Chapter 3 Three

Because of the previous incident with Lori, Lucy didn't make a sound. She bore the pain and exerted strength to pluck the shards lodged in her hand. Then with her left hand covering the wound, she approached the housekeeper and quietly asked him if there were any coagulants.Seeing that Elias showed no emotion, the housekeeper - Cedric, gestured for Lucy to sit on the living room sofa. He fetched a first aid kit and began to dress her wound.Lucy, feeling somewhat tired, glanced at Elias and queried, "Mr.

Anderson, could I please retire for the night?""What do you think?" Elias looked back at her and responded."Ok." That response certainly implied dissent, Lucy thought, so she continued to sit down.Elias felt a certain sense of helplessness. The woman in front of him seemed to elicit no emotions. "Prepare my bath.""Ok." Lucy stood up and headed upstairs to Elias's room since she had already asked the housekeeper which one was his. She opened the bathroom door with ease and started to fill the bath.Housekeeper Cedric watched Lucy's retreating figure, then glanced at Elias, seemingly wanting to speak, but held back."Housekeeper Cedric, you have been around for quite some time. I believe you understand when to speak and when to hold your peace," Elias suddenly said."Yes, only... Mister Anderson, Miss Carter is the mistress chosen by Madam, after all, you...""If you want to leave, just say it directly.""Mister Anderson, I've spoken out of turn.""Hmm, you may leave."Elias glanced at his wristwatch, which displayed it was already well past midnight. He ascended the stairs and entered his room, observing the slender figure in the bathroom. Since her right hand was injured, she could only rely on her left hand. Even so, she worked diligently and methodically. It was clear she was accustomed to doing chores."Do you often do these things?" he asked."Um."Elias was somewhat puzzled. As far as he knew, Jade was brought up under the doting care of Andrew Carter, and had a well-known rich lady's temperament; that's why he had used various tactics to provoke her. Yet, the person in front of him not only refrained from flaunting the prima donna attitude but also seemed rather skillful in handling household chores. Could it be?"Are you really the daughter of the Carter family?""Yes." Lucy knew that Elias had doubts, so she readily admitted, "But, I am the one who is kept hidden.""Um?""My name is Lucy Carter.""Lucy Carter?" Elias chuckled, "That old fox!" However, he was somewhat curious about how his mother would react upon hearing this. He was looking forward to it.Lucy lay on Elias's bed, feeling a sense of indescribable fear about what was to follow. For the first time, she felt like running away. After much hesitation, she could no longer tolerate his fiddling with the door handle from inside the bathroom and decided to get out of bed. Just as she was about to turn the door handle at the entrance of the bedroom, Elias's voice echoed, "Where are you going?"Hearing this, Lucy froze in her tracks. She took a deep breath before she finally turned around, "I think, I want...I want to use the restroom." Lucy came up with what she thought was an excellent excuse.Elias looked at Lucy. Although she was looking directly at him, her eyes were shifty, indicating she was lying. Her hands were nervously intertwined, with the thumbs of each hand circling around each other.Elias walked up to Lucy, deliberately bracing his hand on the door, "You seem nervous?""Ah, no." Lucy shook her head. Seeing the handsome face close before her, she couldn't see whether her own face was turning red, but she was definitely aware of her face heating up. It was so hot that she felt like putting an ice pack on it."Still saying no," he looked straight into her eyes, making Lucy squirm uncomfortably. She wished she could hide away, "Really rare to see other expressions on your face. Your face is so red, should I call you ' as charming as the peach blossom'?"Lucy touched her face, it was truly very hot, "The weather is too warm.""You're still feeling hot with the air conditioning set at 24 degrees C?"Lucy was left speechless, unable to reply.Elias's right hand gently reached out to touch Lucy's face. Just as he imagined, her skin was delicate and smooth. His fingers slid down, stopping at the corner of her mouth. His thumb touched her lips, which were as soft and tender as he'd predicted."I wonder what they would taste like?" With that thought, Elias targeted those soft lips and kissed them.Lucy tried to back off, but she was cornered against the door with no route to escape, so she had to endure Elias's kiss."It tastes really good!" Elias, after a shallow taste, stopped his actions. He gazed at Lucy, watching her chest rise and fall as her breath grew rapid, "Is it your first time?"Lucy paused and then understood what he was implying. Her face flushed with color, and she responded with a small nod."Very good!" The corner of Elias's mouth curled; he liked them pure.Still at a loss on what was happening, Lucy found herself soaring in the air then landing in strong, sturdy arms. She quickly wrapped her arms around Elias's neck for fear of falling.Elias tossed Lucy onto the bed, removed his bathrobe, and attempted to take off Lucy's clothes.In her panic, Lucy tried to push him away. Elias pinned her hands to the bed and stared at her, "You are my wife." Implying that this was expected.His words were factual. Lucy stopped resisting, although she was still feeling anxious, and restlessly watched him.Elias suddenly softened, "I'll be gentle."Under his spell, Lucy nodded and surrendered herself to him.The next morning, Lucy woke up due to hunger. She checked the wall clock and realized it was already past ten o'clock. She couldn't believe she'd slept in so late; she usually woke up at six o'clock. Looking at her side, she noticed Elias was no longer there."Being held in someone's arms feels so good." Lucy reflected, missing the way he held her last night, that sensation was so comforting, it was similar to a mother's embrace."Mom!" Lucy silently called out, tears rolling down her face.Despite her aching body, Lucy forced herself to get up, take a shower, get dressed, and head to the dining room to deal with her hunger.Seeing Lucy was up, Butler Cedric said, "Young mistress, you're up."Lucy was slightly taken back, in just one night her title had changed from Miss Carter to Young Mistress, and it took some getting used to. "Mmm.""Master Anderson left for work early this morning. He asked me to inform you that he will have dinner with you back at the old house tonight. Please prepare early. The clothes have been bought according to Master Anderson's instructions and will be delivered soon.""Mmm," Lucy replied, hoping that he would finish quickly, as she was nearly famished."Oh, right, young mistress, you must be hungry. The food is still hot, I will have someone prepare it immediately.""Alright." Lucy sat at the dining table and Butler Cedric ordered the food to be served promptly.While eating, Lucy thought to herself, "People are truly selfish. Yesterday they ignored me, leaving me to cook my own meal, but today they've changed their attitude completely."After lunch, as soon as the clothes arrived, without waiting for Lucy's instruction, Butler Cedric ordered the clothes to be arranged carefully in Elias's room.Lucy picked out a white dress and tried it on. It fits perfectly. After selecting the accessories, she decided to leave them aside and wear them when the time came.Although this was her home now, Lucy still felt like a stranger. She didn't know what she could or couldn't do, so she sat in the living room and watched television. After a while, she remembered that she had a book in her luggage. She retrieved it from the guest room she used last night and sat reading it on the living room couch.Around the clock struck four, a car honked outside, "Young mistress, Master Anderson is back.""Ok." Lucy acknowledged, then continued reading her book."Young mistress, according to the tradition of the Anderson family, you should stand at the entrance to welcome Master Anderson.""Ok." Lucy put her book aside, rose, and walked to the entrance to wait.When Elias entered, he saw Lucy standing calmly. He took off his jacket and extended it to her.Lucy looked at him, puzzled.