In the lavish room that was decorated with many different kinds of flowers, the lighting wasn't very bright, but a glass chandelier that was hung above a round table was shimmering impeccably, lighting the whole room with other decorative bulbs and LEDs.
At the table covered by a clean white cloth, only four people were sitting.
One was a handsome middle-aged man in a blue tuxedo with a bow tie. Beside him was a teenage boy who was dressed accordingly.
Opposite to him, there were two women sitting very closely to each other. One of them, wearing a beautiful red dress with dark brown hair and accessories matching her dress, was looking extremely beautiful with a perfect figure...
Though she was smiling brightly, no one could deny her nervousness beneath, even when she was trying too hard to suppress it.
Her one hand was grasped by the other woman sitting beside her, who too was equally beautiful, if not more than her. She had a sleeveless white turtleneck top and black pants that were hugging her long legs tightly. With her blonde hair and emerald eyes, she was a breathtaking sight.
That was me. No, not the one with emerald eyes, the woman next to her.
"Do you really wait for her for five years?"
It had been a while since we were talking, and I was right. As the time went on, Alina switched her hands and continued playing with it, followed by kisses as the conversation went.
Anyway, five years? What was this kid talking about?
"Hmm?"
A frown appeared on my face as it was also news to me but I didn't deny it right away, so instead I asked.
"Who told you that?"
"I did."
I turned my head to Alina, who hadn't taken her eyes from me, even for a moment and with that warm smile turning into a charming one whenever our eyes met. Just like now...
"Why?"
Since I didn't know the content, I chose my words carefully and asked a question that wouldn't raise any suspicion and also gave me a hint.
"Because..."
She then leaned in and placed her cheek on my arm and secretly slipped her other hand into my back and caressed the middle valley of my backbone along its length.
"I wanted to show you off to the world."
As her warm breath hit my skin, I froze for a moment as my chest tightened, and that wasn't it but when I felt a cool sensation on my back, I—no, my body involuntarily flinched, and my grip on her hand tightened. So hard that it might have left a mark on her pale skin...
"But—"
But she didn't move and slightly turned her head and looked me in the eyes, and her words died down as her lips pressed on my shoulder.
The look in her eyes was so affectionate and tender that I got lost in those eyes. For a moment, everything around me disappeared as she was the only thing in my view. Without me knowing, a deep red hue appeared on my cheeks and the places where she had touched me.
It was only for a moment but I felt like I was enchanted by her.
What the fuck? This was even turning me on.
Cursing, I moved my eyes away from her with too much effort. That woman was dangerous. My breathing became too heavy, so I quickly calmed myself down.
I was this close to subconsciously releasing my pheromones.
And could you get this woman? How could she be behaving like this in front of her uncle?
It all happened in just a dozen seconds, but it was enough to turn my view upside down. After an awkward silence, Uncle Charles asked me.
"It must be hard for you since you can't go public."
I needed something to take my mind off of all of these burning sensations on my skin, so I quickly replied.
"No, it's fin—"
"It is,"
Or tired to be, as Alina cut me off as she raised her head from my shoulder and glanced back to her uncle for a moment.
"...but she makes up to me at night."
This time I didn't turn my head towards her and just embarrassingly smiled. Not focusing on her, I didn't have a choice but to look at Uncle Charles and Jackson. They clearly too were taken aback by Alina's actions.
Though Uncle Charles hid his surprise well, Jackson was watching her with wide eyes.
Yeah, she was definitely not normal.
The conversation continued with Uncle Charles asking me about my job and family, and Alina inserted herself into the conversation mostly to compliment me but she never spoke a word that wasn't related to me.
I didn't know why she was meeting me with him, but it wasn't to get his approval. Maybe she really was showing me off.
"I think we should leave now."
After a while, he stood up from his seat with his boy. It was a relief since I too was mentally drained.
"Alright, go ahead. I'll be leaving with my wife later."
As I was trying to stand up, Alina pulled me down and said to her uncle.
Good, we needed to talk, too.
"Andrea? Make sure to visit us. I couldn't get her to listen to me—maybe she will listen to you."
Before Uncle Charles left, he said to me
"Bye, cous. Bye, Andrea."
And Jackson too said goodbye with a sly smirk.
I sat straight as I watched them leaving, and finally the door closed with a click sound.
"What the fuck was that?"
As soon as the door closed, I pulled my hand away from hers and spoke in an annoyed tone.
She was my boss? So what? This was really crossing a line, even if she was my boss. So, I just didn't pull my hand back but also frantically rubbed it on the dress where she left kisses, while also making sure to create some distance between us.
"Hmm? What do you mean?"
Stunned by my action, Alina looked at me as I wiped my hand off and asked absentmindedly. I didn't know if she was shocked because of me moving away from her or seeing me wiping off her kisses, and also I didn't care.
"You are being too much."
I didn't know what she was trying to prove, but there was no way I would do this again.
Still, looking at my hand, she slowly frowned as she turned her head to look at my face. It was really strange seeing her face all serious with a mix of frustration after all that loving gaze, but I was comfortable with this—well, comfortable compared to before at least.
She then took a deep breath and leaned back in her seat.
"Andrea, I should be the one angry....not you."
Suddenly, her voice turned all cold, matching the expression on her face. And for a little moment I regret shouting at her.
"If I compared your performance to mine, it wouldn't come to even half, seeing how awkward you are the whole time."
Compared to her, I knew I didn't do a good job, so I couldn't argue with that, and she continued.
"I think we need to discuss the terms again."
She said it in a low voice but loud enough for me to hear. Judging by her expression, I felt she wasn't joking or just saying in passing but really meant it.
"But that's not fair."
I quickly rebuked. As if a hundred days wasn't enough, she wanted to extend it for more? I hadn't worked hard for nothing when we were discussing the days based on values.
"How could you drop a bomb on me like this? Forget about me—no one would keep up with you."
I gave almost a day to prepare herself for the wedding, but what about me? I was dining with my colleagues and suddenly, I had to act like her wife, without any warning beforehand. And most importantly....
"And besides, we need to talk about skinship."
I wouldn't be as nervous as I was if she kept her hand to herself.
As I was venting out, Alina just stared at me without saying anything. I didn't know if she was agreeing with me or just waiting for me to finish with that calm look on her face.
"Skinship?"
But, as I mentioned skinship, her brows frowned before her lips turned upward in a small smile, but that didn't look good to me. I felt like she was planning something, and I didn't want to see what that was, so I quickly spoke, trying to have the upper hand.
"For starters, no kisses."