Xander asked, "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"Abigail had a lot on her mind but did not know how to put it into words. She shook her head in response.Seeing her hesitation, Xander stepped in. "How about I ask, and you answer?""Go ahead, Mr. Zane." Abigail nodded."Still speaking formally to me?""It's a hard habit to break. And you are my boss; it's appropriate for me to show respect.""I don't want you to speak formally to me. I haven't wanted that for a long time. The moment I found out you were my wife, I didn't want that formal distance," Xander said."When did you find out I was your wife?""The day we were supposed to get our divorce papers from the district registry," Xander said.'So he had known for so long, yet he kept it from me?' Abigail asked, "If you knew that far back, why didn't you tell me sooner?"Xander paused for a moment. After a while, he softly spoke in his deep, sexy voice. "Because I was afraid... afraid that you would leave me. That y
"I'm not belittling your role as an assistant, Abigail," Malcolm, worried that Abigail might misunderstand, made a point to explain to her. "I just find Xander's actions odd. He brings you to a private party. His wife doesn't seem jealous and even lends you her pricey necklace. It's hard not to speculate, you know?""Hmm..." Abigail choked a little, her face flushing with awkwardness."Malcolm, mind your own food, will you?" Shawn interjected."What do you mean, 'mind my own'? Xander's actions are truly puzzling." Malcolm countered.Xander slid a shrimp ravioli into Abigail's plate before turning his gaze back to Malcolm. "Who said my wife didn't come?"Malcolm scanned the room, inside and out. There was no extra soul in sight, let alone a ghostly one. "So where's your wife, then?""She's right in front of you," Xander replied.Abigail was speechless. She wished she could shut Xander up before he said too much, but she lacked the courage."The only woman I see is Abigail. You p
Taking a moment to collect herself, she bounded toward him and wrapped her arms around him in a fleeting hug before pulling away. She then said, "It's late. You should head home and rest. See you tomorrow."She had come quickly and retreated even faster. So fast that Xander could not hold her, and she slipped from his grasp once again. Watching her retreating figure, a small smile curved up the corners of his lips. Not only had she initiated the hug, but she had also addressed him informally, omitting any honorifics. 'This is a good start,' he thought.Felix and Melody were still up when Abigail got home. Their gazes drilled into her like laser scanners as if trying to scrutinize her inside and out. Melody sidled up to Abigail, sniffing her with a nose that put a bloodhound to shame."Good-for-nothing," she chided."What did I do to tick you off now?" Abigail retorted."You've been alone with Xander for so many days, and nothing happened between you two?""Who said we were alone?
"Don't sweat it. If the scoop you've got is as juicy as you say, I'll cut you in for half of the profit." Justin assured her."Deal."Once she wrapped up the call with Justin, Abigail drafted a concise and clear message detailing the night's events. Then, she hit send.Justin's reply buzzed in almost immediately: [Any specific angles I should focus on?]Abigail: [You handle it. You media types know better than me how to grab people's attention.]Justin: [OK.]Melody and Felix were huddled close, one on each side of Abigail. They had read the contents of her message, and the injustice of it all made their blood boil."Those Guzman people are such low-lives! What have we ever done to them to warrant this kind of harassment?" Melody fumed."I'm going to rip them apart!" Felix smacked his hand on the table and rose as if to storm out. He could not stand to see Abigail treated unfairly, even if he could take the abuse himself.Abigail reached out to stop him. "Fee, cool your jets.
Abigail wanted to go to the studio before going to work. So, she purposely set the alarm clock an hour earlier.It was still dark when the alarm clock rang. Abigail quickly got up and got dressed before going to the shared washroom to wash her face and brush her teeth.This rented apartment only had one washroom. Normally, their work schedules did not clash. So, it worked out fine.But Felix wanted to use the washroom today. So, Abigail and Melody could only freshen up in the kitchen.Melody complained as she washed her face, "After our apartment air out for another two months, we can move in. Our new apartment has two bathrooms for each person. I don't have to share a washroom with other people anymore."Abigail teased, "Who knows, maybe by then you'll miss sharing a washroom with me."Melody replied, "Maybe."After taking turns to get ready, they went to the studio.Their studio's name was Trio Comic Studio, which simply meant that the three of them ran it together.After th
Abigail was still thinking of justifying herself. But when she met Xander's deep gaze, she could not speak a word to justify herself.She felt it would be good if they treated each other the same way as before. She wanted to continue to have a simple superior-subordinate relationship with him. She did not want to mix personal matters with work...She thought, 'Even though I can't accept the change in our relationship, I can't change the fact that Xander is my husband. As my husband, it's normal that he wants to be closer to me.'"Today is the eighth of May. Our date tonight will proceed as planned." Xander's tone was very assertive. It indicated that he had already made up his mind and did not want to listen to Abigail's opinion.'Is today the eighth of May? Has it come so quickly?'Abigail was nervous and a little panicked, "Mr. Zane, can we not..."Before Abigail could finish speaking, Xander decisively rejected her, "No."Abigail helplessly blinked. Her eyes were red.Xander
In a marriage, both individuals are equal. But because Abigail started off as Xander's subordinate, she unconsciously placed herself in a relatively lower position.Perhaps sensing Abigail's stare, Xander suddenly turned his head. Unsurprisingly, he met her eyes which were peeking at him. They both stared at each other.It was only two seconds before Abigail blushed and looked away.Xander thought, 'She peeked at me. So, it means that she doesn't totally disregard me.'His mood turned great. The angry vibe on him slowly disappeared too.Although no one spoke, they could still feel the atmosphere inside the elevator turned much better.Keith felt that he should take the opportunity to lighten the mood, "Abigail, did you go anywhere for vacation during your days off?"Abigail shook her head.Keith did not realize he was overly enthusiastic. He continued asking, "Why didn't you ask me where I went?"Abigail obliged and asked, "Did you go somewhere for vacation?"Keith said, "I d
Xander suddenly turned to look at Keith with a sharp, terrifying gaze, "Keith, what makes you so blindly confident?"This gloomy voice was extremely frightening. It sent a chill down Keith's spine. His mind went blank as he said, "Mr. Zane, didn't you tell us that being confident is the most important thing as your assistant?"Xander coldly stared at him, "I asked you to be confident, not blindly confident. I really want to know why you repeatedly think that Abigail is interested in you."Xander was very, very petty in certain matters. He was so petty that he still remembered that Keith had a similar thought a few months ago.Keith was horrified by Xander's gaze. He stuttered as he explained, "There's only three of us in the elevator. Abigail doesn't have a cold or fever. So, there must be a reason that her face is so red. She doesn't dare to have feelings for you. So, she probably has feelings for me...""Has feelings for you? Have you looked at yourself? Will Abigail be interest