled up to his arms, and his white shirt neatly tucked into his suit pants. The fabric clung to his slender legs, accentuating the contours of his hips and leading down to his crotch. With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his physique was nothing short of perfect.
Dolores glanced past his arm and noticed that he was unexpectedly washing clothes. It was Simona’s skirt, stained with vegetable soup from their meal. She had never seen him do such a task before. He always had someone to take care of his food, clothing, and shelter. When did he need to do it himself?
Yet, here he was, washing his daughter’s clothes.
It brought about a subtle feeling within Dolores. In a daze, she felt that this was what a home should be like-ordinary and warm.
Without much thought, she walked over and reached out to hug him from behind, pressing her face against his broad back. “Are you heartless or affectionate?”
The sudden embrace caused Matthew to stiffen for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. He lowered his gaze to her hands wrapped around his waist, a pleasant feeling flickering in his eyes. Suppressing his emotions, he asked, “Why do you ask?”
Dolores didn’t hold back. “I heard from Armand that Maria is locked up and won’t be able to come out for the rest of her life. And it was you who did it.”
She paused for a moment, pondering her next words. “Regardless, she was once with you. Can you really be so cruel?”
Matthew seemed to ignore Dolores’s words as he focused on washing his daughter’s clothes. It wasn’t that he hadn’t heard her; he simply didn’t want to explain himself.
He had given Maria numerous chances, but she repeatedly pushed his patience to the limit. She had deceived him and resorted to schemes and tricks. He believed her once, remembering the time she had saved him. But what had she done in return?
Dolores bit her lip, leaving deep teeth marks on her pink flesh. She hoped that Matthew would offer some explanation, to show that there was a valid reason behind his actions and that he wasn’t as ruthless as he appeared.
“Don’t you have anything to say?”
“What do you want me to say?”
Matthew turned around, unbuttoning two buttons on his shirt collar. His damp shirt clung to his skin, having become wet while bathing Simona. As he approached Dolores and looked down at her, an intense aura emanated from him, overwhelming her senses. Dolores couldn’t bring herself to meet his gaze directly; his eyes were too captivating.
Dolores’s lips moved, “Will you treat me the same way in the future with other women?”
Although his actions towards Maria were connected to her, Maria had been a part of his life. He could completely disregard their past and be ruthless toward her. What differentiated him from someone like Randolph, who abandoned his wife and children?
Having witnessed her mother’s failed marriage and her father’s ruthlessness, Dolores had always felt uncertain about romantic relationships. She was sensitive and suspicious of them.
Matthew frowned, his eyes glinting, and he locked eyes with her. “Is that how you see me? Do you believe I’m that kind of person?”
Dolores turned her gaze away. “I don’t know.”
He chuckled, a sound devoid of any decorum. Suddenly, he pushed her backward, pressing her against the wall. Before Dolores could react, his body leaned in, his firm physique pressing against her softness, their bodies flush against the wall.
She felt the coldness of the wall contrasting with the heat emanating from his body.
“What… What are you doing?”
Her nervousness and uncertainty couldn’t be concealed in her voice.
Matthew lightly kissed her forehead before moving down to capture her lips. Their mouths melded together, with no space between them. The taste of wine lingered on her lips, intoxicating but not overpowering. Their tongues entwined, the deep kiss filled with both pain and punishment.
Dolores winced, her facial features contorting in pain. She forcefully struck his shoulders with her hands. “It hurts! Let go of me… Mmm!”
Perhaps due to her intense movements, her body inadvertently brushed against his groin, and she could feel the change there. Her expression suddenly changed. “Matthew, you bastard! Let go of me!”
His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. His lips gently parted from hers, his long, thick eyelashes grazing the corner of her eyes, causing a tingling, itching sensation. Dolores trembled slightly.
He whispered by her ear, “Every time you question me, this is how I’ll punish you.”
He purposely leaned in closer, teasingly asking, “Do you think it’s fair?”
Dolores didn’t dare to move an inch, not even to take a breath. His body tensed up, and she was afraid of provoking him.
Matthew smirked, no longer toying with her. He asked softly, “Did you drink after I left?”
Dolores’s eyelashes trembled. “Wouldn’t you know?”
He arched an eyebrow, confusion evident on his face.
