Rebecca Quentin gave Marie, the housekeeper, a smile. "It’s alright, you can go rest. He should be back soon."
"But..."
Before the housekeeper could finish her sentence, Howard Geoffrey’s tall and imposing figure had already walked in from outside.
With a quiet "Sir," the housekeeper retreated unobtrusively into a corner.
Rebecca Quentin got up and was just about to speak when she heard Howard Geoffrey say, "Let’s talk upstairs." He then went straight up.
Rebecca Quentin didn’t hesitate either and followed him upstairs.
Actually, she insisted on waiting for him in the living room. It wasn’t because she feared awkwardness talking in their old room, but rather because she was afraid if he brought soone else ho to stay, her presence there would be truly embarrassing.
When Rebecca Quentin entered the room, Howard Geoffrey had already loosened his tie and was unbuttoning his shirt, apparently heading to the bathroom.
Rebecca Quentin didn’t disturb him and just stood quietly in the room, waiting for him.
He was ticulous about cleanliness and usually liked to soak in the bathtub for a while before showering. This typically didn’t take too long, so she waited patiently.
When Howard Geoffrey ca out of the bathroom, he saw Rebecca Quentin sitting by the room’s floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the view as if completely transfixed.
"Go ahead and say it."
Howard Geoffrey suddenly spoke, startling Rebecca Quentin. Instinctively, she turned her head, only to be t with the unexpected sight of Howard Geoffrey wearing only a loosely draped bathrobe.
He made no effort to cover up in front of her, so she felt no need to be demure. They had been married for two years; it wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen his body before. Averting her gaze now would seem overly deliberate.
So, she looked at him boldly and spoke directly, "I’d like to ask for your help."
"Hmm," Howard Geoffrey responded indifferently, then walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window, tilted his head, and lit a cigarette.
Rebecca Quentin went behind Howard Geoffrey and calmly recounted the situation. Of course, she didn’t tell him that she had been stopped by the police at the airport.
After listening to what Rebecca Quentin had to say, Howard Geoffrey finished his cigarette. Once he extinguished it in the ashtray, he looked at her and said, "This seems to be the second ti you’re asking for help."
Rebecca Quentin’s eyes widened in surprise. You knew I sought your help once before?
Howard Geoffrey looked into her shocked eyes and replied, "Last ti, I was in New York. I could have resolved your situation with just one phone call."
"’You knew about my situation... why I didn’t even answer your call then?" she asked weakly. She had thought herself well-prepared to face him, yet she couldn’t summon the courage to say those three crucial words: ’I needed you.’
He narrowed his eyes and glanced at her. "You don’t know the reason?"
Rebecca Quentin shook her head in bafflent.
Howard Geoffrey sneered. "My father-in-law passed away, yet my wife didn’t think of informing . It seems she didn’t need ."
Rebecca Quentin slowly lowered her eyes. "We had already laid our cards on the table," she said, her voice subdued. "You were with because I resembled the woman you love, and I was with you for the benefits my father calculated he could gain from you. There was no genuine affection between us. With my father’s death, how could I have asked you to mourn him in your capacity as a son-in-law to the Quentin family?"
Howard Geoffrey’s eyes narrowed even further, his voice husky. "Becca, did you really think that for the past two years, I have only treated you as a substitute?"
Rebecca Quentin silently agreed.
Howard Geoffrey still sneered, but his laughter turned cold. "You’re quite the wife, Becca... If I truly saw you as just a substitute, why would I have needed to test if you cared about our child by taking you to the hospital? Why would I have found reasons to postpone our divorce? And why would I have asked you to co back tonight?"
"I..."
Rebecca Quentin was stunned.
However, Howard Geoffrey pulled her into his embrace, his head resting against her forehead. "You have no idea how angry I am with you," he murmured, his voice low and hoarse.
His voice, soft and lingering, carried a faint warmth that seeped into her ear...
Her ear tingled slightly, and she instinctively wanted to push him away, but his arms were wrapped tightly around her, as if not permitting any rejection.
This breath, this warmth, this dominance... all belonged uniquely to him.
The once-cherished feeling rippled through her heart at this mont. She didn’t want to succumb so easily, so she looked at him, intending to clarify things. But her gaze unexpectedly t his dark eyes.
His eyes seed to possess a bewitching power, attracting her and preventing her from looking away from his handso face...
The next second, he leaned down, held her waist tightly, and pressed his warm, thin lips against hers.
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