The cat meowed at her feet, and Tanya lowered her head, stroking its head.Eli watched her and suddenly said, "Do you like Dexter?"Tanya shook her head."What do you mean then?" he said.The cat circled her feet, and Tanya stood up straight. After pondering for a moment, she said, "He taught me quite a few things."Eli chuckled. "You only knew each other for a few days.""Better late than never, you know?"Eli sneered, turned his head, and took a deep drag of his cigarette.After a while, he furrowed his brows and turned to ask, "What did he teach you?""Quite a lot.""Tell me.""Don't you have to work tomorrow?""I'm taking a day off too." He flicked the cigarette butt away, then sat back beside her, leaning against the bench. "Go on."Tanya packed up her things, placed her hands on her lap, looked at the stars, and said, "He confessed his feelings before."Eli seemed indifferent. He nodded and said, "So, you're quite charming, huh?""I guess so," Tanya said half-jokin
The wind blew gently. Eli's throat tightened slightly upon hearing "I fell in love with you," and he held his breath."When I married you, it wasn't a sham, and when we divorced, I compensated you adequately," he said, "but you didn't take the money."She fell silent.Soraya took the check he gave her. She didn't know how she found out about it, but she didn't think much about it; she just wanted to be left alone."When I say this, it's not to try to excuse you, so don't get any ideas," she said."You just said you didn't hate me.""I don't hate you; there's no reason to. I don't want to waste my energy. But let me make something clear. You're not a good person either."Eli was speechless.Tanya glanced at him and continued, "Getting dumped and immediately marrying someone else is immature and irresponsible.""Who told you I got dumped?" he said, displeased."Doesn't everyone in Portchester City know this?"He choked."Also, I came to you for help, and you suddenly wanted t
Upon entering the house, Tanya placed her shoes in the shoe cabinet and glanced at Eli, who was heading straight inside."You didn't put your shoes in the cabinet," she said.Eli paused in his tracks."You never put them away."It had been a month, and she had wanted to say it for a long time.Eli looked at her, then turned his head and chuckled. He nodded, walked back, and put his shoes in the cabinet. Then, he stood before her and looked down at her."Is it okay now?""Okay."But he didn't move away immediately.Tanya walked to the left.He shifted half a step to the left.She walked to the right.He shifted another half step to the right.Tanya sighed and looked up at him. "What are you trying to do?"Eli wasn't trying to do anything; it was just that tonight she seemed a bit domineering. This brought them closer, and he was unable to resist teasing her. He raised his hand and lightly tapped her forehead with two fingers."You've got some nerve, daring to boss me arou
In the past month, they ate, lived, and slept together, doing everything a couple should and shouldn't do. However, tonight was different. He had to make painstaking efforts just to get a kiss. He leaned in, only for her to avoid him several times. "Nia." The old trick. She bit her lip and turned her face away. "The noodles are done. They'll clump together." Who cared about the noodles? The man chased after her lips and kissed her. "If they clump, we'll eat them clumped." "They might not taste good..." "Everything you make tastes good." "Mm."In a moment of distraction, her lips were captured. She grabbed his robe tightly. Their lips intertwined, tasting each other. He took her hand and wrapped it around his neck. She completely forgot about the noodles as she stood on her toes, clinging to him and responding to his kiss. Behind the kitchen counter, the floor lamp adjusted its light. After the light dimmed, the scene of the man and woman embracing and entwining gradu
"What if you're not upstairs at noon?" "The secretary will prepare lunch for you." Tanya thought for a moment and said, "That's too troublesome." "Just come up as I asked. If you continue to give excuses, I'll ask someone to deliver it to your desk." "No!" "Then come up voluntarily." Alright. She compromised. It had to be said that the food here suited her taste very well. Probably because he had been in King City for many years, the dishes he ordered weren't the usual Portchester City dishes. After finishing the meal, she wanted to go downstairs immediately. "Where are you going?" he said."Back to work." "It's lunch break. Why are you in such a hurry to leave?" 'Then what? Stand here and stare at him?'Eli looked toward the lounge. "Have a rest; take a nap inside." "No need. I'll go downstairs to sleep." He looked at her silently."You can't possibly have a bed sent downstairs, right?" she asked."Try me." She paused, speechless, then said, "I have work
Fortunately, it was just after noon, and people were no longer as energetic. There was no one near the elevator. Tanya lowered her voice and asked, "What's wrong?" "I'm not going home today," he said. The secretary quickly lowered her head and moved aside, keeping watch. Tanya was stunned for a moment, then nodded in understanding. "Are you going on a business trip or vacation?" As far as she knew, he often 'vacationed,' which was traveling around the world with his friends. This was rich kids' privilege. After all, with the hotshot backing them, they wouldn't have to face any consequences. "No," the man said, "My grandmother isn't feeling well, so I need to go back to her house to take care of her for a few days." Tanya remembered. His grandmother was already in her eighties or nineties this year and had always been in poor health. "Okay..." she said. However, Eli suddenly asked, "Why don't you come back with me?" Tanya bit her lip. "Hun, are you already thinking o
