“Ed, please don’t be mad at me, okay? I swear, I didn’t mention your name,” Sharon pleaded, her voice fragile, as if she were on the verge of breaking.
Edward took a deep breath and said, “Even if you posted it from a private ount without mentioning my name, the Rose Crown ne is one of a kind. The paparazzi were already hounding me after the
fashion show incident.”
“I’m sorry, Ed. I didn’t think it through…” Sharon sobbed.
Hearing her cry, Edward pressed his lips together and stayed silent for a few seconds.
He ultimately decided to let it go. He thought that Sharon was a simple person and had probably posted it out of excitement. As for the timing, she had said that she was uptest night, so he figured that it likely wasn’t intentional.
“Stop crying. I was just asking. Just don’t post things so casually in the future. It’s too easy for the paparazzi to link us together,” Edward said, his tone softening. 1
Sharon sniffled, her voice still slightly choked, but the corner of her lips lifted in satisfaction.
That was precisely why she posted it. How else could she make the public see her as the futuredy of a
wealthy family<b>? </b>
“I understand, Ed. I promise I won’t share anything again,” she whispered, her obedient tone evoking
sympathy.
“I was at fault, too. I should have reminded you after thest fashion show incident,” Edward admitted.
“So, are you ashamed of me? Do you not want to be associated with me in public?” Sharon bit her lip, her
voice trembling as if she might cry again.
“No,” Edward denied immediately. “It’s because I’m married. I can’t be involved in any romantic scandals.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he froze. He had said no scandals, yet he had kissed Sharon more
than once. That was far worse than mere gossip. (1)
A heavy silence fell over him as he clenched his fists. A wave of guilt and hypocrisy washed over him, unsettling his heart. He suddenly felt like a man betraying everything he was supposed to stand for. 2
“But you and May have a secret marriage, right? It was never made public,” Sharon’s voice came from the
other end.
“It’s a secret marriage, but some of the major families know. My grandfather made sure of that,” Edward replied. “Besides, gossip about thepany’s decision–maker can affect stock prices.”
Indeed, that was the key point.
204
As for the unsettling emotions that had just surfaced, Edward brushed them off as if they were nothing.
He chalked it up to just a momentarypse in judgment.
“I get it now. As long as you don’t hate me, that’s all that matters,” Sharon said sweetly.
Edward didn’t respond. The call ended abruptly, leaving him deep in thought.
His current rtionship with Sharon was ambiguous, entangled with hints of intimacy. They had already appeared on trending searches twice and became the subject of gossip.
Edward wondered if he was going too far and if he should draw a clear boundary with Sharon.
Lost in contemtion, he absentmindedly opened his contact list. His gazended on Macie’s name. It had been some time since theyst spoke or saw each other.
That day marked the fourth day since they had been in contact. Yet, Edward felt like a whole week had
passed.
He recalled his struggle the night before. He had stayed awake until 2:00 am, obsessively investigating the senior who might be hanging around her. His dark circles were worse than ever that day.
After hesitating for several minutes, he finally swallowed his pride and dialed her number.
He thought that he might have gone too far. After all, he was still married to Macie, yet he had brought Sharon home into the former’s bedroom.
Any woman would be unable to tolerate that. And Macie loved him so much. That was why she had resorted to something as extreme as the gas leak.
The phone rang twice. Edward was sure that she would pick up. After all, he was giving her an easy way <fne2ca> This content belongs to f?ndnovel</fne2ca>
out.
:–