“Boyce and Armand seem to have noticed something off about our relationship, so they purposely made me drink…”
Matthew’s lips twitched. He pulled Dolores closer into his arms. “In the future, be kinder to me in front of them.”
If they knew that Dolores didn’t allow him to touch her, they would certainly find it amusing.
Dolores was determined to create a good living environment for the two children. Just like Matthew, she valued her privacy, especially when it came to her love life.
She realized that she had been careless earlier. Matthew was a proud man, and he would never share the details of their relationship with others.
“Okay,” Dolores agreed, understanding that they needed to portray themselves as a loving couple in front of others.
“Let’s go to bed,” Matthew said, wrapping his arms around her as they made their way to the bedroom. He didn’t make any advances, simply holding her close.
The next morning, Dolores woke up at dawn. Perhaps due to the wine from the previous night, she had slept deeply. She vaguely recalled Matthew hugging and kissing her during the night. Unable to fall back asleep, she decided to get some fresh air outside the hotel.
The corridor was quiet, everyone still fast asleep. Dolores walked carefully, trying not to disturb anyone.
As she passed Theresa’s room, the door suddenly swung open from the inside. Armand stumbled out, his suit disheveled and hair in disarray. When he saw Dolores, he hastily closed the door with a loud bang.
Dolores stood at the doorway, stunned for a moment. Why was Armand coming out of Theresa’s room?
Was she mistaken?
She looked around and confirmed that it was indeed Theresa’s room.
Armand, standing behind the door, appeared uneasy. He wondered why Dolores was out so early in the morning.
“What are you doing here? Why don’t you disappear?” Theresa’s voice came from under the blanket, her eyes red and swollen.
After everyone else left, Armand had persistently persuaded Theresa to drink with him. With no other choice, she reluctantly had a few glasses of wine. As the night went on, Armand started talking about his forced marriage.
In response, Theresa asked, “Don’t you have a girlfriend?”
That question reminded Armand of his first love, Phoebe, making his mood even worse. So, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol.
Theresa realized she had touched a sensitive topic and quickly apologized. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up something that upsets you.”
Armand smiled and took the opportunity to say, “I’ll accept your apology if you have a few more glasses of wine with me.”
In the end, they both drank too much, and Theresa couldn’t even recall how they ended up upstairs.
In the morning, they woke up naked in bed.
As adults, they understood what had happened.
Armand said he would take responsibility.
Theresa clutched the quilt tightly, her body trembling. She wanted to strangle Armand, but she forced herself to maintain composure. “We’re adults. Let’s not speak like children.”
Did they have to be tied together because of one mistake?
Moreover, she knew Armand was a playboy and completely unsuitable for marriage.
She didn’t like him either.
“It’s the 21st century, not the past. It was just a one-night stand. Let’s forget everything and pretend nothing happened,” Theresa responded calmly.
Even Armand was taken aback by her words.
He had always been a playboy, but he never took advantage of a woman without proper arrangements. He would always seek out those who required payment.
And once the deed was done, he would settle the bill, leaving no strings attached.
But this woman, Theresa, surprisingly seemed even more open-minded than him. She didn’t want him to feel responsible and asked to forget everything and pretend it never occurred.
Why did he feel so unhappy?
“It happened. I remember clearly, your arms wrapped around my neck, and you were beneath me…”
“Get out!” Theresa exploded, infuriated by Armand’s words.
Her suppressed shame erupted all at once.
She was too agitated to reason with. Armand suggested, “Let’s calm down and talk about this later.”
As he stepped out, he noticed Dolores standing by the door.
He stood behind the door, observing the turbulent “hill” of blankets. He knew that Theresa must be sobbing underneath.
No woman could simply pretend that nothing had happened after experiencing such a situation.
Armand didn’t want to hide from Dolores. He confessed that she had seen him when he opened the door.
“What?” Theresa sat up abruptly, her eyes wide with shock. If Dolores knew…
She couldn’t bear to continue that thought.
Tears streamed down her cheeks uncontrollably.
She felt humiliated and resentful.
And it was all because of Armand!
“You’ve ruined me,” Theresa choked out, hugging the quilt tightly as she buried her face in it, sobbing quietly.
Knock knock…
At that moment, there was a knock on the room door.