Marry A Naughty Sweetie: Can't Stop Loving You

"What? You're infertile?"

The atmosphere in the room turned cold and awkward. Elise Ai bit her lower lip as she waited for an answer from Cherry Mu, not knowing how to react.

Earlier today, she had received a call from Cherry Mu, inviting her out for dinner. Almost a year had passed since their last meeting, when Cherry Mu had gotten married. Eager to see her old friend, Elise Ai had enthusiastically agreed.

But she had never imagined that she would hear such bad news from Cherry Mu.

Seeing that Cherry Mu just stared at the table with a crestfallen look on her face instead of responding, Elise Ai took her hand and asked nervously, "Cherry, do your parents-in-law know about it?"

"Elise..." Cherry Mu held Elise Ai's hand and shook her head sadly. "They don't know yet. I'm afraid that if I tell them, they will..."

She trailed off as if it pained her too much to say the next few words.

"They will what?" Elise Ai asked anxiously. She could sympathize with Cherry Mu.

After all, the Mo family, Cherry's in-laws, was one of the four famous families in Y City. If the Mo family found out that Cherry was infertile, they would definitely feel ashamed, and might even force her to get a divorce.

That was why Elise couldn't help but pity her.

Distressed, she tried to think of ways to help Cherry in this situation even though she didn't know much about these things.

However, while Elise was genuinely worrying about her friend,

what Cherry was thinking about was how to carry out her vicious plan.

"Cherry, what should we do? Is there anything I can do to help?" Elise prompted again in a tearful voice.

When Cherry saw how worried Elise was about her, a trace of guilt flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly replaced with determination.

She had already made her decision. If she let herself be shaken now, she would lose everything.

"Actually..." Cherry paused before hesitantly saying, "There is a solution, but..."

"But what? What is it?" Elise shook Cherry's arm, urging her to speak faster.

"Well...I can get a surrogate mother to give birth to a child for my husband. That way, I'll be able to face my parents-in-law," Cherry said tentatively.

"A surrogate mother?" Elise's face lit up as understanding flashed through her eyes. "That's a great idea, Cherry. After she gives birth to the baby, you can raise it. The Mo family won't be able to say anything.

You're so smart!" Elise couldn't help but admire Cherry's intelligence. If she were in Cherry's shoes, she would never be able to come up with such an idea.

"So can you help me?" Cherry asked immediately. She hadn't expected Elise to agree so easily. She had always thought of Elise as a naive woman, but now, it seemed that she might have misjudged her.

"I..." Elise trailed off uncertainly, not knowing how to answer the question. After all, she had no experience with this topic, and had no expertise to offer Cherry.

"I know." Cherry nodded in disappointment.

"Cherry, maybe.." Elise began and scratched her head as she tried to think of something to say.

The atmosphere between the two became tense.

After a while, Cherry opened her mouth, deciding that it was time to get to the point.

"Elise, can you..." She licked her dry lips, hesitating to continue.

"What?" Elise tilted her head and listened carefully.

"Can you be the surrogate mother?"

"What?" Elise was so shocked that she dropped the spoon in her hand, causing it to clatter away on the floor.

"Cherry...did I hear you wrong?" she asked, forcing a smile on her face. However, her frightened eyes revealed the fear in the bottom of her heart.

"Elise, I know it's an unreasonable request, but I really have no choice." Cherry avoided Elise's eyes. She was afraid that if she took one more look at her, she would feel guilty and her plan would be in vain.

At this point, she couldn't afford to be softhearted. Being vicious was her only way to salvation.

After all...the man she loved could only belong to her. She would never let a mediocre woman like Elise have him!

Despite being unaware of the cruel thoughts that were running through Cherry's mind, Elise tried her best to persuade Cherry to think of another way.

However, Cherry shook her head and cried, "Elise, please help me. My parents-in-laws want me to have a baby, so looking for a surrogate mother is my only choice. And I can't ask any other woman to give birth to a baby for my husband. She will be a threat to my position for sure. You're the only one I trust!" Cherry grabbed Elise's hand tightly, as if she was holding onto a piece of driftwood.

