Chapter 6 I Don't Like Other Women in My Bedroom

Edward froze, remembering his wife's earlier advice. He quickly shook his head and denied, "No, it's not like that."

Susanna put down the menu and said, "We should leave. The food here is too expensive."

With that, Susanna and Madison started to get up. Edward quickly stopped them. "I've already paid, and the private room is booked. Don't worry, Susanna. I used to work here, so we get an employee discount. It's all very affordable."

Madison blurted out, "What about those cars? And the bodyguards? That costs money too. We must send them away."

"They're all rented," Edward said, pulling out a wad of cash and handing it to the nearest bodyguard. "Here's today's pay."

The bodyguard looked confused. Should he take it or not?

Edward raised an eyebrow. "I think you should take it."

The bodyguard quickly grabbed the cash and left.

Edward grinned, "See? Once they're paid, they leave."

Susanna blinked. "But I still feel..."

"No buts," Edward pleaded. "Susanna, I wanted to make a good impression. It took me a long time to find you, and I wanted to show you I care. Just this once, okay?"

Susanna felt uneasy but, after everything that had happened, she couldn't argue. She stayed silent and went along with Edward's plan.

Edward noticed Susanna wasn't as resistant to him anymore. He admired his wife's cleverness and decided to pretend to be poor from then on.

Madison asked, "Mr. Jones, what do you do for a living?"

Edward hesitated. Real estate mogul? But what if he had to lie later? After a moment of guilt, he answered, "I sell houses."

Madison nodded as she remarked, "Oh, real estate agent. It doesn't matter what you do. We're just an ordinary family. Susanna isn't the type to look down on poor people or favor the rich. As long as you're good to her, that's enough."

Susanna nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I just want us to be happy together."

Thinking back to her past life of luxury, Susanna now wanted to avoid that lifestyle.

"What about other brothers?" Susanna asked.

"Your second brother, Arthur Jones, is a programmer. Your third brother, Austin Jones, is a vet who specializes in wild animals and often volunteers abroad."

"Your fourth cousin, Brian Jones, is into music and teaches piano. Your fifth cousin, Daniel Jones, works at a law firm. Your sixth cousin, Justin Jones, is an extra in movies." Edward felt satisfied with his response, confident it was perfect since he hadn't lied.

Arthur was a hacker—basically a programmer.

Austin was a top surgeon—who preferred saving animals.

Brian was a famous pianist—who also taught piano.

Daniel was a renowned lawyer—who worked at his own firm.

Justin was a movie star—who started as an extra.

Susanna nodded, pondering, 'Edward's a real estate agent, Arthur's a programmer, Austin's a vet, Brian's a piano teacher, Daniel's a lawyer, and Justin's an extra. It seems like each brother has a different job.'

Madison looked a bit disappointed that Susanna's brothers weren't wealthy. "Let's just finish and go home. This place is too expensive. Susanna, Edward works hard selling houses. We shouldn't trouble him. Mr. Jones, can you ask if we can cancel the room reservation? We don't want to empty your wallet."

"Don't worry, money's not an issue! I make a lot selling houses!"

Susanna knew Edward meant well. She held Madison's hand. "Madison, you don't understand. Real estate is really profitable now, and we can't cancel the reservation. Let's just stay tonight and leave tomorrow."

Hearing that the reservation couldn't be canceled, Madison reluctantly agreed to stay.

Edward breathed a sigh of relief. After dinner, they returned to the penthouse suite. Susanna thought she'd have trouble sleeping without Aaron, but she fell asleep quickly.

The next morning, Susanna was woken up by a phone call. Seeing "Aaron" on the screen made her heart race. She hesitated but then hung up. The phone rang again, still showing Aaron's name. Frustrated, she decided to block his number for some peace and quiet.

The sudden silence left Susanna wide awake. She never thought she'd hang up on Aaron. It felt strange, like a first. Soon, her phone rang again. It was an unknown number. She answered and found it was a maid from the Abbott family.

"Mrs. Abbott, where's Mr. Abbott's favorite blue tie?"

Susanna felt a wave of frustration. "It's in the second drawer on the left."

The next second, Aaron's cold voice came through. "Susanna, come back and find it yourself. I don't like other women in my bedroom!"

Hearing Aaron's demanding tone, Susanna sneered, "We're divorced. Ask Erica to find it!"

"She can't find it. You always handled these things."

"Then don't wear it!"

Before Aaron could respond, Susanna hung up and blocked his number again. She couldn't help but picture Erica wrapped in a bed sheet on the bed, feeling a wave of disgust.

On the other end, the maid asked cautiously, "Mr. Abbott, should I get you a different tie?"

Aaron went to the closet and found the tie in the second drawer. Instead of feeling relieved, he was more irritated. "Damn it, why didn't I see it earlier?"

Last night, he had someone follow Susanna's car, but they lost track of her. He had no idea where she had been taken. This loss of control made Aaron extremely uncomfortable. He walked into the dining room, glanced at the breakfast spread, and frowned. "What is this?"

Calliope replied nervously, "Mr. Abbott, Erica said this is your favourite."

However, Calliope doubted Erica's words. For the past three years, Aaron had only eaten the breakfasts Susanna made. She thought Erica would stay and become the new Mrs. Abbott, but Aaron had her sent away last night.

Aaron ordered with no impatience, "Throw it all out. Don't make this again!"

He almost said "Mrs. Abbott" but stopped himself. He used to find Susanna annoying, but now he felt a bit lost without her.