“He’s probably in the study room.” Sophie said.
Mason stood up, but Rachel was quick on her feet, as she immediately positioned herself in his way, “Mason, let me help you to give him that.”
Mason furrowed his eyebrows as he fixed his gaze on Rachel.
Rachel’s gaze was full of passion, and it made her actions seemed unreasonable in others’ eyes.
However, Mason could discern that she was just finding an excuse to approach Ewan.
He tried to joke, “Aren’t you afraid that an iceberg like that would freeze you to death?”
Rachel replied with a smile, “Indeed, that’s why you should hand me that present and I’ll give him on your behalf. I want to have a word with Ewan as well.”
Mason handed her the present.
Sophie stood up in protestations, “Rachel, how could you give Ewan that present yourself?”
Rachel looked towards Sophie while replying in a vague tone, “This is just a present, I am not seeking anything by doing this.”
After saying that, she carried that present given to her by Mason while she walked towards the study room.
She stopped short at the door while taking a deep breath. She managed to calm herself down before stretching her hand to knock on the door.
After knocking twice, she realized that there wasn’t any response from within. She immediately turned the knob and opened the door to enter the room.
Rachel closed the door behind her and slowly walked towards where Ewan was. Ewan was facing the other way with his back visible to her. He was on the phone with one hand buried in his pocket. His seemingly humongous back was giving off a frosty vibe.
She stopped when she was almost a meter away from him.
He was on the phone but he was being silent. After a long while, he only produced these words, “Alright, you can make the arrangements.”
After saying that, he removed the phone from his ears, and he looked absorbed in his own silence while facing away from Rachel.
Seeing that he had ended his call, Rachel started with a nimble voice, “Ewan… I’m bringing you a present from Mason. He has bought it when he was overseas.”
Ewan turned around and his gaze fell on her pale white face before shifting it to the present in her hands. He then proceeded to move forward slightly while accepting the gift.
Rachel nervously put down her hands while staring into his depthless and dark eyes. All the words she had gathered and wanted to let out seemed to fade away in an instant.
Ewan unwrapped the gift on the spot, and a branded watch appeared in front of their eyes. He spoke with a taciturn tone, “I like it a lot, thank you.”
“You don’t need to thank me, it’s from Mason.”
“You are the one who brought me the present. Besides, there’s no difference saying my thanks to any of you, is there?”
Ewan brushed past her and placed the gift on his desk.
Rachel turned around to face Ewan, and she finally spoke after sucking deep breath, “Ewan, you are well aware of the stance held by the members of your family. They always see this as taboo. If they know that we’ve registered as husband and wife, they’ll probably be frustrated.”
Ewan replied in an unperturbed voice, “This marriage is between me and you solely. I couldn’t care less about who would be frustrated about this. Let them be.”
“You…” Rachel was so infuriated to the point she was clenching her fists, but she didn’t say anything more.
This man was rather ruthless.
Ewan picked up the documents on his desk while leafing through it nonchalantly. Then, he ordered in a cold voice, “I want to eat dried bamboo shoots for dinner.”
“Huh?”
Rachel was stunned momentarily, but in an instant she was able to detect the pettiness in his voice.
She was at a loss as to how she should reply him, so she could only protest after a while, “I am not sure whether we have any dried bamboo shoots stored at home, besides, it would take a day or two to make them edible. Aren’t you making life difficult for me?”
Ewan snapped shut the documents in his hands before replacing it on the table. He turned around and faced Rachel, “In order to be my wife, one has to oblige to three rules. Firstly, she can’t be intimate with any other guy; secondly, she must always be faithful towards our marriage and never even brings up the notion of a divorce; and lastly, she must inquire about her husband’s appetite before preparing for a meal.”
“Uh…” Rachel was stuck in a trance with her gaze fixed on him. She was at a total loss at that moment.
Why could she sense that the whole study room was shrouded in pettiness?
Was this her illusion?
Ewan went into a trance of his own after locking his gaze with hers. They were now looking into each other’s eyes while remaining silent.
