Chapter 4

After lunch, Joshua took Marilyn to another one of his properties, another private villa.

Upon arriving, Marilyn looked around and soon realized that this didn’t seem like the same place Joshua had taken her the last time. Although she had only been to his house once before, she was sure this wasn’t the same place. This was a different location.

But Marilyn didn’t ask; she was confident Joshua must have his own reasons for bringing her here, and she simply trusted him because he had never let her down before.

As soon as she turned on the light, the room slowly emitted a purple glow, sprinkled with tiny dots of light, as if it were a starry sky.

“What is this?” Marilyn looked at Joshua, surprised. *So, he still remembered!*

Five years ago, when she and Joshua first met, she casually mentioned that she liked starry skies, and Joshua had remembered that for all these years.

“This is my other house. I remember you once said you liked the stars. When I first saw this room, I thought you’d like it, so I bought this place,” Joshua looked at Marilyn with tenderness; it was in this place and moment that he felt she belonged to him.

Only here could it truly feel like home. That place… He thought of it briefly, and a flash of disgust crossed Joshua’s face. That place wasn’t as comfortable as a hotel. If it weren’t for his grandfather, he would have gotten rid of the unwanted Astrid immediately. But now that his grandfather was gone, it was only a matter of time before that trash left. As soon as she was gone, he could propose to Marilyn.

What did that scum know compared to the talented Marilyn? All Astrid had was a pretty face.

“Joshua?” Marilyn waved her hand in front of his face. “What are you thinking?”

Marilyn tilted her head slightly and looked at Joshua. His heart raced, and his disordered thoughts were quickly pushed to the back of his mind.

“Come with me.” With those words, he took Marilyn’s hand and led her upstairs.

As soon as the door opened, the starry sky made Marilyn’s eyes glow. In fact, when she first saw Joshua, she couldn’t help but feel moved, but she didn’t want Joshua to see her that way, so she tried to hide her tears.

“So, what do you think? Do you like it?” Looking at Marilyn in that moment, Joshua felt so happy that he even wished time could stop forever, leaving him and Marilyn together.

“It’s so beautiful! I’ve never seen such a beautiful sky abroad.” Marilyn was so captivated by the starry sky that she didn’t even notice Joshua’s loving gaze.

“I’m going to get jealous if you keep looking like that!” Joshua gently stroked the face of his beloved. He had worked hard for this day. Originally, it had been a cloudy day, but Joshua had contacted the meteorological office to clear the clouds, so Marilyn could see such a starry sky on her first day back. Since the place was slightly far from the city, the sky looked truly beautiful at that moment.

Her face turned slightly red as she gently pulled away. Joshua smiled and felt a little remorse. What was going on with him? Marilyn had just returned. He couldn’t be this anxious or he might scare her off.

As he watched his beloved gaze in fascination at the sky, Joshua draped a blanket over Marilyn. Although the third floor had an insulated glass layer, he still felt uneasy, afraid she might catch a cold, which made him restless.

At that moment, Joshua’s phone rang.

Joshua furrowed his brow. Who the hell was disturbing their world at this moment?

When he saw Astrid’s name on the phone screen, Joshua clenched his fist tightly. Even now, in a place that belonged only to him and Marilyn, someone was calling and disturbing him, but seeing that Marilyn had returned, he would grudgingly forgive it.

But it was her! That useless woman, what nerve did she have to call him? What nerve did she have to come and disturb his first encounter with Marilyn after three years?

“Joshua? Your phone’s ringing. Why aren’t you answering?” The sound of the phone caught Marilyn’s attention, and she turned her head to look at Joshua, but she didn’t notice the panic in his face because it was dark.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Joshua said carelessly, hanging up the phone. What could that trash want? Surely, she was calling to ask when he was coming home.

*Home?* Hmmm, ridiculous. No matter how you looked at it, that place couldn’t be called home.

Marilyn fidgeted a little.

“But, what if it’s important…?” Before Marilyn could finish her sentence, she was interrupted.

“No way.” Realizing his outburst, Joshua regained the sweetness he had just shown. “Nothing is as important as you, nothing can disturb us today.”

Seeing Joshua’s abnormal reaction, Marilyn was a little scared. It felt similar to the dinner earlier; it made her uncomfortable, but Joshua’s words reassured her that nothing was hidden, and they had agreed before that there would be no secrets.

Marilyn went to see who it was, but then Joshua quickly turned off the phone without thinking. Marilyn frowned. She felt that something was going on because Joshua was panicking. For the first time, she saw Joshua like this. Even when she introduced him to her parents, he had a calm and composed look on his face.

No, she had to know who that person was!

Joshua’s skeptical eyes were evident to Marilyn. Her heart ached.

He really wanted to tell Marilyn that it was someone he could never be with, he wanted to tell her that it was only her in his heart, but not yet. The marriage certificate was like an invisible shackle that tied him to Astrid.

If he told Marilyn now, she would definitely understand and leave him. But… no, he couldn’t let that happen. Even if he had to carry all of Astrid’s resentment, he couldn’t let Marilyn know. As long as there was the slightest chance that Marilyn might leave him, no matter the cost, he wouldn’t let her find out.

Damn it, if it weren’t for that trash. If that scum had signed the divorce agreement peacefully yesterday, he wouldn’t be in this situation now! Everything was like this because of that damn infiltrator! Now he couldn’t be with his precious Marilyn!

How selfish Astrid was! Blinded by her own selfish desires, forcing two people who loved each other to separate. Astrid White was truly a ruthless woman.

Joshua’s hatred toward Astrid deepened once again. Of course, he didn’t show any of this to Marilyn. He would definitely find a way to make Astrid leave immediately.

“It’s a client, nothing important. Well, it’s a little cold here. Shall we go downstairs?” He said, and this time, he was about to take Marilyn’s hand.

But Marilyn withdrew her hand, and Joshua’s hand stopped in mid-air.