Chapter 5 Five

All the girls in Doll house knew that I had spent an entire night there that day, but no one dared to openly talk about it. In fact, besides Ethan, no one around me dared to openly rebuke me. Ethan came over at noon the next day, he dragged me out of bed after I had just laid down for less than five hours, and then took me to my favorite hot pot restaurant. Alright, considering for the sake of food, I decided to suppress my morning grumpiness. The meal was wonderful. I ordered the spiciest pot I could and cooked a lot of my favorite vegetables in it.

Apart from Ethan endlessly nagging me about my crazy and foolish behavior over the past month, everything else was perfect. After eating that hot pot meal, we then had a silent agreement, just like agreed before, no one mentioned Xavier's name anymore. This man seemed as if he had disappeared from my world, or maybe, he never really entered it. I heard news about Xavier again, a month later. This month, I managed Pearl Mansion even better, I purchased another floor of hotel rooms upstairs. I believe sooner or later, I will buy their entire building, and then it will all be mine, Evelyn's. Xavier appeared on TV, which wasn't surprising, but since he was with someone I particularly disliked, I paid extra attention. I really didn't want to mention the name, Lillian Ellington, she is probably the woman I hate most in the past twenty years, and equally, she feels the same about me. As for the reasons, I don't want to talk much about it now. The news was broadcast on TV, right when Pearls Mansion had just finished its early morning tally. Everyone was sitting there chatting, drinking, and watching the morning news as they drifted off to sleep. "Xavier chose Lilian this time?" A young woman exclaimed. A month had passed and I hadn't mentioned Xavier. They thought I didn't take Xavier seriously, so they were just discussing it now as if it was gossip. "Isn't Lillian usually the innocent girl-next-door type? Following Xavier, won't she ruin her whole image?" "Who can deny that? Yet, across the entire Casper City, which lady can resist the favor and affection of young Master Ashford... Look, even Pearl's Madam has made an exception for Master Ashford, hasn't she?" "Ah! Speaking of this, why do I feel like the photo of Lillian just now looks like Pearl's Madam..." "Yes exactly, I've been saying this, Pearl's madam and Lillian, their facial features look similar in so many places!" I tried not to let my face look bad, while still maintaining a smile as I switched off the TV. "Alright, stop the random chatter, hurry up, and go to sleep. These big stars and their affairs don't have much to do with us ordinary folks." Everyone laughed and agreed, indeed, Lillian was the current popular actress, and she was as far off as a star from them, the barmaids. Anna, the last to leave, looked a little angry, "Evelyn, do you think Xavier is a fool? Can Lillian compare to you? What the hell is he thinking!" I gave Anna a reassuring pat on the shoulder, turned around, and left the nightclub. As for who is better between me and Lillian, I never cared much to think about it. Many people I know say that I look like her, but everyone seems to forget, that I am older than Lillian, so technically, she should look like me. After pulling an all-nighter, I had no mind to think about Lillian or Xavier anymore. I removed my makeup, collapsed onto my bed, and fell asleep. The doorbell was ringing nonstop and I was almost driven mad. I bought a stand-alone apartment on a single-floor building precisely to prevent neighboring tenants from occasionally stopping by during the day, as my life was usually nocturnal. The most annoying thing is being suddenly woken up when asleep! Yet, the person at the door seemed to have more patience than me, If I didn't open it, he wouldn't leave! Furious, I got up from bed and opened the door, disheveled and still in my sleepwear. Before I could get a clear look at the visitor, my vision suddenly blackened. Almost all of these actions - walking into the room, closing the door, pressing me against it, and aimlessly nibbling on my neck - happened within 30 seconds. Before I could even react and push him away, my nose had already detected a strong smell of alcohol, laced with the familiar scent of menthol cigarettes. "Xavier Ashford?" I ventured a question, but it turned out to be my last. After that, Xavier carried me into the room, his lips sealing mine, as they had during those previous nights, exploring the depths of my body. Throughout the process, I was mostly dizzy. My mind tried desperately to assess the current situation, but my body wouldn't allow me to divide my attention. Xavier seemed relentless, snapping me back into a hazy state whenever the fog in my mind started to lift. The whole process probably lasted more than an hour. I lost consciousness once but was prompted back to wakefulness by his continued actions. Drunk, Xavier was silent, repeating only primal movements before releasing into me. At that moment, I abruptly came to my senses. He... didn't take any protection measures! Today's Xavier was acting extremely out of character, breaking more rules than usual. The first contact after a month, out of the presidential suite at the top of Elite Scenic Spot, and he didn't even use any protection! I stuck out my tongue, licking my dry lips, pushing away the still panting Xavier who was lying on top of me and asked in a hoarse voice. "Mr Ashford, are you sick? Have you gone mad?" Xavier seemed truly exhausted - his voice was laced with weariness. "On the table, see the answer for yourself." Having said that, he rolled to one side and, without the slightest hint of embarrassment, slept on my bed. On the table was a thing Xavier had thrown when he entered the room. Half expecting and half afraid, I squinted at the file bag, took a deep breath, and went up to open it. Inside, there are two contracts in total. A prenuptial agreement and a marriage contract. At that moment, my mind went blank. My fingers holding the two contracts turned white, and I went back to the room, intending to ask Xavier what all of this was about. But as I reached the door, I realized that Xavier had already fallen asleep. He seemed to be sleeping somewhat restlessly, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. This was the first time I saw Xavier's sleeping face, and for a moment, I didn't have the heart to wake him up. Never mind, I'll ask when he wakes up.