6 Chapter 6
I had recorded the entire conversation on my backup phone. Jessica and Marcus soon had a reunion at the police station.
Although I used to cook, I usually didn’t bother because of the hassle or my overtime, which led to irregular meals. Over time, my stomach had taken a hit.
“Okay, okay, I’m yours,” I chuckled, soothing him as my fingers drew circles on his
chest.
In the end, Jessica and her group were convicted.
Aside from Jessica, there were plenty of higher-ups in the company covering for this.
He blushed instantly, nodding. “Yes.”
I couldn’t help but think-people really can’t be too idle.
Marcus didn’t stop. I repeated myself, and suddenly he laughed. “I was wondering why you turned me down in college. Turns out you were already aiming for our CEO, and then you had the nerve to badmouth me? Emma, you’re something else.”
I had always known Alexander was a bit of a romantic, but I didn’t realize just how
much.
He turned as red as a tomato. “At your service!”
I smiled. “Then you must know about a little thing called Find My iPhone, right?”
Then, he suddenly seemed to remember something. “Oh, right. Last year, there was another rookie designer who was just as reluctant as you. Also from your company.” He mentioned her name and laughed. “Want to guess how she begged me in the end?”
The car seemed to be heading toward an apartment complex. New developments in Seattle are usually in up-and-coming neighborhoods, and late at night, there were hardly any people on the road.
At the celebration party, Alexander and I clinked glasses. Under the soft lights, I could see the love he had for me, and only me.
Alexander leaned in and whispered with a laugh, “What? Are you shy?”
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“You still have the nerve to bring that up!” I glared at him and lightly punched him. “You were the one with the permanent scowl! All my work stress was because of you!”
I felt a bit uncomfortable. “Let go.”
I shook my head in exasperation, but to my surprise, he only got more enthusiastic. “I’m proud of it! I am a love-struck fool!”
It seemed like he had become addicted to it, constantly trying to feed me. Soon, everyone at the company knew I had a mysterious boyfriend who was an amazing
cook.
The verdict came out just as I was about to meet Alexander downstairs.
This was our fourth year together, and his love for me hadn’t faded over time; in fact, it had only grown deeper.
He laughed. “Oh, please. Stop stalling. My apartment has a signal jammer. I know you’ve been texting your little CEO boyfriend, but you were trying to avoid me, so you didn’t dare check your phone. So, you wouldn’t even know if your messages went through.”
Ever since we came clean about our feelings, he happily moved into the apartment upstairs from me. He called it “being strategically close.”
Alexander had always been worried about how going public might affect my career, so privately, he helped me enroll in management courses and pushed me to get various professional certifications.
As soon as I walked over, Alexander gave me a big hug. I quickly pushed him away. “What are you doing? There are so many people around.”
My heart skipped a beat, and I forced myself to stay alert, calling out to Marcus, “Marcus, please pull over. I feel dizzy and sick.”
To avoid drawing attention, he put his Tesla in storage and started driving a regular used Toyota to pick me up from work. He even started cooking dinner for me.
On our wedding night, he held me tightly, nuzzling against me. “Babe, you’re finally
mine.”
“Are you not afraid I’ll call the police?”
I couldn’t hold back my laughter.
“Hmph, well, I’m upset,” Alexander whined, rubbing his head against mine. “I don’t care. I finally got to hug you, and I’m not letting go.”
But right now, I didn’t have time to focus on that.
But now, Alexander took it upon himself to cook for me every day, always trying new recipes. In just a week, I had gained two pounds.
He was down there waving a huge bouquet of flowers from Pike Place Market at me, his face full of joy, looking like a golden retriever waiting for its owner.
“Then, can I ask you something?” He seemed a little shy.
The company was still debating how to handle the situation, but after Jessica’s arrest and Alexander’s insistence, they decided to take the case to court.
He looked at me. “Mainly, it was because of you. You embarrassed me in college, didn’t you? So, I’m giving you a chance to beg me.” He chuckled.
Marcus smiled. “If I’m not mistaken, the stuff in that red wine is kicking in now. There’s not a soul around here, and soon, you’ll be begging me.”
“No way.” He pouted, burying his face in the crook of my neck. “You’re my girlfriend. What’s wrong with me hugging you? You don’t even know how sad I was when you broke up with me before.” I could feel his warm breath as he spoke, and I could tell his eyes were getting red again, threatening to spill tears.
Two years later, through my own hard work, I took over Jessica’s position and became the company’s Design Director.
But the next moment, a sharp knock echoed through the garage.
He put on a feigned expression of helplessness. “You think cutting the budget was easy? She’s good at controlling costs, and the price was lowered so much that my profit barely existed. I’d rather not have done it, but…”
Alexander’s investigation was also wrapping up. Aside from what just happened, Jessica had also colluded with suppliers to create fake design projects and embezzle company funds. She even manipulated the bidding process to secretly give the company’s freelance contracts to her relatives.
12:06
I kept my face expressionless. “I’m going to say this one last time. Pull over, or I can’t promise what I’ll do.”
I gave him a mischievous smile. “Then…”
Another year passed. We met each other’s parents, got engaged, and then married.
I raised an eyebrow. “Can I ‘redesign’ every part of you?”
As he spoke, he actually drove into the underground garage of an apartment building and turned to look at me. “Or do you prefer my apartment bed over the car?”
“Can you promise you’ll only ‘redesign’ me from now on? If you help other guys ‘rebrand’ themselves, I’ll get jealous.”
“You’re such a love-struck fool!”
It was the new designer who was forced to quit last year.
I raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”
By now, I finally understood him. He wasn’t a crybaby or clingy-he just knew that I was the type to soften up when he acted like this. Lately, he had been getting more and more spoiled.
I furrowed my brows. “Why did Jessica cooperate with you?”
