Chapter 194 Take You to Phoenix Hill Villa to Meet Her
Daniel fell silent for a long time. He felt a torrent of deep, dark emotions before he finally felt any sense of calm.
His thumb brushed across Scarlett's reddened eyes and he spoke in a hoarse voice.
"I should be the one looking for her. Waverly would still be safe if I hadn't butted in. I owe her and Iowe the White family."
Daniel's features were weighed down by thick gloom and guilt, dejection and sorrow—emotions Scarlett had never seen on him before.
Right then, he looked like any other ordinary man, consumed by helplessness. He seemed so lost and vulnerable.
And these emotions were because of Waverly.
Scarlett still felt that inappropriate jealousy in her heart, but seeing him like this made her feel bad too.
Without realizing it, she raised her hand and gently touched the corner of his slightly lowered eyes, as if trying to smooth away the worry and sorrow there.
"But haven't you already found her? You let her live in our other wedding house and hid her existence from me. When you did this, did you consider my feelings? What am I supposed to think?"
Scarlett pressed him with questions, her heart tightening bit by bit, full of jealous fire, grievance, and anger.
Daniel frowned. "What wedding house?"
"Phoenix Hill Villa."
"How could that be our wedding house? Isn't this place our wedding house?"
After they got married, although he didn't come home often, he wasn't so confused that he couldn't tell where home was.
Scarlett looked at Daniel in shock. She didn't know whether to be angry or happy.
Scarlett was happy because he seemed to genuinely not know that Phoenix Hill Villa was also one of the wedding houses Magnolia had arranged back then.
That's why he let Waverly stay there without any hesitation.
Scarlett was angry because he clearly hadn't put his heart into this marriage—otherwise, how could he not know even this?
Her eyes grew moist, and her lips curved into a slightly mocking smile.
"Phoenix Hill Villa is close to the hospital. Grandma thought about how I go to the hospital every few days to see James, so she chose both that place and Regal Estate as wedding houses.
I personally decorated and participated in designing both places. After finishing, I made PPTs of both houses and sent them to you.
Several days later, you had Mr. Green reply to me, saying they were both very good and told me to choose whichever I liked."
Back then, Scarlett felt like she was finally going to have a home of her own.
And it would be a home that belonged to her and Daniel.
She spent a lot of time and effort decorating those two houses, even though he never participated once.
But she thought, he's so busy, she could do it herself.
She wanted to create the best home and surprise him.
She made the PPTs and even left him a romantic message at the end.
[My heart, your forever home]
She hoped to build a home with him, a home that would hold all her youthful joy, future hopes and sweetness, where they would have children and grow old together.
But he clearly didn't care about those feelings. He had no empathy at all.
Daniel probably never even looked at the PPTs she made—he just had Tom casually send her a perfunctory reply.
Poor Scarlett waited for days, and when she received Tom's reply, she held her phone and grinned like a fool.
She thought she had gotten Daniel's approval.
"What PPTs?"
Sure enough, Daniel frowned, his expression completely puzzled.
Scarlett felt a lump of anger in her chest. She took a deep breath and silently told herself.
Don't bring up the past, don't reopen old wounds.
Suppressing the spreading emptiness and bitterness in her heart, Scarlett finally spoke.
"Even if you didn't know Phoenix Hill Villa was a wedding house, I saw with my own eyes that day that you broke your promise to go there and pick up Waverly, and you personally opened the car door for her.
You told me you were in a meeting, but you were actually with Waverly. What did you mean by lying and hiding it from me?"
Daniel's expression darkened. "You followed me?"
Scarlett was infuriated by him. Her small face turned cold, and she suddenly withdrew her finger from his eyes.
"Forget it, don't explain. If you explain more, who knows what other accusations you'll throw at me."
She pushed against him, about to stand up from his lap.
Daniel tightened his embrace and pressed his forehead against hers. "Sweetheart, I said the wrong thing again."
Daniel's voice was full of helplessness and indulgence toward her, making Scarlett's heart flutter.
Scarlett's heartbeat skipped a beat pathetically, but she pinched her palm, resisting the flutter and staying clear-headed.
She wasn't that cheap—she didn't want to forgive a man who was full of lies to his wife.
Because lies, like cheating and domestic violence, only happen once or countless times.
Once trust collapses, trying to rebuild it is like patching up a heart—it's not that easy.
"Rest well. Tomorrow I'll take you to Phoenix Hill Villa to meet her, and you'll understand everything.
As for lying about being in a meeting—wasn't I leaving the hospital at that time?"
Scarlett pressed her lips together and nodded.
At that time, Daniel had indeed come out of the inpatient building with Waverly and walked toward the parking lot.
Daniel's expression grew even more helpless as he lifted Scarlett's chin.
"I had a very important video conference at that time. When I got in the car, Tom had already started chairing the discussion. I wasn't lying to you."
Scarlett froze. She frowned, her upturned little nose also wrinkling slightly.
She looked troubled and confused. Could it all really be a misunderstanding?
Was she tormenting herself for nothing?
Scarlett felt lost and at a loss.
Just then, pain came from her nose—Daniel had suddenly bitten her, not too hard, not too soft.
Scarlett's almond eyes grew moist as she glared at Daniel. Daniel's eyes held anger as he sneered coldly.
"What? Disappointed that you couldn't pin the label of 'bad man' on me?"
Scarlett felt embarrassed and annoyed. "Whether you're a bad man or not is still up for debate. Why do we have to wait until tomorrow to go to Phoenix Hill Villa? Why not explain clearly now? Who knows what tricks you're planning!"
Layers of gloom immediately flashed across Daniel's features. He gripped Scarlett's small chin and said fiercely.
"Can't you have even a little trust in me? Do you have to assume the worst about me?"
"I..."
Scarlett wanted to argue back, but Daniel suddenly leaned in and blocked her unforgiving little mouth.
Scarlett's breath was filled with Daniel's scent again. She wanted to resist, but he stirred her up until her breathing became more and more chaotic.
Daniel thought about how before, no matter how he kissed her, she remained unmoved and resistant.
This time, he deliberately tormented her, as if determined to awaken the deepest desire for intimacy in her body, kissing her in every way possible, deep and shallow.
He didn't give her any chance to catch her breath or clear her head.
Scarlett raised her hand to push against his chest. Through the thin shirt was Daniel's strong, vigorous body and his powerful heartbeat that seemed as chaotic as hers.
He even let out muffled gasps from his chest, escaping through their tightly entangled lips and teeth.
So full of desire, hoarse, passionate.
Scarlett never knew that Daniel's gasps at this moment could be so devastatingly sexy.
This kind of kiss made her feel like the aloof Daniel had truly fallen for her.
It made her feel like at this moment, his mind was full of her—though it was just an illusion.
But he had never gasped like this before.
In her daze, Scarlett was thinking again—after the sympathy ploy, was this bastard Daniel now using his charm to seduce her?
"Lily, focus, or I'll kiss you until you cry!"
Her tongue was sucked hard, and tears welled up in Scarlett's eyes from the pain. She heard Daniel's husky voice against her red lips.
Before she could protest, he blocked her lips again.