"A woman's position in a family increases when she has a child. This has been our tradition since ancient times, you know that. But if another woman gives birth to a child for Adam, she will replace my position in the Mo family! My love for Adam will also become worthless. Elise, please help me..." Cherry continued in a miserable voice, trying to coax Elise into helping her.

"Cherry..." Elise couldn't believe what she was hearing.

If other women couldn't do it, how could she? Did Cherry have such a "high" opinion of her? She smiled bitterly, but in her heart, she felt indignant.

Of course, Cherry noted her reactions carefully and knew that Elise wasn't going to agree. Now, she had no choice but to intimidate her into reconsidering.

"Elise, I know you're short of money. Your mother is hospitalized and has a lot of debts. As long as you agree to be the surrogate mother, I'll help you pay off the debts. I'll even take your mother to M Country to see the best doctors. Just help me, Elise."

"Cherry, you're so selfish!" Elise finally shook off Cherry's hand, gave her a cold look, and strode outside. She couldn't bear the insult anymore.

'Her situation is pitiful, but she shouldn't have brought my mother into this,' Elise thought, clenching her fists as she walked out of the restaurant. For her, her mother was her biggest weakness.

Even if she did agree to Cherry's request, how could she face her boyfriend, Colin Han? How could she use the money to cure her mother at ease?

Elise shook her resolutely. She would never sell her body for anything. Cherry would have to give up that ridiculous idea!

As Elise ran out onto the road in a fit of anger with all these thoughts swirling in her head, she didn't notice the oncoming vehicles.

She had appeared so suddenly that one of the cars, unable to swerve in time, hit her. Elise instantly fell to the ground, unconscious. The pedestrians nearby nervously gathered around her. The driver who had hit her got out of the car and ran up to her as well.

"Hello, Miss, wake up. Miss?" he said nervously, patting her face.

When there was no response, he ran back to the car and spoke to the man sitting in the backseat. "Sir..."

"Take her to the hospital." An emotionless voice came from the car.

"Yes, sir." The driver quickly carried Elise into the car and drove to the hospital.

A while later, a doctor walked into one of the wards at the hospital and faced a man who was sitting on the sofa, reading a document in his hand. "Mr. Mo, the patient is emotionally unstable, but there are only a few bruises on her body and no concussion. She will be fine as long as she takes rest in the hospital for a few days," the doctor said.

"Okay," Adam Mo said without raising his head.

"Well, Mr. Mo, I'm going to make the rounds of the wards now." The doctor rubbed his nose, feeling uncomfortable because of Adam Mo's intimidating aura.

"Find a nurse to take care of her.

And inform me when she leaves the hospital." Adam Mo finally stood up. He glanced at Elise, who was still sleeping on the hospital bed, and then walked out of the ward.

"Okay, Mr. Mo. Take care!" the doctor called after him. When Adam Mo had disappeared out of sight, he finally patted his chest and let out a sigh of relief. Having to interact with Adam Mo had almost scared him to death.

When Elise woke up, she found herself alone in a ward and furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. It was not until she talked to a nurse that she learned what had happened.

The nurse she talked to explained that the driver who had brought her here had left his number and asked her to contact him when she was being discharged to discuss the compensation for the car accident.

Elise held onto his number, but made no move to contact him. After all, she hadn't sustained any serious injuries. Besides, the driver had already paid her hospital fees and hired a nurse to take care of her. He had even asked people to buy fruits for her.

She was not a greedy person. In her eyes, the driver had already compensated her more than enough, so she didn't see any need to pursue the matter further.

When she was finally discharged from the ward, she went home to change her clothes, and then visited her mother at the hospital.

It had been too long since she had seen her mother, whose health was in a precarious state. Her mother was already in the advanced stage of breast cancer, so her days were numbered.

Every time Elise thought about it, tears sprang to her eyes. She wanted to ask God why her mother had been made to suffer such a disease for no reason.

After that visit, she went to her company. As soon as she walked in, her group leader looked at her with concern. "Elise, your mother..."

"She only has a few days left," Elise replied calmly.

"Well, you can talk to me about it any time if you want to." The group leader patted Elise on the shoulder, not knowing what else to say.

