“They, so Alexander went with Casandra?”
“Of course. With whom else? Since you’re the only one here, Alexander naturally went with his new wife. Wasn’t that what you wanted, for him to have a child soon?”
“Oh, my goodness!” Cesilia massaged her temples. “So that girl has gone this far. I can’t believe it,” she lamented.
“Don’t blame Casandra because you’re the one who sold Alexander to her.”
“I only gave her money to rent her womb, not to take my husband, Ma!” Cesilia retorted, not willing to back down as Meri seemed to support Casandra as Alexander’s legitimate wife.
If this continued, Meri might one day ask Alexander to divorce Cesilia. No, that must not happen, as Cesilia was Alexander’s only wife, and there should be no other woman, especially not Casandra. She was their own housemaid. How could Cesilia let herself be outshined by a lowly and uncultured woman like Casandra?
Alexander was right; Casandra was just a village girl who had no self-awareness. Cesilia should not have pointed out Casandra, as it turned out that the quiet and naive girl had a great desire to claim her husband.
“It’s up to you to say and judge whatever you want, but the fact remains that Casandra and Alexander are on their honeymoon, so don’t disturb them. Just take care of your own affairs and pray that Alexander won’t divorce you soon because I think he can no longer stand having a wife like you-selfish, wanting to win alone, and seeking understanding but unwilling to fulfill your duties as a wife.”
“What wife comes home almost at dawn like this, even though she has a husband who always asks and begs? Ask yourself to go home soon, Cesilia. Use your shame before Alexander truly despises you.” Meri turned and went back into the room, closing the door a bit roughly to make Cesilia aware of how hurt she was by that woman.
Meri didn’t want to bother too much with Cesilia’s problems right now. What was clear was that Casandra and Alexander were getting closer. That meant they would have a grandchild soon, and Cesilia would be kicked out of Alexander’s life.
Whether it was a mistake or not, what was certain was that Meri no longer wanted to have an impolite daughter-in-law like Cesilia.
Cesilia grumbled in frustration, stomping her foot on the floor. She wanted to open the door and drag Meri out of the house. She wanted to get rid of her meddling mother-in-law who always interfered in their marriage. If only Meri wasn’t there, there would be no need for Casandra and Alexander’s marriage because all this time, it was Meri who demanded to have a grandchild. Alexander’s father never asked for anything from their marriage. As long as Alexander was happy, he would be content.
But Meri was different; she always demanded this and that, and sometimes Cesilia was tired and fed up, but she couldn’t do much because she knew Alexander deeply loved his mother.
Casandra rubbed her temple, sitting at the edge of the bed, looking around the luxurious room that Alexander had chosen for their stay tonight. It was something she never expected because Alexander’s actions were sudden and without warning. She didn’t even bring any spare clothes or anything. Now she was confused about what to do.
“So, what now?” Alexander raised both his eyebrows, intimidating Casandra, who became even more nervous when he stood before her. She couldn’t even look at his face closely. If this continued for too long, Casandra was sure her heart would leap out of her chest.
“What-what, Sir?” Nervous, Casandra couldn’t meet Alexander’s gaze, which was too close to hers. If this continued, she was afraid her heart would leap out of her chest.
“Yes, what now? What do you want to do?”
“Eat?” Casandra tried to stay composed. The impact of Alexander’s warm, mint-scented breath so close to her only made her more flustered and uncertain.
“Take a shower first before eating!” Alexander covered Casandra’s face with the small towel in his hand. “After the shower, we’ll go out for dinner.”
“Oh, okay. Fine.” Casandra sighed with relief. “Just that, right? We won’t be making a baby for Mama?”
“A baby?”
Casandra nodded. “Yes, you mentioned going on a honeymoon. Naturally, we would make a baby. Uh, I mean, have a child.”
“A child? Are you sure?”
Alexander moved closer, narrowing the distance between them.
“Y-yes… No!” Casandra quickly stepped back. Half-running away from Alexander, who was now chuckling at her antics.
It was a bit uncomfortable for Casandra to bring up the topic of having a child. Nevertheless, her antics made Alexander laugh, and despite everything, it eased the pain caused by the anonymous photo he had received earlier.
Alexander let out a long sigh, rubbing his face roughly. He couldn’t figure out what was behind the covers, but Casandra’s shoulders were clearly exposed.
He wanted to ask about it. However, since Cesilia stopped coming home and chose to spend time with Maxime, he disabled his phone after informing his mother that he and Casandra wouldn’t be coming home today.
Meri, who knew about it, was ecstatic. She was happy that Alexander was spending more time with Casandra. The more they were together, the closer their relationship would become.
At the same time, Alexander also ordered spare clothes for both him and Casandra. For Casandra’s clothes, he once again showed a picture of his wife to the shop owner to ensure the right size.
It was quite a hassle, but Alexander preferred it to Meri sending clothes that turned out to be medicines or fishing nets.
Once he confirmed the order, Alexander deactivated his phone, sitting on the edge of the bed and observing every detail in the room.
Meanwhile, Casandra appeared nervous. She wanted to stay in the bathroom but was afraid of catching a cold. She wanted to ask Alexander for a towel or a robe.
Casandra had only brought the small towel that Alexander had given her earlier. It was barely enough to cover her twins.
“Sir… Can I ask for your help?” Casandra peeked her head out through the bathroom door.
“What help do you need?” Alexander approached the bathroom door.
“Well… that… Can I borrow the towel?”
“This towel?” Alexander pointed at himself. Casandra nodded. “If I give it to you, then what should I use? Nothing at all? Do you want that?”
“N-no… But…” Alexander reached out his hand, entering the bathroom. “S-sir… I need…” Casandra stepped back and hid behind the door.
Casandra was scared because she was only wearing her underwear now.
“Don’t overthink things. There’s a small cabinet in the left corner behind the white curtain.”
Though he couldn’t see inside, Alexander knew exactly where the item Casandra was looking for was located. “Left?” Casandra looked at Alexander’s pointing finger, following his direction. Slightly off, Alexander pointed at a mirror instead.
“A mirror?”
“No. There’s a white curtain, behind that, you’ll find…” Alexander paused. His hand moved, pointing towards the sink, accidentally touching something moist and soft.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“Eh?” Casandra froze as Alexander unintentionally pointed at and pressed one of her soft twins.
“T-that… it’s a rubber duck.”
“No wonder it’s so squishy. Alright, never mind. Quickly get the towel from the small cabinet behind the white curtain. Found it?”
“Y-yes,” Casandra replied, her body frozen and weakened by Alexander’s sudden touch.