"Has she returned?" Gerald asked Yosef. It was the umpteenth time he had posed this question to his assistant. Eventually, Gerald decided to go to the office because he couldn't keep going to the restaurant and disturbing Ariana incessantly. Not that he didn't want to meet her, but he knew she was upset, and Gerald wanted to give her some space for a while. "No, Sir. Not yet," replied Yosef. Gerald glanced at his watch; it was already five o'clock. "Are your staff members still keeping an eye on her?" he inquired again. "Yes, Sir. They said they haven't seen Madam after she went upstairs," Yosef confirmed. Gerald could only nod again. "Make sure they don't get complacent. If they do, I'll cut off their legs, hands, and gouge out their eyes!" he threatened. "Yes, Sir!" was Yosef's reply. Gerald turned his attention to another assistant who stood before him. "What's going on?" he asked the man, who was three years his junior. "As you predicted. After finding out that you got marrie

Gerald had finished cooking dinner for both of them. He had even changed out of his formal attire into a short-sleeved shirt and sweatpants that Yosef had sent from his home. The clock showed ten minutes past seven in the evening. His stomach was really growling by now. But it didn't feel right to eat alone. Finally, he decided to go into the room and hope that Ariana had woken up from her sleep. The girl was whimpering in her sleep. Gerald knew something was not right with her body. He approached; she was sleeping on her side with the blanket pulled up to her chin. He sat behind her and tried to feel her forehead. She was running a fever. Gerald peeked and saw that her face was indeed flushed due to the high body temperature. But she wasn't sweating at all. Gerald opened the nightstand and took out some eucalyptus oil. Once again, he poured the oil into his hands and tried to feel her back through the blanket. Slowly, Gerald unhooked the girl's bra so she could breathe more comfor

Ariana raised an eyebrow and then lifted the corner of her mouth. "I know you're the playboy type, but I didn't realize you were shameless like this," she said mockingly. Gerald seemed to tense up. "What do you mean?" he asked. Ariana shrugged indifferently. "I don't mean anything," she replied flatly. "Who made all of this?" she asked, trying to divert the conversation to the food in front of her and choosing to ignore Gerald. She lifted her spoon and started eating broccoli. "I did," Gerald answered, now sitting in his normal posture. His response made Ariana choke on her food. Gerald quickly brought a glass of water to her mouth. Ariana drank it slowly. Afterward, she stared at Gerald in disbelief. "I cooked it. All of this," he pointed to the food on the table. "Except for that," he said, referring to the fried chicken Ariana had bought earlier. Ariana chuckled and shook her head. "It wouldn't hurt to be honest, Gerald. Just say if you had one of your house assistants come her

Ariana slammed the bedroom door shut with force. Her chest was heaving, clearly with intense emotion. She was passionate, of course. She had to admit that. As a mature woman, she was entitled to feel all of this. After all, she wasn't young anymore, and biologically, she was in her prime. But alongside all of that, what Ariana was feeling right now towards Gerald was mostly anger. When she confronted him about other women, he didn't deny it at all. And it was a safe bet that her assumption was correct. Yes, Ariana was only guessing. She didn't really know if Gerald had many women out there or not. She deduced it based on a conversation she overheard between Chris and Gerald. Ariana knew Chris very well—his social life and his love life. She understood her cousin's interactions because he often confided in her. Ariana was frequently asked for help by Chris to keep away the girls who pursued him. And Ariana knew that Chris's romantic escapades weren't just about watching movies, ho

Ariana felt happy on her own. She safely arrived at the restaurant. Impatiently pounding on the restaurant door, she saw Amber looking at her with annoyance. "What are you doing here?" the girl asked without beating around the bush. Ariana furrowed her brow, but then she entered her restaurant. "I can do whatever I want. This place is mine," she replied simply. "After your guy told me not to come back last night, now you're acting all indifferent towards me?" the girl asked, annoyed. "Did he ask you not to come back?" Ariana asked, surprised. The girl squinted. "If I go back, I'll have to listen to an unpleasant voice all night long. That's what he said." Ariana furrowed her brow in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Uhhh... Ahhh... Uhhh... Ahhh..." Amber said, pretending to moan. Ariana widened her eyes and then slapped the girl on the head. "What kind of girl do you think I am?" she said. She chose to go upstairs where her room was. "Call Jody. Ask if he's at the market