"Thank you for your concern, Sir." Elise nodded.

"Your wounds haven't recovered yet?" the group leader asked, pointing to the gauze on her forehead. Of course, he had already been informed about her car accident.

"The gauze will be removed in a few days. It's not a big deal." Elise shook her head with a smile. She felt much better after hearing words of concern for her.

"You know what, you should take the next few days off. Go home now, and come back once you recover. I insist."

The group leader was a compassionate person who cared about his employees. He especially sympathized with Elise, who seemed to be followed by misfortune everywhere she went.

So, he tried to be as lenient as possible with her.

Elise was used to the group leader's kindness, but she still thanked him profusely before leaving the office.

When she got home, she sighed, feeling exhausted. Without her mother, this dark house didn't feel like home at all. After taking a look at her mother's room, she took a quick shower and went to bed.

At four o'clock in the morning, Elise was suddenly awakened by the ringing of her phone.

"Hello..." she said groggily.

"Miss Ai? I'm the attending doctor for your mother. She is in critical condition. I'm afraid...

Miss Ai, are you listening?

Miss Ai..."

The doctor's voice kept coming from the receiver, but the phone had already slipped out of Elise's hand and onto the quilt. Elise put on her clothes in a hurry, grabbed her things, and rushed out of the house.

On the way, she kept urging the cab driver to drive faster.

'Mom, please wait for me,' she prayed in her heart.

Finally, the car reached the entrance of the hospital. Elise got out of the car and faced the hospital doors, but she didn't dare to take another step forward.

"Miss, no matter what you are going to face, you have to face it bravely." The cab driver uttered words of encouragement before driving away, leaving behind a cloud of exhaust smoke.

'Face it bravely?' The cab driver's words echoed in Elise's head as she finally lurched forward into the hospital, rubbing her eyes that were sore and swollen from crying.

Right now, her biggest fear was that her mother would have already taken her last breath.

When she neared her mother's ward, she saw that the light was on and that the room seemed to be buzzing with activity.

She paused at the door, feeling her heart threaten to jump to her mouth. Spotting her, one of the doctors walked forward. "Miss Ai, we have tried our best.

You can go inside to accompany the patient!"

Shaking his head with a sigh, he walked out of the ward, and one by one, the rest of the doctors followed. With tears streaming down her face, Elise tried to catch one of the doctors to make them stay and try harder to save her mother's life, but to no avail.

Finally, when the ward was empty except for her mother, Elise rushed to the bed and knelt down in front of it. "Mom, Mom..." she cried as she held her mother's hands, which were rapidly losing warmth.

"I'm sorry, my dear. I can't be with you anymore." Her mother's voice sounded thin and fragile.

"Mom, I don't want you to leave me. I don't want..." Elise said hoarsely, frantically shaking her head.

"Elise, I..." Her mother's voice trailed off into silence. After suffering from her illness for so long, she had finally found peace in death.

Seeing her mother's frozen face and lackluster eyes, Elise froze too, feeling like she couldn't breathe anymore. The next moment, the ward was filled with her miserable wails of losing the person she had loved the most.

Her mother had died and left her all alone in the world.

How was it fair? Why couldn't she have more time to spend with her mother? Hearing her cries, Adam felt a sharp pain in his forehead.

He winced and quickly walked past the ward, rubbing his forehead.

"What happened?"

he asked Dr. Chen impatiently.

"A patient passed away. Her daughter is in mourning," Dr. Chen explained briefly.

"It's so noisy," Adam hissed, clucking his tongue in displeasure.

"Are you having a headache again? Should I get some medicine to relieve the pain?" Dr. Chen asked worriedly.

"No," Adam refused in a cold voice and glanced inside the ward.

That girl... She was the one who had been hit by his car a few days ago!

"That girl is the daughter of the patient with advanced breast cancer?"

"Yes." Dr. Chen nodded. He was curious about how Adam knew the details, but he didn't ask.

"Don't urge her to pay the hospital fees right now. Wait till she has settled the matter," Adam instructed, still rubbing his forehead.

"Yes," Dr. Chen answered, feeling even more surprised. Adam was notorious for being a tyrant. No one in the business world would believe that he was capable of showing sympathy.

