Hearing this, Mercer rubbed his nose and asked, "How many more days?"Calla smiled as she replied, "About three more days.""Alright." Mercer frowned, then forced a smile.Calla quickly pushed him away, looking outside the window, where the city lights were already brightly lit. She asked, "You must be hungry, right?""Starving," Mercer replied, embracing her again."I'll go make dinner. Stop messing around." Calla struggled to push him away, then hurried into the kitchen.She found ingredients in the fridge and started preparing their meal. As she washed and chopped the vegetables, her face flushed red. Today felt as fleeting and unreal as a dream, but she was in such a good mood. The darkness and sorrow in her heart seemed to have vanished, replaced by pure joy and delight.While she was chopping vegetables, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist from behind. Calla laughed. "Go watch some TV. Dinner will be ready soon."But the person behind her refused to leave. "I'd rath
"Why do I feel like I'm being buttered up to be sold off?" Mercer touched his cheek nervously.Calla laughed. "If I were to sell you, I'm sure many rich ladies would pay a good price!""Would you really?" He frowned."If I sold you, I'd never have to worry about money again. Why wouldn't I?" Calla teased."How cruel. You need to be punished!" Saying this, he lowered his head and kissed her.Calla tried to push him away, but his large frame was immovable. After struggling for a moment, she had no choice but to give in.This kiss was almost the death of her. Calla felt she was about to suffocate when he finally released her. She gasped for air, clutching her chest as if coming back to life."If you dare say such things again, it won't end so simply next time," Mercer warned with a smile."Alright, I won't say it again." Calla surrendered, raising her hands in defeat.Mercer released her, sat back on the couch, and said seriously, "Tell me, how can I help? Do you want me to bribe
Mercer stood up and walked toward the bathroom, saying, "I'm going to take a shower."Calla quickly ran to block his way, anxious. "Go home to shower!"Seeing her urgency, Mercer grabbed her chin and smirked. "I'm spending the night here." "No way!" Calla gasped, her eyes widening in shock.If he stayed here, goodness, that would mean they'd be living together again. She wasn't ready for such a quick transition and needed time to adjust.Mercer studied her for a moment, then suggested, "If you don't want me to stay here, that's fine. You can come and stay at my place then."With that, he took her hand and started to head for the door."Oh, stop it, will you?" Calla shook off his hand."I'm not joking. I'm dead serious. I don't want to be apart from you anymore." Mercer smoothly pulled her into his arms.His embrace was still as warm and broad as ever. Resting her head against his chest, Calla couldn't resist his request. She murmured, "Alright, you can stay. But let me make t
At around 7:00 pm one evening, Mercer arrived punctually at Calla's doorstep."Mr. Garland, hello!" Alicia greeted him politely as soon as she opened the door.Seeing Alicia at the door, Mercer was momentarily taken aback but managed a slight smile. "Hi.""Please come in. Calla's in the kitchen. Dinner will be ready soon," Alicia said before turning to help set the table.After washing his hands, Mercer sat at the dining table. He coolly observed Calla and Alicia as they placed a few dishes on the table.Finally, Calla looked up at Mercer. She couldn't help but snicker to herself when she saw his bewildered expression.Once they were all seated, Calla spoke first. "Mercer, Alicia bought the ingredients for these dishes, and I did most of the cooking. Let's consider this our celebration for formally becoming your students.""Students?" Mercer frowned.Calla feigned ignorance. "Yes, from now on, you're going to be Alicia's and my teacher. We'll need you to tutor us every evening
Since Mercer was very accommodating today, Calla flattered him the whole time. During the meal, she placed food on Mercer's plate several times, but he didn't look at her once. The message was clear: he was angry.Having two students was a good thing. Mercer no longer had to do chores like washing dishes. He even got pampered with a cup of tea after each meal. During breaks, there were even pre-cut fruit platters for snacks.Mercer was as meticulous as ever in his lessons. Even during breaks, his face was somber. Now that he was their teacher, Alicia treated him with utmost respect. Naturally, Calla did the same.Before they knew it, the evening lesson was over. There hadn't been a single laugh throughout, and Calla felt a bit stifled but still learned a lot.At 10:00 pm sharp, Mercer sat on the couch with no intention of leaving.Alicia pulled her suitcase over and smiled sheepishly. "I'm staying here tonight. 30 days of intensive training should be enough to pass the CPA exam.
More than 20 minutes later, Calla returned with flushed cheeks. She locked the door, still dazed from the intense kiss. It felt like she was back in her college days, making out with her boyfriend in a dimly lit hallway, exchanging endless sweet nothings. Of course, Mercer wasn't a man of many words. But even a few words from him were enough to make her heart flutter. Calla felt a little foolish for being so smitten. She had been in relationships before, but she was now acting like a lovesick teenager. She leaned against the door, touching her swollen lips and reminiscing about the kiss. Suddenly, Alicia emerged from the bathroom in her pajamas. Seeing Calla, Alicia folded her arms and teased, "Come on, you don't need half an hour to see someone off, do you?"Calla quickly walked toward the bedroom, saying, "It wasn't that long.""Oh please, I was timing you. I finished my shower, and you still weren't back yet. Spill it, what were you two doing in the hallway?" Alicia taun
Calla ran into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She hugged her pajamas to her chest and looked up at the ceiling, unable to suppress a smile. She kept replaying their intimate moments in her mind. When Mercer made love to her, he did seem quite serious.…At noon the next day, the doorbell suddenly rang as Calla was about to take a short nap after lunch. She wondered who could be coming now. She put on her slippers and went to answer the door.Seeing who stood outside, she frowned. "What are you doing here?"He didn't say a word, stepping inside and closing the door behind him."You..." Calla noticed his eyes were fixed intently on her. She glanced down at her pajamas and wondered if something was wrong with her appearance.The next moment, Mercer stepped forward and sealed her lips with a kiss."What... are you... doing?" Calla struggled, but he held her too tightly for her to break free.When his hands started tugging at her clothes, she finally understood his p
That afternoon was spent in passionate intimacy. Calla didn't manage to study and was utterly exhausted by the end of it. They barely managed to tidy everything up before Alicia's arrival.When Alicia entered, Mercer was fully dressed, sitting on the couch while reading documents. Meanwhile, Calla was busy in the kitchen."Mr. Garland, you're off work early today," Alicia said politely as she changed into her indoor shoes."I just arrived." Mercer looked up and nodded in acknowledgment.Cooking in the kitchen, Calla heard Mercer's reply and couldn't help but smirk. She thought to herself that he was good at putting on a show. Just a minute ago, he was lying disheveled on her bed."I'll help in the kitchen," Alicia said, washing her hands and heading to join Calla.Alicia and Calla chatted in low voices while cooking in the kitchen."Hey, why is the scrooge here so early today?" Alicia glanced toward the living room."I have no idea," Calla replied with a smile."There's someth