Chapter 7 Have You Never Liked Me At All

The voice sounded familiar, but the tone was different from the gentle one just now. Janice grabbed her clothes and took a few deep breaths in an attempt to conceal her feelings.

The next second, her lips curved slightly, revealing a bright smile.

"I'm sorry, Malc. I got up late," she said as she walked up to her husband. After sitting down, Janice looked at the woman in front of her. "Malc, who is she?"

Since Janice didn't know who she was, she had to ask Malcolm like a gracious hostess. But what Malcolm said next tore through her pretense.

"It's none of your business. Just focus on your meal." And with that, he started to eat his own food.

The woman named Harlow Yin raised her hand slightly, about to shake hands with Janice, but withdrew it in surprise and confusion upon hearing Malcolm's harsh words. Across the table, Janice's face looked stiff. But she tried her best to soften her expression so as not to betray her true disappointed feelings.

After a while, she smiled and said, "Malc, change your tone or you'll terrify our guest. Only I can handle your bad temper."

Those words helped diffuse the awkwardness among the three. They even hinted at the sweetness between them as a couple.

Malcolm merely glanced at her and said nothing, which was rare for him to do. Only the most perceptive eye could've seen that he tightened his grip on his fork. Harlow said nothing, and after looking at the couple for a few seconds, she chose to look away.

It was a bad meal.

Malcolm didn't say a word throughout, and even Janice chose to be quiet. Harlow had tried to liven up the vibe, but getting no response from the couple, she too gave up.

After breakfast, Malcolm was the first to stand up. He looked at Harlow and said in a low voice, "I'm going to get the documents. You can take my car later."

In an instant, Janice's heart broke into pieces. She and Malcolm had been married for two years, but he had never treated her as kindly. Just then, the woman in front of her received more tenderness from him than she ever did. This difference in how he treated her and Harlow made it difficult for Janice to breathe.

She couldn't help but reach for the edge of her chair, restraining herself to avoid any embarrassment.

And as she tried to stay collected and composed, the other woman merely looked away. Harlow was a smart woman, and she could clearly see the tension between Malcolm and Janice.

Once the man had left, she stood up and sat down next to Janice. Leaning over, she whispered, "I've known Malc for two years. I'm surprised that I only met you today."

Her tone was quite gentle, but the meaning of her words was quite difficult to swallow.

Janice leaned over and said with a smile, "I don't like showing up in public. Malc encourages me to stay at home where I'm most comfortable, so it's perfectly understandable that we've only just met."

With every word, Janice tried to show that Malcolm loved her and cared for her.

What she said made Harlow's face freeze, but she quickly hid her surprise. Politely, she replied, "It seems that Malc has been taking good care of you. I'm pleased to hear that. He's pretty cool when he's with me, although he doesn't really like to talk. I have to ask him directly if I want to get a response. Since he's like this, I was worried that he wouldn't be able to take care of anyone. I can rest assured now after hearing from you."

As she listened, Janice's grip on her chair tightened. She felt so uneasy that she even dug her nails deep into the cushion. But the smile on her face didn't falter, as she tried to keep the image of a polite and elegant hostess.

"Malc could be quite introverted. I hope you can overlook it, Miss Yin. I'll talk to him about it. After all, you're his business partner. It's not good for him to treat you this way." Janice's response made her expectations about their relationship very clear.

They were just business partners.

She didn't know whether Harlow understood the meaning of her words, but the latter merely smiled and immediately dropped the subject.

Once they were no longer talking about Malcolm, they both actually had a pleasant conversation. Janice was a fashion designer, and Harlow's family business was all about fashion design. They had a good chat about the industry.

Malcolm came downstairs after a few minutes. On his left hand were a bunch of documents, while on his right was a phone. He was discussing work with someone else on the other end of the line.

Before Janice could stand to help him with the papers, Harlow rose from her seat, said goodbye to Janice, and walked towards Malcolm.

In a most natural manner, she took the documents from his hand, brushed clean the shoulder of his suit, and walked out by his side.

Janice watched as the two walked under the sunshine. They looked like a perfect match. And she felt like a mistress in a romantic novel, whose presence no one really wanted.

This gave her the feeling that if she let things go on like this, she might lose her husband. Overcome with panic, Janice blurted out,

"Wait, Malc!"

The two people stopped on their tracks and turned around. Malcolm looked at Janice with an unfathomable expression.

Enduring the uneasiness welling in her heart, she slowly walked to him. She then looked up and met his confused stare.

Janice's eyes were bright and her cheeks were slightly flushed. Her lips seemed painted with a soft coral color. No man could've resisted kissing her.

Janice then stood on her toes, intending to kiss Malcolm on the chin.

Before the accident, she once told him that she would always kiss him goodbye before he set out for work after they had gotten married. At the time, he pretended to be angry and said that one kiss was not enough. She then promised that she would give him two kisses each day, one in the morning and one before bed.

They had been a very sweet couple back then, to everyone's envy. If only she could reverse the time and...

All of a sudden, Janice snapped back into reality.

A feeling of suffocation extinguished her fantasies.

When she looked up, her eyes met Malcolm's steely gaze. It was then when she realized that the choking feeling came from his hand. Malcolm was holding her by the neck. If he chose to be ruthless, he could end her life right then and there.

"What right do you have to touch me?"

The moment he let go of her, Janice felt like she had lost something.

Her pride and self-esteem were all crushed by his question.

What right did she have to touch him?

They were husband and wife. They were legally married. Didn't she have the right to touch him?

Seeming to have lost her strength, she collapsed on the ground, completely ignoring the presence of Harlow and the servants in the house.

"Malc, it's been a long time. I should have asked you. Have you never liked me? Were all my persistence and efforts nothing but a joke to you?" Janice raised her head as she knelt on the ground. Her cheeks were drenched in tears.

"Alivia told me that you never liked me at all. You were just intimate with me because you had a little crush. She also said that you'd already fallen in love with someone else. The only reason you didn't do anything about it is that I am still at your side. Is this true, Malc?" Janice grabbed the hem of Malcolm's trousers and said in a hoarse voice, "Why didn't you tell me earlier? If you had told me, I wouldn't have married you.

Since our wedding, I've never had the guts to go home and see my father. I'm afraid that he would ask me if you're good to me. Tell me, how should I answer? Malc, I've known you since I was fifteen. It has been eight years since I first met you. Have you never liked me at all?"