"So, what's your answer?" Albert asked.
Sophia stared at him, confused. Which question was Albert referring to?
"What?"
"About my previous question, 'What will you give me as a reward if I draw you?'" Albert replied.
Sophia looked stunned. She remembered Albert asking her that earlier, but because of the teasing touches that accompanied his question, she couldn’t focus at all.
"You... want to draw me?"
Albert smiled with a meaningful look.
Oh, if only Sophia knew that her husband had many drawings of her face on various sheets of paper.
"Hm," Albert answered briefly, deciding not to t
Sophia knew that what she was doing right now was a foolish decision. Why was she even bothering to pick up Luke Abraham? Driving around the city, hopping from one bar to another. Attending crowds she despised. Enduring the occasional flirtation from sleazy men.“This is insane,” Sophia groaned inside the taxi that was crawling through the congested streets.'Just one more,' she thought. If she didn’t find the person she was looking for in this next bar, she would go home. Someone else would surely come looking for him later.“Oh, why didn’t I think of that earlier?” Sophia muttered to herself again.Of course, someone would come looking for Luke. After all, he was an Abraham.
The security guard who had been scolded by Daniel earlier returned, now holding a cup of coffee in his hand. It was identical to the one Daniel had dropped before, but with only one cup this time, Daniel hesitated to take it.“What’s wrong, Mr. Mateo?” the security guard asked.Daniel glanced at Sophia, who was still waiting for a taxi, standing not far from where he and the security guard were.“Nothing. Thank you, Dean,” Daniel replied, taking the coffee and walking back toward Sophia. He stood beside her, sipping the coffee with satisfaction.“It seems you’ll have to wait a few more hours to get a taxi. If so, you’ll be home quite late—unless you’re willing to accept my earlier offer,” Daniel said.
When Albert fell silent, he realized that what he felt was indeed jealousy. So what? Sophia was his wife. As her husband, of course, he would feel this way seeing her meeting another man without his knowledge.But something so obvious, how could Sophia not realize it and still ask?Since Albert's pride was too high to admit it, he didn't answer the question. Instead, he turned his gaze out the window. As a substitute, Albert pulled Sophia closer, wrapping his arms tightly around her.That gesture was enough to answer the question lingering in Sophia's mind. She didn’t press further and returned his embrace with equal warmth.***Sophia dreamt about it again. The scorching fire, the suffocating smoke, the searing pain ac
Earlier, Sophia had thought Albert’s words about not fainting were ridiculous and overly dramatic.But now, she lay in bed, drifting between consciousness and unconsciousness. She had no idea how her condition had worsened so much. The last thing she remembered was feeling too dizzy after her phone call with Albert, so she lay down and closed her eyes.When she woke up, Albert was already in her room with a female doctor examining her.Sophia couldn’t summon the strength to open her eyes; she could only hear the voices around her. She could detect the worry in Albert’s voice, the occasional concern in Dana’s tone, and the calm, professional explanations of the doctor as she described Sophia’s condition.Truly, Sophia wished she could open he
“What time is it?” Sophia asked.“Ten,” Albert replied.“Evening?!” Sophia asked in disbelief. “So I’ve been sleeping that long,” she muttered to herself.Albert gave her a flat smile. “I don’t think you were sleeping at all. The truth is, you passed out for nearly the entire day.”Sophia waved her hand dismissively. “I didn’t pass out. You can’t tell the difference between sleeping and fainting, can you?” She still didn’t realize how bad her condition was this time. Usually, when she had a fever, Sophia never fainted like that.Albert looked at her incredulously.“I already
“Oh!” Sophia widened her eyes. She hadn’t expected Albert to say that.‘…my wife.’ Sophia repeated the words over and over in her head, smiling foolishly.“Consider it payback for what you did back then,” Albert said.He was referring to the time when Sophia had taken care of him while he was sick.“Hm, alright. Fair enough,” Sophia replied, giving in, even though she still felt a bit uneasy.They spent the rest of their time together in the room. Albert focused on his work, while Sophia sat beside him, wrapped in a blanket, leisurely reading a book.“I have a meeting
It had been a while since Sophia had gone outside. She was slightly surprised by the number of people bustling about on the streets. But as usual, Sophia managed to feign indifference, acting as if she wasn’t bothered in the slightest.When she entered the café, however, several pairs of eyes immediately turned toward her.The café, recommended by her new editor, was well-known among the socialite crowd. Sophia could already predict that some of them might recognize her, either as the haughty youngest daughter of Abraham or as the foolish wife of Albert Raymond.Whichever it was, Sophia steeled herself to remain indifferent. Without hesitation, she headed straight for the VIP room her editor had reserved.The room was quiet, with only three tables occ
Albert was seated alone at the meeting table with a neutral expression, food already laid out before him. His female secretary was carefully serving each dish one by one.When the door opened, Albert turned, startled to see Sophia standing there. Rising from his seat, he quickly walked over to her."Sophie, I didn’t know you were coming," Albert said, still surprised to find his wife before him. His gaze fell on the square-shaped bag Sophia was clutching tightly to her chest.“What’s that?” Albert asked, looking at Sophia, who had yet to say a word.Sophia had initially felt a twinge of disappointment upon seeing Albert already about to eat lunch, especially with his secretary personally serving him. And that secretary, whom Sophia wasn’t pa
