The next morning, Harper, who hadn’t slept all night, got up early to make breakfast, feeling poorly.


    She couldn’t understand how ze could have fallen for her. She had never tempted him, always irritated him, and had never shown any virtues to him.


    Virtues? Harper looked at the finished breakfast on the te, her gaze faltering. Could it be her cooking skills that attracted ze, causing him to develop feelings for her without realizing it?


    At the thought, Harper immediately threw the prepared breakfast into the trash, then re-fried the eggs until they were burnt before cing them on the bread, generously thering on thick chili sauce.


    ze walked in from outside, wearing a gray bathrobe, emanating the scent of men’s body wash. He nced at her.


    “Let’s have breakfast,” Harper tried to maintain her calm as she sat down at the table.


    “Eh,” ze didn’t mentionst night on the cruise ship, and neither did she. It was as if it hadn’t happened at all. He was still him, and she was still his woman, nothing had changed. But Harper knew that their rtionship could no longer be defined purely by contractual terms.


    ze elegantly picked up his knife and fork to start eating breakfast.


    Harper observed him cautiously. He put the bread, mixed with red chili sauce, into his mouth. After just one bite, he paused, his brow furrowing, “Why chili sauce?” His tone immediately turned displeased.


    “Oh, I wanted to try a new vor,” Harper bluffed, waiting for his outburst. She nned to keep doing this if he got angry, until he finally got fed up with her.


    “This vor doesn’t taste good,” ze said coldly.


    “Really?” Harper waited for him to get up and leave.


    Instead, ze cut another piece of bread and continued to eat, chili sauce included. Harper stared at his actions in astonishment.


    He still ate with elegance and grace, and his speed didn’t slow down despite the unpleasant taste.


    After finishing his own te, ze nced at her and, seeing that she hadn’t eaten, reached out and moved her te closer to him, continuing to eat. Her te also had chili sauce smeared on it…


    How could he eat such a bad food?


    “Go learn how to make English breakfast,” zemanded.


    “Why?” Harper wondered.


    “Start learning from today,” ze ordered.


    “Why?” Harper looked at him in astonishment, “If you want to eat, just hire a chef to cook for you.”


    “No, you have to learn,” ze insisted, displeased.


    “I don’t want to learn,” Harper refused. “I’m an artist, not a chef. Why should I bother learning recipes?”


    At her words, ze’s expression darkened, “You have to learn to make English breakfast. Otherwise, how will you please my parents when you bring our child back to Ennd in the future?”


    Harper’s eyes widened in shock at his words, “Our child? Where did this childe from? And why would I need to go back to Ennd?”


    ze slowly lowered his head, his face nearing hers, “You’ll have to give birth to a child for me sooner orter. You and the child will naturally have to return to The Wychwood Family in Ennd.”


    Harper stared at him in disbelief, “Are you suggesting marriage?”


    ‘The Wychwood Family in Ennd. Taking the child there. Was that what he meant?’ In her mind, preparing to have a child and meeting parents were all steps before marriage.


    “Marriage?” ze looked at her, his eyes momentarily stunned, a sh of confusion crossing his handsome face.


    In that moment, Harper understood his meaning. He never intended to marry her or anything like that; he just wanted to possess her, to have her bear his child. In other words, he wanted her to be his mistress. Thinking this, Harper couldn’t help but let out a bitterugh.


    ze thought she was upset about not being able to get married. He reached out and grasped her chin, turning her face towards him.


    He gazed at her intently, his voice deep. “Harper, listen to me. I can’t give you marriage, but staying with me is better than marrying any ordinary man.”


    Harper looked at him in silence. ‘Was this supposed to beforting her? Yes, he was ze, the richest man in the world. Even if he dropped a bit of pocket money, it would be more than an average man earned in a lifetime. But everyone had different pursuits for material things.’ Of course, she couldn’t exin all this to him; after all, he was a paranoid man.


    “I love you. Besides the marriage certificate, I can give you everything,” ze said, staring at her. It was the first time he had made such a big promise to a woman.


    “Got it,” Harper replied, her tone indifferent andcking joy. ze thought she had understood. “As long as you know. You’ll attend English cooking sses every week from now on. My parents are very picky about food.”


    With that said, ze leaned down and fiercely kissed her on the cheek.


    After finishing their meal, Harper and ze were riding together to work when Harper’s phone rang. It was her foster mother, Marcia, calling.


    “Mom.”


    “Harper, where are you? I came to your rented ce, they said you’ve moved out. Did you find a new ce?” Her voice sounded anxious.


    ze stood behind her, circling her, ying with her hand.


    “You went to my rented ce?” Harper was taken aback, then quickly responded, “Yeah, I moved to a new ce.”


    ‘One, two, three, four, five.


    Five, four, three, two, one.’


    Bored, ze counted silently on her fingers. Suddenly, he raised her hand to his lips and bit it.


    “Eh…” Harper flinched sensitively.


    With a mischievous grin, ze continued biting her fingers.


    “What’s wrong with you?”


    “Nothing.” Harper hurriedly replied.


    “Where are you now? I want to meet you.”


    Harper nced outside, realizing they were close to her rented ce, so she said, “I’m having drinks outside, why don’t youe over?”


    “Okay.”


    After giving the address to her foster mother, Harper hung up. ze was still ying with her fingers, bending them into various shapes, and said, “Your fingers are so soft.”


    Harper pulled her hand back, turned around in ze’s arms, facing him seriously, and said, “I’m going to meet my mom at the restaurant next door, do you want to go back first?”


    ze stared at her for a few seconds, then said, “Your mother? I want to meet her.”


    “What?” Harper was stunned, “Why do you want to meet my mother?”


    “Because you’re with me now,” ze said.


    “No way,” Harper immediately refused, pleadingly looking at him, “Please, just go first. My mom is just a housewife.”


    ze stared at her pleading expression, his eyes cooling down gradually, his voice unusually heavy, “Do you really not want me to meet your family?” He had noticed this since the incident on Tranquil Haven Ind. She didn’t want anyone around her to know him.


    He suddenly grabbed her, pulling her hand and heading towards the restaurant. She was trying to distance herself, but he was determined to make their rtionship known!


    Harper was being dragged forward by him.


    “ze, is this how you love someone?” Harper’s low voice sounded behind him, with an indescribable bitterness.


    ze stopped in his tracks, turned around to look at her.


    She stared at him, her face pale, her eyes dim.


    “That’s right, that’s how I am,” ze said dominantly.


    Harper stood before him, one hand still held by him. Her long hair fluttered in the wind. “So what do you want me to be then?”


    “To stop rejecting me, to stop denying our rtionship!” he answered quickly.


    “What rtionship do we have then? I’m not your girlfriend. Everyone knows what kind of big shot you are, ze, and everyone knows the gap between us. You’ve also said you can’t give me marriage,” Harper’s tone grew more excited, “Do you want me to go around telling people that I’m your lover? Are you asking me to acknowledge such a rtionship without dignity?”


    ze fell silent. ‘Marriage. She’s thinking about marriage. But The Wychwood Family’s marriages areplex, always decided by the family. But marrying her wouldn’t be bad for me. I wonder how she’d look in a wedding dress?’


    “Then I’ll wait for you in the car!” ze said in a low voice, slowly releasing her hand.


    ‘A stubborn paranoid like him didn’t persist further, justpromised like this?’ Harper was somewhat surprised.


    “Thank you, ze.”Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    …