"I got the job." As soon as Hazel Sinclair said those four words, Leon Sterling immediately stopped scrubbing the pot.
"You went for an interview today?" Leon Sterling quickly turned to her, his voice rising involuntarily.
"That’s right. I’m going to be a streamer," Hazel Sinclair said with a grin. "I start work tomorrow at nine in the morning."
"Wake me up at eight-thirty tomorrow." With that, Hazel Sinclair walked over to the sofa and sat down, humming a little tune.
The three-bedroom apartment was quite spacious, but since they had just moved in and hadn’t bought much furniture, it felt rather empty.
Forgetting about the pot, Leon Sterling quickly washed his hands and came out to face her. "Why did you go for an interview? I can support you. I’ll take care of the rent and utilities."
"All you have to do is stay home and focus on your own projects."
A rare look of displeasure crossed Leon Sterling’s handsome face. He was angry.
"You supporting me and me getting a job aren’t mutually exclusive. I can save the money I earn for myself."
"Leon Sterling, you can’t be this overbearing," Hazel Sinclair said, looking at him seriously as she sipped her milk tea.
"If you want to earn money, you don’t have to be a streamer."
Leon Sterling sat down beside her, his expression dark as he tried to reason with her. "Being a streamer is exhausting. You’re just starting out; you won’t be able to handle it."
"If you want to earn some money, you could play the piano or the violin. I’ll help you find a music ensemble."
"Or if you want to dance, that’s fine too. I’ll sign you up for a dance competition. You just have to do what you love."
Leon Sterling was genuinely worried. The thought of Hazel Sinclair going out to work made him miserable.
He couldn’t stand the thought of her, so kind and gentle, being bullied and not even cursing back. The thought of her coming home in tears filled him with rage.
"I do not approve of you getting a job," Leon Sterling stated firmly, looking her in the eye.
With that, he pulled out his phone and transferred two hundred thousand directly into her account.
"I’d rather you take this money and go on a trip than see you go to work."
Hazel Sinclair was stunned when she heard the automated female voice announce, "Alipay: Two hundred thousand yuan received."
She quickly opened her phone, tapped on Alipay, and saw that a sum of two hundred thousand had indeed been deposited into her account.
’How does he have two hundred thousand?’
"Leon Sterling, where did you get this much money?" Hazel Sinclair felt no joy, only overwhelming shock and disbelief.
’Where did he get two hundred thousand?’
"If I want to make money, I have my ways. You are to stay home," Leon Sterling said, not explaining where the money came from, only staring at her coldly.
It all boiled down to one point: she was forbidden from getting a job.
"Are you an idiot? With this kind of money, why don’t you open your own studio?"
"Why are you giving it to me?" Hazel Sinclair scolded him, her tone laced with frustration at his wasted potential.
’Two hundred thousand... that’s more than enough for him to start a studio.’
’He has the connections and the resources. Even if people are afraid to approach him because of Vincent Hawthorne...’
’...those connections and resources are very real. They recognize his abilities and his technical skills. If he could just open that studio, he’d never be short on clients.’
"It’s for you to travel and shop with." Ignoring her argument, Leon Sterling reached out and grabbed her hand.
Hazel Sinclair was about to call him crazy, but before she could get the words out, Leon Sterling’s lips were on hers, silencing her.
As their lips met, Hazel Sinclair had no choice but to swallow the words she was about to say.
Leon Sterling’s kiss was demanding; he took complete control, leaving Hazel Sinclair to passively accept it.
When the kiss ended, Leon Sterling released her and said in a hoarse voice, "I don’t want to hear another infuriating word from you."
"If you insist on going to work, then my only choice will be to keep you locked up at home."
As he spoke, an emotion Hazel Sinclair couldn’t decipher flickered in his eyes. ’Is he angry?’
’Or is he really plotting to keep me captive here?’
"From now on, I’ll give you two hundred thousand a month in pocket money. You can do whatever you want, but you cannot go to work." Leon Sterling cupped her face in one hand, his thumb gently stroking her cheek before finally settling on her red, swollen lips.
In that moment, Leon Sterling revealed his domineering side. "Hazel Sinclair, on this matter, you will listen to me."
"And if you don’t, I don’t mind making sure you can’t get out of bed."
Hearing this, Hazel Sinclair felt no fear of being imprisoned, only a thrill of eager anticipation.
Hazel Sinclair’s gaze drifted down to his crotch, and she swallowed softly.
In truth, the kiss had left her body feeling feverish, and she wanted to use his cool skin to bring her temperature down.
"Ahem. And how exactly do you plan on making me unable to get out of bed?" Hazel Sinclair coughed lightly, her voice now laced with a seductive charm.
"Are you planning on doing it like this?" Hazel Sinclair decided to take the initiative. ’I’m the one who’s been craving his body. To finally get a taste, I have to go all out.’
’Work could wait. Tonight, I’m going to be the one to pounce on him.’
She pushed him down onto the sofa, straddled his lap, and ran a hand over his belt. "Or is it like *this*," she asked with a smile, "that you’ll make me unable to get out of bed?"
Leon Sterling had never been on the receiving end of such a bold move. Combined with Hazel Sinclair’s constant teasing lately, being pushed onto the sofa like this was the final straw. His last thread of self-control snapped.
He wrapped one arm around Hazel Sinclair’s waist, stood up in a single motion, and swept her into his arms, carrying her toward the bedroom.
"Hazel Sinclair, you started this." With that, he tossed her onto the bed.
By evening, their clothes lay scattered across the floor, Leon Sterling’s mixed in with hers, creating an incredibly suggestive scene.
When Hazel Sinclair woke up, she lay with her eyes open, staring at the ceiling.
She looked at the man sleeping soundly beside her, his soft black hair falling across his forehead. From this close, Hazel could even see his long, dense eyelashes.
The comforter was pulled up over the lower half of his body.
She reached out and ran a hand over his abs. ’They feel amazing,’ she thought.
Hazel Sinclair’s touch woke him. Leon Sterling squinted at her, his voice hoarse as he said, "You’re awake."
"Mhm."
He glanced at the time. It was already six-thirty. ’Looks like I won’t be able to set up the stall tonight,’ he thought.
’Good thing I didn’t buy the ingredients yet, or I’d just have to stuff them in the freezer again.’
"What do you want to eat?" Leon Sterling sat up, threw back the covers, and got out of bed.
Completely naked, he picked up his clothes from the floor and started putting them on one by one.
Hazel Sinclair, feeling not the least bit shy, simply lay there naked and watched him.
"Braised beef, salt-and-pepper shrimp, and steamed ribs," she casually rattled off a few dishes.
’Tsk. His back... there are even more scratches than I thought.’