I raked a hand through my hair in frustration. Argh! I wonder how much Mr. Doyle is going to penalize me since I’m late to work today!
I then flipped through my contacts for Harry’s number to give him a call and explain things. But before I had even pressed the dial button, a call came in.
At the sight of Michael’s name flashing across the screen, my heart pounded wildly.
Shit! Could he be calling at this time to question why I’m not in the office yet? Oh God, what should I do? How should I explain it to him? I can’t say that I overslept, can I? After all, such an excuse isn’t valid to him!
Throughout my internal monologue, my phone continued ringing. Inhaling deeply, I finally answered the call uneasily.
“Hello, Mr. Shaw…” I murmured after the call was connected.
Sheer anxiety ricocheted within me, for I was terrified that Michael’s apoplectic voice would suddenly blast out from the other end of the phone.
“You’re awake?”
To my surprise, Michael didn’t rage at me. Instead, his voice was placid with a trace of warmth.
My heart skipped a beat at once, and a strange feeling pervaded me. I shook my head forcefully, telling myself that I had to be hearing things since he would never speak to me so tenderly.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Shaw. I overslept this morning.”
Well, regardless of whether he’s calling to reprimand me, I can’t go wrong with an apology right off the bat. Even if he’s irate, he won’t be too angry when I apologize so sincerely.
“I was the one who turned off your alarm. I’m giving you the day off, so just stay home and rest up. Perhaps I went about things wrongly yesterday.”
Michael’s deep and alluring voice was still as detached as ever as it drifted over, yet my heart fluttered.
What? He was the one who turned off my alarm? How could he simply fiddle with my cell phone? Doesn’t he know what privacy means?
My anger was piqued at his admission, but when I registered the meaning of his final utterance, my heart hammered wildly. He actually admitted that he was wrong before me? Has hell frozen over today?
“Mr. Shaw, I…”
It was a long while before I snapped out of my stupor. I opened my mouth to say something else, but he had already hung up on me.
Hearing the disconnect tone from the other end of the phone, I curled my lips in chagrin. Good grief! That was the first time he admitted to having made a mistake, yet he only uttered that meager remark. How insincere!
After putting down the phone, my emotions remained turbulent for a very long time. Why would an arrogant man like him simply apologize? Has he gotten his wires crossed today?
Despite my puzzlement, I forced myself not to think about anything remotely related to Michael. His mind was wired differently from others, after all, so I could never comprehend his thoughts even if I were to rack my brains.
I stayed at Birchwood the entire day without going anywhere. When hunger pangs hit, I made a cup of instant noodles, determined to relax all day.
I simply allowed myself to be unkempt without washing up or changing my clothes, I was so sloppy that I was no different from a bedraggled vagabond.
When Michael came home at night, he was so shocked at my state that his eyes almost popped out of his head. Never once had I been so blasé about my image before him.
“Anna, did you just fall into a trash can?”
Putting down the briefcase in his hand, Michael eyed me with utter contempt as his striking brows creased deeply.
“Is it necessary for you to be so harsh, Michael? I merely didn’t wash up or doll up today. You’re making things sound worse than they are!”
Upon hearing that, I frowned in consternation. Jeez, he’s really exaggerating things. Although I’m a bit disheveled, I don’t look as bad as having fallen into the trash can, do I?
“Aren’t you afraid that I’ll lose interest in you when you’re showing me such an unsightly side of you?” Michael commented after a long while, looking me up and down.
“That’s your problem.”
How I wish he would lose interest in me since I wasn’t in the mood to entertain him recently. I was already annoyed by my own problems, so I hadn’t the mental capacity to bother about him.
Michael regarded me in vexation. In the next second, his commanding voice rang out.
“I’m giving you half an hour to take a shower and change.”
All at once, my brows scrunched together. While I was disgruntled at his order, I still ambled to the bathroom for a shower.
Meanwhile, Michael’s sharp brows furrowed deeply as his gaze fell on the empty cup of instant noodles on the dining table. He was a clean freak, so he was definitely hopping mad to see that I had messed up his house in a single day.
When I came out after showering and changing into a set of clean pajamas, Michael was sitting in the living room with a terrifyingly grim expression.
“I told you to relax at home today, and you made such a mess?”
He pointed a long and slender finger at the empty cup of instant noodles on the dining table, his voice colored with barely suppressed anger.
Following his gaze, I murmured guiltily, “I’ll clean it up right away.”
I’ve got to return this place to its pristine condition before he blows a gasket. Otherwise, he definitely won’t forgive me so easily, considering his temperament.
Quickly tossing the empty cup of instant noodles into the trash can, I then wiped the dining table clean with a piece of tissue.
After cleaning everything up, I went back to Michael.
Looking at him, I urged softly, “It’s late, so go and take a shower before going to bed.”
He again threw the dining table a look before getting up without a word and heading to the bathroom.
The entire night passed without incident. Perhaps Michael was also tired, for he foregone our usual bout of passion that night. He merely hugged me from behind and fell into a deep slumber.
It was a rare occurrence for us to lay on the bed together without passion consuming us. Feeling safe, I drifted off in no time.
After learning that Michael had fiddled with my cell phone without permission, I deliberately changed my screen lock to my fingerprint.
Although he only turned off my alarm out of concern, I disliked having someone else simply manipulating my things. I just couldn’t shake off the feeling that my privacy had been violated, albeit having nothing much to hide in the first place.
When my alarm rang in the morning, I blinked open my eyes. At that time, Michael had just gotten dressed. He looked at me strangely upon seeing me get out of bed before pivoting and leaving without a word.
Glimpsing the time, I quickly changed and hurried to work with no time to spare for breakfast.
I had to hurry since the subway was particularly crowded during the morning rush hour. Otherwise, I would definitely be late.
By the time I arrived panting at the office, I only had a few minutes to spare. I breathed a sigh of relief and made my way to my table. But before I had even settled down, Millie leaned over to me.
“You’re something else, Anna! When did you get so familiar with Mr. Shaw? Tell me everything! What’s your relationship with him?”
