Chapter 23 Bring the Birth–Control Pill
Cecilia crouched to pick up the broken pieces of the porcelain spoon, her gaze flickering toward the dining room entrance.
The room stood empty, with no sign of the man.
Had her guilty conscience been playing tricks on her?
She tossed the shards into the trash bin, then stepped out of the dining room to look around.
There was indeed no trace of Kolton anywhere. Only then did she relax and return to her tasks in the kitchen.
In the upper right corner of the living room, a surveillance camera blinked with a red light.
The footage streamed directly to Kolton’s computer in real time.
The distance made it difficult for him to catch exactly what she had said about joining
It had been a long time since he’d seen her smile like that in front of him.
Without thinking, he murmured a response, curious about what had made her so happy.
Then he caught himself.
He shouldn’t be paying this much attention to Cecilia.
Though she had come back, she seemed different now.
Thus, he wanted to observe whether she would still be as compliant as
00 48
before.
Just as expected, she obediently stayed home to cook.
Even her pitiful, exaggerated demeanor last night had been an act.
He decided to overlook her recent attitude shifts.
He turned off the feed and looked out the window.
Night had fallen completely, the city now alight with neon.
A faint sound came from behind him as Iris emerged from his office’s attached restroom, wrapped in a white bathrobe.
“Kolton,” she said, “if you have time this weekend, could you accompany me to look for an apartment?”
Kolton removed his gold–rimmed glasses and rubbed his brow. “I own several properties. Just pick one you like.”
Iris stood by the desk, the slightly open robe revealing her glowing skin.
She leaned forward slightly, as if unintentionally. “It’s already improper for me to stay in your office. Wouldn’t moving into your place be inappropriate?”
“What’s inappropriate about it?” Kolton raised an eyebrow, his expression calm.
Iris straightened up and smiled, “Alright then. I’ll order dinner so you can eat before leaving.”
Kolton rested his chin on his fingers, his gaze never lingering on Iris. “No need…”
“Today’s Ashley’s birthday. She insists that having someone else eat pasta with her will bring good health. She demanded I take you out for them.”
00.48
238 Voucher
Iris‘ voice held both exasperation and affection at the mention of Ashley.
“We can’t cook here; otherwise I’d make them myself. Or… we could go out. You’ve been so helpful with my situation lately. Let me treat you.”
Using Ashley as an excuse, she kept proposing reasons for him to stay. Kolton seemed moved.
After a moment’s silence, he picked up his phone to text Cecilia: “Working late tonight.”
He set the phone down and told Iris, “Order the food.”
“Okay.” Iris sat down across from him and ordered food from her phone.
In addition to pasta, she selected several dishes that matched Kolton’s tastes.
Dinner arrived quickly.
His desk was now covered with an abundant meal. He ate methodically, his well–defined fingers holding the fork.
Across from him, Iris chatted cheerfully while occasionally leaning forward to serve him food.
Halfway through the meal, Iris positioned her phone at an angle. “Do you mind if I take a photo to share with Ashley?”
“Not at all.” Kolton not only consented but actively cooperated.
He set down his fork, rested his elbows on the table, and looked directly
at the camera.
In the photo, Iris appeared gentle and lovely, her face glowing with happiness.
Though Kolton maintained, his usual cool expression, the mere fact that
00:48
he rarely allowed personal photos and yet participated willingly spoke volumes about their special relationship.
Iris sent the picture to Ashley before putting her phone down to finish eating.
Neither ate much, leaving most dishes barely touched.
Kolton had never adapted well to restaurant food. He had to admit Cecilia’s cooking was superior.
Over the past two years, her cooking had somehow made him picky.
Yet this didn’t make Cecilia particularly remarkable in his eyes.
Wasn’t culinary skill simply expected of any competent homemaker?
By the time they finished, it was already 10:00 PM. Kolton left the office and drove home.
Iris stood in his office overlooking the city’s night view, snapped another photo for Ashley, and sent it.
“Iris, I miss home,” Ashley responded via WhatsApp, along with a crying emoji.
Iris replied: “Be good and focus on recovering. Kolton will arrange your return once we find a suitable donor.”
Ashley teased, “When I come back, will Kolton be my brother–in–law?”
“Don’t say such things,” Iris scolded. “I’ve told you Kolton is married. You need to be more mindful with your words and actions.”
Though Kolton’s marriage wasn’t public knowledge, Iris had accidentally overheard Trenton mentioning it during a phone call.
To the uninformed, nothing seemed amiss, but discovering Kolton’s wife’s
48 86
00:48
identity would be simple for those who knew to look.
Iris gazed at the photo of the man on the desk, her eyes clouded with infatuation.
Since childhood, Kolton had been his dream, like the light illuminating her world.
She’d loved him for twelve years.
No matter what secrets existed in Kolton and Cecilia’s marriage, Cecilia would always be the interloper in her eyes.
Without Cecilia, she believed she would have eventually won Kolton’s heart.
For now, she couldn’t risk alerting them since Kolton hadn’t accepted her feelings.
Yet she suspected he didn’t truly accept Cecilia either.
If not, why keep the marriage hidden?
Their unstable relationship meant her chance would come. She could wait…
As she scrolled through her phone’s gallery filled with secretly taken photos of Kolton, an unsettling glint flashed in her eyes.
***
At eleven o’clock at night, the dining room’s ornate chandeliers remained lit. The four dishes and soup on the table had gone from steaming hot to completely cold, much like Cecilia’s mood.
Kolton had asked her to prepare dinner, yet he’d eaten at the company with Iris instead. Was he deliberately toying with her?
પાઇ.
00:49
250 tes
The photo had arrived thirty minutes earlier from another unfamiliar number, containing no message as usual.
What truly pained Cecilia wasn’t the wasted meal, but the image of Kolton and Iris together.
She recognized his office in the background, and the bathrobe Iris wore clearly belonged to Kolton.
Though determined to divorce him, she couldn’t help feeling heartbroken.
Feelings weren’t so easy to just put away. Her heart ached as if it had been torn open, bleeding profusely.
Even healed wounds left scars, let alone fresh ones that still throbbed with pain.
Headlights suddenly illuminated the window as a Maybach pulled into the courtyard.
Cecilia wiped her eyes and watched the man enter the villa.
Kolton removed his coat while glancing at her. Normally she would have taken it to hang up, but tonight she remained seated.
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
After a moment, he strode to the dining table and casually draped his coat over a chair. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a small bottle and placed it before Cecilia.
“Take it within twenty–four hours. There’s still time.”
These were emergency contraception pills, the supposedly side–effect–free kind he’d somehow obtained.
After last night’s passion and today’s job hunting, Cecilia had forgotten.
50%
00:48
But he remembered.
288 IVUS