He was boiling with silent anger, while she was plunged into confusion. The atmosphere suddenly felt warm.
Rachel finally reacted as she cleared her throat and refuted, “What if I am not able to do one of those things?”
Ewan’s gaze darkened, “Then I have no choice but to disclose our marriage to my family.”
“No way.” Rachel took a step forward nervously as she gaped at her with clenched fists. She sounded pretty anxious, “I will do all of those things. You can’t tell your family about this.”
“They will find out sooner or later.” Ewan’s tone was muffled and gloomy.
“You can’t let them know about this now.” Rachel’s face turned pale white, and her breath became jagged. She lowered her voice, “You can’t let the word spread. I will think of a way.”
Ewan lowered his gaze and fixed it on his shoes. A bitter yet chilly smile appeared at his lips as he asked in a low voice, “Are you still racking your brain on how to divorce me?”
Rachel suddenly felt distressed and emotional as she muttered in a helpless voice, “Sienna is still waiting for you.”
Sienna, Sienna, it’s this Sienna again…
Ewan shut his eyes while controlling his breathing in an attempt to suppress his anger.
Damn it, when did this woman whom he was supposed to hold on to ever consider his feelings?
“I have already made it clear to her, it is up to her whether to wait for me or not. This has nothing to do with me.”
Rachel shook her head in confusion, “How can you be so heartless?”
Ewan suddenly felt his breath catching in his throat. He felt suffocated for some reason. He snapped open his eyes while staring furiously at Rachel while producing a chilly reply, “Don’t you think that you’re heartless as well?”
“Me?” Rachel pointed at her nose and a blank look coloured her face.
What did this have to do with her?
Was divorcing him a heartless act on her part?
The opposite of being heartless was…
In an instant, Rachel felt her heart shiver and palpitate as it beat to an off-beat. An unfathomable picture she never imagines took shape in her mind.
Had he fallen for her?
This was impossible. This man was a cold-blooded animal who was incapable of feeling anything, let alone falling for someone.
Ewan dodged her gaze as he took his seat on his chair before proceeded to produce a document and leaf through it.
Rachel inched ever so slightly closer with bated breath. “Ewan, what do you mean?”
“You may leave now if there’s nothing else.” Ewan studied the document with a focused expression. Although his attitude had somewhat become mellow, his voice was as cold as ever.
“Just now…”
Ewan raised his head and a kind of sharpness and stringent look was prevalent in his eyes.
Rachel felt the words she was about to blurt out catch in her throat.
Mason was right. This huge slab of iceberg would definitely freeze her to death.
She turned around while replying faintly, “Then, I’ll take my leave now.”
Ewan only looked up slowly after the door was being shut. His gaze was tinged with a certain tenderness as it fixed on the door.
After leaving the study room, Rachel jogged to the kitchen.
When she passed by the living room, she could hear Mason calling for her and Sophie reprimanding her for being brash. Nevertheless, she didn’t pay any of her attention on them at all.
She barged into the kitchen while her chest swelled and contracted. She called out anxiously, “Mrs. Ryan, Mrs. Ryan…”
Kate and the maids who were busy in the kitchen jumped up at her voice. She replied nervously, “Miss Rachel, what’s the matter?”
“Do you have dried bamboo shoots?”
“Yes, we do have that.”
“Fast, boil them until they are tender…”
“Uh…” Kate and the maids exchanged glances, their faces blank.
Rachel started to rummage around the kitchen while complaining, “Get them for now.”
Kate immediately fetched some dried bamboo shoots while asking curiously, “Miss Rachel, are you being so anxious because you crave for some bamboo shoots? It will take a long time to boil these now. Instead, you can buy some fresh ones in the supermarket out there.”
Rachel stopped her activity as she smiled at Kate, “This is a great idea. Why am I so hard-headed?”
Rachel put down the stuff in her hands and immediately left the kitchen.
Kate ventured another question from behind her, “Miss Rachel, where are you going now?”
“I’m going to the supermarket.”
“I’ll send someone to buy for you…”
“No thanks.”