Cristelle looked around. This bedroom was bigger than her house.
She bit on her bottom lip, “Who allowed you to bring me back? What did you do to me? And where are my clothes?”
Linford sat up from the bed. He thought the way Cristelle acted was oversensitive, but he didn’t want to be too harsh to her after her bad dream.
“You were completely drunk last night. I can’t leave you there with that animal.”
“But you can’t just bring me into your bedroom randomly!” Cristelle was so pissed off, blushing furiously, “And that doesn’t give you the right to take off my clothes.”
“Are you sure you still want to wear the damp and dirty dress when you are sleeping?” Linford got off the bed, “Even if you wanted to, I’d like to keep my bed clean.”
Cristelle glared at him, “We didn’t have to share the same bed, did we?”
Linford hummed, “This is my house. Remember?”
He had the right to sleep anywhere he wanted to.
“You… You massive jerk!” Cristelle huffed. She looked extremely like Candace when she went mad. Linford didn’t want to tease her anymore, walking out of the room, “Go take a shower. Your new dress will be sent here soon.”
Cristelle threw a pillow at him. Linford didn’t even look back, suppressing a laugh.
****
Linford changed and went into the kitchen, preparing breakfast for her. He couldn’t stop thinking about how Cristelle cried helplessly in his arms. She acted so much like Candace. Deep down, Cristelle was probably just a little girl who needed protection. But she had to force herself to be strong after what she had gone through in life.
The thought broke Linford’s heart.
Cristelle took a shower and stood before the mirror. She didn’t find any weird marks on her body. It seemed like Linford didn’t touch her.
She felt so much more relaxed after knowing the truth. After leaving the bathroom, she found a new bag on the bed. She opened it and saw a brand new dress.
She took a deep breath and still put it on.
When she went to the parlor, Linford had made breakfast. He seemed to know everything she liked.”
“What are you waiting for? Sit down,” Linford put two pieces of sizzling bacon onto a plate.
Cristelle didn’t sit down. Instead, she turned around and walked away, “I’m okay. By the way, please don’t take me to your place randomly next time. I’ve never asked for this.”
Linford put the pan down. The look on his face was scary, “Then, where are you going right now?”
“It’s none of your business, is it? I’d rather be anywhere but here,” Cristelle was still mad. She didn’t even think as she said that.
Linford laughed coldly as he approached her, putting both of his hands against the wall and trapping her in between, “Anywhere but here? So you’re telling me you’d rather stay in Johnson’s last night? Did I interrupt something?”
“What the heck are you talking about?” Cristelle frowned. She got drunk after a couple of glasses of wine. She didn’t even know what had happened afterward.
Linford kept asking, “Why did you go out to drink with him?”
Cristelle rolled her eyes, “Why do I have to tell you?”
“Good. If you’re not gonna tell me, then you can’t leave this place today,” Linford didn’t sound like he was joking.
Cristelle looked at him in disbelief, “Are you threatening me right now?”
Linford didn’t even bother to look up, “Or what else?”
“Are you serious? Don’t you think this is getting boring?” Cristelle huffed, “It’s none of your business if I want to drink with anyone. If it were not for the babies, I wouldn’t even have come back. But for them, I must come back. I thought the way we used to get along with each other was fine. We agreed not to interfere with each other’s business. Why can’t you keep your promise?”
Linford opened his mouth, but he couldn’t make any sound. He knew he had broken his promise. The harder he tried to pull her back, the further he was gonna push her away.
Linford didn’t like to explain anything to anyone. But he felt the urge to tell Cristelle how he felt right now, “Cristelle, I…”
“You don’t need to explain anything. I’ve known it from the beginning. You did nothing wrong, and you don’t have any responsibility for my well-being. Our relationship is all about cooperation and business. And I’d like to make it stay that way. You know I don’t care about my money or career. I only care about my babies. Everything I’ve done is solely for their good. I need something solid to rely on, so I can provide them with a better life. So, I’ll make this studio happen at any cost.”
What Cristelle was trying to do right now was to make Linford think straight. But her words still cut him like a knife. So, she was trying to set the boundaries right now because she didn’t even trust him in the slightest.
“We’ve agreed that the babies need an intact family. Do you really want to make them fall apart?” Linford could only use the babies as an excuse, “I asked you because I worried about you… That Johnson… He’s unreliable. He doesn’t know about businesses or their limits. If you start this business, you will probably….”
“That’s enough. I’ve known him long enough to know who he really is. At least I know him better than you do,” Cristelle snapped. She didn’t want to hear Linford’s opinion anymore.
Linford was so pissed off when he noticed that she was defending that man again, “Really? You know him well enough to get drunk with him, so he could do whatever he wanted to do to you?”
“He wouldn’t do ANYTHING to me! I asked to go last night. There was a huge deal. I wanted to get it, so I just went with him,” Cristelle didn’t seem to flinch, “If he was the one who sent me home last night, at least I wouldn’t wake up to find him sleeping next to me in the same bed.”