Within roughly 15 minutes, the car arrived at Stardust Bazaar. Vehicles were not permitted entry into the bustling marketplace, so they parked nearly a mile away and made the rest of the journey on foot. Having learned from earlier, Xander carefully parked the car before assisting Abigail out, and the two then proceeded to walk toward the bazaar.Handsome man, beautiful woman, both exuding an air of charisma. They were a sight to behold wherever they went. Passersby could not help but stare, many assuming they were a couple. Muted whispers followed them. "What a lovely couple! With genes that good, they ought to have several kids."After numerous instances of being mistaken for a couple, and seeing Xander not displaying any signs of discomfort, Abigail stopped attempting to correct the assumptions. Instead, she subconsciously tried to maintain a distance from him. She kept a few steps behind, careful not to walk alongside him, hoping that would dispel any misunderstandings. But whene
He leisurely finished his crepe, and with a show-off smirk, said to Abigail, "I'm done. What's next?"As they ventured deeper into the food street, tantalizing aromas and vivid colors greeted them on both sides. Every stall sparked her curiosity and tempted her taste buds. But what really caught Abigail's eye was an escargot stall—a delicacy that often scared off tourists. Abigail had watched countless online videos of Berrybrook locals relishing escargot, which left her drooling. Now that she was standing in front of the source of her cravings, she was not going to hold back. "Mr. Zane, do you eat escargot?" she asked.Xander grimaced slightly at the sight of the escargot, let alone the questionable sanitation of the street food vendors, who presented their food openly to the public. But seeing Abigail's excitement, he did not want to rain on her parade. "Hmm," he agreed.Escargot could be cooked in several ways, and Abigail ordered a bit of each, arranging them into one platter. "
In an instant, the man's sense of inferiority evaporated, replaced with a blind self-confidence. "You see?" he said to his wife, gesturing broadly at the world around him. "I'm not the only useless man out there—the only one who can only afford to take his wife to a place like this. Look at him." He nodded toward Xander without naming him. "Appears to be quite the gentleman, his wife so striking, and yet they're eating in the same place we are."Abigail and Xander paid them no mind. Abigail was too engrossed in the aromatic classic escargot and escargot bourguignon, her mouth too full to retort. Xander, on the other hand, had no interest in giving such individuals any more of his attention than they deserved.The man cast another glance at Abigail before he sneered at his wife, "Next time you start comparing, do me a favor and take a good, hard look at yourself. Look at your waist, your legs, and then look at hers. Do you think you deserve to dine at expensive places?"The woman loo
Xander picked up a fork, intending to taste a morsel. Abigail saw his brow furrowed in discomfort as he forced himself to take a bite and suddenly found his efforts quite endearing. "Mr. Zane, don't force yourself if you don't like it. Not everyone appreciates this kind of food. I assume your wife may not be fond of it either, so you really don't have to."Out of the blue, Xander responded, "If you like it, then I'm certain my wife would too."His statement left Abigail somewhat stumped, unsure of how to reply. Under her watchful gaze, Xander valiantly continued to sample a few more morsels of escargot bourguignon as if unfazed. The snails, drenched in an unctuous garlic and parsley sauce, left a rich, near-charred aftertaste on his tongue that challenged his palate. He could not fathom how Abigail found it so appetizing.Abigail recalled a conversation with Esther and said, "Mr. Zane, escargot is said to be rich in proteins, and it's quite beneficial for the body. It could be a fan
Xander drove in silent irritation while Abigail remained blissfully unaware, engrossed in a chat with Felix and Melody.Abigail: [I never anticipated running into my boss and being roped into work at the last minute. Otherwise, I was planning to head back to Florivera tonight and spend tomorrow with Grandma at Southcrest Residence.] Between her trip abroad before Easter and the following two weeks of non-stop work, Abigail had not seen her grandmother for almost three months. After a spell of much-needed rest, she was supposed to be staying at Southcrest Residence for a few days. But her plans were derailed when concerns about Stella's mental state prompted a last-minute decision to fly to Berrybrook.[What?!] Abigail's voice spiked. [Melody, you're dating someone? Since when? And why am I only hearing about it now? What does this guy do? How did he manage to steal my sweet little girl who I've taken care of for over twenty years?]Melody huffed: [Now you know how we felt when we fo
Dr. Sander sat by the bedside to stay with him. She continuously nagged, "Xander, you do know the condition of your stomach. Why did you repeatedly torture your body?"Xander closed his eyes and gently stroked his forehead. "She likes to eat those. And I didn't want to disappoint her."Dr. Sander responded, "Abigail isn't an unreasonable person. She'd understand you if you talked to her."Xander smiled coldly. "So, should I tell her I can't eat this, I can't eat that, and that I can't accompany her to eat many kinds of foods? Or should I make her change her eating habits to accommodate me?"Dr. Sander replied, "She's your wife. This request isn't unreasonable, right?"Xander responded, "There's no rule that says a wife must accommodate her husband after marriage. I've given her nothing after I married her. How can I request her to change for me? I want to take care of her. I want to provide her with a comfortable life rather than make her accommodate me for everything. I don't wan
After Abigail retorted to her, Dr. Sander was a lot more clear-headed. "Abigail, I didn't mean to blame you. I was just worried that if Xander continues to torture himself like this, his stomach problem might worsen. Please try your best to convince him in the future."Dr. Sander talked nicely and properly. So, Abigail was willing to listen to her. Moreover, she blamed herself a little too. She felt that Xander indeed ate so much food that he usually would not eat because she did not properly convince him not to. She responded, "I'll pay attention to that from now on."Dr. Sander replied, "Thank you!"After they both kept quiet for a while, Abigail spoke again, "Actually, I have an idea to make Mr. Zane obediently not eat carelessly."Dr. Sander asked, "How?"Abigail answered, "Ask Mrs. Zane to convince him. He cares so much about her. He'll surely listen to what she says."Dr. Sander thought, 'You're Mrs. Zane!'She then responded, "You should knock some sense into him then."
The first message was a picture.It was the jacket she bought for Nathan today.Abigail: [Nathan, I bought a jacket for you in Berrybrook today. It matches the jacket I'm wearing. Do you like it?]Xander smiled as he typed: [I like it.]Abigail: [Should I deliver it to your home or give it to you personally when we meet?]Xander pondered before replying: [I'll wait for you to give it to me personally.]Abigail: [Okay.]After a while, Abigail texted again: [Nathan...]Xander: [Yes?]Abigail: [Have you confirmed when you will be back in Florivera? My two best friends want to meet you. And I'm going to visit our grandmothers tomorrow. They'll surely ask about us again. Can I tell them that we haven't met yet?]Abigail expressed herself very politely. But Xander understood that she wanted to see him. He texted back: [Don't worry. I'll surely be back before our second wedding anniversary.]Abigail: [It's a deal then. Don't back out. Whoever backs out is a chicken.]Xander: [Okay