Chapter 155 Tying Steven's Tie
Nora smiled faintly, "He asked me to move in with him."
Olivia smiled, "That's right. You two are married - you can't keep sleeping in separate rooms forever."
"Olivia, I know."
"So things are stable between you now?" Olivia glanced at the purple-red kiss marks on her neck.
Nora's face reddened a bit as she covered them with her hair, "Yes, pretty stable."
Just then, Steven walked out of the bedroom in a black shirt and suit pants, looking sharp..
He'd overheard their conversation again.
Nora felt embarrassed. She glanced at him, then looked away.
Steven's lips curved slightly as he came over and sat down, "What were you two just talking about?"
"I was just asking Nora how things have been going between you two lately." Olivia smiled.
Steven slowly tore off a piece of bread and looked at Nora, "What did you say?"
His gaze was knowing.
Nora felt uncomfortable under his stare and turned her head away. "I said pretty stable."
"Olivia, what do you think of us?" Steven asked Olivia.
Olivia took a sip of coffee and couldn't help smiling, "Great. A married couple needs a good relationship - that's what makes life fulfilling."
"You hear that?" Steven looked at Nora.
Her face flushed as she glared at him, "Stop talking and eat."
"OK." Steven agreed and bit into his toast, clearly in a good mood.
After breakfast.
Nora went back to the bedroom to change clothes. Steven followed her in. Nora glanced at him, "Why are you following me?"
"To get a tie."
"Fine." Nora thought nothing of it and opened Steven's closet, only to freeze at what she saw.
He had hung up all her underwear on hangers.
Nora's face turned completely red.
Last night, when he helped her hang up clothes, she hadn't thought much about it. She never imagined he'd hang up all her clothes, even her underwear!
"Why did you hang up all my underwear?" Nora's face was red as she went to take them down.
Some were old and nearly worn out - it was so embarrassing for him to see them!
"I don't know how to fold them. There was space, so I just hung them up." Steven stood behind her and suddenly pulled her into his arms, his solid chest pressing against her back.
Nora's expression changed. "What are you doing?"
"Does it still hurt today?" Steven asked her softly.
"...Not anymore." It seemed like each time was a little better than the last - maybe she really was gradually getting used to it?
"That means it's getting better." He held her tighter. Nora thought he was going to do something again and held her breath.
"Steven!" It was time for him to go to work!
"What?" Steven's well-defined hand reached over and took a tie from the closet.
Nora's face was bright red.
Oh, he was just getting a tie. She'd thought he wanted to have sex again.
"Do you know how to tie a tie?" Steven looked down at her.
Nora shook her head, "I don't know how to do that."
She watched him place the tie around his neck, then offered, "Let me try."
She really wanted to try.
She'd often seen this scene on TV - a wife tying her husband's tie. She'd always wanted to try it.
And Steven happened to need his tie tied.
Nora took the tie from his hands and stood on her tiptoes, but couldn't remember the steps.
She thought hard.
Steven tightened his hold on her slim waist.
Nora's breath caught. "Behave yourself."
"How am I not behaving? I'm lifting you up so you can tie it more easily."
Nora's face reddened.
Bad man, always teasing her.
She tried tying it, then shook her head, "No, that's not right."
She tried a different method, but it still wasn't right. She looked at him with a worried expression, "Still not working. Forget it, I don't know how. You'd better do it yourself."
She tried to leave after speaking.
Steven grabbed her hand and pulled her back into his arms, "Silly girl, you can't even do this. I'll teach you."
Nora's face flushed, "I'm not silly."
"Where are you smart then?" he asked with a smile.
Looking at his teasing eyes, Nora's heart skipped a beat, "I'm just not dumb, that's all."
"Fine, not dumb. Watch carefully."
Nora fell silent.
Steven took the tie and focused on demonstrating for her, "Like this, then this, then this, and you're done. Got it?"
Nora nodded blankly, "I'll try tomorrow."
"Yes." Steven was in a pretty good mood. "Are you going out with Olivia today?"
"How did you know?"
"I saw you came in to change clothes." Nora always wore loungewear when she wasn't going out.
Nora smiled, "Olivia wants to go to the mall to buy clothes, so I'm going with her."
"Use my card." Steven knew Nora had no income since she wasn't working.
"What?"
"You're going shopping, right? Buy whatever you like, use my card." Steven instructed.
Nora was stunned, "Really? You won't say I'm a gold..."
Before she could finish, Steven grabbed her and held her tightly in his arms, his eyes dangerous as he said, "What did I say before?"
Nora was suddenly trapped in Steven's embrace, her eyelashes trembling slightly in fear.
He'd said if she said "gold digger," he would kiss her.
Steven looked down at her tender little face and said, "You broke the rule. Pucker up."
Nora was mortified, "It's because you used to say I was..."
