Chapter 236 CHAPTER 0236

Chapter 236 CHAPTER 0236
ROMAN'S POV

“Babe,” the faint voice said.

At first, I pretended not to hear it. My dream was too nice, too peaceful, the kind that makes you want to glue your eyes shut so you don’t lose a single second of it. I forced my mind to drift back toward whatever fantasy it was creating, but the voice returned, a little louder.

“Babe.”

And then the final call came, sharper, firmer, cutting clean through the last pieces of sleep lingering in my head.

“Roman.”

That tone alone told me exactly who it was. I let out a long, tired breath and slowly cracked my eyes open. The morning light hit my face in a way that annoyed me instantly, but as my vision cleared, Lauren came into focus standing right beside the bed with a look that made me wonder if I was staring at an AI or a real person, she looked perfect.

I knew I was going to be seeing her every day, but I don’t think I can get used to seeing her this beautiful 

She tapped my arm lightly, then bent down and placed a small kiss on my forehead.

“Good morning,” she said, her voice soft but clearly carrying judgment underneath. “I told you not to stay up late last night, and now look you’re waking up late.”

I blinked a few times, for a moment she genuinely sounded the same way my mother sounded when she’s scolding me.

“Good morning,” I replied, stretching the back of my neck lazily. “And honestly, I don’t care if I woke up at four in the afternoon today. Yesterday was a special day, and we needed to celebrate properly. But you went to bed early.”

“That’s because I knew I had an important meeting today,” Lauren said, turning to the mirror across the room. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, adjusted another, smoothed her dress, then leaned closer to check her makeup. She inspected every angle like she was about to be filmed from all sides.

“Okay, so why did you wake me up?” I mumbled, grabbing a pillow and covering half my face. “I’m tired. I want to sleep.”

“I woke you up because I want you to see me off,” she said with a strict tone, switching moods instantly as always.

I guess this is how she shows affection to her loved ones, first Aria now me. How would I handle this strict side of her in the future?

I exhaled, long and deep. I didn’t even want to know what would happen if I didn’t stand up. After everything that happened yesterday — the proposal, her emotions, the celebration, I didn’t want to start our engagement with a bruise under my eyes, so I pushed myself to sit up.

“I’m just saying,” I said as I stood from the bed, “you should’ve had more fun last night. It was like the moment your sister left, your whole spirit just… dropped.”

“Of course it did,” Lauren said, applying her lip gloss. “She’s my family. Am I supposed to be happy she left?”

“But you heard her,” I reminded her, pulling on a shirt. “She said she was going to get her things.”

“I know,” Lauren answered, her tone softening a little, “but something in me told me otherwise. The way she acted… it almost felt like she wasn’t happy about the engagement.”

That’s it.

You’re getting closer.

Figure it out, Lauren. 

“I’ve been seeing some things that are making me doubt her,” she continued, more quietly this time. “And I don’t even know why those thoughts should be in my head.”

“Things like what?” I asked, hoping she’d finally say it, that she noticed Elizabeth’s attempts to flirt with me, the way she always found excuses to stand close to me, touch me, smile too widely, laugh too loudly. But Lauren didn’t go there.

Instead, she shook her head quickly.

“Nothing. I don’t want to get into it right now. I’m already running late. We can talk about it when I get back.”

Just like that, she escaped the conversation. But it wasn’t because she didn’t know what to say, she didn’t want to voice the suspicion out loud, because then she’d have to confront it.

We began heading toward the door, but before we even stepped out, her phone vibrated. She glanced at the screen, and her brows lifted slightly.

“It’s from Elizabeth,” Lauren said. “She’s here with her things, so she’s moving in.”

She looked directly at me, watching my face carefully, like she wanted to catch even the smallest reaction. She waited, maybe expecting me to show annoyance, discomfort, or confusion. But I kept my expression calm.

“Okay,” I said simply.

Even though I didn’t like it — not one bit. I was going to tolerate it for Lauren's sake, she wanted to help her sister, and I wasn’t going to argue. Besides, now that she was starting to suspect something, Elizabeth wouldn’t be able to keep up her act for long.

Lauren stepped closer and placed a gentle kiss on my lips.

“The staff should help her with her things. I’ll see you when I get back. Then we can celebrate properly,” she said, smiling softly.

I walked with her to the front door. She adjusted her bag, smoothed her dress again, and gave me one more small smile before walking to her car. The driver opened the door for her, and she slid inside. I stood there watching as the car rolled out of the parking area and drove off, heading towards the estate gate

Only after she disappeared did another car appear. The driver Lauren had sent to pick up Elizabeth.

Whatever calmness I had on my face immediately faded. Because now, without a single doubt, I knew her intentions.

This wasn't a suspicion. This wasn’t a maybe.

She wasn’t just acting strange, she had a plan.

And with Lauren gone for the day, she would have the perfect chance to try something so I had to be very careful.

The car parked, and a moment later Elizabeth stepped out. She looked overly excited, too eager, too bright-eyed for someone who was supposedly just moving in for “family reasons.”

Her eyes landed on me instantly.

And just like that, the biggest smile stretched across her face — overly warm, overly inviting, the kind that felt rehearsed.

I forced myself to smile back. I wasn’t going to be rude, even though every part of me already felt uncomfortable.

Elizabeth dragged her suitcase behind her, taking slow steps as if she was waiting for me to say something first. Then she tilted her head a little and asked:

“Were you standing here waiting for me?”