A Beautiful Misunderstanding

Chapter 51 The Big Bad Wolf Got Her

"First of all, you are my wife. Even if I bought the house, you legally own half of it. The law will protect you from anyone who wants to take away that right, including me. Second, if you had shared your apartment with me, I would be worried about my sleeping place all the time, so where will I get the time and energy to invest in the stock market? Finally, you're my lucky charm in choosing which stocks to invest in. Without you, I probably would be suffering losses in the stock exchange. Now, do you still think you'd be freeloading by living here rent-free? All of those reasons make perfectly justify your stay here,"

Zac spoke in a slow, unhurried manner, and his voice wove a bewitching melody in Essie's ears. It put her in a hypnotic trance; the more he spoke, the more she was convinced of the logic of such an arrangement.

After all, she did make a significant contribution to Zac's success. Without her, he still would have been living as a penniless hobo. He would not have been able to afford his living expenses, let alone a house of his own.

Fine, she could move in and live with him until they get divorced.

Lost in her thoughts, Essie found herself smiling. Somehow, she felt happy at the thought of not having to be separated from Zac.

Maybe they had been living together for too long that she already got used to it.

As Lucy and Bob had yet to return, Essie sliced some oranges and sat with Zac on the balcony to eat and watch the sunset.

"Now that you've bought a house, do you intend to live in Yang City instead of going back to Dragon City?" she asked casually.Published by Nôv'elD/rama.Org.

A slight smile turned up the corners of Zac's mouth. "Marriage to me means that you will follow me anywhere. In the future, I'll take you back to Dragon City together with me."

"I won't go. I don't like Dragon City." She curled her lips in an expression of disgust.

"Why not?" Zac asked, eyebrows raised. "Based on your ID card number, you're a Dragon City resident, too."

"I don't like the climate in Dragon City. Or the environment. I don't know, I just hate everything in that place." A certain sadness, barely perceptible, was in her eyes even as she tried to say the words lightly. Nothing awaited her in Dragon City but darkness, people she did not want to see, and memories she would rather forget. That area was off-limits, and she never wanted to return.

Zac looked at her face searchingly, eyes perceptive and all-seeing. "When did you leave Dragon City?"

"I was seven years old then." She lowered her head, and her voice was as soft as the night breeze. After her parents' divorce, she left with her mother to live in Jiang City. Her mother remarried, and she acquired a new father.

Zac touched his chin, seemingly lost in thought. After a long while, he said in a low voice, "Dragon City has changed considerably in the last fourteen years. I'll take you to visit one day, but if you still don't want to live there, we can settle down in Yang City."

"Who wants to go back with you?" Essie asked in a demanding tone, shooting Zac a reproachful glance.

"Even an ugly daughter-in-law should meet her in-laws. You're not even ugly, come to think of it." He gently touched her nose, with teasing affection evident in his eyes.

"We'll divorce after the Spring Festival. Find yourself a real wife by then and take her back with you to meet them." She wrinkled her nose at him and fled into her room. 'This guy has been teasing me all day. He is not serious at all,' she thought with some exasperation.

Zac leaned against the balcony railing and stared out at the scenery, lost in thought.

At that time, she had no choice but to go back.

When darkness fell, Essie started to feel nervous.

For the past few nights, Zac did not move much, except to throw away the pillow in between them in the middle of the night and secretly draw Essie into his embrace while she slept.

Still, she trembled in fear at the thought of what that wolf of a man could do.

That night, she dressed like usual, wrapped like a dumpling from head to toe.

However, something seemed to be different.

When he emerged from his shower, Zac eschewed his night robe and wore only a pair of night pants. His torso was completely exposed.

His form was eye-catching and perfectly displayed. Drops of water slid down his muscular chest, glistening like little diamonds on his honeyed skin.

His hair remained damp from his shower and fell in artless disarray over his forehead, perfectly framing his handsome face. To Essie's dismay, Zac looked far too tempting.

As the self-proclaimed president of the Appearance Association, Essie had always showed a particular weakness for beautiful people even as a little girl. Staring at the man in front of her, she could only think of how the moon outside absolutely paled in comparison.

Almost unwillingly, her eyes remained glued to him. Essie kept swallowing to moisten her suddenly parched throat.

Unbeknownst to Essie, the look in her eyes reminded Zac of the evil woman who, many years ago, caused him to develop a disgust toward women. Other people attributed his excessive fastidiousness toward cleaning to a mania or a disease. Only he knew the real reason—his condition was due to that witch who boldly attempted to seduce him in the past.

With an unusual glitter in his eyes, Zac lifted the quilt and quickly slid under the covers, towering over Essie like a giant mountain.

Essie desperately scrabbled for composure and stammered uneasily, "What... What are you doing?"

"Exactly what you want me to do," he quipped flippantly. A diabolical grin appeared around the corners of his perfect lips.

Essie huffed out defensively, "I just want to sleep. We have to move tomorrow." With her parents asleep in the next room, Essie could not cry out or make any noise at the risk of waking them. Zac was as inexorable as the sea and sky. He was a lot stronger than she was, and resisting him would be an exercise in futility. She had no choice but to try and persuade him not to in a wiser way.

"Are you toying with me?" Zac asked softly. His long fingers softly landed on her cheek and glided down, like a feather gently skimming over the contours of her face. Overwhelmed, Essie shuddered slightly, and electricity sparked down her spine and spread outward all over her body.