Lila’s POV
The moment Zoe appeared, time seemed to freeze. Jasper and I were still intimately connected, him propped up above me as sweat dripped from his jaw onto my chest. The room was thick with the scent of passion, the air sticky and hot.
Zoe’s eyes went as wide as saucers, her mouth forming a perfect "O." She froze for a second before, faster than lightning, slapping her hands over her eyes with a SMACK. "Ahhh!" she shrieked dramatically. "I’m blind! I’m blind! I didn’t see anything! My eyes have gone blind! Oh my god, my retinas have suddenly detached!"
Wailing like a banshee, she scrambled backward out of the room, her heel catching on the threshold and nearly sending her sprawling. Her frantic, clownish antics instantly dispelled all the awkwardness and tension in the room.
I had been so mortified I wanted to crawl into a hole and die, but seeing Zoe’s performance, a bubble of laughter rose up from deep inside me, impossible to suppress. With a "PFFT," I burst out laughing.
Just then, Jasper let out a low, almost bestial roar of frustration. He abruptly pulled away from me, rolled off the bed, and slammed his fist hard into the solid wood bedpost!
CRASH!
The bedpost, thicker than my arm, snapped on impact. The entire expensive, custom-made bed let out a mournful groan and collapsed to one side with a thunderous crash, sending up a cloud of wood splinters and dust.
The sudden commotion startled me, but looking at the collapsed bed and then thinking back to Zoe’s performance, I couldn’t help but laugh even harder, almost to the point of tears.
Jasper turned around, the gold in his irises not yet fully faded. His chest was heaving, a clear sign of his fury. When he saw me doubled over with laughter, the anger on his face deepened, yet his eyes held a hint of helplessness.
"You’re still laughing!" he said through gritted teeth, his voice tinged with indignation. "I almost went limp!"
I sat up and pulled the blanket around myself. My cheeks were still burning, but my eyes were filled with mirth. "I’m guessing every other man in the world would go limp before it was your turn."
His brow was furrowed, making him look like a big kid who’d just had his toy snatched away. I reached out, gently smoothing the crease between his eyebrows with my fingertips. "Alright, don’t be angry," I said softly. "Zoe is just a scatterbrain. I’m sure she didn’t mean to."
My touch seemed to calm him. He caught my hand, brought it to his lips for a kiss, and his voice deepened. "Next time, I’m installing an alarm on the bedroom door, one that only recognizes your biometrics."
I smiled, shook my head, and leaned into his chest. He took the opportunity to wrap his arms around me, resting his chin on the top of my head and letting out a long sigh, as if his earlier burst of rage had never happened. We nestled together in silence for a while, enjoying the tranquility that felt like the calm after a storm.
"Come on," I said, giving him a little push. "Let’s go check on Zoe. Make sure we didn’t actually scare her into tears."
He pouted but released me. He turned to the wardrobe, grabbing a bathrobe to drape over my shoulders before slipping on a black silk robe himself. Hand in hand, we walked out of the bedroom.
Zoe was huddled pitifully on the armchair in the outer room, her hands still clamped over her eyes. She was muttering, "I can’t see... I really can’t see... God, please tell me, am I blind now?"
Hearing our footsteps, she peeked through her fingers. Seeing it was us, she immediately dropped her hands, put on an outrageously fawning smile, and bounced over to us.
"Dad! Lila!" She snapped to attention and gave a comical military salute, her eyes sparkling obsequiously. "I swear! It wasn’t on purpose! I just... my advisor rejected my thesis, and I was in a total panic—it was an emergency! I wasn’t thinking and just barged in! I deserve to die a thousand deaths! My crimes are unforgivable!"
Jasper stared at her coldly, his gaze as sharp as a knife. "You’d better have a good reason for seeking out Lila. Otherwise, I have no problem with suspending your credit card allowance for the next month."
Zoe’s face went pale at his words. She immediately latched onto my arm, resting her head on my shoulder and whining, "Lila, save me! I’m sorry! I really, truly know I was wrong!"
Blinking her big eyes, she was suddenly struck by a flash of inspiration. She lifted her head and, in a voice sweeter and more cloying than I’d ever heard from her, cried out to me, "Mommy! Mommy, you’re the best! Quick, put in a good word for me!"
The moment that word—"Mommy"—left her lips, both Jasper and I froze.
My entire face flushed crimson in an instant, and I wished I could find a hole to disappear into. But Jasper... the icy expression on his face actually began to melt at a visible rate. The corners of his mouth quirked upward, and his eyes flashed with an unconcealable smugness and satisfaction, as if he’d just heard the most wonderful form of address in the world.
"Mommy..." he repeated in a low voice, as if savoring the weight of the word. He then looked at Zoe, his tone softening considerably. "Well, aren’t you a clever girl."
Seeing her tactic had worked, Zoe immediately pressed her advantage, swinging my arm back and forth. "Mommy, see how good I’m being? I’ll change my ways! I’ll never barge in again! Please just get Dad to let me off the hook this once! I promise, I’ll never disturb you two again!"
Jasper snorted and was about to speak, but I quickly tugged on his sleeve. Looking up at him, I said gently, "Jasper, just this once. Zoe didn’t mean any harm, and she always takes such good care of me."
My voice was light and gentle, laced with an almost imperceptible hint of pleading. Jasper’s gaze softened instantly. He looked down at me, silent for a few seconds, before finally sighing and turning to Zoe. "Fine. We’ll let it go this time. But don’t let it happen again. As for your card’s spending limit..."
Zoe’s face immediately fell, assuming it was about to be cut.
"...is doubled for this month," Jasper added coolly.
Zoe froze for a second, then erupted into a cheer. "Yay! Thank you, Dad! Thank you, Mommy! You’re the best parents in the whole world!"
Jasper lifted his chin smugly, as if he had just accomplished something monumental. He leaned down, kissed my forehead, and said gently, "I’m going to the study to handle a few things. You two chat." With that, he turned and left.
The moment his silhouette vanished down the stairwell, Zoe lunged at me, hugging me tightly and squealing with excitement, "Lila! Are you and my dad all lovey-dovey and thick as thieves now?! Tell me, tell me!"
Her question made my face burn, and I quickly denied it. "No! It’s not as dramatic as all that!"
"Oh, please!" Zoe winked mischievously, her expression screaming, ’I know everything.’ "I saw it! The way my dad looks at you... he’s never been that gentle with anyone before!"
She pulled me down to sit on the sofa, her expression turning serious. "Lila, I’m so happy for you. Dad seems really ruthless, but he’s actually incredibly lonely. You must have truly gotten through to him."
Her words made my heart feel warm, and I felt a little shy.
"By the way," Zoe suddenly lowered her voice, speaking conspiratorially, "don’t worry about being my ’stepmom’ or anything. That kind of relationship doesn’t exist between us."
I blinked. "What do you mean?"