Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The atmosphere inside the black Rolls-Royce was utterly silent after the doors closed tightly, shutting out the world outside. The AC hummed softly, blowing cool air that contrasted sharply with the tension that suddenly rose between the passengers in the back seat.

As the car drove away from the luxury hotel where the dinner had been held, Darren turned his head sharply. He glared at the woman beside him, his eyes blazing with anger that he had been suppressing all this time.

“Are you satisfied now, Lyonna?” Darren hissed sharply, his voice almost a whisper but filled with piercing emphasis.

Lyonna, still wearing her elegant ivory gown, slowly turned toward him. Instead of feeling frightened or intimidated, the corners of her lips lifted into a sweet yet mysterious smile. She did not immediately respond with harsh words. Instead, Lyonna deliberately shifted closer until the scent of her expensive perfume blended perfectly with her husband’s natural scent.

With a deliberate, slow movement, Lyonna brought her face closer to Darren’s ear. Her warm breath brushed against the man’s neck, making Darren’s sturdy body instantly tense, reacting to the unexpected touch with a sudden surge of adrenaline.

“Very satisfied. Thank you, my husband,” Lyonna whispered right beside Darren’s ear, deliberately softening her voice until it sounded soothing yet carried a hidden sense of victory.

Darren clenched his fist on his thigh. He felt a strange sting spreading beneath his skin, a sensation of rejection mixed with unpreparedness for the boldness of the woman who had always lowered her head before him for the past two years.

“You know, I’m really happy and very satisfied tonight!” Lyonna continued, then pulled back slightly and looked directly into her husband’s black eyes. “But... speaking of which, I’m really curious. How come you suddenly managed to come to the event? Didn’t you say you were busy and wouldn’t come?”

At the question, Darren’s jaw hardened completely. His handsome face instantly turned sour, revealing tremendous irritation.

“Because Father called and threatened me!” Darren snapped deliberately, his tone curt as he made no attempt to hide his annoyance. “He said that if I didn’t attend as a harmonious couple, he would freeze all my personal assets and forcibly remove me from the CEO position I worked so hard to obtain. Are you satisfied now?”

Lyonna chuckled softly, a little laugh that sounded melodious to the ear, though to Darren, it was more like the buzzing of a bee inside a throbbing head. Without asking permission first, Lyonna tilted her body and rested her head, with its elegantly styled hair, against Darren’s broad shoulder. She enjoyed the warmth of his internationally branded suit, allowing her burdens to fade away for a moment.

Darren instinctively jolted in surprise. The man immediately pushed his wife’s shoulder away somewhat roughly. “Hey, what are you doing? Don’t just lean your head on me!” Darren snapped, glaring at her in disbelief.

Lyonna was not intimidated at all. She straightened her posture again, then looked at her husband with a wide, incredibly sweet smile. Her hand reached out and lightly poked Darren’s broad chest.

“My dear husband, from now on, we’re going to play our roles wholeheartedly, starting tonight, of course,” Lyonna said in an intentionally sweet, spoiled tone. “When we get to the mansion, I’ll write down the terms of our agreement on a special sheet of paper. And the 100-day period officially starts today, not tomorrow.”

“Whatever! Do whatever you want!” Darren turned his face toward the car window, folding his arms across his chest as he breathed heavily. He was already irritated, feeling trapped in the game created by the woman who had been his wife for the past two years.

Before Darren could calm his emotions, the phone in his suit pocket suddenly vibrated violently. A small indicator light came on, signaling an incoming message. Darren glanced briefly at the brightly lit screen. The name “Viona” was clearly displayed, along with a new message icon.

With a quick movement, Darren reached for the phone. However, before his thumb could open the messaging app, a smaller hand moved much faster from beside him.

Swish!

Lyonna snatched the phone from Darren’s hand in one swift motion.

“Hey! Give it back!” Darren exclaimed in surprise, trying to take his phone back.

But Lyonna had already pulled her right hand away, briefly looking at the phone screen, which was not fully locked. There, Viona’s message was displayed clearly and easily readable to Lyonna:

[Darren, my heart is broken. I’m jealous seeing you there. Didn’t you say you didn’t love that swollen elephant? Why were you being affectionate with her in public earlier? I watched the event’s live broadcast on television earlier. I’m crying here...]

Lyonna’s heart sank when she read the words “swollen elephant” sent by her husband’s mistress. A burning sensation stabbed her chest, a cruel reminder of how people saw her. However, instead of crying or throwing the phone, Lyonna merely scoffed softly. She would not let her good mood be ruined by another woman’s message.

Darren, seeing the change in his wife’s expression, immediately moved to take the phone back. “Give me my phone, Lyonna! Don’t be so presumptuous by reading my private messages!”

“Do you want to call her back?” Lyonna shot back quickly. She raised the phone high near her face, then deliberately looked at Darren with an unmistakably possessive gaze. “My dear husband... remember, from this very second, for as long as our agreement lasts, you are completely mine, okay? No other woman besides me and your mother is allowed to occupy your thoughts.”

“You’re really crazy, Lyonna!” Darren glared sharply, his breathing quickening with anger. “If you keep acting like this, Viona will misunderstand!”

“Let her misunderstand!” Lyonna retorted just as fiercely, but with the sweetest smile she had.

Before Darren could hurl another insult, Lyonna did the boldest thing she had ever done in her life. She leaned forward, cupped Darren’s defined jaw with both hands, and pressed her lips directly against his.

Thump.

Time seemed to stop inside the dimly lit car cabin.

Darren’s eyes widened. His body froze instantly. He had never expected the wife who had always been timid and submissive toward him to dare kiss him.

After pressing her lips against her husband’s for a few seconds, Lyonna slowly broke the kiss. She pulled her face back, then stared into Darren’s still-shocked eyes with a challenging look, though a subtle tremor stirred in her chest.

“Be an obedient, faithful husband who loves his wife,” Lyonna whispered in a soft yet firm voice, controlling her own quickened breathing as her heart raced wildly.

Deep inside, Lyonna’s inner voice was screaming hysterically.

Oh God, what did I just do? I kissed him! she screamed inwardly. Even though she knew all of this was only pretend, even though she knew the man before her hated her with all his might, for the first time, she felt as though she had control over her own life.

Darren touched his lips with the back of his hand, his eyes blazing with disbelief. He opened his mouth, about to unleash his fury. But before the angry shout could escape Darren’s lips, Lyonna had already leaned back casually against the car seat, staring straight ahead with a small smile.

“Save your anger for later, my husband,” Lyonna said without looking at him, deliberately provoking the man to the point of losing his temper. “We still have a long journey ahead, and tonight is only the beginning of our 100 days.”