"Close the door. I'm leaving." Adam felt like his head would explode if he stayed even a moment longer, so he left as soon as he finished his words.

After Adam left, Dr. Chen didn't close the door. Instead, he walked in with his hand in the pocket of his white coat.

"Miss Ai, your mother left this to me when she was alive. She asked me to give it to you after her death." Dr. Chen patted Elise's shoulder to comfort her and put an envelope in her hand.

"The dead are dead. Those who are alive should live a good life." Dr. Chen had seen so many people dying that death didn't faze him anymore. However, he did sympathize with this mother and daughter, who had both suffered a lot, so he thought that the least he could do was to personally hand the envelope over.

After Dr. Chen left, Elise didn't open the envelope immediately. It was only when she was exhausted from crying that she finally slid to the floor with her back resting against the bed and slowly opened the envelope.

Inside it was a birth certificate, the deed of their house, and a letter written by her mother.

The contents of the letter were simple. Her mother told her to sell the house to pay off her debts and live a good life, and marry a good man in the future.

She also said that she would watch Elise live a happy life from heaven. Elise felt heartbroken after reading the letter, but she had no tears left to shed.

She just sobbed silently with dry eyes, hugging herself as she rocked back and forth.

There was no way she would sell the house. It was their home where they had once lived happily together.

And even though her mother had passed away, their home was still there, so she would keep it and take good care of it.

As for the 500,000 dollars of medical fees, she would definitely find a way to pay the hospital.

She was ready to do anything as long as it meant that she wouldn't have to sell the house.

In that quiet ward with her mother's lifeless body next to her, Elise went through a transformation from a naive young girl into a strong woman.

Without wasting any time, she made the necessary arrangements and held a quiet funeral with no attendees.

After that, she called Cherry.

In the early hours of the day, the coffee shop was almost empty. Other than the melodious flute music playing in the background and the churning of the coffee maker, there was silence. Elise and Cherry sat in the corner.

Cherry stirred the coffee in front of her with a small smile on her face, as if this was a great start to her day.

In contrast, Elise looked pale and thin, as if she would be blown away by a mere gust of wind.

"I didn't expect you to agree.

Anyway, I'm very sad about your mother's death. There's no need to restrain yourself. You can mourn for her," Cherry said sincerely, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"Thank you. Can you show me the agreement?" Elise asked in a hoarse voice. Since she had already made up her mind, she wouldn't give herself any chance to regret it.

"Yes. Are you sure you won't regret this decision?" Cherry asked worriedly as she opened her bag and took out a document.

"I won't. Shouldn't you be happy about it, Cherry?" Elise asked calmly.

Cherry felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her. However, she ignored Elise's cold words and gave her the agreement. "Here you are." As long as Elise was consciously stepping into the abyss, Cherry didn't care about what she said or did.

For her part, Elise carefully read every detail in the agreement. When she was done, she signed her name at the bottom and slid the document back to Cherry.

Now that everything was settled, she suddenly felt like her heart was empty. She looked outside the window with blank eyes as she thought about the uncertain future.

After checking that everything was in order, Cherry put the agreement back into her bag.

Although she couldn't express it out loud in such a somber situation, her heart was filled with indescribable joy. Now that her biggest problem had been solved, she felt refreshed, like an enormous weight had been lifted off of her.

"Elise, this is a check for one million dollars. And take this phone as well. It will be more convenient for me to contact you." She handed Elise a check and a new mobile phone.

Then, she put on her sunglasses and stood up. "If there is nothing else, I will leave now." Once Cherry left,

Elise swept the things in front of her into her bag and then left the cafe as well.

The first thing she did was go to the bank and cash out the check. Then, she transferred 500,000 dollars to Dr. Chen to pay off her mother's medical fees. After that, she deposited the remaining 500,000 dollars into another card.

The money in that card was like a curse, a constant reminder of how she had gotten it.

Therefore, she was determined not to use it.

At the hospital, Dr. Chen was surprised upon receiving the 500,000 dollars all of a sudden. He immediately called Adam and informed him about the payment.

