As a husband, Alexander wanted to defend Casandra, who was truly blameless in all of this. He had accepted Cesilia’s offer because he needed money for her father’s treatment, her siblings’ education, and their living expenses, which would undoubtedly increase over time. However, it needs to be emphasized once again that Casandra never begged or offered herself. Cesilia herself asked, even begged, as if forcing Casandra to be Alexander’s second wife. So it’s not fair for Casandra to be blamed.
Alexander was right; Cesilia should reconsider and improve herself so she wouldn’t be fully replaced by her own maid.
“So, have you made up your mind to make Casandra your wife? That means there won’t be a divorce between you two in two years?” Cesilia asked softly, barely audible as her heart was so tight, imagining that she would always be together with Casandra as Alexander’s wife. That meant she would have a mistress for the rest of her life.
“I don’t know; it depends on your attitude towards me. If there’s no change and Casandra gives me everything I need, then without a doubt, your presence might vanish from my heart, Cesilia,” Alexander honestly expressed based on his experience and feelings as Casandra’s husband for the past few days.
During his marriage to Cesilia, Alexander never felt complete love, even though she took care of all his needs. Cesilia only gave him a few hours in a day, and she never wanted to take him on vacations like now. Despite all the obstacles and injustices, Alexander was very happy to go through these unique days with Casandra. This was the first time he wanted to have a honeymoon, but faced so many obstacles, from sudden mice appearances to a flying roof. Only last night, everything was finally settled.
And it truly felt like an award for all his patience during this time. “I will never accept having a mistress like Casandra!”
“That’s why you should act as a true wife!” Alexander said before unilaterally ending the call.
Alexander was sure that if the call remained connected, he would hear Cesilia’s foul words, and the farther she felt from him.
Not wanting Cesilia to disturb his activities while in the village, which Alexander estimated to stay for about five more days, he decided to temporarily block Cesilia’s phone number. As a boss, he needed to monitor the company, which was now under Robert’s control. Before blocking Cesilia, Alexander made it clear to his wife not to take a day off for the next five days because he would be back in about six days.
Alexander asked Cesilia to finish her work first, so she could take time off when he returned later. Frustrated with the incoming message from Alexander, she wanted to fire back and reply. However, Cesilia couldn’t reply because the message she sent to Alexander only had a single tick, and his profile picture had disappeared. Cesilia realized that her husband had blocked her from his phone.
Once he was done dealing with Cesilia, Alexander contacted Robert again to make sure all the instructions had been executed properly. “So, you really need ten people to go to the village?” Robert asked on the other end of the call as soon as he connected with Alexander.
“Of course. I want everything to be finished before we return to the city. Or at least, there should be a rough idea of how the house will be renovated,” replied Alexander, glancing at the room where he and Casandra spent the night. There were no signs of his wife waking up, even though the sun had started to peek through the curtains.
“Oh, by the way, Alex, I’ve located some building supply stores, and luckily, there’s one located in the village. The prices there are quite different from the city, but considering your location is far from the main roads, you’ll need a lot of transportation costs. If you calculate it all, the difference is not that significant. It’s better to get the building materials there so you can quickly check the location and see what materials you want,” Robert explained while checking the notes he gathered from Alexander’s requests during their stay in the village.
“Just arrange it,” Alexander concluded. He ended the call with Robert without saying goodbye because he noticed Casandra coming out of the room.
“Come here!” Alexander patted the empty space beside him, on an old and decrepit wooden chair.
“I thought, where is the master,” Casandra replied, walking slowly towards Alexander. Honestly, she wanted to run and hug her husband. Unfortunately, her thighs wouldn’t allow it. She dragged her steps with a little difficulty to meet Alexander.
“Why, still in pain?” Alexander asked, reaching for Casandra’s hand once she was close to him.
Casandra nodded, “but not as painful as when I urinated earlier,” she replied. Instead of sitting next to Alexander, he guided Casandra to sit on his lap. He tidied up Casandra’s tangled hair and took the hair tie that was looped around her wrist.
Casually, he tied her hair and smiled. “You look beautiful even when you just wake up.”
“Please don’t…” Casandra’s words were interrupted as Alexander placed his index finger on her lips.
“Don’t call me ‘Mister’ anymore, I am your husband. Haven’t we discussed this many times? We even talked about it earlier this morning, didn’t we?” Alexander responded.
Casandra’s cheeks blushed, she nodded, acknowledging what he said. “Then, what should I call you?”
“Try calling me ‘Alexander’.”
“Alright.” Alexander pinched Casandra’s slightly upturned nose. “Hmm… so, has the vegetable seller arrived, Lex?”
Alexander shook his head. “No one has come yet. Let’s have breakfast outside and do some shopping before the workers sent by Robert arrive.”
“Workers sent by Robert?”
“Yes, Robert’s representatives from the city to fix all the damages. Also, do some minor renovations.”
***
“What’s wrong?” Maxime hugged Cesilia from behind. He had been observing and hearing Cesilia and Alexander’s argument, but still decided to say that cliché phrase.
Cesilia sighed heavily and freed herself from Maxime’s embrace, annoyed by his fake concern, knowing that he enjoyed her fights with Alexander.
“Don’t ask if you’ve been eavesdropping on my conversation with Alexander,” Cesilia retorted, still trying to distance herself from Maxime, as he was unwilling to let go.