Chapter 15
In the evening, Michael came to pick me up from work himself.
I was a bit surprised to see him at the company entrance, but more than that, I was delighted.
I quickly ran toward him and threw myself into his arms, asking happily, "Michael, why didn't you tell me you were coming?"
Michael gently stroked my head affectionately and said softly, "I made a reservation at a restaurant and came specially to take you to dinner."
As he spoke, he reached out and took my hand.
It was right at closing time, and quite a few employees saw our intimate behavior and showed gossipy expressions.
Although our relationship wasn't a secret, suddenly becoming the center of attention made me feel a bit uncomfortable.
I held his hand back and agreed readily, "Sure, let's go now then."
Michael thoughtfully opened the car door for me.
Inside the restaurant, soft melodious music filled the entire space, naturally making me feel relaxed.
After we sat down, Michael handed me the menu. "Just order whatever you like."
I scanned the menu and chose a few regular dishes.
While waiting for the food, Annie happened to send me a message with an update.
It was still about John.
After examination, John had one fractured rib and quite a few bruises from being hit.
Annie was asking me what to do next.
Just then, the dessert was brought to the table first.
I looked at the cream cake in front of me and casually scooped a spoonful into my mouth.
A sweet, creamy taste spread through my mouth.
It wasn't a flavor I liked.
After tasting it, I picked up my phone again and told Annie to hold tight and continue staying at the hospital pretending to take care of John.
Right at that moment, a pair of warm large hands reached toward me.
Seeing me distracted, Michael took the initiative to gently wipe away the cream I'd accidentally gotten on the corner of my mouth with his finger.
Feeling his touch, my thoughts were pulled back.
The warmth from his fingertip reached me, and I felt a bit embarrassed.
I hurriedly put my phone aside and said shyly, "I can do it myself."
But Michael didn't mind and said with a smile, "It's just a small thing, don't overthink it."
Then he skillfully placed the steak he'd cut in front of me.
As he did all this, his movements were extremely natural, as if he didn't think there was anything unusual about it.
Faced with his care, I felt my heart beating faster.
"What's wrong? What were you thinking about just now?" Michael asked casually, though his hands didn't stop taking care of me.
Not wanting Michael to misunderstand, I deliberately hid the truth. "The secretary just sent a message saying there were some data errors at work."
Michael didn't think much of it and responded following my lead, "If you can't solve it, you can send it to me and I'll help you fix it."
Hearing this, I propped my face in my hands and began to seriously look at Michael.
A man's greatest charm was his ability to solve problems.
I thought this saying applied perfectly to Michael.
Seeing my serious expression, he teased me with a smile, "Moved by that?"
I withdrew my gaze from him and said with feeling, "I just think you're too good to me. Why are you so good to me?"
Actually, I'd been wanting to ask this question for a while.
Hearing my question, Michael's eyes dodged for a moment, as if he was thinking.
After a few seconds, he gave me an answer I couldn't refute. "Because you're my fiancée, so it's natural for me to be good to you."
I didn't know how to respond for a moment.
Not giving me a chance to continue, Michael deliberately changed the subject. "Are you free this weekend? I'll take you somewhere."
Knowing he didn't want to answer, I didn't press further.
I believe there will definitely be a chance in the future to get an answer from him.
"Where are we going?" Seeing Michael being so mysterious, I couldn't help but feel curious.
But he deliberately acted mysterious and wouldn't tell me.
A week passed quickly.
On Saturday, Michael came to my house to pick me up himself.
I sat in the passenger seat, watching the car gradually leave the city center, becoming even more curious about the place Michael had mentioned.
After about twenty minutes, Michael brought me to a shooting range.
Looking at the scene before me, I asked curiously, "This is the place you mentioned?"
Michael nodded with a smile and skillfully took my hand to lead me inside.
Right at that moment, several mocking voices came from a distance.
"Eric, do you even know what you're doing? Don't you usually love being Michael's lapdog? How come I don't see you with him today?"
I looked toward the source of the voice. The speaker was Ethan Martinez.
Ethan was a well-known, rich heir in our circle who did whatever he wanted because his family had money.
Most importantly, he'd always been at odds with Michael.
Hearing the provocative words, Eric didn't back down and retorted, "Ethan, it's really bad luck to run into you everywhere. Everyone knows you're inferior to Michael in every way."
At these words, Ethan became even more angry.
Just then, Eric saw Michael and me, and his expression instantly changed as he greeted us enthusiastically.
Michael and I walked over together.
Eric was overjoyed and kept complaining to Michael, "Michael, you're finally here. You don't know how arrogant Ethan has been, refusing to admit he can't compare to you."
Michael's expression was calm as he spoke casually, "I don't even consider trash like that worth my attention."
This remark provoked Ethan, who brazenly challenged Michael, "Michael, you're just afraid to compete with me, aren't you? If you've got the guts, let's compete today."
Unfortunately, Michael didn't even bother to look at him properly.
Seeing Michael's attitude, Ethan turned his attention to me. "Miss, I think you look pretty good. Why don't you be with me instead? Whatever Michael can give you, I can give you too."
As he said this, Ethan's tone was full of teasing and mockery.
This tone made me feel very uncomfortable.
Before I could refuse, Michael suddenly threw a punch, hitting Ethan and making him stumble. "Ethan, you're looking for death."
Noticing Michael's attitude toward me, the mockery in Ethan's eyes grew stronger. "Michael, the more you protect her, the more I want to play with her."
Seeing this, Michael threw another punch, but this time Ethan was prepared and dodged it by moving aside.
Seeing the atmosphere between them turning bad, I stepped forward on my own initiative. "Mr. Martinez, you just said you wanted to compete with Michael. What do you want to compete in? I'll compete with you. How about shooting?"
Ethan casually wiped his lips, looked me up and down again, then snorted coldly, "You're a woman, and you want to compete with me in shooting? You're not qualified."
Even though Ethan looked down on me, I didn't mind and continued, "Well, since you look down on women so much, do you dare compete with me? If you can't even beat me, then naturally there's no need to compete with Michael."