Chapter 44
Charlotte’s POV:
I had to suppress my laughter. He was jealous, I realized, feeling both amused and warmed by the thought. This powerful
feared throughout Silicon Valley, was fretting over who might be meeting his young wife.
man,
“It’s you, silly husband,” I announced, standing in the doorway with the roses hidden behind my back.
Alexander spun around, surprise evident on his usually composed face. “Charlotte?”
I walked into his office, unable to contain the smile spreading across my face.
“Darling, I bet you’ve never received roses before,” I said, extending the bouquet toward him. “Here, a gift from your wife.”
As he took the flowers, I noticed his hands trembling slightly.
“So the romantic date you mentioned this afternoon was with me?” he asked, one arm encircling my waist while the other
held the flowers.
“This is a surprise for my husband,” I confirmed, raising my arms to loop them around his neck. His eyes, usually sharp as gemstones, had softened in a way I rarely saw.
Later, as we walked hand in hand through the office, his employees struggled to hide their shock at seeing their formidable CEO carrying a bouquet of roses.
“Mrs. Kingsley,” a curious secretary asked, “how many roses did you give the boss?”
“Twelve,” I answered simply.
“Is there some meaning behind twelve roses?” someone asked meaningfully, glancing at their colleagues.
I hugged the bouquet of roses, my face burning red. “Please wait until we’ve left before looking up the flower meaning,” I pleaded with my husband’s employees, who were staring at the flowers with undisguised curiosity.
As we walked toward the elevator, I could feel Alexander’s gaze on me. Looking up, I caught the hint of a smile at the
corners of his mouth.
“What’s the meaning of twelve roses?” Alexander asked, his deep voice filling the small space between us.
I fidgeted with the ribbon on the bouquet. “You have a phone, you can look it up yourself.”
“I want to hear it from you,” he insisted, his eyes never leaving my face.
I bit my lip, feeling strangely shy. Taking a deep breath, I finally whispered: “The meaning is: ‘My love for you grows with each day.”
The smile that bloomed on his face made my heart skip a beat. “Remember those words,” he said. “That’s your promise to
me.”
Before I knew it, Alexander had brought me to one of San Francisco’s most unique restaurants. As we sat down at a table overlooking the bay, he chuckled after checking his phone.
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“My friends are discussing us.
не п
“Who exactly are you sending it to?” I suddenly became self–conscious.
“Marcus, Daniel, Elliot, and Jake.” His friends are from other prominent families. “They don’t believe someone would give me flowers.”
At the thought of being scrutinized by Alexander’s wealthy friends, I frowned. “Wait, let me touch up my makeup first.”
In the restroom, I lightly touched up my makeup–some brown eyebrow powder, subtle winged eyeliner, and a fresh layer of lip gloss. When I returned, Alexander looked at me appreciatively.
“Did you put oil on your lips?” he asked innocently.
I smacked his shoulder. “It’s lip gloss, not oil! Lip gloss.”
Alexander sent the photo to his friends, which immediately triggered a flurry of responses.
“Jake says you’re robbing the cradle,” I giggled, peeking at his phone.
#
*Jake was still wetting the bed at eighteen,” Alexander replied coolly. “I’ll take you to meet them. You can demand the wedding gifts we never received.”
“Deal. I’ll especially ask Elliot for–he’s very wealthy, right?”
Our dinner arrived–steak and foie gras–which I photographed before starting to eat. Alexander suggested wine, but I
declined.
“I can’t handle alcohol well, and if you drink, I don’t know how to drive us home,” I explained.
“I’ll teach you to drive this weekend,” he promised.
When we arrived at the Kingsley mansion on Nob Hill, Richard’s eyes immediately locked onto the roses. “Well done, son! Finally learned to buy roses for your wife!”
I laughed. “Actually, I bought them for him.”
Richard’s face fell. “What? You let your wife buy you flowers? Go out and get her some right now!”
“It’s fine,” I assured him. “These roses cost less than six hundred dollars, but he spent over six thousand taking me to
dinner. I think I got the better deal.”
I held onto Alexander’s arm as we returned to our bedroom, and the next moment, his lips were on mine. I was lost in his
scent and tenderness. The sofa was too small and limiting, so he simply picked me up and placed me on the bed, giving me no time to react before pressing himself over me. His overwhelming kisses left me breathless, dizzy from his attention,
my neck and ears flushed red.
“I’m going to shower. You get into bed first,” Alexander finally released me and stood up.
I didn’t dare respond verbally, waiting until he entered the bathroom and I heard the water running before crawling off the
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Chapter 44
bed. With crimson cheeks, I ran to the closet. Looking at myself in the mirror with blood–red lips, I couldn’t help but pat my face in embarrassment.
Hearing the shower stop, I hurriedly changed into my pajamas, carelessly tossing my day clothes aside without hanging them properly, and rushed back to bed. I pulled up the covers and pretended to be asleep with my head under the blanket.
Alexander emerged with only a towel wrapped around his waist. I could feel him approaching the bed, and I burrowed deeper under the covers.
“Don’t sleep with your head covered. Keep your head out so you can breathe properly,” he advised.
“Mmm, don’t want to see you-” I responded in a muffled voice.
“Between husband and wife, what happened earlier…” he began.
“I’m not listening, I’m not listening, I’m not listening!” I covered my ears and loudly interrupted him.
“Fine, I won’t say anything. But get your head out first, or you’ll suffocate,” he tried to pull back my blanket.
I held the blanket tightly around me like a retreating turtle. As we remained at an impasse, the phone on the coffee table
rang.
Alexander walked over to answer it: “Hello, this is Alexander Kingsley.”
I heard him say: “Yes, that works.” Then, “I’ll head over now. How many women will be there?” Finally, “Good, arrange it like that for now. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
三
三
Women? Those two words pierced my heart like a needle. I immediately emerged from under the covers, glaring at him: “Where are you going?”
Alexander didn’t answer, walking to the closet still wrapped in his towel. I followed him and saw he was about to remove his towel. I quickly closed my eyes and turned my back to him.
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