“I do!”
A cold, clear voice struck her like lightning once again.
“We do what?
What do I have with you?
Julian Winslow!
Don’t think just because we’re dating I’m going to marry you.
I won’t.” Shalma Hughes knew Julian had never entertained the thought of marrying her.
They had previously been lovers—a clean-cut, uncomplicated relationship—but now he was taking this act way too far.
With that thought, she glared at him, her eyes flashing with anger.
Julian, however, ignored the anger in Shalma’s eyes.
He turned slightly and said mildly, “You see, it’s always like this.
Every time I bring up marriage with her, she gets this irritable.”
This was absolutely intolerable!
This guy was way too good at acting!
Shalma abruptly stood up and pointed a finger at Julian.
“Do you call what you did before a proposal?
There was no ring, no flowers, no getting down on one knee.
There was no traditional wedding crown or bridal veil, no matchmaker’s arrangement, no…” If he wanted to put on a play, she would play along.
A glint flashed in Julian’s eyes behind his glasses, and a wicked smile touched his lips.
“So that’s what you wanted.
You should have told me sooner.”
His voice was incredibly gentle, yet his words made Shalma feel as if a blizzard had just swept over her. Follow the newest chapters on novelping.com.
She thought he must be angry!
Miss Laura’s gaze swept across both their faces before she cleared her throat.
“Julian, you really should prepare those things for a proposal.” Then, she turned to the furious Shalma.
“And you!
You’ve been like this since you were little.
Your temper is too childish.
What were you even saying just now?
A traditional wedding crown?
A matchmaker’s arrangement?
You were just spouting nonsense.”
Shalma had been rebellious since childhood.
She skipped class, got into fights, and stirred up trouble—she was never a well-behaved student who put people at ease.
Her temper was incredibly stubborn, but everyone had a weakness, and Miss Laura was hers.
She pouted, seemingly dissatisfied with Miss Laura’s words, but didn’t dare talk back.
She slowly sat back down, feeling that nothing she said now could change Miss Laura’s mind.
“Why don’t you two stay here for the night?
Julian, what do you think?” Miss Laura smiled at Julian, who was elegantly eating his meal.
Julian paused, his handsome face the picture of gentle warmth.
He looked up, but aimed his response at Shalma.
“Alright.
We’ll stay for the night.”
Meeting his gaze, Shalma instantly felt a chill run down her spine.
She had a very bad feeling about this! This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Late that night.
It was pitch black outside the window.
Upon closer inspection, a pale silver moon hung in the sky, shedding a few faint rays of light.
Shalma tossed and turned in bed, rolling over several times, but she just couldn’t fall asleep.
Her sleep quality had always been excellent, making tonight highly unusual.
She knew the root cause was the man currently occupying the room next door.
Although they had been physically intimate, it had always been at a hotel.
They had certainly never lived under the same roof, let alone slept in each other’s arms.
She was a secret lover, hidden from the light of day.
To put it bluntly, she was just a woman he had bought with money.
By the time she counted her two-thousand-and-twentieth sheep, Shalma abruptly shot up from the bed.
She dug through the room’s closet and found a pair of pink pajamas she used to wear during her school days, complete with a chubby little bear printed on the front.
She changed into them, opened the door, and decided to check the kitchen.
Dinner had felt like walking into a trap—between being interrogated by Miss Laura and playing along with Julian’s act, she really hadn’t eaten much.
She figured her insomnia was probably just her stomach protesting its emptiness; she just needed a bite to eat.
Afraid of waking Miss Laura, Shalma navigated her way downstairs in the dark.
Guided by the faint moonlight, she finally managed to feel her way to the kitchen.
She opened the refrigerator, rummaged around for a moment, and pulled out some sliced bread and a bottle of milk.