“I want to take charge of Bourgeois,” Anastasia said as she looked up at Elliot. Francis initially wanted her to continue managing Tillman Constructions, but she had no interest whatsoever in building materials, so he decided that he would hand the business over to Elliot after retirement.
“Alright, then. You’ll be the commander in-chief for Bourgeois from tomorrow onward,” Elliot said. He couldn’t care less about profit margins and operating costs as long as his wife could amuse herself. He would always be there as a safety net for her.
Warmth surged through Anastasia when she heard this, but before she could thank him, he added, “Go and do whatever you like. Don’t you worry about a thing. because I’m always going to be here to catch you when you fall, okay?”
In that quiet room, Elliot’s tender love
and indulgence for Anastasia seemed audible in his words. He sounded firm and assuring, making her heart skip a beat. Upon hearing the solemn promise
underlying his bold statement, she felt like she was in the safest harbor, protected by some great, universal force.
She could do whatever she liked, and if she messed things up, he would always be there to help her get through it. She did not need to worry about a thing, because he was the fort that would keep her shielded from the brutal consequences of failure.
That said, Anastasia knew taking over Bourgeois was not just a game she decided to play on a whim. Now that she had voiced out her desire to run it, she would have to make her words count and show him she was not just doing it out of fun.
She had a duty to be a better version of herself, because how else would she live up to the name of being Elliot’s wife?
Meanwhile, in Arthur’s villa, Sophia was having a hard time falling asleep after binge-watching several episodes of a new hit drama through the night. She got out of bed and padded out of her room to get a glass of water, hoping that sleep would
come after that.
She opened the door softly. She was staying on the third floor while Arthur and Emily were resting on the second. While heading downstairs, she kept her footfalls as quiet as possible, so much so that she was practically tiptoeing.
Much like a wary kitten, she made her way to the first floor and hurried into the kitchen, following the low hum of the refrigerator. She thought a cold drink was suitable in light of the rising temperatures as they welcomed the beginning of summer.
Just then, a cold and crisp voice spoke up behind her. “What are you doing up in the middle of the night?”
Sophia gasped and turned around, but she did so too quickly and ended up bumping her head against the door of the freezer compartment. The loud thud resonated throughout the kitchen like an ominous drum beat.
“Could you not creep up on me like that? For heaven’s sake, you had me half
scared to death” she snapped, rubbing. the sore spot on her head as she shot Arthur a resentful look.
Arthur came up to her. He was a head taller than her, and he was here to get a drink as well. The refrigerator light cast at warm glow on both of their silhouettes as they stood there facing each other.
At that moment, Sophia noticed the carton of milk on the top row of the refrigerator and reached up to grab it. However, her fingertips could barely brush it. She was just about to give up when a large hand easily grabbed it and handed it to her. As she took over the milk, she looked up at the man to thank him, only to be caught off guard.
He seemed to have slept before coming. downstairs. His ink-colored hair was currently tousled over his forehead, unlike during the day. He was peering into the fridge for something to drink as well, revealing his side profile, which was all sharp jawline and delicately-chiseled features.
He looked breathtaking.
Presently, Arthur sensed Sophia staring at him, and he looked down with narrowed eyes as he demanded. “What are you looking at?”
“Huh? Oh, uh, nothing.” Sophia muttered lamely, breaking eye contact. Her heart was beating so loud and fast that it was a wonder he didn’t hear it. Swallowing convulsively, she darted around him as she was about to leave.
In the end, he grabbed another bottle of milk off the top row of the refrigerator and closed the door. The hallway grew dim immediately in the absence of the refrigerator light, and Sophia, who was hardly paying any attention while walking, accidentally slipped on one of the steps. There was a thud as she fell, bashing her knee on the steps as shel grappled around in the dark to steady. herself.
“Ow…” She winced at the pain that tore through her knee. She must be bleeding. by now; the fall had scraped the skin of her knee..
At the sight of this, Arthur came up to her and frowned. How did she even manage to survive all the way into adulthood?
Presently, Sophia had eased herself into a sitting position on the stairs and her face was all scrunched up with pain as she gingerly rolled up her pajama pants. Sure enough, both her knees were bleeding.
What’s going on up in that brain of hers? Arthur stared at her wounds in disbelief. then crouched down to examine them as he scolded, “Don’t you watch where you walk?”
Sophia looked up at him incredulously. He was the reason why she had slipped and fallen on the staircase like an idiot with no motor skills; it wasn’t her fault that he looked that good in the refrigerator light and made her rethink how handsome he actually was.
“I’m fine,” she said with a steely edge in her voice, then slowly tried to get up.
“Sit down.” Arthur ordered. She was stunned when he straightened up and found his way to the sideboard, then
returned with a first-aid kit in hand.
“I can do that myself,” Sophia said anxiously. She was terrified of the stinging, burning pain that came with the menial procedure of cleaning up one’s wounds, and she would much rather do it herself than have him administer first aid on her.
