Chapter 45
Alyssa chose the room farthest from Andrew’s. It wasn’t very big, but it was well–furnished, a king–sized bed with clean white sheets and blankets, a wall of wardrobes, and a desk by the window with nothing but a lamp on it.
To her surprise, there was even a balcony in the small bedroom, though it was empty.
She set down her suitcase and walked onto the balcony, looking out over the entire neighborhood. She had to admit that the place was impressive. The greenery was more extensive than in most neighborhoods, and there was even a pool below.
Standing on the balcony, feeling the cool breeze, Alyssa felt incredibly refreshed.
Alyssa closed her eyes and took a deep breath of fresh air. The scent of osmanthus blossoms filled the air, probably because the trees were planted throughout the neighborhood.
Ever since she went back to a few years ago, Alyssa had been on edge, rarely finding moments of peace like this.
She raised her arms and stretched lazily. Just as she was halfway through, she heard a knock on the door.
Alyssa turned to see Andrew standing at the door, a smile on his face that she couldn’t quite read. He called out to her, “Honey, what are you doing out here?”
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Hearing him call her “honey,” Alyssa couldn’t help but shudder and think, ‘What is he playing at?‘
“What did you just call me?” Alyssa raised an eyebrow. “Are you out of your mind?”
But Andrew just smiled again, stepped in, and wrapped his arm around her, whispering through gritted teeth, “Just play
She looked at him in surprise, feeling uncomfortable with his arm around her, and tried to push him away. He whispered coldly in her ear, “Don’t move, just for a moment.”
Alyssa finally stopped resisting.
He maintained a gentle smile, his gaze soft, and his voice even softer. “Oh right, you said I should call you ‘darling‘ instead of ‘honey. My bad, darling.”
Alyssa suddenly realized what was happening and glanced at the phone in his hand. Sure enough, he was on a video call. Alyssa looked at the phone and noticed that the screen was filled with the enlarged face of a woman, smiling with squinting eyes. The woman called out, “Oh, so you’re my Alyssa! You finally saw me.”
Andrew introduced Alyssa, “This is my mom, Celine.”
Then he introduced Alyssa to the video, “Mom, this is my new wife, Alyssa.”
Feeling a bit awkward, Alyssa waved her hands and said, “Hello, Celine, good to see you!”
After that, Alyssa instinctively checked her outfit to make sure nothing was inappropriate.
Today she was wearing a white shirt and jeans, which was simple and maybe a bit too plain, but nothing improper. Alyssa sighed in relief and looked back at the video.
“Good to see you too.” The woman in the video kept nodding enthusiastically, leaning even closer to the camera until her face filled the entire screen at an odd angle.
Andrew said, “Mom, can you please be mindful of your appearance? Look how unflattering you look on camera right now.”
10:36 Wed, Dec 11 G.
Chapter 45
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Celine paused, then pulled–hack a bit and cleared her throat, saying, “Don’t be scared, Alyssa. I’m not ugly or scary. Don’t let my face frighten you.”
Alyssa couldn’t help but laugh at that. She’d never seen a woman of Celine’s age live with such innocence.
Alyssa smiled softly and said, “You’re very beautiful!”
She wasn’t just flattering Celine. Celine really was beautiful. It wasn’t the kind of beauty created with cosmetics, but a natural elegance and grace, a far more comforting presence than her own mother’s forced sophistication.
SEND GIFT
