Hearing Sean’s question, Daniel chose not to answer. To him, the question was just a cheap trick to test him, something that didn’t deserve his attention. However, for Emily, it caused unexpected pain. When Emily saw Daniel ignore Sean’s question made her heart tremble, as if an invisible thread was tugging at her feelings.
As Daniel prepared to start the car engine, Emily’s gentle hand held him back. “Can I treat him?” her voice was soft but full of courage. Emily asked, only to hear Daniel’s refusal in response.
Daniel turned his head, his eyes catching the sparkle of concern in Emily’s eyes. “Please, if that’s what you want.”
The answer Daniel gave was very different from what Emily expected. With a nod, Emily finally hurried out of the car and stepped into the back seat, where Sean was waiting with a gaze full of anticipation.
“Where’s the medicine? I’ll treat you now,” Emily said, her voice full of determination.
Sean smiled slightly, a smile that held triumph. He hadn’t expected that his prank would trigger a wave of emotions between these two people.
“Here, please,” Sean handed Emily the medicine he had just bought, his eyes glistening with satisfaction.
Emily received the medicine and, with trembling hands, cleaned the wound on Sean’s face. As the antiseptic touched his injured skin, Sean drew in a sharp breath, “Ah, that hurts. Can you be more gentle?” he pleaded, his tone of voice playing between pain and mischief. His left hand gently grasped Emily’s carefully working hand.
The unexpected touch jolted Emily, lost in concentration. She tried to remain calm, but her efforts to remove her hand from Sean’s grasp were futile. Her wide eyes caught the mischievous smile plastered on Sean’s face, and it made her even more frustrated.
Emily stared at Sean with an angry gaze, her eyes blazing with a fire of anger that could not be hidden. However, Sean seemed unperturbed by the anger. He smiled, a triumphant smile, as if he had won a wordless battle that only the two of them understood.
In the driver’s seat, Daniel felt something stirring inside him. His tail caught the game going on in the back seat through the rearview mirror. His grip on the steering wheel grew stronger, and subconsciously, he felt a burning heat inside his chest. With an almost reflex movement, he pressed the horn hard. “Hurry, we’re leaving soon,” he said.
Hearing Daniel’s order, Sean finally released his hold on Emily.
After tending to Sean’s wounds, Emily whispered in a trembling tone, “Damn you, Sean!” Her frustration towards Sean was clear from the sharp look in her eyes. Without another word, she moved to the front seat, leaving Sean with a satisfied smile.
Daniel finally started the car engine. The atmosphere in the car was heavy. No one was talking. Emily sat beside Daniel, her eyes glued to the front, while Daniel focused on the road. Both were lost in their own thoughts, letting the silence fill the space between them.
“Why are you husband and wife so quiet? Shouldn’t newlyweds be making out all over the place?” Sean teased, his voice mocking.
Emily swallowed what felt like a rock. She knew this marriage was nothing more than a heartless agreement. She was also aware that Daniel had no feelings for her whatsoever. However, in the recesses of her heart, she wondered, could there be a glimmer of hope that Daniel had feelings for her? Was it possible that the moment at the movie theater, when she felt Daniel almost kissed him, was real?
After a while, Daniel’s car finally stopped in front of Sean’s house. “Thanks for today, Dan,” he said, his voice low but clearly audible in the quiet cabin.
After getting out of Daniel’s car, Sean suddenly knocked on Emily’s window. The tapping on the window awakened from her reverie. Emily opened her window and saw Sean smiling at her. “Thank you for this too,” Sean said as he held the wound on his face that Emily had treated.
While Sean was thanking Emily, his eyes stole a glance at Daniel. There was a sharp gaze that Daniel threw at him, as if there was an invisible fire burning between them. However, just as quickly, Daniel turned his face away, as if refusing to admit that he was a little jealous.
Daniel’s car glided into the darkness of the night, and before long, Emily and Daniel arrived at the familiar residence. The moment the two of them entered the house, a sound they were not expecting broke the silence of the night.
A housemaid stood in the living room, her posture firm and her face showing the seriousness of duty. “Good evening Mr. Daniel and Mrs. Emily. The Great Master sent me to serve here,” she said in a polite tone.
Emily, taken aback, could only utter, “What?” in a tone full of confusion.
“The Great Master instructed me to assist here, especially if Madame is pregnant. My presence would be of great help,” the assistant continued calmly.
The word ‘pregnant’ echoed in the room, making Emily’s cheeks instantly flush, not only from embarrassment, but also from surprise.
Meanwhile, Daniel stood with an unreadable expression. His mind was racing, ‘There’s no way grandfather sent his assistant here just for that reason. There must be something more. Grandfather wants to spy on us.’
Daniel nodded, agreeing to the new assistant with a single word, “Alright, I understand.”
The two of them walked up the stairs, their steps silent but full of unspoken words.
As they neared the top of the stairs, Daniel leaned closer to Emily, his voice barely audible. “Looks like we’ll be sleeping together tonight.”
Emily, who was shocked and embarrassed, could only utter the words, “What?” the words just came out unconsciously.
Daniel quickly covered Emily’s mouth with the palm of his hand, his eyes looking into Emily’s eyes. “Keep your voice down,” he whispered, his voice low but firm.
Their eyes met, and within inches of each other, memories of what had almost happened in the theater earlier, when Daniel had almost kissed her, filled their minds again.
Without waiting for a response, Daniel broke into their reverie. “We’ll talk about this in my room,” he said, leading Emily’s steps to her room.
In the room’s silence, Daniel continued the conversation that had been interrupted. “We’re going to sleep in the same room. We have no choice. The new assistant seems to have been sent by Grandpa to watch our every move,” he said in a serious tone.
Emily, with a look on her face that reflected confusion and slight worry, asked, “Why would Grandpa do that?”
Daniel could only shake his head, “I don’t know, only Grandpa knows the real reason.”
Emily looked at Daniel, seeking reassurance. “So we have to sleep together in the same room now?” she asked, her voice barely audible.
Daniel looked at her, his eyes showing reassurance. “You’re not thinking out of the box, are you? We will do nothing inappropriate. We’ll just share the same bed, nothing more than that. However, in front of the assistant, we must behave like a newly married couple, full of intimacy,” he replied, as if he was strategizing a war.
Emily nodded, accepting this unexpected situation. “Alright, I understand,” she said.
Daniel looked at her for a moment, his eyes soft. “Get some rest, it’s too late,” he said, his voice low yet filled with an unusual warmth.
However, as Daniel turned to leave the room, Emily couldn’t help asking, “Aren’t you going to sleep here tonight?”
Daniel stopped at the doorway. “Go to sleep first. I have something to do for work,” he replied, without looking back.
“I see, all right,” Emily said.
With the sound of the door closing softly outside, Emily placed a hand over her chest, feeling her racing heartbeat. “Damn heart, stop beating like this,” she muttered in a barely audible voice. “Realize that your position here is only as the wife of a covenant, nothing more than that. But how can I do that when we’re so close like this?”