Chapter 34
Chapter 34
Harrison really had the hots for Roxanne. But he felt awkward as hell when she caught wind of it.
He'd made a promise not to share a bed with her after they got hitched, but now he was backpedaling
on that.
He absolutely hated that feeling.
They'd only tied the knot with Roxanne for a measly thirteen days.
Just thirteen short days.
Could he actually be itching to get close to her?
No way. This wasn't real.
He'd just been on his own for too long and was craving some female company.
That was all.
Annoyed, he blurted out, "You think you're some kind of looker?"
"I..." Roxanne was taken aback by his words, "Didn't you say just a few days ago that I was pretty?
What's up with you now?"
"When did I ever say that?" Harrison denied it.
Roxanne argued with him, "After Chloe and I got hauled off to the slammer, don't you remember?"
"I was just making small talk, and you took me seriously?" The more annoyed he got, the colder
Harrison became, and he couldn't help but snort.
"So, you're denying that you wanted to kiss me just now?"
"You're not all that."
"I..."
Roxanne was a seasoned woman.
She had her own judgment.
She could see which guys just wanted to mess around, drawn in by her beauty;
which guys were into her, secretly watching her but too scared to look her in the eye;
which guys had the hots for her and wanted to win her over...
She saw it all clear as day.
Over her seven years of being single, plenty of guys had been into her but got rejected.
She was sharp as a tack.
How could she not know what was going on in Harrison's mind?
However, it didn't matter if he wouldn't admit it.
She didn't need him to.
If he did, it would probably be even more awkward.
After all, she'd only married him to solve some problems and find someone to share her life with.
She'd never planned on discussing love with Harrison.
His denial was actually better.
She neatly folded Harrison's ill-fitting suit, put it in a bag, and said, "I'm going to bed. Dad moved to the
upstairs room today; you should probably crash on the living room couch, right?"
Then Roxanne handed Harrison his blanket.
Harrison hadn't quite registered the news about Dad moving upstairs. He'd been planning to continue
sleeping in the room tonight.
Roxanne shoved the blanket into his arms, and he hesitated, "I'm sleeping on the couch tonight?"
Roxanne retorted, "Didn't you say on our wedding day that you didn't want to sleep with me? Now that
Dad's moved out, you still want to share a room with me?"
She gave Harrison a shove out the door.
Slam!
The door shut tight behind him.
She was about ready to explode.
Couldn't Harrison have been a little more tactful?
He'd even had the nerve to say she wasn't pretty and she lacked charm.
But why was she getting worked up over Harrison?
They'd only married to solve problems, so why get angry?
She hopped into bed, found a comfy position, and got ready to sleep.
She needed to recharge so she could be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed for work tomorrow morning.
Nothing was more important than making money.
Roxanne quickly regained her calm, closed her eyes, her breathing slowly evened out, and she was
soon fast asleep.
Meanwhile, Harrison outside her door wasn't so calm.
He stared at the tightly shut door.
Was he really kicked out by that woman?
He was forced to crash on the couch again, falling into a restless sleep.
But he barely got a wink of sleep all night.
Harrison announced the next morning at breakfast, "I'll be away on a business trip for a while, leaving
today."
Roxanne, peeling an egg, looked up at him, "You're going on a business trip right after starting your
job? Do programmers need to travel for work?"
"It's company business. I have no say in it," Harrison responded.
Vincent texted him privately: “Alexander's handling the group's affairs. What business trip are you
talking about? Your current mission is to build a relationship with Roxanne.”
Harrison glanced at the message and didn't reply.
The whole point of his "trip" was to avoid Roxanne.
He wasn't keen on being around Roxanne.
Just thirteen days.
Plus today made it fourteen.
In less than half a month, Roxanne had shattered many of his principles.
Around Roxanne, he even lost control of himself.
This feeling was driving him up the wall. He'd only wanted to get married to appease his dad, and he
didn't want his original plan disrupted.
So, Harrison didn't reply to Vincent.
At the breakfast table, Vincent was blunt, "Harrison, you can't go on a business trip."
"Dad," Roxanne intervened, "It's for his work, just let him go. As long as he's careful."
She turned to Harrison and asked, "Where are you going? Far? Are you flying or taking a train? Do you
need me to drop you off at the airport or train station?"
"No need," Harrison replied coldly.
If he didn't need it, then fine.
He'd been so rude last night, completely disregarding her dignity.
And he could still respond to her so coldly?
Roxanne didn't get mad, "Then I'm off to work. Be careful on the road."
At the office, Chloe still hadn't shown up.
Neither had Oliver.
Roxanne called Chloe, "Chloe, Amelia's there to help with the baby; why didn't you come to work
today? Did your mother-in-law put up another roadblock?"
"Chloe, I'll call you later. Aria's running a fever again. It’s so bad she's having seizures. I have to hang
up."
In the hospital, Chloe and Oliver had a hell of a time. Although Aria stopped having seizures, her fever
didn't break.
The two of them took Aria through a battery of tests.
Charlotte called and heard from Oliver that Aria had undergone several tests. She quickly asked,
"Oliver, how much did all these tests cost?"
"A few hundred bucks, I guess," Oliver replied, "I didn't really keep track."
Charlotte fumed, "It's just a fever; why do the check-ups have to be so damn expensive! Some fever
pills would do the trick. Why waste money like that?"
Oliver also felt his heart ache for his daughter, "Mom, Aria just had a seizure; we need to get her
checked out to be sure."
"She's just a girl, and she’s gonna get married off sooner or later. Why waste money on her? As long as
she's raised, that's enough. You'd be better off giving me all the money you're spending on these
expensive tests."
"Mom, I've told you, Aria may be a girl, but she's my child too. Could you stop being so hard on her all
the time? I've got to go. I have stuff to deal with."
Upon hearing the conversation, Chloe was furious, "Your mom's whining about Aria being too
expensive again, isn't she?"
Oliver could only defend his mother, "She was just rambling; why do you always have to pick a fight
with her about this?"
"You think I'm picking a fight?"
Chloe didn't want to argue with Oliver.
All she wanted was for Aria to get better as soon as possible.
Aria had just had a high fever and a severe seizure; it nearly scared her to death, and she was still a bit
shaken up.
Meanwhile, Aria was in the infusion room getting an IV.
Some test results wouldn't come in until the next day, so after the IV, they went home.
As soon as they walked through the door, Charlotte looked visibly upset, scrutinizing Aria.
It's like the bit of money spent on Aria's check-up was burning a hole in Charlotte's pocket like she had
lost five pounds.
Seeing her grandma's cold expression, Aria quickly hid behind Chloe.
Chloe, shielding her daughter, frowned at the old woman, "Mom, Aria just got home. Can you not give
her that hateful look? You're scaring her."
However, Charlotte's expression remained icy. Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.
Chloe told Aria to go rest and started making soup for her.
Just as the soup began to boil and she was stirring it with a spoon, Charlotte's harsh voice echoed
once again from the living room, "You've got a cold, and you dare go near your brother, trying to infect
him? I'm telling you, if Austin gets infected by you, you'll have hell to pay."
Chloe didn't even have time to put down the spoon before rushing out of the kitchen, only to see
Charlotte push Aria away, almost knocking her over.
Clearly wronged, Aria wanted to cry but didn't dare to. Only when she saw Chloe did she look at her
with tears in her eyes.
"Mom, I didn't mean to infect my brother. I just saw him crying and wanted to check on him."
"It's okay."
Chloe didn't blame Aria at all.
She gently stroked Aria's head to comfort her, then angrily turned to Charlotte, "Who did you just say?"
Charlotte looked at Aria again, "I said to her. Can't I even speak now?"