Chapter 104 Why Did You Lie Earlier?
Courtney felt like she could not say no, so she offered her verified Messenger contact. It was only after that the madam finally broke into a satisfied grin and she looked so happy that she seemed like a child.
I can’t imagine a woman like her possibly swindling the Duncans’ assets as described in the rumors. The gossip even mentioned that she cheated and snatched another man. A trace of suspicion flashed through Courtney’s eyes, but she hid her curiosity well.
“Well, I should leave now.” After serving the noodles from the pot, Courtney poured some sauce over it. She nodded at the madam politely before leaving to head upstairs.
Just when she placed the bowl of noodles on the table, Alexander walked out of the bathroom. He was wearing a bathrobe and his hair was still dripping wet from his shower. Droplets of water rolled down his neck while the bathroom door was covered with splashes of water.
She felt her throat automatically tightening and it took her a while to snap back to her senses. Then, she coughed dryly. “Well, you should have some of the noodles that I’ve just prepared in the borrowed kitchen.”
He looked at her before glancing at the bowl of noodles. Finally, he nodded lightly.
Courtney felt a wave of heat wafting toward her when Alexander sat on the couch. She felt almost completely shrouded within his heat—she felt uncomfortable, so she moved slightly to the side.
The room was silent, save for the sound of him eating the noodles. It was not loud, especially since it was pouring outside. Nevertheless, the sound of him eating warmed her heart.
Without realizing it, she had been holding her breath all this while and lowered her head to gradually sigh after confirming that his attention was not on her.
“You should sleep on the bed tonight,” he suddenly mentioned.
She was stunned to hear that because she thought that it sounded too good to be true. Her eyes shone brightly. “Really?”
“Yeah.” There was a hint of teasing in his deep voice, as though he had long forgotten about the unpleasantness from before.
Apart from feeling delighted, she secretly felt that the effort she put into the bowl of noodles was worth it because it was in exchange for the chance of having a good night’s sleep. It seemed that she had conveniently forgotten that she should be the one sleeping on the bed.
Alexander felt rather helpless when he noticed how pleasantly surprised Courtney was. Did she truly think that I would actually allow a woman to sleep on the couch?
The atmosphere relaxed significantly where Courtney was happy and attentive. “In that case, let me prepare the couch for you because I lay there earlier. The length of the couch is fine. In fact, it’s even more comfortable than the bed!”
Seeing that she was showing off even after getting what she wanted, Alexander glared. “Why don’t you sleep on the comfortable couch then?”
“Please, no!” She immediately rejected him, but she was smiling happily. “I think I should sleep on the bed. After all, men should act like gentlemen, don’t you agree?”
With that, she made her way to the bed and she stretched lazily while walking forward.
He questioned from behind her. “Aren’t you having a shower first?”
Courtney came to a sudden halt in her footsteps and she could feel the air stiffen around her. After a pause, she forced a reply while keeping her back facing him. “I am having a shower. Of course, I’m having a shower. I’m just fetching my clothes.” Initially, I was planning not to have a shower because I don’t want to create more trouble. However, it’s obvious that Alexander is deliberately doing this. He would most probably assume that I’m a slob if I refuse to shower.
The sound of flowing water in the bathroom was a stark contrast to the strong wind outside the window. One was flowing steadily whereas the other was swift. The former was gradual while the latter was intense. The shower was warm, but the wind was chilly. Thanks to the extreme comparisons, the lighting within the room seemed especially gentle.
After taking his time to slowly finish his noodles, Alexander lifted the blanket from the couch before lying on the couch.
The bathroom door opened gradually ages later when Courtney snuck out like a thief because her clothes had long sleeves and long pants. She let out a sigh of relief when she finally saw the figure which was fast asleep on the couch. Well, you just can’t be extremely cautious. I can’t seem to decipher Alexander’s train of thoughts despite knowing him for such a long time. Besides, I can’t be sure whether this man might unleash his animalistic side.
After getting in bed, she dimmed the bedside lamp before the room soon felt especially quiet.
The storm lasted throughout the night, but it was a sunny day the next morning when they woke up.
Courtney packed her backpack before heading toward the front desk to check out of the room. She glanced out of the door just as she was going through the procedure before she saw Alexander through the car window—his hands were on the steering wheel and he was staring ahead.
He went to the car first thing after going downstairs earlier that morning. It seemed like he did not want to spend an extra second in the hostel.
“Please keep your ID card well.” The staff handed Courtney her ID card.
“Hang on,” the madam called out for Courtney just as the latter was about to leave.
The madam briskly walked over from the kitchen while holding onto a Japanese-style bento box, which was wrapped up with a tie-dyed blue cloth. She handed it to Courtney with anticipation. “You guys haven’t had your breakfast. Please have this during your journey because there’s another 200 kilometers to Melrose City.”
Courtney hesitated because she knew that the madam meant more than that. Somehow, after taking in the madam’s sincerity and her gaze that seemed like she was half-pleading, Courtney accepted the bento.
The road conditions were fine because the storm did not cause a landslide. Therefore, it was indeed a pleasant and smooth journey.
The car entered the highway soon after leaving the town. Then, they stopped at a service area since Alexander needed to use the washroom. When he returned, he saw Courtney opening a clothed package at the front passenger seat—there was a bento inside with egg rolls, sliced steak and rice topped with sauce. It looked exceptionally delicious.
He glanced at the food. “When did you buy the food?”
“This morning in the Ancient City, of course! There was a specialized shop selling these bento’s. Would you like to have a try?”
Courtney picked up a piece of steak with the chopsticks to offer him a bite and she looked at him in anticipation.
Alexander slightly scowled because he had guessed where the bento was truly from. However, he opened his mouth reflexively since she had directly served him the food.
She took the chance to feed the steak to him. “Isn’t it delicious?”
He swallowed after chewing a few times and he answered her indifferently, “It’s so-so.”
“What do you mean that it’s so-so? This is delicious!” Courtney also tried a piece of steak. “The standard is similar to that of a chef in Sunhill Hotel! I’m sure it has the potential to be a popular western restaurant, if it’s given the chance.”
“She started off with a western restaurant. What’s so amazing about that?” Alexander suddenly commented, but his expression stiffened the moment he said that.
Courtney glanced at him and she asked in awkwardness, “Do you know who made this?”
Alexander ignored her and he started the car instead. His comment echoed in the car, “Didn’t you notice the fast-food brand on the box? In fact, it is an internationally famous brand.”
It was only then when Courtney realized the logo printed across the bento box. True enough, it was a well-known brand. She could not help but sigh in silence, but she was trying to read in between the lines after listening to his comments. Alexander obviously knew who prepared the bento, but he ate it anyway. I think it means that he can’t absolutely hates his mother, doesn’t it?
“Madam was just being kind and it is actually very delicious,” she quietly mumbled.
Alexander glanced at her while asking her stoically, “If you truly stand behind that reason of yours, why did you lie earlier?”
”Well, it’s all thanks to you complaining about her dumpling soup last night and you were so upset. If I were to mention that the madam prepared this, I doubt you’d even give it a second look.” Courtney pursed her lips together and she looked especially sheepish. I feel like giving myself a slap after saying that.
