"That’s twice now, Hazel Sinclair." Leon Sterling spat out the words, his tone icy.
"Twice that I’ve caught you. Who knows how many more times you’ve been sneaking looks behind my back." Leon Sterling snatched her phone away. He lowered his head to look at the screen, his frigid voice continuing, "Hazel Sinclair, I hope you can understand one thing."
"We are husband and wife. You cannot do things that violate the marriage law."
After seeing that her "favorites" folder was filled exclusively with all sorts of handsome men, Leon Sterling’s face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Men... It was all men.
"You... You’re not upholding your wifely duties." In the end, Leon Sterling was so angry he couldn’t even bring himself to properly curse her out.
’Not upholding my wifely duties?’
’Me?’
Hazel Sinclair was unbothered. ’Aren’t those guys making these videos specifically to entice people like me to watch?’
’If these horndogs didn’t film these kinds of videos, how would I ever end up scrolling past them?’
’Besides, this is my only hobby. Just watching some handsome guys dance, swing their hips, and do transformation videos.’
’I haven’t cheated, I haven’t flirted around, and I haven’t hired any male escorts. There aren’t many women as faithful as me left in this world.’
’What reason did Leon Sterling have to be angry?’
"What’s wrong with me looking? You’re handsome, but you won’t let me kiss you, hug you, or sleep with you. What’s wrong with me looking at some hot guys to satisfy my cravings?"
"It’s not like I’m following the example of those men who flirt around, hire prostitutes, and cheat. What do you have to be dissatisfied about?"
"And we don’t have any money right now! If I had money, wouldn’t I be out shopping, getting skincare treatments, traveling, attending auctions, and learning new skills?"
Hazel Sinclair reached out and poked his shoulder, her voice growing sharp.
"Can you stop being so unreasonable? It’s just through a screen, what does it matter?" Hazel Sinclair’s tone was impatient, as if Leon Sterling was the one making a scene for no reason.
"Instead of wasting time on this, you should be thinking about how to make big money."
Seeing Hazel Sinclair’s brazen attitude, Leon Sterling was somewhat shocked.
’Isn’t being faithful to one’s marriage something both husband and wife should do?’
’Why could she be so righteously unapologetic about watching videos of men transforming, going shirtless, and posting suggestive content?’
In the end, Leon Sterling said nothing. He put the phone aside, gave Hazel Sinclair a push, and then flipped over to kneel on top of her.
He was wearing a new pair of dark gray pajamas. He reached back and pulled the pajama top taut against his body.
The thin fabric clung tightly to his muscles. Through the single layer of cloth, Hazel Sinclair could vaguely make out the eight-pack abs on his stomach, as well as his exceptionally well-defined pecs.
"If you want to look, you can look at me." Leon Sterling’s deep, pleasant voice sounded as he grabbed Hazel Sinclair’s wrist with his other hand, pulling it and placing it on his abs.
After going bankrupt, Leon Sterling had been doing strenuous manual labor, making his physique even better and stronger than before.
Hazel Sinclair’s eyes widened as she felt his hard abs.
"Next time, just ask, and I’ll satisfy you. Look at me, not other men." As Leon Sterling said this, he seemed almost pitifully humble.
[What did you do to train the male lead to be like this?]
The System popped up, its electronic voice tinged with a hint of disbelief.
Hazel Sinclair remained silent, her hands roaming all over his body. She had to maintain some semblance of dignity, or else a perverted expression would have surely appeared on her face.
’A perverted expression on this exquisite, beautiful face... the very thought is terrifying.’
Hazel Sinclair didn’t let it show, but inwardly she was blooming with joy.
’A man! A handsome, gorgeous, and legal man!’
’These pecs, I wanna suck ’em, suck ’em, suck ’em—’
Hazel Sinclair had indulged in her fantasy and had her fill of touching.
After pulling her hands back, she cleared her throat and said, "Not a bad physique. Keep it up."
"Alright, I’m going to sleep now."
With that, she lay down, pulled the thin blanket over her navel, and closed her eyes.
Leon Sterling stared at her, only getting up off of her after a long moment.
He turned off the light and then walked to the bathroom.
Hazel Sinclair had stoked his fire, only to lie down and go to sleep, leaving him alone to endure the torment.
In truth, Hazel Sinclair couldn’t sleep either. She had a dirty mind, and just from that one touch, she had already imagined many different positions for devouring Leon Sterling.
Unfortunately, she had the heart of a thief but not the guts. She wanted to eat, but didn’t dare to act.
’If only he would be a little more proactive.’
The fan whirred diligently, its buzzing sound mixing with the sound of the shower from the bathroom. From time to time, one or two of Leon Sterling’s low gasps could be heard.
Hazel Sinclair just felt that the room was terribly stuffy, like a steam basket.
The stuffiness was unbearable.
’Another day of longing for air conditioning.’
Lost in her thoughts, Hazel Sinclair eventually fell asleep. Leon Sterling stayed in the bathroom for a long time, and by the time he came out, it was already two in the morning.
Hazel Sinclair was sleeping soundly, hugging a pillow. He lay down on the other side of the bed, his gaze fixed on her. He resisted and resisted, but in the end, he leaned down and secretly stole a kiss on her cheek.
He pulled away the instant they touched, not daring to linger for even a second longer.
After lying down, he reached out and took Hazel Sinclair’s wrist, murmuring softly, "I won’t let you down."
"Please, just give me some more time."
Hazel Sinclair slept quite well. If only there had been an air conditioner, she would have slept even better.
The room was already filled with the rich aroma of cooking. In this large studio apartment, even with the exhaust fan running constantly, the smell of grease and smoke could never be completely eliminated.
Hazel Sinclair got out of bed and walked over to him, glancing at the day’s menu: braised pork meatballs, scrambled eggs with tomato, braised fish chunks, pineapple chicken, green vegetables, king oyster mushrooms with pork, and corn with minced pork.
Two or three woks and two large rice cookers were all in use.
’The electricity bill is just going to keep climbing. Making money really isn’t easy.’
"You’re up so early?" Hazel Sinclair asked, standing to the side and watching him.
Leon Sterling stood fully geared up in front of the stove, spatula in hand, busy stir-frying. Hearing her voice, he glanced at her and said, "Go wash up. It’s time to eat."
"Okay." Looking at his biceps, Hazel Sinclair subconsciously reached out and gave them a touch.
The moment she touched him, she froze. But she wasn’t the only one who froze; Leon Sterling was stunned too.
"Ahem—I’m going to go wash up." Hazel Sinclair quickly made an excuse and fled.
There was a large variety of dishes, but the portions weren’t very big. The workers sometimes complained that they didn’t make enough.
Every time that happened, Hazel Sinclair would step up and offer an explanation.
After her explanation, the others could only accept it.
But it would be accompanied by the comment: "Well then, you guys should hurry up and get a bigger place."
Leon Sterling packed the last dish into a container, put the lid on, and set it aside.
He set their portions of the food on the coffee table. The dining table was already occupied, so they could only eat while sitting in front of a sofa.
"All done?" Hazel Sinclair asked, walking out while drying her face.
Looking around the crowded studio, Hazel Sinclair tossed aside the washcloth in her hand and sighed inadvertently once again, "If only we could get a new place."
"With the bedroom and kitchen separate, the cooking fumes wouldn’t get everywhere."