Chapter 73
Daniel, sitting on the side watching all this unfold, felt completely out of place - like a giant several-thousand-watt light bulb. The young couple couldn't even get close without him having to leave.
"You guys stay, I'll go!"
William didn't stand on ceremony. He watched Daniel put down his utensils and leave, even closing the private room door for them.
Ava's heart was pounding like a drum.
"You don't even know my weight, do you?"
She tried to argue.
William directly changed seats, moving from across the table to sit beside her.
"Five foot seven, 106 pounds, measurements 33-23-34 inches. What else don't I know?"
He raised his eyebrows,
"Oh right, 28-day cycle, and this month... it came early?"
"A few days early or late is normal."
Ava was startled and quickly took over the conversation, afraid he'd suspect something.
William's large hand lifted her chin, turning her face toward him.
"None of that matters. What matters is why you remember information about other men and recite it in front of your man?"
He was displeased. Did this woman even see him at all, challenging him so blatantly?
Her behavior was basically a slap in his face. His own wife knew everything about another man but didn't know how much he weighed. Did she even know whose wife she was?
Ava cleared her throat lightly,
"Lucas is my buddy. He has no gender to me. You know what his orientation is."
William bit her pink lips, "Still not okay. What if he changes his mind one day? Keep your distance, understand?"
He was really jealous, even jealous of Lucas, who only liked men. Ava was speechless.
This man did whatever came to mind, never holding himself back. Ava was afraid he'd do something even more awkward here, so she could only appease him first.
She nodded obediently,
"I understand."
Only then was William satisfied enough to let her go.
The meal lasted nearly two hours. When they returned to SilkGrove Estates, the first thing he did was tell Lily to pack up the guest bedroom and move everything back to the master bedroom.
Lily watched the two of them enter all lovey-dovey, their relationship seemingly many times better than before. Sure enough, couples fight at the headboard and make up at the footboard - arguments are just relationship seasoning.
She happily put down what she was doing, washed her hands, and went upstairs to pack. The young couple was finally moving back into the same room - now she'd have something to report to Howard's side. Otherwise, she worried every day about what to say when the Morgan Mansion called, asking about the couple's relationship status.
William pulled Ava to sit on the sofa, waiting for the upstairs to be sorted out.
He played with her slender fingers - skin delicate and smooth, soft as if boneless.
"Ava, where's the ring?"
After the ring was found, Ava had carefully put it away. With their relationship broken, she saw no need to wear it. Now that he asked, she answered honestly.
"I put it away."
"Just as well you're not wearing it."
After a long silence, he said,
"Next quarter, we're releasing wedding rings. I'll get you the new design to wear."
Ava looked at him, her heart melting.
When he treated her tenderly now, she was naturally overjoyed.
"No need to spend the money. The previous wedding rings were already expensive - it'd be a shame not to wear them."
Saying this, Ava thought to herself that she had designed that pair of rings herself, and Howard had gone to great lengths to buy them back - they held special meaning for her.
"Grandpa bought the previous pair; they don't count."
He thought his meaning was very clear - he wanted to formally give her a pair of wedding rings himself.
Ava said nothing, but was extremely excited inside.
"Still want to watch a movie?"
Today, he was being especially respectful of her wishes, as if he wanted to cherish her in the palm of his hand.
Ava felt so respected, and she had never experienced it before. So he could be something other than cold after all.
She couldn't figure out why his attitude had changed so dramatically. She could tell he no longer cared about Sarah the way he used to - his trust in Sarah was being consumed bit by bit by her thoughtless actions.
William didn't wait for her answer and directly picked her up and carried her toward the media room.
Ava felt empty beneath her but full in her heart.
Thinking about how they'd almost gotten carried away watching a movie here last time, alarm bells went off in her head.
"Can we watch a normal movie?"
She asked quietly.
William sat directly on the sofa and placed her on his lap, even holding her thighs and pulling her a few inches closer to his body - a dangerously intimate gesture. Ava pressed against his waist and abdomen, her heart trembling - he really knew how to handle her.
"What's a normal movie? Was what we watched last time not normal?"
Ava stammered a little, "Just one without so many sex scenes."
Her face was already red as she finished speaking.
William's lips curved in a silent smile. Ava thought he looked really attractive when he smiled - if only he could smile more often.
"Then you pick."
He handed her the remote.
Ava clicked on the comedy section and randomly selected one. A comedy couldn't go wrong, right?
The lights in the media room all went out, and the movie started playing.
This film was released a few months ago, starring a popular comedy actor. She'd never watched it, mainly because watching movies alone felt too lonely.
Someone online had summarized the ten loneliest things - eating hot pot alone, watching a movie alone, going to an amusement park alone, going to the hospital alone...
Ava felt suffocated thinking about doing those things by herself. Loneliness didn't feel good.
She had no close family now. Ever since her mother and grandmother passed away one after another, what she feared most was loneliness, being alone.
Sitting on his lap, feeling his body warmth, her heart received a warm comfort it hadn't felt in a long time. He always liked to mess around with her in bed, but at other times, he'd almost never held her like this.
Embracing in bed was different from embracing at other times. She craved more for him to hold her like this, unrelated to sex.
She barely paid attention to what was happening in the movie.
But halfway through, she felt the hand around her waist tighten.
"Ava, you picked this movie, so don't blame me."
She looked up at the screen. A man and woman were nestled on a sofa, kissing passionately. The position looked exactly like theirs right now.
Ava let out a breath, her face burning hot again.
"Let me sit on the sofa instead."
She lifted her leg to get off him.
The force around her waist suddenly increased, making it impossible for her to move.
"Ava."
He called her name. Ava saw the restraint in his eyes.
The thing under her leg was pressing against her. He was really sensitive, not as abstinent as he appeared on the surface. She'd explored in depth the burning soul confined beneath his neat suit - it was wild.
"William, not today."
Fine kisses had already fallen on her neck.
Ava's face flushed, her breathing unsteady from his teasing. She patted him lightly a few times, signaling him not to mess around.
In the movie, the man and woman were still kissing passionately, as if trying to merge into each other's bodies. The 3D surround sound of kissing and wet sounds filled the media room, making people blush and their hearts race, making her restless.
At this moment, Ava's mind was full of Olivia's medical advice, all the rules telling her not to be seduced by men.
"We won't do it, just kiss for a bit. I don't have such heavy tastes as to force myself on you during your period."
His voice carried a restrained huskiness, sexy as hell.
Ava unconsciously lifted her chin slightly, feeling his kisses with her heart. Her heart was as hot as the massive thing under her leg, her whole body melting into a puddle wrapped around him.
No one cared anymore what was happening in the movie.
The air in the small media room was unbearably hot. Fine sweat appeared on Ava's forehead. And the man on top of her seemed to be getting into it, pecking lightly at her sensitive spots, as if he could draw something out.