Chapter 105 Never <b>felt </b><b>this </b><b>frustrated </b>
“You’re the only one who makes me beg, Renee.“Marcelo breathed
Atst<b>, </b><b>Renee </b>lifted her head, fixing him with an intense stare.
She inquired, “What were you doing in London?”
Marcelo furrowed his brows, questioning, “Why do you want to know?”
He had informed her that it was work–rted.
If it weren’t for urgent matters, he wouldn’t have arranged a private ne to London.
She regarded him with a self–mocking smile.
When he left, he imed it was for work. However, the headlines featured rumors of him with another woman, and it was that woman who answered his phone.
He never brought up the phone call she made. Was it because he chose not to mention it at <b>all</b>, or did he believe it was inconsequential and didn’t warrant discussion?
Suddenly,Renee didn’t want to dwell on the topic. She took a deep breath and said to him, “Let go of me. I have something for
you.”
She then returned to the master bedroom and retrieved a dark gray cashmere scarf from the cloakroom.
“I have the gift I mentioned earlier for you,” Renee said as she handed the scarf to Marcelo. “It’srge enough to be used as a light nket for your legs,” she added, puzzled by his decision to feign a leg ailment since she didn’t understand the reason behind it.
His expression softened considerably upon receiving the cashmere scarf.
“Did you design this?” He epted the scarf, intending to inspect it.
“No,“Renee admitted. “I apologize,Marcelo. Today was my fault. I overstepped. It won’t happen again. I believe I need some time to cool down. I should return to my room and get some sleep.
She turned away and started to leave.
Before she could take two steps forward,he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back. “What’s this supposed to be?” he demanded, holding the scarf up to her face. “A divorce gift?Do you want to leave me,Renee?”
When she stubbornly refused to look at him, he let go of her wrist and took her chin between his fingers, forcing her to meet his <b>eyes</b><b>. </b>
“I am your husband, Renee. Youe in here, hand me a scarf, then dere that you want to sleep in a separate room? What is it that you’re trying to say, exactly?What did I do wrong? Why are you so upset?”
Renee winced from the pressure of his grasp.
“I just don’t want to be in the same room as you<b>, </b>that’s all.” She felt the need to put some distance between them somehow.
Now he was mad!
He had begged her to talk to him.
<b>He </b>had tried all he could to eliminate any problem that could be possibly bothering her.
<b>Yet</b><b>,</b>she was still upset and still won’t talk to him.
“All right<b>, </b>fine!“Marcelo’s chest was rising and falling rapidly in anger. <b>He </b>pushed her in the direction of the bed. “<b>Stay </b><b>here</b>!”
<b>+20 </b>BONUS
With that, he stormed out of the room<b>, </b>mming the door behind him.
When Renee heard him stomping down the hall<b>, </b><b>she </b>poked her head out the door and saw him throw the scarf into the trash bin on the second floornding. He used enough force that the fabric made a loud thumping sound upon impact.
<b>Renee felt </b>as <b>if </b>she had been stabbed by a sharpened dagger. There was a dull and throbbing ache in her heart.
She stared at the trash bin for a moment longer before returning to the bedroom. It was a gift<b>, </b>so Marcelo was free to do whatever he wished with it.
So what if he didn’t like it? The matter was out of her hands now.
A few minutester<b>, </b>she heard the roar of a car’s engine. Renee looked out the window just in time to see the sports <b>car </b>speed down the driveway and disappear into the night.
Jason didn’t know what to make of the sight before him.
Marcelo had barely been here ten minutes, but he had already finished an entire bottle of wine. As disconcerting as it was, Jason wasn’t unfamiliar with the situation.
“What’s the problem,Marcelo?” he asked, his toneced with concern, though his eyes glinted with the unabashed desire for gossip.
Jason’s flight had been dyed, so he waste to Miranda’s birthday party. By the time he arrived, Marcelo and Renee had already left.
Then, just as the clock was about to strike midnight, he received an unexpected call from Marcelo, asking to meet up. He could more or less guess what had happened, but he still wanted the juicy details.
“Shut up.” Marcelo ran a hand over his face in exasperation.
Unfazed, Jason prodded, “Did you have a fight with Renee?”
He narrowed his eyes at his friend, as if to ask, “How did you know?”
Jason sat back and held up his palms. “You two left the party early. Someone said you were mad at Renee. Apparently, you were scowling when you left the premises.”
Deep down, Jason was wondering if Marcelo was nning to dump Renee. He was wise enough not to ask it out loud, at least not
at the moment.
“We didn’t fight,” He muttered, even as he raised his ss and downed its contents.
