<b>Chapter </b><b>154 </b>
I remained silent, listening numbly, not knowing what to say.
<b>I </b>was afraid <b>that </b>anything I said might upset Josh, and, truthfully, my mind wandered back to my parents. I couldn’t help but think of their ident. <b>Was </b>it really just an ident… or something more?
I was too young to understand when my parents passed. Peter was the one
who took
care of everything.
He probably knew the truth about what really happened that day. When I saw himter, I might just ask him.
Josh, noticing my silence, didn’t press the issue. We drove in quiet tension, heading to the Dolton family estate. My car had an automatic entry system, so we drove right into the yard without any hassle.
Aryana, the housekeeper, spotted me and rushed over with a bright smile. “Zoe, you’re back! Let me tell Mr. and Mrs. Dolton you’ve arrived.”
“No need to bother them, Aryana. I’ll go in myself,” I replied with a smile.
Aryana nced at Josh, who was walking beside me. I knew she was curious about who he was, so I looped my arm through Josh’s, giving her the answer she was looking for. “This is Josh, my boyfriend.”
Aryana was just a housekeeper, but she’d worked with the Doltons for longer than I had. She was close with Michelle, too. So, even though she might not have been a guest at the table, she was still part of the family’s world.
Josh nodded politely at Aryana. “Hi, Aryana.”
“Hello,” Aryana responded with a strained smile, her eyes clearly watching me. It was obvious that she didn’t approve of the situation.
To the people here, I was supposed to be Alvin’s wife and now I was walking around with another man.
3
No doubt, Aryana wasn’t the only one ufortable with this–Peter and Michelle would be, too.
We walked past her and headed toward the living room.
Just as we reached the door, I heard Michelle’s voice, sharp and slightly irritated. “You think you’re such a great CEO, Peter, you can manage thousands of people, but your own sons don’t listen to a word you say?”
There was no response from Peter, and I could tell he was probably engrossed in his phone or a magazine, pretending not to hear.
“Peter, are you pretending to be deaf again?” Michelle raised her voice in frustration.
Even though they were a loving couple, it didn’t mean there weren’t tensions. Today, <b>it </b>seemed like Michelle was really upset about something. But what could have gotten her so angry?
“I’m not pretending. If I say something, <i>you’ll </i>just keep going on,” Peter finally responded, his tone low.
“Oh, so now you’reining about me talking too much?” Michelle huffed. “You men have no heart. After I gave you kids and grew start finding me annoying. Peter, you jerk… Ah, don’t touch me, get off!”
old for you, you
When we stepped into the living room, I froze. Michelle was sitting on Peter’sp, both of them in a yful but tender tug–of–war. Peter was holding her tightly while she pushed him away, yet the affection was clear.
It was rate for a couple at their age to have this kind of yful intimacy was rare.
For a second, Josh and I stood there, unsure whether to enter or retreat.
Most middle–aged couples were too caught up in the routine of life to share moments like these. It was
a
refreshing, almost nostalgic scene <b>for </b>me.
<b>Chapter </b>154
<b>Honestly</b><b>, </b>I felt a bit awkward<b>–</b><b>we </b>were pretending <b>to </b>be a couple, and here were <b>two </b>real <b>ones </b><b>caught </b>in an <b>intimate </b><b>moment</b>, it was like walking in <b>something </b>private<b>. </b>
But <b>before </b><b>I </b>could move<b>, </b>Michelle’s little teddy dog started barking excitedly, clearly happy to see me. It was its way of weing me back.
<b>I </b><b>had </b>spoiled <b>that </b>little dog a lot when I lived here. And now, it seemed like all that affection had paid off.
<b>AD </b>
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