“Maybe? Why don’t you try to think about it?” Marcus kept his eyes on the road as he drove.
“You mean you don’t know him?” I was startled by his answer as I had come to the conclusion that Marcus and Alexander had not been on good terms ever since a long time ago.
“That was my first time encountering him. Therefore, I can’t be sure if he was telling the truth. After all, we were separated for a long time. We only have a few friends in mutual.”
I thought we used to have a superficial relationship where we would pretend to be lovely in front of one another’s friends and families. To my surprise, it was the exact opposite.
On top of that, I was surprised by how Marcus seemed to be aware of the things I had in mind. “C-Can you tell?”
“Currently, you’re not much different from an elementary school student. It’s not tough to read you—all it takes is a little effort and some time.”
It was an answer to my question, yet he stared dead ahead of him instead of looking at me in the eyes.
I could see his side profile from my point of view. He was relatively unfazed.
All of a sudden, he turned around and looked at me in the eyes. “You need to tell me if you’re touched. Miscommunication was the reason we were apart from one another for so long.”
My lips curved upwards when I heard his reply. Placing my hands in front of my chest, I announced, “It feels not half bad.”
He narrowed his eyes to a slit and smiled in return.
…
When I got downstairs for breakfast the next day, I noticed that Marcus had long departed.
I spent my time in the courtyard reading and enjoying the sun. When it was around ten o’clock, he showed up with his bag and took a seat next to me, carrying on with his work.
Just as the maid served us a plate of fruits, Marcus received a call. He headed over to the nearby corridor to answer the call. Occasionally, he would turn around to check on me.
Suddenly, the maid pointed at the milk in front of me and suggested, “Ms. Stovall, you should hurry up and finish the milk when it’s still warm.”
Since the maids had been pretty friendly, I picked up the glass of milk and gulped it down without a second thought.
When I was about to place the glass on the table, I noticed a note there. The maid looked at me and wouldn’t stop signaling me to pick it up with her eyes.
I knew the things she had in mind and stuffed the note into my pocket without hesitation.
After I placed it in my pocket, I took a peek at Marcus, who happened to be on his way back to take his seat next to me.
“Is there something on my face?” he questioned.
“Nope.” After I answered his question, I stretched my limbs and yawned. “I’m quite sleepy. I’m going to head inside and take a short nap.”
I had no idea who had acquired the maid’s aid to deliver the message to me, let alone the content of the note. Thus, I was afraid to check on the note in front of Marcus.
Afraid he would notice something was wrong, I trudged back to my room. The moment I entered the room, I rushed into the washroom and locked the door before digging the piece of note out.
I arched my brows in confusion when I read the contents. Apart from a single phrase, there wasn’t anything else on the piece of paper.
Meet me at The Jade at nine o’clock. I’ll be waiting for you in room 608!
The person hadn’t bothered to include a message to earn my trust, but the neat and tidy handwriting made me feel somewhat at ease to follow the instruction.
On top of that, The Jade seemed to ring a bell as well.
After muttering to myself, I tore the note into countless pieces and flushed them down the toilet.
When I walked out of the washroom, I encountered Marcus, who happened to be walking into the room. He looked at me with a straight face, but I started breathing heavily, guilt washing over me.
“I respect your privacy. Therefore, you don’t need to lock the door when you’re merely going to use the washroom.” He must have heard the clicking sound of the door being unlocked.
“I guess it has always been a habit of mine.”
His eyes flickered as though he recalled something, but he didn’t seem to doubt my words. “Maybe you’re right. You’re free to do anything that makes you happy, but I hope you open up and make yourself at home.”
I shrugged my shoulders and forced a calm front, replying nonchalantly, “I’ll be fine. After all, you have been taking great care of me.”