After hearing that, Adam was silent. Sitting on his chair, he rotated the pen in his hand without saying anything for a long time.

He was curious about where Elise had gotten the money from, but in the end, he decided to let it go. After all, they had nothing to do with each other.

At that moment, his forehead twitched with pain again. Recently, his headaches had been getting worse and worse. He stood up and walked over to the French window, looking into the distance.

Once again, the phone on his desk vibrated. After a while, he turned around and picked it up.

"What's the matter?" he asked in a cold voice.

"Adam, come home tonight. I have something to discuss with you." Cherry's soft voice came through the receiver.

"Okay." Adam was not interested in what Cherry had to say, so he immediately hung up.

Cherry didn't bother calling him again. As far as she was concerned, she had already gotten what she wanted. A smug smile appeared on her face as she fiddled with the agreement in her hand.

In her eyes, the most terrible thing in the world was being unable to obtain everything that one wanted.

So whatever she wanted, she would do everything in her power to get it, including Colin Han, who was in love with Elise.

After all, Colin Han was supposed to be Cherry's man. How could an ordinary woman like Elise deserve him?

Just the thought of it made Cherry burst into derisive laughter.

All was fair in love and war.

Her marriage with Adam was nothing but a business agreement. It only existed on paper. The two of them had secretly made and signed an agreement that they would get divorced in three years.

But now, the Mo family was pressuring her to have a baby. How could she have a baby with a man whom she didn't even consider her husband?

And as if things weren't bad enough, she had gotten wind of the fact that Colin Han was planning to propose to Elise on her birthday.

That was when Cherry had come up with a brilliant plan that could kill two birds with one stone. And fortunately for her, everything had worked in her favor, especially the fact that Elise's mother had died with a lot of debts to pay.

This way, she had found someone to give birth to the baby that the Mo family so badly wanted, and she had also foiled the possibility of Elise getting married to Colin.

In the evening, Adam finally came home and walked into the room. Sitting in front of the dressing table, Cherry asked, "Your parents want me to have a baby. What do you think we should do? You know our agreement."

"You figure it out on your own," Adam said indifferently as he sat on the sofa.

Cherry rolled her eyes. "Figure it out on my own?

How can we have a child if you don't cooperate?" she asked softly, gently applying some moisturizer on her face.

"Are you saying you want to have a baby with me?" Adam sneered, raising his eyebrows. He clearly remembered that Cherry would not have sex with him, let alone have a baby.

Anyway, even if Cherry wanted to break their contract and have a baby, he would not agree to it.

Cherry finally turned around and met Adam's sharp glare.

She couldn't help but snort in response. "Don't look at me like that. Don't worry. I won't break the contract and have sex with you, because I have someone I love.

Instead, I found a way that will be good for both of us. I really want to help you, Adam. Look at this contract. You will know my hard work after reading it." With an unfathomable smile on her face, Cherry handed the contract to Adam.

The contract only contained a few pages, so Adam flipped through it in a matter of minutes. There was no superfluous expression on his face, but his eyes darkened when he saw the signature at the end.

"What's the point of this? Tell me." He placed the contract on his lap and shifted into a more comfortable position. Looking at the smug expression on Cherry's face, he really wanted to figure out what was going on in her head.

Feeling Adam's intent gaze on her, Cherry feigned an air of annoyance and casually said,

"You know, our marriage will come to an end sooner or later, but your family doesn't seem to think so." In fact, she had already carefully prepared this whole story before Adam had gotten home, so she just recited it from memory. "Anyway, I don't mind giving them a child if it will make them happy, but I just can't give birth to one on my own.

And I don't want my position as Mrs. Mo to be threatened, so I found a woman who will only be responsible for giving birth to the child and nothing else.

Don't worry, she is my junior from school. Her mother just passed away and left her with a mountain of debts, so she came to me for help. Since I'm generous, I offered her this choice, and she agreed." Of course, Adam knew that Cherry was being anything but generous. Although she looked gentle and graceful, deep inside, she was a cruel woman.

What she had done to Elise was the equivalent of pushing her into an abyss.

With an indifferent smile playing at the corners of his mouth, Adam quickly signed his name at the bottom of the agreement.