"You want to say it again?" He was a bit unhappy now.
Nora thought Steven was really too mean.
He used to say those things about her, and now he wouldn't even let her mention it. If she did, she'd be punished.
But to make him happy, Nora still puckered her lips and stood on her tiptoes, offering her red lips to him.
Steven's scent enveloped her.
She was kissed, deeply.
Nora couldn't take it and went soft in his arms, her heart racing wildly.
Steven kissed her tempting lips and said in a husky voice, "I won't say that about you anymore. Spend as much money as you want."
Nora was stunned, looking at him with hazy eyes, "Really?"
"Yes, I misunderstood you before." Steven's handsome face was right in front of her.
He stroked her pretty little face, his tone tender and gentle, "I know you're not that kind of person."
Whether it was because the misunderstanding had been cleared up,
or because of something else, Nora's whole body trembled, her heart beating hard for him.
She thought she had truly fallen.
She had fallen in love with Steven...
When the kiss ended, they were both breathless.
Nora said softly, "You should go to the office. I need to go out soon, too."
"You two go in the afternoon. I'll come find you in the evening, and we'll have dinner out before coming back."
"Sounds good." Since Steven was initiating dinner plans, Nora certainly wouldn't refuse, "Perfect, I have those coupons you gave me before - we can use them."
"Yes." Steven looked at her.
"Go on, see you tonight."
Nora reluctantly saw Steven to the door.
Olivia sat in the living room, smiling, "You two are so lovey-dovey."
Nora felt a bit embarrassed and said shyly, "Wasn't it Olivia who said I should cherish Steven?"
"I didn't say you two being like this was bad." Olivia smiled and patted Nora's head, "This is great. So many people would envy a married couple with such a harmonious relationship."
"Do many married couples have bad relationships?"
"You'll understand after being married longer. Most couples end up with no feelings for each other." Olivia sighed inwardly, like her and Willie - they'd ended up almost like enemies.
Nora leaned against Olivia, thought of something, and her smile faded. "Olivia, I want to tell you something."
About Willie's affair.
"Go ahead." Olivia looked at her.
Nora glanced at Olivia, seeing she was in good spirits today with a calm expression. She went to her room to find her old phone.
She'd taken some photos of Willie and Hazel before. Though she didn't have bedroom photos, it was pretty obvious what was going on.
Nora turned on the old phone, opened the photos, and handed it to Olivia.
"Olivia, see for yourself."
Olivia looked over. In the phone photos was a picture of Hazel with her arms around Willie.
Nora had also secretly recorded a short video.
It showed the two of them intimately embracing in an underground parking garage.
Olivia felt like she'd been hit over the head, her blood running cold.
Although she'd long suspected Willie was cheating, seeing it with her own eyes was different.
As Olivia looked, her eyes began to sting.
Before she got pregnant, Willie used to commute with her every day, so he had no opportunity to cheat.
Later, when she got pregnant, Willie was very caring at first, but then he hired a servant to look after her.
Until Eleanor came to South City - that's when her nightmare began.
Eleanor wouldn't let Willie sleep in the same room with her. Sometimes Willie wouldn't come home at night, and if Olivia asked about it, Eleanor would scold her for being too controlling of her man.
"Actually, I knew it was her all along." Olivia came out of her memories and smiled mockingly.
Nora was surprised, "Olivia, how did you know?"
"I found a few things in Willie's car. Maybe she left them on purpose."
The first time was an embroidered charm.
She'd secretly checked Willie's accounts then and found he'd bought an LV bag online.
Olivia never received that bag, but when she went to the office, she saw that LV bag on Hazel's desk.
That's when she knew Hazel and Willie were together.
After that, she started paying attention to clues. She found things in Willie's car twice more.
Once it was lipstick.
Another time it was a lace thong.
Obviously, Hazel was also provoking her, deliberately leaving clues for her to find.
But because she had no proof, she never brought it up, to avoid tipping them off.
Now that it was confirmed, Olivia's heart was full of bitterness, but she felt relieved. As the truth came out piece by piece, it only made her more determined to get divorced.
"Olivia." Nora was very worried about Olivia and squeezed her hand.
Olivia squeezed her hand back, "It's fine. The day he stopped paying my medical bills, I completely gave up on him."
The day she broke down, she even wanted to die.
She couldn't understand how her life had turned out this way.
Later, when her heart died, she let it go. She stopped caring whether Willie came to see her, whether he loved her, or whether he cared about her.
That day, Olivia sat alone on the sofa, staring blankly at the floor.
Her mind was empty, her pupils unfocused.
Nora didn't know if she'd done the right thing. Her heart felt heavy, and she was in no mood for online classes. She took out her phone to message Steven.
Nora: [Steven, I told Olivia about Willie's affair.]