Chapter 5

Silas bent one knee, resting his hand beside Bethany in the dim light. He tilted his head slightly and leaned closer, his ear hovering near her lips as he waited for her reply. The woman, who had been weeping moments ago, was caught off guard by her husband's sudden appearance. Bethany didn't dare to cry, yet she couldn't stop herself from sniffling. Her small nose twitched as she tried to hold it in, making her look oddly adorable. With a heavy nasal tone, she changed the subject. "What are you doing here?" Silas' dark eyes flickered, and a devilish smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "Well… I saw a beautiful woman cry, and I couldn't bring myself to walk away. So, I came to see who hurt her so badly." He paused before continuing lazily, "I didn't expect it to be my own." Her brows knitted as she eyed him warily. "I would appreciate it if you respected my boundaries, Mr. Brannon. We're just in a marriage of convenience. We're not that close." As soon as her words fell, the air went still. Silas lost interest and took a step back. His ink-black eyes narrowed slightly as he said, "Marriage of convenience or not, you're still my wife." He pulled open the door of his outrageously flashy purple Bugatti and beckoned to Bethany. "Where to? Get in." Bethany pursed her lips. The dull ache in her chest was now gone. "I'm good, thanks." Silas clicked his tongue. "Hurry up. I don't want to end up in the news because my wife is crying over another man. That would piss me off." She had no choice but to climb into the passenger seat. Besides, she wasn't in the best state of mind. Bethany had never ridden in a sports car before. Noah was the composed, no-nonsense type, so he usually drove sedans or SUVs. Naturally, his garage probably had one or two sports cars. However, she had never been worthy of sitting in them. Bethany turned to look out the window, and Silas glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Her eyes were still wet, the corners tinged red. "Were you dumped?" he asked solemnly this time. When Bethany looked at him, she noticed a faint tattoo peeking out at his collarbone. "Yeah, sort of. But don't worry, he's already an ex. He won't cause you any trouble. "Besides, we agreed to stay out of each other's personal lives. So, you're free to do whatever you want." If anyone was famous for his love life, it was the heir of the Brannon family. Silas pulled up in front of Bethany's apartment building. "Is an hour enough? Pack up your belongings and come home with me." "Huh? You want me to come home with you?" Bethany was dumbfounded. "Yeah. Or what, you want to live separately?" Realization dawned on her. "This can wait, no? I'll move in after our families meet," she responded indifferently. Bethany was in no hurry to move because she hadn't yet gotten her hands on the shares. Silas pressed his tongue against his right cheek. "Alright. Suit yourself." As soon as she hopped out, the flashy sports car sped off and vanished from her sight. "Was he… upset?" she wondered. … Noah was driven back to the villa at Cerulean Cove at 11:00 pm. He had settled Bethany there. He hadn't expected the driver to bring him here. A single light was left on in the entryway. He loosened his tie and instinctively called out Bethany's name. "Beth, make me a cup of hangover remedy!" After a while, no one answered. It hit him then that he had driven her away earlier that day. He leaned back on the couch, covering his eyes with his hand. When he heard soft footsteps, his lips curled slightly. No matter how harsh Bethany's words had been, it seemed that she still could not bring herself to leave him. Yet, when he opened his eyes and saw who it was, his expression turned cold. "What are you doing here?" Judy stiffened. "Of course it's me, Mr. Vazquez. Ms. Porter is on a business trip and hasn't returned yet. I heard footsteps and knew that you must have returned home. "You're drunk, Mr. Vazquez. Let me make you some hangover remedy." "That won't be necessary, Judy," Noah cut her off impatiently. "Go back to your room and get some sleep. I'm heading upstairs." Judy pursed her lips. She was well aware that he only drank Bethany's hangover remedy. However, all hangover remedies tasted the same to her. Judy couldn't understand his strange habit. Noah massaged his temples and fished out his phone, pulling up his chat with Bethany. Most of the messages were from her. He had read them and never replied. He pressed his lips together in a thin line and typed, "Where are you?" In a heartbeat, his irritation flared, and he deleted the words one by one. Then, he turned off his phone and tossed it aside. It seemed that he had spoiled her rotten. That must be the reason she had forgotten her place. It was just an argument, yet she had the nerve to stay away from home. … The next morning, dark circles sat heavily under Bethany's eyes. With those dark shadows, she entered the office prepared to treat the day as her last. "My mom's been pushing me to go back home to get married, Mandy. Today might be my last day. I've already sent you all the handover files by email." Mandy was surprised that Bethany was leaving in such a hurry. "Do you not want your salary?" Bethany tugged at her lips. "Yeah." Mandy pondered for a moment. "Give me half a day. I'll talk to HR and help you get a resignation letter. It'll be easier for you when you join another company then." Bethany considered it and figured that half a day wouldn't hurt. So, she said, "Alright, thank you." So, she sat at her desk and packed up her personal belongings. To her surprise, Noah showed up to work that morning. Bethany focused on what she was doing. Even when she felt his gaze burning into the back of her head, she didn't look up until a pair of black leather shoes came into view. Noah towered over her, tapping her desk with his finger. "Come to my office, Ms. Porter." With that, he turned and walked away coldly. Bethany wanted nothing more than to smash the cactus on her desk into his face. Yet, she thought better of it. After all, they were both adults. There was no need to make a scene. Hence, she pushed open the door to Noah's office. "What did you want to see me about, Mr. Vazquez?" Noah lifted his chin and nodded at the door behind her. "Close it and come here." Bethany left the door slightly ajar and stopped several steps away from him. "What do you need, Mr. Vazquez?" she repeated. Noah curled his lips into a mocking smile. "You used to beg me to hold you while you slept. Why are you standing so far away now?" "I've resigned, Mr. Vazquez," she responded calmly. "I won't be your employee for much longer. What's wrong with keeping my distance?" "You've resigned?" A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "Who gave you permission to resign?" He sneered, "Your little trick won't work on me, Bethany." Bethany plastered a smile on her face. "I don't have time to play games." Noah demanded, "In that case, why are you resigning? Was I not paying you enough? Or do you really think there's a company out there that can pay you more than me?" A smile crept onto her face. "It's not about the pay. My family set me up on a blind date. I'm going home to get married, Noah."