In the end, we didn’t get to go to the police station, but Nicholas and I didn’t do anything other than the kiss we shared in the car.
Today, Claudia didn’t go to school at all. She intended to spend some private time with Nicholas, only to be interrupted by Francis.
Since Nicholas chose to pick me up from the firm, Claudia was extremely resentful toward me. Over dinner, she made so much noise with her cutlery just to vent her frustrations.
Then, she chose to lash out at me. “Ariana, Nicholas is exhausted from his work every day. Can you stop causing trouble for him?
“It’s your freedom to have your own job, but you’re still Nicholas‘ wife at the end of the day. Can you stop making Nicholas‘ life even more tiring and difficult?”
I was about to grab myself some salad from the salad bowl when I heard Claudia’s outburst. My fingers rubbed the fork I was holding, albeit longingly, before I set everything I held down.
Nicholas narrowed his eyes slightly. He put down his cutlery as well.
Everyone wanted their families to be harmonious. Even if there were any disputes in the family, it’d be distasteful to bring them up at the dining table.
Of course, such action was definitely banned in the Hawks‘ household. It was a part of the family teachings that were passed down from generation to generation. But Claudia had broken that rule today.
“I’m sorry.” I lowered my gaze and apologized immediately before Nicholas could say anything. “Claudia is right. I’m at fault for not considering all the factors.
“I’ll wire 5,000 dollars into your account as your allowance. If that’s not enough, I’ll wire more money into your account.”
“Ariana!” Nicholas frowned deeply, his eyes narrowed dangerously. “You should-”
I quickly cut him off. “I should apologize to Claudia, right?” Then, I stood up
immediately with my head lowered. “I’m so sorry, Claudia!”
My voice was quivering the whole time. I was all choked up at the moment.
Claudia was a little confused by how things were turning out. She quickly waved a
1/3
hand, saying, “Wait, thats not what I want
But refused to listen to Claudia’s explanation I simply covered my eyes with my arm before running away quickly
Later on, I went to the rooftop to gaze up at the moon. My eyes were dry, and my gere was cold
I didn’t know if Claudius and Nicholas could still contin their dinner amicably. 1 checked the time and estimated when Claudia would we done with her meal. Then, I transferred her 5,000 dollars along with a “secere” apology in the title.
I wanted Claudia to think that I was a pushover who could be bullied at any time.
I stayed on the rooftop for a very long time. It wasn’t until I thought I could see Mom’s face replacing the moon that Nicholas finally found me.
“You sure chose a good hiding place.”
The chaise lounge chair was quite wide, so Nicholas ended up lying down next to me. I didn’t look at him, nor did I say anything. Instead, I just closed my eyes.
Nicholas let out a helpless sigh. “I didn’t want you to apologize to her. I wanted to tell you to not give her any money. I’ve already given her my subsidiary card, which has no credit limit. Also, I won’t let her spend money on a whim.”
Ah. The thing was, I didn’t even have Nicholas‘ subsidiary card. The money I spent came from the family fund Nicholas had set up. It was a card that he had specifically applied for when we got married. He told me that he’d deposit money into the fund every month.
He told me that I could just use the card for all the expenses meant for our family and that the money would definitely be enough.
Nicholas was generous when it came to financial matters. He was never stingy with me. It was true that I could spend as much money as I wanted.
But the fact that my own husband’s subsidiary card was given to his stepsister instead of me still left a sour taste in my mouth. Anyone would know that something was up if they were to find out about it. In the past, I must have been so blinded by love that I didn’t pick that detail up.
Since I never said a word, Nicholas probably thought I was mad at him, so he was willing to lower his status just to coax me.
“Also, I wasn’t tired at all when I headed over to pick you up at work.” He propped himself up to kiss me on the forehead before adding, “I did that willingly.”
His kisses continued trailing downward. “Everything was fine when we were in the car earlier. What happened?”
Seriously, men who showered their partners with sweet nothings during sex could never be trusted. The way Nicholas clung to me was so light that even breathing physically hurt me.
I sat up immediately. “Then why did you only come here now? Nicholas, this isn’t my first time asking you this question. Why is it that you never side with me whenever I get into a conflict with Claudia?”
This was my first time starting a fight with Nicholas ever since we reconciled with each other. I couldn’t just obey his every word in every way like a living, breathing doll without its own temperament. Otherwise, I’d be resembling a fake robot–in Nicholas‘ words, not mine.
Nicholas began twirling a lock of my hair behind my head. “And how would you know that I didn’t defend you? I lectured her till she cried.
“She’s the one at fault here. She shouldn’t have spoken so rudely to you. I refuse to
let her make this a habit.”
“Ah, I get it. You made her cry with just one sentence, then spent four hours just to comfort her, didn’t you?”
Wendy was the one who told me what happened. She had texted me earlier, telling me that the leftovers were still being heated in the microwave.
It was time for her to get off work, so she had to leave the house. She also reminded me to eat my dinner later.
Nicholas slowly sat up, a frown decorating his face. His gaze became cold and sharp.
“Then what do you want me to do? Claudia is still very young. If I don’t correct her behavior now, what will happen to her if she ends up becoming a vile woman in the future, huh?”
“Nicholas Hawk, Claudia is only four years younger than me! Why are you still
treating her like a kid?” I refused to give in as well.