As he handed the document to her, he looked straight into her eyes. "Cherry, you are playing with fire." With that warning, he left without a second glance.

Cherry wasn't surprised that Adam had seen through her lies, but so what? He had accepted it anyway and even signed the agreement.

If anything, she was proud that she could even corner Adam like this.

'I'm already at the bottom of the abyss. I don't mind being accompanied,' she thought. Then, she smiled like a mango flower blooming on the road to hell, bloodthirsty and red.

After walking out of the villa, Adam called his secretary. "Lucy, get someone to tidy up the Bay Villa and stock it with some women's daily necessities."

Lucy Luo began asking for details, but he quickly cut her off. "I don't care what you get. It's up to you.

Just do it as soon as possible." After hanging up the phone, he got into his car.

As he sat with his hands on the steering wheel, he felt happy and expectant all of a sudden. He was finally going to meet the woman who had given him a headache with her cries.

True to its name, the Bay Villa stood in the southeast corner of Y City, surrounded by the mountains and the sea.

Living in a villa in this area was the highest status symbol in Y City. Even most rich people wouldn't be able to get their hands on one of these villas no matter how hard they tried. However, Elise had easily set foot in a villa here in exchange for having a child.

She had been living here for three days, but Cherry's husband hadn't shown up at all. And after dropping her off here, Cherry hadn't visited her or called her either⁠-not that Elise was complaining, of course. Living alone in this villa was peaceful.

The location was amazing. Standing on the balcony of the second floor, she could see the beach and the sea. At first, she had thought that she wouldn't be able to sleep well in this unfamiliar house surrounded by the sea, but on the contrary, she had slept better than ever, lulled to sleep every night by the calming waves.

On top of that, the villa was unexpectedly stocked with everything she needed, from underwear to clothes for going out.

Elise had a feeling that Cherry must have prepared these things for her, since only Cherry would know her tastes.

Living in such a peaceful atmosphere, she temporarily forgot about the matter of surrogacy. Every morning, she got up and went to work as usual. After returning to the villa, she would cook dinner, take a shower, read books, and enjoy the sea breeze on the balcony.

Today, as usual, Elise cooked dinner after getting home.

Then, she sat at the dining table with dishes of meat, vegetables, soup, and a bowl of rice laid out in front of her.

She chewed every bite of food with relish.

When she was about to have the bowl of soup, her phone on the table rang.

"Hello?"

"Elise, where are you now?" Colin's worried and anxious voice came from the other end of the line.

Elise swallowed hard, her eyes filling with tears. She had to take a deep breath to keep them from falling.

"Colin, I..." Her grip on her phone became so tight that her knuckles turned white. She wanted to tell her boyfriend about everything that had happened to her, but in the end, she swallowed her words down.

"Elise, what's wrong? Are you crying? Did something happen?" Colin asked immediately, hearing a slight sob from the other end. He had gone abroad for a month for some work. Now that he was finally back, he had gone straight to Elise's house to give her a surprise. However, Elise unexpectedly wasn't home. Whatever it was, he was glad that she had answered his call. Otherwise, he would have gotten really worried.

"Colin, I'm fine. I just miss you," Elise said, trying to steady her voice as much as possible. Anyway, these words were genuine and from her heart.

"Elise, I miss you too. I want to see you tonight. I have a gift for you." A sweet and gentle smile appeared on Colin's face as he pictured his beloved's face.

"Colin, how about tomorrow? I came over to a colleague's house. It's not convenient for me to go out now," Elise said hurriedly. She really wished she could meet Colin now, but she was not prepared to see him yet.

"All right! See you at the same place tomorrow afternoon." Colin didn't ask any more questions. He trusted Elise completely.

"Bye, Colin." Elise bit her lips and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Bye, Elise. Good night." Colin waited until Elise hung up the phone.

Although the two lovers were filled with longing, distance separated them from each other.

Perhaps this time, their separation wouldn't just be temporary.

Elise, who was still immersed in thoughts of Colin, didn't notice that she was not alone in the villa anymore.

Adam had walked in just as Elise had answered the phone. He always walked with light footsteps, but today, in order to see what Elise was doing alone in his villa, he walked even lighter than usual.

