Elisa sat obediently on the sofa, her head hanging low, her hands touching a warm cup of water, steam swirling towards her face, her nose slightly red, and her jet-black eyelashes with a hint of moisture.
“Do you want to take a bath first?” Louis asked.
Upon hearing Louis’ question, Elisa raised her head. Her eyes, as if washed with clear water, reflected Louis’ tense face, clean and pure without any impurities.
“Don’t get me wrong, I just noticed your hair was wet. Taking a bath will prevent you from catching a cold, and it will be more comfortable to sleep at night,” he hurriedly explained, resembling Autumn, the fool. Elisa looked at the canine teeth in his mouth absentmindedly.
“I didn’t misunderstand, but I wonder where your thoughts wandered,” Elisa said teasingly. “Big movie star, you still haven’t answered my question. Why does your face turn red when you look at me? Have you never been nice to a girl before?”
Louis sincerely replied, “No, only to you.”
He had previously scoffed at “love at first sight,” considering it as shallow, but ever since he saw Elisa at the airport, he suddenly understood the term. Love at first sight, an eternal moment, as if he had met Elisa a long, long time ago. At that moment, he knew he couldn’t be without her.
In life, there is always someone unexpectedly appearing to disrupt all your plans.
Louis stared at Elisa intensely, this time she was the one to avert her gaze.
“Maybe I don’t mind,” she said.
“Maybe it’s me who minds. I don’t like seeing those people insulting you. If those people who insult you appear in front of me, I might…” he trailed off, possibly indicating he might want to harm them.
Deep within Louis’ soul, there was a demon locked away. This demon was usually quiet, but when it came to anything related to Elisa, it would go crazy. He had to desperately suppress it, fearing it might scare her.
“You go take a hot bath, I’ll prepare dinner. What would you like to eat?” Louis suggested.
Elisa was still immersed in Louis’ unfinished words and was now being interrupted by him, feeling somewhat strange.
“You can cook?” she asked.
“Of course, nowadays, a man who can’t cook won’t be able to find a wife.”
Elisa chuckled; her sense of humor was peculiar. “I’m not picky. Just make whatever you want.”
“I’ll see what ingredients are in the fridge later. First, I’ll find you some clothes.” Thankfully, there were many spare clothes here. He found a clean white shirt and his shorts for Elisa.
“You can wear my clothes for now. I’ll have someone go to the store to buy some women’s clothes for you. Send me your size later.” His ears twitched.
Elisa noticed the clothes he handed her were all brand new, with the tags still on.
She followed behind Louis, listening to his constant chattering. His ears kept moving, turning red like candied haws, making her want to lean over and take a bite.
At the bathroom door, Louis stopped and pointed to a blue bottle inside, “That’s body wash. Turn the hot water switch to the left… If you need anything, you can call me.”
Louis appeared reserved, like a teenager experiencing first love, tentative and ambiguous, trying to figure things out.
“Thank you, big movie star,” Elisa said as she took the clothes with her into the bathroom, placing her hand on the doorknob. She blinked at Louis and then closed the door.
Louis stood outside the door, lost in the moment, still caught up in Elisa’s blink.
Soon, the sound of running water came from inside, snapping Louis back to reality. He went to the kitchen, not to check for ingredients, but to put his head into the fridge to dispel the warmth on his face.
Damn, he suspected Elisa was seducing him.
Once the steam had dissipated, Louis inspected the ingredients in the fridge. Thankfully, the cleaning lady had prepared a variety of ingredients in advance, so there were many dishes he could make.
Louis searched for Elisa’s information on his phone. Artists usually had a brief introduction and their interests and hobbies online. Elisa’s profile was sparse, with blank sections for her interests and favorite foods.
Louis wasn’t particularly patient in life. He was meticulous in his work but casual in his personal life. However, when he was with Elisa, he didn’t want to be casual at all.
Louis called the hotel to inquire about the type of dishes Elisa usually ordered. The conclusion was that Elisa loved spicy food.
After cooking, Louis started preparing the ingredients. He took out all the spicy ingredients from the fridge, washed and cut them, ready to stir-fry them when Elisa finished her bath.
…
Louis’ phone, which he kept in his pocket, suddenly vibrated. He had set Elisa’s number as a special contact, so the ringtone for her calls and messages was different from others.
As soon as he heard the message tone, he knew it was from Elisa. He hurriedly set down the knife in his hand and, without even wiping his wet hands, reached into his pocket to retrieve his phone.
Water droplets from his hand fell onto the screen as he frantically wiped it, then he read the message. It was Elisa sending him her bra size.
He stared blankly at the size, feeling not just heat in his ears, but his nose warming up as well.
All the staff around Louis were men, and he didn’t want to share this crucial information with them. Fortunately, he could just order the items directly online from the store.
Leaning against the kitchen wall, Louis held the phone in both hands, opened the shopping app, and went directly to the lingerie store. He had never picked out lingerie for a girl before, and for a moment, it felt like he was entering a whole new world. As he looked at the myriad of styles, images of Elisa wearing them involuntarily flashed across his mind.
If there were a mental police living in his mind, judging by the frequency of his “crime,” he might be looking at a life sentence.
Louis blushed as he selected a few conservative styles and added them to his cart. He also picked out a few sets of casual clothes for Elisa. In total, it came to a hundred thousand dollars.
After completing the purchase, he just needed to have his assistant pick them up from the store and bring them over.
Not long after he finished the transaction, Louis heard a knock at the door. He was taken aback. Could the delivery be this fast?
Louis didn’t dwell on it and assumed it was just the building’s staff. He walked to the door and glanced at the monitor first.
Two men stood outside, a bit blurry. He adjusted the monitor, and suddenly, one of the men looked up directly at the camera. They locked eyes through the door.
How could it be him?
Louis regarded Hamish with inexplicable hostility. He had visited the Burns family only a few times over the past few years, and he probably hadn’t seen Hamish more than five times.
Louis couldn’t understand why he had come here. It couldn’t be because of cousinly affection; the relationship between their families was far from amicable, let alone friendly enough for an unexpected visit.
He watched the video feed as Hamish raised his hand to ring the doorbell.
This time, the doorbell was much more urgent, causing Louis a headache, much like a life-or-death emergency bell in a hospital.
Despite their strained relationship, it wasn’t enough to keep someone out. Louis also wanted to know why Hamish had come here.
He opened the door and confronted him directly, “What are you doing here?”
“Where’s Elisa? Is she here? I want to see her,” Hamish demanded.
A surge of hostility rose in Louis as he watched Hamish. He eyed him warily, ready to send him away at any moment. “How do you know she’s here? Besides, what does she have to do with you being here at my place? Do you know her?” With one hand still on the door handle, he was prepared to close the door at any moment. For some reason, hearing the name “Elisa” from Hamish made him feel particularly irritated.
Hamish was damp with moisture, having rushed over here just to see Elisa, an intact Elisa. No one knew how anxious he felt, especially knowing that Elisa was in the room behind Louis, and that she and Louis were alone together. It was driving him mad.
His eyes reddened, and his heart felt like it harbored a restless cat, scratching and clawing inside him, the pain spreading through every corner of his body. His lips trembled with pain.
Hamish had always been composed, but as soon as Elisa was mentioned, his composure was shattered.
“I…” Hamish started, but before he could speak, they heard a commotion from inside.
“Big movie star, who are you talking to?” Elisa’s familiar voice reached them, causing Hamish to tremble. He gripped the handle on his thigh, his body stiffening as he stood at the door, watching Elisa gradually appear in his line of sight.