“Where are you going?” Andrew sat up straight, looking at her.
“Asher is crying; I’ll go check on him,” Isabella said urgently, her tone accompanied by light panting, and her chest heaving.
“Going like this?” Andrew raised his lips, revealing a hint of mischief. His heated gaze focused on her chest.
She exclaimed, hastily fumbling to fasten her bra. Her face turned red once again.
Before she could take a step after fixing her clothes, he pulled her back onto the sofa.
“What are you doing? I need to comfort Asher,” Isabella glared at him discontentedly.
Andrew faintly curved his lips, his smile subtle but elegant. “How do you comfort Asher? Can you even feed him? You don’t know how many milliliters of milk he drinks or how many scoops of formula, do you?”
She was stunned by his question, glaring at him fiercely.
She knew she hadn’t fulfilled her motherly duties, but it wasn’t her fault; the real culprit was the man in front of her.
“I don’t know how much formula Asher drinks, but the formula he drinks is bought with my money. Isn’t it me who works outside all the time, supporting you and your son?”
“Yes, you’ve worked hard,” Andrew said with a smile. He held a cigarette between his fingers but didn’t smoke much. He casually flicked the ash into the crystal ashtray in front of him.
“It was a bit rushed today, didn’t prepare a birthday gift for you. I’ll make it up to you another day,” he added.
“Forget the gift. It’s just a birthday, nothing special,” she said, but in her heart, she thought: he’s an unemployed vagabond; any gift he buys is with her money.
“Turning twenty is an important day for a girl,” he extinguished the cigarette, tossing the burnt end into the crystal ashtray.
“What’s the difference? Nineteen, twenty, getting older every year,” she said nonchalantly.
“You’re still young, yet you say the word ‘old.’ ” Andrew chuckled. His long fingers casually brushed over her lipstick-stained lips, leaving a smudge on his fingertips.
“Sweet,” he gazed at her, a hint of a smile between his eyebrows.
Thinking about the recent kiss, Isabella blushed again, her whole face and even her ears turning red.
Andrew stared at her intently, his eyebrows carrying a touch of warmth. “According to the national marriage law, the legal marriage age for women is eighteen. You’re already twenty; you can get married now. Do you think it’s important or not?”
Isabella couldn’t quite grasp the meaning behind his words, so she decided to play dumb. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. I’m tired; I’m going to bed.”
“Okay,” he nodded.
“What about you? Aren’t you going to sleep?” she asked him.
“Why? Want to sleep with me?” he raised an eyebrow, a mysterious and ambiguous charm in his expression.
Blushing, Isabella retorted, “Who would want to sleep with you!”
Unfazed, Andrew gently ruffled her hair. “You go to sleep; I still have some business to attend to.”
“Okay,” she nodded seriously. “It’s rare that you can do something serious. Keep it up. Now that you’re a father, you should learn to be responsible.”
After saying this, she briskly went upstairs.
Watching her retreating figure, Andrew couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile. In this girl’s mind, he was probably forever stuck in the image of an ‘unemployed vagabond.’
The subtle curve of his smile remained unchanged as he took another cigarette from the pack, elegantly lighting it and leisurely taking a drag.
After finishing the cigarette, he finally went upstairs. In the study, the computer was on, and he had a pile of documents to deal with.
Thomas, the dying man, wasn’t idle in the hospital; the loyalists he had promoted were still in the company, always scheming.
Originally, Andrew hadn’t planned to wipe them out completely, but with Thomas’s reckless actions, he was more than willing to send him on his way.
Unconsciously, the sky outside had lit up with a faint dawn. He leaned back on the sofa, taking a short nap.
Waking up to the sound of children playing downstairs, Isabella was playing hide and seek with Asher.
Recently, Asher had developed a fondness for the game and never seemed to tire of it.
Andrew, wearing home slippers, descended the stairs. He saw Isabella running, and the baby giggling as he chased after her. Lost in watching the child, Isabella collided into Andrew’s arms.