He heard her talking to a man called Colin. And judging from her tone, it was obvious that he was her boyfriend.

Adam hadn't meant to overhear their conversation, but he had arrived at a bad time. When he heard Elise tell Colin that she missed him, he felt like his heart was like being stabbed with a knife.

In an instant, he made his footsteps louder, making his presence conspicuous.

He didn't want to hear this woman calling another man's name on his territory.

From the moment Elise had signed the contract, she belonged to Adam, whether she accepted it or not.

"Are you crying?" Adam asked coldly, taking a seat opposite Elise.

"Who... Who are you?" Elise choked out between sobs. She was obviously frightened by Adam's sudden appearance. Her eyes were wide open with horror and her body was trembling like a rabbit, ready to run away at any time.

"You should know who I am," Adam said lightly, tapping the table.

"I'm hungry. Bring me a bowl of rice," he added after seeing the appetizing food on the table. He subtly touched his stomach, which was growling softly in hunger.

"Y-yes, I'll get you a bowl of rice." Elise went to the kitchen in a hurry and filled a bowl of rice for Adam. At the same time, she thoughtfully heated up the soup in the pot.

"Here you are." Elise set the bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks in front of Adam.

With a frown, Adam took the bowl and began eating.

The whole time, Elise stood opposite him and watched him in fear, worried about how he would react to the food. After twenty minutes of eating elegantly in silence, Adam put down his chopsticks and straightened up. "The food is to my taste. Cook dinner for me from now on."

Elise nodded tentatively. The man in front of her looked cold and arrogant. Even when he was sitting down, he seemed to be towering over her.

Anyone would feel insignificant and humble in his presence. At this moment, she finally wondered whether she had made the wrong decision.

She didn't know how to deal with such an imposing man. It was not difficult for her to cook for one more person, but would he come here to eat every day?

Cherry's husband, a handsome but cold and intimidating man, left a deep impression on Elise.

As if reading her mind, Adam said, "The agreement is very clear about the relationship between the two of us. I won't force you to do anything, so you don't have to be afraid of me. After all, we have to get along with each other for a period of time." He deliberately spoke in a low voice, but it was still far from sounding warm.

"I... I will try my best to not be afraid, Mr. Mo," Elise said, twisting her fingers nervously.

"Okay.

Here's my profile. Have a look." After handing a document with his name on it to Elise, Adam turned around and went to the room on the third floor.

In fact, his room was the master bedroom on the second floor, but after Elise moved in, he had arranged for her to stay there. In his eyes, it was a way for them to slowly become familiar with each other.

"Mr. Mo, you..." Elise hesitated. She wanted to know if they were going to consummate their agreement tonight. After all, she had already signed it and received the money.

"I'm tired. Have a good rest." Adam could sense how nervous Elise was, so he didn't press her. He wanted to give her some time to calm down first.

"Okay." Elise nodded, not fully understanding what he meant. However, a flood of relief rushed through her, and she chuckled.

It seemed that she had been worrying unnecessarily just now.

Elise and Adam lived this way for a week, following the same routine. Nothing happened between the two of them. Except for dinner, Adam spent all his time in the villa on the third floor.

Elise never bothered him either. Every night, she just prepared a midnight snack before going to bed and brought it to Adam's room.

She didn't know why she had begun doing that or what meaning it held. All she knew was that she would feel sorry if she couldn't even do him such a small favor.

They treated each other with great respect. Slowly, Elise got used to Adam's presence, and became less afraid of him.

Finally, the weekend came. Elise was lounging in the villa when she received a call from Colin asking her if they could meet.

She felt sorry that she hadn't been able to meet him the previous time, so she immediately agreed.

After putting on some simple clothes and light make-up, Elise went to the book bar, which was the place they had agreed to meet in. In the past, whenever she and Colin were free, they would come here to read for the whole afternoon and have a date.

A while after she took a seat at their usual spot, Colin arrived.

"Elise, I'm sorry I'm late." With a gentle smile on his face, Colin apologized as soon as he arrived.

"No, I'm the one who's early." Elise shook her head and smiled.