They hadn't been apart for many days, but Eli's reminder made Tanya feel as if he had been gone for much longer. That evening, after work, she visited the fresh market even though it wasn't time for her usual grocery shopping. Eli's taste in food was quite particular; he disliked sweet and heavily flavored dishes, proving to be even pickier than Tanya, who simply avoided vegetables.Before heading out, she had set a budget for herself, planning not to buy much. Yet, she ended up leaving the market with two large bags full of groceries, including two bottles of expensive yogurt.Realizing how much she had bought, Tanya thought she might need to ask Eli to contribute more to their living expenses, considering his large appetite. She called a taxi back to their apartment.She also bought two pairs of new slippers. The weather was getting colder, and she didn't want her feet to be cold, so she decided it was worth spending a bit more on good slippers. When she placed the two pairs o
"Nia, I'm not being nosy, but someone like Mr. Sterling isn't suitable for you. You and Dexter get along so well. If you give him a chance, you'd probably become his wife."Tanya didn't respond. She leaned back on the sofa, unable to react for a long time.Half an hour later, she felt a dull pain spreading in her chest. Eli couldn't let go of Soraya. Sooner or later, he would divorce her again. Even though she had already prepared herself, when it was actually happening, she didn't feel as composed as she thought she would be."Nia?"Tanya sat up straight and turned off the pot before looking around the sofa for her coat."Lacie, send me the address. I'll come over now."Seeing was believing. It would be better to end this second marriage soon; at least she would have one less person to cook for.Lacie quickly sent the address over.Tanya hailed a cab and urged the driver to go faster."This is already fast enough, miss. Safety first.""Mister, my husband is being unfaithful,
Tanya's previous full-length mirror was still usable, but because it was small, she had to walk a bit farther every time she used it. Eli had long wanted to replace it.Little did he know, she got rid of many things in the house to make room for the new large sofa for him, including that old full-length mirror."How do you like it? Surprised?" He patted the mirror.Tanya smiled wryly and pointed to the large sofa. "And you? Surprised?" Only then did Eli notice fewer small items in the living room and a large new sofa. He suddenly chuckled. It was quite nice.He thought of her, and she thought of him. This winter was truly warm.Tanya abandoned the egg tart and hugged him again. "Oh no, this mirror is so big. There's nowhere to put it."Eli carried her with one hand and moved the mirror to the corner with the other. Sitting on the sofa, he thought for a moment, then hugged her and said, "Tanya, let's move to a bigger place."Tanya knew he had been thinking about this all along.
Eli found it amusing. He pushed the head of the small money jar and couldn't help but say, "You gold digger! You love money so much, then why did you give the check I gave you to Soraya?"Tanya blinked and chuckled. "I only acquire wealth in the proper way. To be honest…" She pondered for a moment, then turned to look at him. "Probably because, at that time, I was just too fond of you like I am now."Hearing this, Eli felt a pang of heartache and leaned down to kiss her forehead. Tanya smiled, moved the gifts aside, and made some space for him.Just as they were about to talk, Eli's phone vibrated continuously. It turned out that Bridget was sending over the detailed preparation process for the wedding.Tanya scrolled through it and suddenly felt overwhelmed. Eli looked at it and also felt a headache coming. The two glanced at each other, sighed simultaneously, and leaned back.After they publicly disclosed their relationship, life continued as usual but became busier due to the w
Eli being married was shocking enough, but then his wife was hiding right in the office. In the next half hour, Tanya heard wailing from all around.The atmosphere in their office was quite good, and everyone got along well. After coming clean, everyone joked around and teased each other."Nia, don't forget Mr. Ted, he's been cursing at you all along!""Yeah, he's been calling you a fool!""I heard it, I can testify!"Ted was furious and rushed out to hit someone. Tanya followed with laughter.Before leaving work, Amy indeed brought the cake and candies, sharing them with everyone in the building. Thus, the entire group gave them their blessings.From the office to the parking lot, Tanya received blessings. When she got into Eli's car, her heart was still pounding.Eli was happily eating his candy, feeling good. Especially now that he didn't have to sneak around anymore, he even turned the steering wheel effortlessly.Tanya, holding the cake, asked him in surprise, "Were these