“Ouch!” she exclaimed, covering her nose, which had been hurt in the collision.
Early in the morning, with a fragrance in the air and the warmth of a child in his arms, Andrew smiled faintly. He bent down, picking Asher up from the floor.
The baby laughed so much that drool dripped down, staining Andrew’s clothes.
In the eyes of outsiders, Andrew was undoubtedly a proud and aloof man, almost to the point of being fastidious. But as a father, he was evidently indulgent with his own son, not sparing any expense for handkerchiefs used to wipe Asher’s mouth.
“Play with him; I have to go,” Isabella said, picking up her handbag from the sofa, preparing to leave.
“Do you have a shoot today?” Andrew asked.
“No shoot today. Going back to the Harris family, my stepmother wants to celebrate my birthday,” she replied, with a hint of sarcasm.
Early in the morning, Charlotte called, urging her to come home today. It was rare for Charlotte to remember her birthday better than she did.
After Isabella left, Andrew also went out; he had a morning meeting.
The routine meeting of the Turner family conglomerate.
Andrew sat in the main seat at the front, rarely speaking, mostly silent or appearing indifferent. But absolutely no one dared to ignore him.
As the newly appointed CEO, young and without a management background, it was said that he used to be a military officer. So, when he first took office, the top executives were not very convinced, and even the work he arranged was carried out half-heartedly by the subordinates.
Andrew was not an ignorant child, and he quickly made those who underestimated him regret their actions. His methods were decisive and ruthless, yet he adhered to the company’s regulations, leaving no room for criticism.
After that, the company from top to bottom became orderly. Everyone knew that the new boss was not as easy to deal with as Thomas.
At this time, the marketing department was presenting a summary report. The head of the marketing department was a middle-aged man in his forties, speaking in an orderly and cautious manner.
After he finished speaking, Andrew nodded faintly, “Okay.”
The head of the marketing department visibly relaxed.
“Let’s end it here for today,” Andrew said, standing up, holding a document in his right hand, and striding toward the door.
Ryan immediately shut down his computer and followed him outside.
In the CEO’s office.
Andrew lazily sat in the boss’s chair, holding a burning cigarette between the long fingers of his left hand. Ryan stood in front of him, separated by a large desk.
“Alpha, you didn’t seem right today. During the meeting, you were clearly absent-minded. Yesterday, there were cakes and flowers. You must have been busy with something at night,” Ryan smirked, “Having a woman to nurture you is a good thing. It’s better than working late every night, which is bad for your kidneys.”
“Overthinking,” Andrew said with indifference and tranquility. He leaned down, long fingers resting on the edge of the crystal ashtray, lightly flicking the ash. Andrew had long since turned a blind eye to Beta Ryan’s inappropriate remarks. They had been friends since childhood, and besides Ryan and his family, almost no one knew about his identity as a werewolf.
Moreover, werewolves had been living in human society for many years, and the hierarchy of the werewolf world was no longer as important to them.
Ryan, however, looked unbelieving, “You’ve been entangled for so long, and you even live under the same roof. Don’t tell me, aside from the first time, you haven’t shared a bed yet? Alpha, your health couldn’t really be the problem, right? Men are not good if they’re not lustful. Isabella is so beautiful, can you really bear it??”
Andrew frowned slightly at Beta Ryan’s clamor. Using force, he extinguished the burning tip of the cigarette that hadn’t yet burned out in the ashtray.
“What kind of gifts do you usually give your girlfriend on her birthday?” Andrew lightly rubbed his fingers, asking.
Ryan paused for a moment, his thoughts catching up. Alpha wanted to give Isabella a gift, but he had no idea what to give.
Indeed, Alpha Andrew had never tried to please women. It was understandable that he had no idea what to give.
“My girlfriends are many, and the gifts are naturally different. But, women like similar things-luxury handbags, diamond jewelry, and the like,” Ryan replied.
Andrew glanced at him, coldly saying, “Tacky.”