Chapter 307: Chapter 307

"Shaw, why do you seem so distracted?"

Shawn Rhodes looked up at Rowan Alder, smiled, and said, "No, just thinking about work stuff."

"Has work been busy lately?"

"Seems like the arranged marriage worked after all."

Picking up on the sarcasm in Rowan Alder’s voice, Shawn Rhodes put down his chopsticks and tried to soothe her, "Don’t keep bringing this up. I really don’t want you to be upset over these things."

Rowan Alder pouted without saying anything, and Shawn paused before saying, "I might not stay at your place tonight."

Rowan paused, "What’s wrong? The emperor wants to switch concubines tonight?"

Shawn gave her a doting glare and explained, "My mom’s been visiting a lot lately, and with this recent incident, I’m afraid she’ll notice something again. So, I should stay over there at night for a while, just to be cautious. I don’t want you to get hurt or threatened."

"Whatever, next week I have to go abroad for a competition. Do whatever you want."

"Laura, don’t say that. What day are you leaving? I’ll see you off."

"How long will you be staying?"

"A week. But if you think I’m a bother, I can stay there longer for a vacation."

"How about this, I’ll say I’m going on a business trip, keep you company for the competition, and then we can have some fun there before coming back."

Rowan seemed somewhat satisfied with this arrangement. Although she still didn’t seem completely happy on the outside, she didn’t argue further.

That night, Shawn stayed with Rowan, and only left after she fell asleep.

By the time he returned to the marital home, it was past ten PM.

The living room lights were still on, but no one was there; she must not have gone to bed yet.

As he stood by the door changing his shoes, he saw Susan Wilde coming out of the room in her pajamas, carrying a basin of freshly washed clothes. When she saw him, she hesitated briefly, but neither of them greeted each other. She went straight to the balcony to hang the clothes.

After changing shoes, Shawn didn’t go upstairs but sat on the sofa in the living room, watching her hang the clothes.

She must have just showered, as her hair was still slightly damp. Her new short haircut made her look even more fresh and cute, though he felt it was a shame about the long hair.

Hair is pretty important to girls, but she didn’t argue with him about it, not last night or now.

Even when Rowan falsely accused her last night, she didn’t defend herself once.

She probably didn’t expect him to return at this hour. He could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra under her nightgown.

After hanging the clothes, she walked back inside and didn’t intend to stay in the living room. Shawn stopped her and asked, "What time did you get back?"

Without stopping, she continued to the laundry room and absentmindedly responded with, "Not sure."

Shawn got up to follow her, asking, "Who did you have dinner with?"

With her back to him, organizing the laundry station, she casually answered, "A friend."

Shawn scoffed, but she didn’t know what he was mocking.

After organizing her things, she sidestepped him without a glance, moved to the kitchen, took out the already heated milk from the microwave, and returned to her room.

He rarely saw this side of her daily life because whenever he was home, aside from coming or leaving, he didn’t see her outside her room much.

Living alone, she seemed more at ease.

"Meow~" The kitten meowed at her door. She opened it a crack, let the kitten in, and locked the door behind them.

Shawn sat alone in the living room, smoking one cigarette after another.

He didn’t even know what was bothering him; there seemed to be nothing going right.

Even though Susan pretended not to care about his presence, she was still somewhat wary.

In her room, she purposely kept the television volume low while watching, so she could hear any sounds outside. But outside, it stayed quiet, making her unsure what he was doing, only knowing he hadn’t left.

His mere presence left her uneasy, unsure of what he might do next.

She even feared he might kill her in her sleep.

She thought about changing her room’s lock, but felt it wouldn’t help much. If he found out, he might just get angrier.

A new WeChat message popped up on her phone nearby. She glanced at it; it was an image from Simon Rhodes, showing a uniquely styled diamond ring.

Before she could question it, another message appeared: "Do you ?"

If Simon hadn’t said those things last night, she might have responded from a friend’s standpoint. But now she couldn’t shake the feeling he was choosing a ring for her. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ NoveI-Fire.ɴet

Though unsure if she was overthinking, she felt the need to maintain a deliberate distance from him.

Hesitating, she clicked on his profile, then the three small dots in the upper right corner—Delete.

She knew she was being too harsh, not that she disliked him, but she wanted no more entanglements. She just wanted to peacefully wait for the marriage to end without further complications.

For the next two nights, Shawn returned there, and Susan was uncertain if it was due to a fight with Rowan or a scolding from his parents. Surprisingly, he seemed more subdued and didn’t bother her.

On the third morning, Mrs. Rhodes came over early, checked the upstairs bedroom, ensured no traces of the other woman, and didn’t comment further.

After some nagging, Mrs. Rhodes said, "My friend’s daughter, who got married a month after you two, already found out yesterday that she’s pregnant. The family’s over the moon."

Susan sat beside Shawn without speaking, and Shawn pretended not to understand the implication behind Mrs. Rhodes’ words.

Seeing neither replied, Mrs. Rhodes continued, "How come you two haven’t shown any signs? One’s upstairs, the other’s downstairs. Is it that you still haven’t shared a room?"

The two remained silent, and Mrs. Rhodes went on, "Initially, it was said that you needed time to get to know each other and adapt. It’s been quite a while now, shouldn’t you have adapted by now? Susan, you should move upstairs and live with Shaw. Newlyweds shouldn’t be sleeping separately. It’s not proper. I’ll have Mrs. Morgan come and help you clean up, and she can stay here to take care of you."

Though she said it was to take care of them, it was really about having Mrs. Morgan supervise them, afraid they’d continue sleeping separately.

Only then did Shawn speak up, "No need to call Mrs. Morgan over. I’ll move downstairs instead. Susan says she prefers the environment there."

"Alright then, whether you move downstairs or she moves upstairs, doesn’t matter as long as you’re together."