Tanya walked out of the room with her guard down and came face to face with Ted's sneaky expression. She paused.Ted gasped, his brain instantly turning blank.He looked at Tanya, covered his mouth with his left hand, and placed his right hand over the left with his eyes gradually widening.God! This was insane!Tanya regained her composure and glanced in Eli's direction. Eli remained calm, glanced at the fruit plate on the table, and said, "Should we take some down to share with your colleagues?"Tanya nodded. She glanced at the still-disheveled Ted and kindly handed him a tangerine."Sir?"Ted swallowed, looked at Tanya, then at Eli. Finally, he settled his gaze on the tangerine in her hand, mechanically accepting it.Tanya turned to look at Eli. 'Look, you've scared my superior.'Eli shrugged."I'm leaving," she said.Eli nodded and escorted her to the door.Ted followed them out and was sent into the elevator by his boss. As the elevator doors closed, he let out a long
The deep blue bedsheet was neatly spread out. But the two pillows lacked pillowcases, exposed in a sorry state.Eli placed his hands on his belt and turned to look at Tanya. "Is this also your doing?"Tanya leaned against the door frame, only poking her head in, smiling sheepishly."I accidentally drooled while sleeping that day and dirtied the pillowcase. Knowing that you're a neat freak, I took them all off to wash," she said. She raised her hand and swore, "The pillowcases have been washed and are in the cabinet at home."Eli wasn't interested in the pillowcases' whereabouts. He remembered when Amy called him, saying Tanya missed him and wanted to touch the sheets and pillows after waking up.Nonsense!He took a deep breath, then turned his head to Tanya with a frightening smile. Tanya realized the danger and tried to run, but he grabbed her by the waist."Hey, what are you doing?" she said.Eli tossed her onto the bed and followed suit."What are you doing?!""Collecting
Tanya sat upright in the office. Eli stood before her with his hands behind his back. "Come on, explain."Tanya's eyes darted around. "Do you believe me? It's because I missed you too much. When I came to your place, I couldn't help but take away everything related to you." Eli scoffed. "Including the toilet paper?"Tanya pondered seriously.Eli tapped the coffee machine and pointed to the plug that had been pulled out, saying, "If the coffee machine wasn't too heavy, would you have taken that too?"'This brat has no conscience at all. Does she even understand what a cold shoulder is?'While he was reminiscing in her room, she made a fortune in his office!Tanya blinked and gave him an embarrassed smile. "If you think about it from another angle, I love you deeply. If we couldn't reconcile and you came back to see all this, you would hate me. Hate represents love, and love means you can't forget me. My obsession is so deep; I want to stay in your heart forever."Eli fell silen
"You should buy something while visiting. Do you have enough money in your account? If not, I will transfer some to you," Mrs. Moran said on the phone.Tanya didn't want money; she just wanted to hear some advice. She knew her parents' financial situation wasn't good. Due to illness, her stepfather had retired from his position as a butler of the Sterling family. Although the Sterlings provided a retirement package, Mr. Moran was getting old, and he had a son. She heard that his son's business had lost a considerable amount of money in recent years. As a stepdaughter, she had already received enough help from them, so how could she ask for more money?During her university days, she didn't ask her family for money. If she could find a part-time job, she would, and if not, she would endure it just to avoid causing her mother trouble."Mom, I don't need money. I have enough."When Mrs. Moran heard this, she felt even more sorry for her.Since her ex-husband was useless, Tanya suffer
After breakfast, Eli called Bridget."Why did you send her a check? Do you have nothing better to do?"Bridget had just arrived home and begun playing poker with a few old friends.She threw out a card, rolled her eyes, and said, "It's the first time I've met my daughter-in-law! What's wrong with giving her some money!"Eli was speechless."Madam, you came up and threw 500,000 dollars just like that. Aren't you afraid of scaring people?""What should I do? Throw 50,000 dollars instead? That's too stingy."Eli was speechless. Holding onto the railing, he glanced downstairs and saw Tanya ironing her coat in the living room."I almost got dumped because you caused a scene," he joked.Bridget threw the cards while chuckling. "It's good to be dumped. With your unruly behavior, someone should make you suffer a bit.""Are you really my mother?""If you still want to be a good son, hurry up and go through the procedures, live a proper life with Tanya, and try to give me a grandson n
"What did Her Majesty tell you?"Tanya nearly lost her composure, fighting back laughter.Bridget said nothing more as she left with Benjamin, leaving Tanya and Eli to return to the apartment. The journey back was silent, with Tanya deep in thought. Upon entering, Eli halted her at the entrance.Exhaling deeply, Tanya reached into her pocket and withdrew a check. Eli's gaze fell upon it, noting it was only for $500,000. As he moved to take it, Tanya tucked it back into her pocket. On the bar, a spread of breakfast awaited them - fried eggs, sausages, fruits, and vegetables. Despite the inviting display, Tanya's attention was on Eli."Don't you want breakfast?"With the situation still unclear, Eli's appetite waned. Nonetheless, knowing Bridget's nature, he remained calm. Seating himself opposite Tanya, he nibbled at a sausage, noticing her lack of interest."Is everything alright?" he asked, concerned.Tanya shook her head.The oversized sandwich Bridget had ordered had already