When Ethan arrived, I had just stepped out of the shower. My hair was dripping wet, and I hadn't bothered to dry it. Barefoot, I walked out to find him holding a food bag.
"Something to tide you over. I'll take you out for a proper meal later tonight," he said.
I listlessly glanced into the bag and pushed it away. "I don't want anything fried."
Ethan paused, but he didn't argue.
"What do you want to eat? I'll have my assistant send it over."
He picked me up and gently placed me in a chair. Bending down, he slipped a pair of slippers onto my feet. Water dripped from my hair onto his shoulders, soaking into his dark suit.
I didn't care. I leaned my head against his chest, leaving a wet patch there and even rubbing it in for good measure.
"How did you handle those people outside?"
"I had them removed."
He began drying my hair with a towel, carefully combing through the strands. His brows furrowed slightly at the sight of my damaged ends.
"Stop dyeing and curling your hair. Let it grow out naturally," he said.
"Why do you care?"
His hands stilled for a moment before he looked up, his gaze sharp. "Estelle, as far as I recall, you came to me for help. Is this how you show gratitude?"
I shrugged indifferently. "And what if this is my attitude? What can you do about it?"
Ethan let out a low laugh, clearly exasperated. He tapped his knuckle lightly against my forehead. "You're lucky I like you."
I lazily lifted an eyelid to look at him. "I know."
If someone wanted to cling to me like a loyal dog, refusing to leave, why shouldn't I take advantage of it?
I suddenly found myself anticipating Alina's reaction when she learned about this.
---
Turning, I wrapped my arms around Ethan's neck. "Are you still planning to marry Alina?"
He seemed surprised. After a moment, he smirked and lightly traced my lips with his fingers. "Do you want me to marry her?"
"No."
I looked him straight in the eyes. "Marry me instead. I'll say yes."
He stared at me for a long moment, then shook his head in amused disbelief. "You really are shameless."
"So, will you?"
"Fine."
Tossing the towel onto the floor, he gave me a sidelong glance.
"Estelle, you'd better hope I can love you for a lifetime."
The male lead loves the female supporting character for a lifetime—how could that possibly be?
I blinked and then asked, "But what about your engagement with Alina?"
"It's fake. Alina doesn't want to marry me."
He added, "She seems to like your brother."
---
What kind of strange turn of events was this?
I sat there dumbfounded on the bed, watching Ethan hustle around, tidying up my room. His eyes narrowed as he gazed at the mess on the bed for a long time.
He asked, "Why don't you fold the blanket?"
"If I fold it, I'll just have to unfold it again tonight. Too much trouble."
Ethan: "..."
"It's not nice to say, but Estelle, you're really a bit lazy."
I lifted my eyelids. "Is this the first time you've noticed I'm lazy?"
Ethan fell silent.
He rolled up his shirt sleeves and bent down to straighten the bedding. Busy as a bee, he carried the blanket out to the balcony to air it out, then swept away the dust on the floor.
The dust clung to his perfectly tailored trousers, the fine fabric kneeling on the ground as he wiped the floor with a cloth.
"Actually, you could hire a cleaning service."
"I'm not used to letting outsiders handle my things."
I blinked. "But I'm hungry. When are we going to eat?"
---
Before we even left, my phone rang.
I held the phone, glanced at Ethan who was bending down to put on his shoes, and answered softly.
He wanted to take me out for dinner.
"How about tomorrow?" I replied, "I've got something on tonight."
"Okay—"
Ethan snatched my phone away, ended the call, and his expression darkened.
"You're still in touch with him?"
"He's my boyfriend."
"Then what am I?"
I thought for a moment. "You have a fiancée, I have a boyfriend. Does that mean... we're having an affair?"
"Estelle!"
Ethan was angry. He strode over, gripping my wrist tightly.
"Are you playing with me?"
"What have I done to you?" I looked at him in confusion. "Did I say something wrong?"
His deep eyes locked onto mine, and in the dim light, he seemed almost aggrieved.
"If I cancel the engagement, you'd better get rid of that boyfriend of yours."
