Maxime grabbed Cesilia’s hand, halting her steps toward the changing room. She initially said she wanted to go to the bathroom but disappeared for over two hours.
Of course, Maxime didn’t accept this as Cesilia daringly left without his permission. “I’ve already told you not to leave this place without my consent. Wherever you go, you must ask for permission first, or you will regret it later,” Maxime said firmly. His grip tightened as Cesilia remained silent, not responding or brushing off his words as she usually did.
This left Maxime somewhat confused by Cesilia’s response. “Wait…”
“What?” Cesilia rolled her eyes lazily. “Being silent is wrong, arguing is wrong, so what do you want?” she said, gazing at Maxime with sad and tired eyes.
“Have you been crying?” Maxime guided Cesilia to sit on a nearby sofa.
“No, I’m fine. It’s better not to interfere too much in my private affairs if you’re still stubborn with your ego,” Cesilia replied.
“I know, but you should explain what happened and why you disappeared for over two hours. When you arrived here, you looked uneasy. Before you left, you were fine, cheerful as usual, even with me always making you…” Maxime trailed off.
“You know, you know that your presence makes me uneasy. But you’re still selfish, not considering my feelings at all. It’s led to the slow destruction of my marriage, which I’ve built for six years. Your possessiveness to have me almost made me lose my husband, and you know,” Cesilia took a deep breath. “Just now, the housemaid told me that my husband asked them to deliver some spare clothes to the office. When I asked about the office’s management, they casually said my husband took a one-week leave. Imagine, one week. And I have no idea where he took his new wife.”
Cesilia explained to Maxime while trying to hold back tears. This truly hurt her since Alexander had left without informing her beforehand, and she couldn’t reach him on his phone.
She wanted to ask Meri, her mother-in-law, where her husband went, but she knew Meri wouldn’t tell her, as Meri no longer saw Cesilia as her daughter-in-law.
However, her love for Alexander would never make her give up, so she promised herself to regain Alexander’s affection as before. She could only wait for the right time or hope for Maxime’s kindness to release her, even though their contract was for the next two years.
“That’s fine then.”
Cesilia shook her head. “What did you say?”
“Well, it’s good because Alexander has learned to love his new wife. Isn’t that what you wanted, so they can have a child soon?” Maxime showed a wicked grin, confirming that the news Cesilia provided pleased him.
“I regret talking to you.” Cesilia immediately stood up and left Maxime there. She cursed herself for being too open with him.
She should have hidden the cracks in her marriage with Alexander instead of sharing them with Maxime. Of course, those cracks were a blessing and a great opportunity for Maxime to destroy it even more.
Maxime smiled, stroking his chin while thinking about how to make Alexander truly close to Casandra and stop thinking about Cesilia’s existence.
One way was to prevent Cesilia from coming home too often. Besides keeping her away from Alexander, forbidding Cesilia from coming home would ensure that she wouldn’t be touched by him. So, if there was a fetus growing in Cesilia’s womb, Maxime could be sure it was his child.
“Find out where Alexander Parkasa went immediately!” Maxime ordered someone on the other end of the call before following Cesilia’s steps to the changing room.
After this, he would accompany her for the photoshoot. Demanding as a caring lover, he would support and accompany Cesilia wherever she had to work. Despite having many tasks to complete, Cesilia’s needs were his top priority.
***
On the other side, Alexander and Casandra both looked at the kitchen and part of the living room that got wet due to the rainwater after the roof was blown away somewhere during the storm. Even though it didn’t last long, it still caused quite severe damage to the house.
“After this, I will contact someone to fix it immediately.”
“Tomorrow is fine, Sir. It’s not a problem,” Casandra rejected, not wanting to trouble Alexander as it was already getting late. “It’s better to do it tomorrow than now because the night is coming,” she added before getting up. “Sir, it’s better if we go to the room instead of staying here, we might get soaking wet.”
“No, you are already wet; we might as well stay here.” Alexander hugged Casandra close, like people seeking shelter in a hut. Both of them looked at the rain coming into the house.
Glancing briefly at Casandra, Alexander raised his eyebrows. While he was worried about another storm coming, Casandra seemed calm, as if this had happened many times before. Slapping Alexander, who had never once noticed people around him. He was always preoccupied with his throne, complaining even when faced with difficulties.
Meanwhile, Casandra’s every step was undoubtedly difficult, but she could still smile and remain calm.
“Are you cold, Sir?” Casandra asked when she noticed her husband didn’t look well. Alexander’s lips trembled, trying to hold back the cold that was starting to pierce his bones.
Putting aside all his pride and ego, Alexander nodded. “It’s cold here,” he said briefly.
“Let’s go to the bedroom. It doesn’t seem too leaky there,” pulling Alexander’s hand towards the room, even though they had to brave the rain.
Half-running, they entered the bedroom. Alexander shook off the rainwater that touched his hair.
“It’s cold here too,” hugging herself, Alexander glanced around, checking if there was anything to warm himself up. His smile widened when he saw a thin blanket at the end of the bed. Now they were in Casandra’s parents’ room, so there wouldn’t be any of his belongings there.
“You can use this, Sir!” Casandra handed him a towel. “Change your clothes first before resting.”
“Where are you going?” Alexander stopped Casandra from getting up.
“I’m going to the back room to get your spare clothes, Sir.”
Alexander shook his head. “It’s raining.”
“It’s okay. Wait here. I’ll be quick.”
“But… Cas!”
Alexander sighed heavily. It was futile to stop Casandra from leaving as she wouldn’t listen to him.
Not wanting to be seen as a husband who was not assertive towards his wife, Alexander decided to give her a little reprimand because Casandra didn’t want to listen to him.