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. Sophia froze upon hearing Albert’s confession. So all this time, Albert had been cooking and ordering steak for their dinners together because she liked it? Not because he liked it himself?But when had she ever told him that she liked steak?“You don’t like steak?” Albert asked when Sophia remained silent, not uttering a word.“I-I do… like it,” Sophia replied, still in disbelief.Sophia had never given much thought to her favorite food. She liked anything that tasted good. The only thing she truly considered her favorite was tomatoes. As for steak… she wasn’t sure. She ate it because it was delicious.But no
"Why are we here?" Sophia asked in confusion as she watched Albert press the passcode on the door to his apartment unit.Albert said nothing and gestured for her to step inside.Sophia hesitated, staring at the doorway and hallway with a complicated look. This was her first time visiting Albert’s apartment. She had never been interested in coming before. To her, this place was Albert’s private space, a refuge where he could unwind and also… She shook her head, dispelling the negative thoughts from her mind.Finally, she stepped inside.Albert turned on the lights, and the room was instantly bathed in brightness.Sophia glanced around at the interior, which was elegant yet… rather plain. Plain, becaus
"Is Daniel gay?""Sophie—"Sophia gasped. "What if all this time he’s actually been after you, not me? You, Albert!" She covered her mouth in disbelief, while Albert shot her a sharp, cold glare.Sophia then chuckled. "I’m just kidding. I’m sure Daniel wasn’t serious either."Albert smirked faintly. "How can you be so sure?"Sophia tilted her head to the side. What Daniel said earlier might have been true, but she wasn’t entirely sure. "Daniel has been in love before. And, according to Daniel, she was beautiful."Albert initially didn’t want to care, but after hearing his wife’s comment, he turned to face her.
"Sophie! Wow, this is such an unexpected coincidence," Daniel said as he reached Sophia, glancing between her and Albert.Sophia smiled slightly. "Yes, it’s a co—""Then, what’s the point?" Albert suddenly interrupted.Sophia tilted her head, wondering what he meant.Albert then looked at Sophia. "What does it matter if it's just a coincidence? It means nothing. Come on, let’s hurry and buy the ingredients before dinner time passes," Albert said with a scowl.Sophia realized why Albert was acting this way, and quickly responded, "You’re right, we should hurry." But of course, Sophia had no intention of ignoring Daniel entirely."Have you had dinner ye
The café was relatively quiet, with only a few customers. When Sophia appeared at the door, a waiter greeted her warmly and invited them in, then led the two of them to a VIP room. Sophia assumed Luke had made a reservation in advance. The café’s interior was luxurious yet classic, and the service rivaled that of a five-star restaurant.When the VIP room door opened, Sophia scanned the room and saw no one else but her brother sitting alone at a table in the center of the space.As their eyes met, Sophia thought she saw a smile on Luke’s lips—or was it just her imagination? Because as soon as Luke's gaze shifted to Albert, his expression turned sour.Sophia and Albert walked toward Luke’s table and took seats across from him.“Y
Albert was seated alone at the meeting table with a neutral expression, food already laid out before him. His female secretary was carefully serving each dish one by one.When the door opened, Albert turned, startled to see Sophia standing there. Rising from his seat, he quickly walked over to her."Sophie, I didn’t know you were coming," Albert said, still surprised to find his wife before him. His gaze fell on the square-shaped bag Sophia was clutching tightly to her chest.“What’s that?” Albert asked, looking at Sophia, who had yet to say a word.Sophia had initially felt a twinge of disappointment upon seeing Albert already about to eat lunch, especially with his secretary personally serving him. And that secretary, whom Sophia wasn’t pa
It had been a while since Sophia had gone outside. She was slightly surprised by the number of people bustling about on the streets. But as usual, Sophia managed to feign indifference, acting as if she wasn’t bothered in the slightest.When she entered the café, however, several pairs of eyes immediately turned toward her.The café, recommended by her new editor, was well-known among the socialite crowd. Sophia could already predict that some of them might recognize her, either as the haughty youngest daughter of Abraham or as the foolish wife of Albert Raymond.Whichever it was, Sophia steeled herself to remain indifferent. Without hesitation, she headed straight for the VIP room her editor had reserved.The room was quiet, with only three tables occ
“Oh!” Sophia widened her eyes. She hadn’t expected Albert to say that.‘…my wife.’ Sophia repeated the words over and over in her head, smiling foolishly.“Consider it payback for what you did back then,” Albert said.He was referring to the time when Sophia had taken care of him while he was sick.“Hm, alright. Fair enough,” Sophia replied, giving in, even though she still felt a bit uneasy.They spent the rest of their time together in the room. Albert focused on his work, while Sophia sat beside him, wrapped in a blanket, leisurely reading a book.“I have a meeting
“What time is it?” Sophia asked.“Ten,” Albert replied.“Evening?!” Sophia asked in disbelief. “So I’ve been sleeping that long,” she muttered to herself.Albert gave her a flat smile. “I don’t think you were sleeping at all. The truth is, you passed out for nearly the entire day.”Sophia waved her hand dismissively. “I didn’t pass out. You can’t tell the difference between sleeping and fainting, can you?” She still didn’t realize how bad her condition was this time. Usually, when she had a fever, Sophia never fainted like that.Albert looked at her incredulously.“I already