Renee’s apology kept ying over and over in his mind. She had told him she was sorry, yet he couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that she was only pushing him away even more.
“Did Renee have an outburst from out of nowhere? Women like to do that, you know. Why don’t you tell mexactly what
ith this. happened, and we’ll walk through the possibilities together?” Jason was more than eager to “help” Marc
Unfortunately for him,Marcelo wasn’t easy to fool around. “You don’t even have a girlfriend, so what good <b>is </b>your help in a situation like this? Get off my case, man.”
Jason gaped at him indignantly.
He didn’t have a girlfriend but he had a secretary.
It was weird to say that out loud so he didn’t.
“So you just want me to drink with you, huh? Got it.” Jason sighed in resignation. He knew Marcelo <b>well </b><b>enough </b>to know <b>that </b><b>he </b><b>was </b>getting nothing out of his friend. “By the way, the manager of Omiros‘ team informed me that Omiros <b>has </b><b>fled</b>. <b>No </b>one has found him yet.”
“He’s seventeen years old. If he doesn’t want to starve, he’ll turn up eventually.”
Something else urred to Marcelo then. He fished his phone out of his pocket and called home. “Fetch the scarf in the trash bin on the second floor,” he told the servant who answered the call “And make sure my wife doesn’t find out.”
Renee liked to sleep in, but she woke up at seven o’clock sharp the next morning
For some inexplicable reason, the absence of warmth on Marcelo’s side of the bed perturbed her. She had tossed and turned for most of the night, drifting back and forth between the state of sleep and consciousness.
All night long,Marcelo did not return.
After freshening up,Renee exited the bedroom and found herself checking the trash bin down the hall. The trash bag had been reced by the servants. The scarf had probably been tossed out, along with the kitchen waste and other garbage.
Renee ate breakfast with a somber mood, after which, she saw that Sarah had sent her a message on W******p.
“You had a fight with Marcelo?”
Renee blinked at her screen in surprise and typed out her reply. “How do you know about that?”
“Practically everyone knows! Marcelo was spotted drinking the night away in some bar. Then, someone else pointed out that he left Miranda’s birthday to take you home, and that he didn’t look all too pleased.”
Were they implying that he had to leave the party to take her home? She intended to leave on her own from the <b>start</b>!
But it never urred to Renee that Marcelo would spend the entire night at the bar.
“Take a guess on the rumors that are going around right now, “Sarah messaged her.
Renee sighed sadly and replied, “I guess people are saying that he’s going to break up with me soon?”
“Yep. That’s pretty much it.”
Sarah didn’t borate any further. She and Renee never got involved in each other’s affairs, unless the other person actively
asked for advice.
At around noon, Renee received a call from her former supervisor from graduate school. He wanted to see if she could drop <i>by </i>the university, as the faculty would like to discuss something with her. It was nothing much, really.
The University was having its 50th anniversary next month, and they were hoping that Renee, being one of their most outstanding students, could deliver a speech and represent the art department.
The university had produced many promising talents throughout the years, and while Renee wasn’t technically among the top achievers, she certainly was one of the most brilliant graduates in thest few generations,
Considering how the institution had supported her and cultivated her skills to their utmost potential, Renee readily agreed.
Later that afternoon, the Dean of the university gathered a team of veteran professors and toured an esteemed benefactor around the campus.
“Did something catch your attention, Mr. King?” the Dean asked when he noticed that Marcelo’s wheelchair had suddenly stopped.
Marcelo himself had his gaze fixed on the administrative office <b>a </b>few meters away.
Two middle–aged men and a young woman were walking out of the building.
“Ah, those are the director of our art department and one of our art professors,” the eagle–eyed Dean exined. “I believe the
girl with them is a former student. If I remember correctly, she graduatedst year, way ahead of schedule as per her curriculum.
Marcelo said nothing, but his eyes never left Renee’s figure.
Seeing his fixation, a female professor spoke up with a smile. “The Dean is right. The student’s name is Renee Hudson, Shepleted her studies in half the time it usually takes. She is a brilliant student. I heard that the art department was nning to ask her to speak at the uing school anniversary,”
The professor made sure to carefully observe Marcelo’s reaction, but thetter’s face remained nk. She doubted Marcelo had even heard a thing she said. He simply kept staring at Renee.
As if sensing his gaze, Renee suddenly stopped short and looked over to his direction. After a couple of seconds, she turned back to her professors and bid them farewell.
Marcelo was fairly certain that she had seen him, but she walked away without a single backward nce!
Had their rtionship gotten this bad now?
He had never felt this frustrated his whole life.