Sidney stayed with Jayson in the office, not going anywhere. From time to time, she refilled his water or chatted briefly with Mr. Smith when he came in. When Sidney went to the restroom, Mr. Smith told her that the office atmosphere was so much better when she was around. After saying that, he quickly returned to his desk to deal with the endless paperwork.
While Sidney was reading a magazine, Mr. Smith asked if there was anything else she wanted to read. She replied casually, and he had several different types of magazines brought back for her.
When it was time for the employees to clock out, people began to leave one by one. Shortly after, Jayson shut down the computer and said he would take Sidney home. Sidney followed behind him. He was carrying the things she had bought today. Once in the car, they engaged in some idle chit-chat. She asked him about his lifestyle.
"What are your hobbies?"
"Collecting, golf."
"Collecting what?"
"A lot of things."
"Alcohol?" She thought of the row of liquor cabinets in his entertainment room.
"Mm."
"Do you really love drinking?"
"I like some good ones. What do you want for dinner tonight? Should we take something to go?"
Sidney glanced at the time displayed in the car. It was already late to cook at home, so she nodded. As for what to eat, she didn't have any particular ideas and just said, "Anything."
"There's no dish called 'anything'."
"I don't have any thoughts."
"If you have no thoughts, just say so. I really don't like it when people say 'anything.'"
Seeing him emphasize his tone, Sidney took a deep breath and said, "Got it."
Jayson drove to a restaurant. Sidney followed him into the dining room, and Jayson walked with the waiter to their table. He picked up the menu and started ordering, "What do you want to eat?"
"Uh... let me see," she leaned in to look at the menu, stealing a quick glance at his expression. "I'll go with the grilled steak and shrimp with sautéed vegetables."
"Dessert?"
Sidney looked for a long time. There were hundreds of dish names, and she had never been here before, so she didn't know how to order. After a long time, she uncertainly said, ""How about the iced tea with a splash of orange?"
Jayson nodded, added a few more dishes, and gave the order to the waiter.
While waiting for the dishes to arrive, the two of them sat in silence. Sidney wondered if he was still angry about her saying "anything." She didn't understand. It was just a figure of speech—why get so upset?
As the dishes were brought to the table one by one, Jayson started eating without a word. Sidney ate quietly beside him, thinking to herself that this person really liked to get angry, his mood unpredictable.
After finishing the main course, the sweet orange glutinous rice tea Sidney ordered was served. She took a spoonful and put it in her mouth. The sweetness of the orange exceeded her expectations. She had never had such sweet oranges! But paired with the tea, it wasn't too overwhelming. She liked this dessert soup.
"Is it good?" Jayson stopped eating, both hands in his pockets, leisurely watching her enjoy her meal.
Sidney nodded, her mouth still full of it.
After finishing the meal, they returned to the car. Sidney thought he wouldn't bring up the matter again, but to her surprise, he spoke again, "'Anything' is a very dismissive phrase. It's better not to say it at all. For many things, even the small ones, you need to make your own decisions instead of using 'anything' and letting others decide for you."
Sidney thought to herself, "It's just a meal! Is it really that serious?" She stayed silent, not responding.
"Do you think I'm overreacting?"
Sidney glanced at him, remaining silent.
"Do you often say 'anything' for the little things?" His tone was serious, as if he was saying something important.
Sidney thought carefully. Indeed, many small things in life, like which body wash to use, what hairstyle to have, what clothes to wear, and even which school to attend, she always thought "anything." All these decisions were made by her family for her.
She didn't dare to speak.
"With this kind of mindset, you'll always be controlled by your family. Maybe you're used to it, but from now on, you need to change."
"Oh!" Sidney pressed her lips together, feeling a bit unhappy.
"I'm serious about this."
"Got it."
When they arrived at the home, they walked in one after the other. The butler greeted them, and after confirming they didn't need anything, she left. Sidney and Jayson went upstairs separately. Sidney took her change of clothes and went into the bathroom, taking her time to shower and finish. After a while, Jayson came out from the study. He saw Sidney sitting on the bed, drying her hair. Sidney thought he was going to shower, but to her surprise, he walked over to her, sat down next to her, and watched her.
"What's wrong?" Sidney started to get nervous, after all, they had just had an unpleasant moment.
"Are you still upset?"
"No." Sidney denied it.
"Your face is showing that you're upset."
It seemed to be true. Alondra had once told her that she couldn't hide her emotions.
Sidney lowered her head, drying her hair, not wanting to look at him.
"What I said tonight was to help you. I hope you can be more decisive, have your own thoughts. You need to take control of your own life."
"Yeah, I know."
"Then why are you still upset?"
"I... I'm upset because... you were harsh with me," Sidney stammered.
"What do you mean I was harsh?" Jayson was confused.
"You were harsh with me tonight, like you were talking to one of your subordinates," Sidney complained.
"Was I? I was just being matter-of-fact."
"Yes!"
"No."
"There is! There is!" Sidney snapped, her voice sharp. "I'm your wife, not your subordinate!" She turned her head away, refusing to meet his gaze. With a quick motion, she reached for the blow dryer, her fingers trembling slightly as she turned it on. The warm air ruffled her hair, but she focused on the sound of it, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of a response. The space between them felt heavy, and she was determined to stay silent.
