The sudden word "wife" fell into her ears, catching her completely off guard.
His voice was deep and pleasant, with a mesmerizing, resonant bass quality that gave off a faint, almost hallucinatory allure. Especially when those words tumbled so casually from his lips. It seemed to strike directly at Zoe Lancaster’s sensory nerves, sending a tingling numbness from the top of her head all the way down to her toes.
Beside her, Autumn Linden couldn’t help but cup her cheeks with a swooning expression. "Zoe, Simon is so handsome! He’s way better looking than any male celebrity I’ve ever seen. I can’t even imagine how gorgeous your future kids will be once you two are all lovey-dovey!"
She was just a young girl, after all, still full of romantic fantasies.
Zoe barely managed to snap back to reality. She couldn’t resist raising a hand to touch her burning, flushed earlobe. Despite her pounding heart, she maintained a perfectly calm facade. "You’re just a kid. Don’t let your imagination run wild."
Autumn muttered, "I’m turning twenty soon. I’m old enough to date... Besides, what was wrong with having kids?"
Zoe placed the items in her hands on the table, inevitably meeting Simon Hawthorne’s composed gaze.
Just then, Claire Sutton poked her head out from the kitchen. "Zoe, have a seat first. Dinner will be ready in a bit, so you two go ahead and chat."
She sat down stiffly. Seeing Autumn head into the kitchen, she immediately looked at Simon and asked in a low voice, "Why are you here?"
Simon cast a faint glance at her. "Just because you’re ungrateful doesn’t mean I lack manners. No matter what, she’s your aunt. After everything that happened, our relationship can’t be kept a secret anyway. It would be entirely too rude of me not to pay a visit."
Zoe was just about to say how thoughtful he was when she belatedly registered his insult about her being ungrateful. Her beautiful eyes widened. "I’m ungrateful?"
She wasn’t stupid; she instantly understood what he was referring to. She felt wronged. After that day, he had flown overnight to Veridia. She had tactfully chosen not to disturb him. Upon his return, he was entangled with his first love. Why on earth would she intrude on that?
"I clearly tried to contact you, but you and—" Her voice came to an abrupt halt.
Simon’s long, narrow eyes narrowed slightly as he looked over. "Me and who?"
Zoe turned her head away, refusing to explain. He was the one who was inseparable from Peyton Joyce, practically glued to her in the middle of the night. Was she supposed to shamelessly keep contacting him? She had originally wanted to discuss visiting her aunt’s house with him and express her gratitude while at it. Did he ever give her the chance?
"Come, come, time to eat! What secret are you two whispering about?" Claire brought the food to the table, noticing how close the two were sitting as they spoke in hushed tones.
The woman was glaring at the man, while the man tilted his head slightly, leaning in to listen to her. His eyes never left her face, inadvertently radiating a sense of indulgence that was quite pleasing to the eye.
Of course, Zoe herself didn’t feel that way at all. Instead, she found the man beside her incredibly infuriating. Seeing Claire smiling warmly at them, she quickly returned the smile. "Coming, Aunt Claire."
Simon stood up and walked over to take a seat at the dining table. Sometimes, Zoe truly admired his unshakeable composure, like a mountain that wouldn’t flinch even if it collapsed around him. Even though their relationship was far from harmonious, he handled everything with such ease, as if nothing was amiss.
"I apologize for the intrusion today. Thank you for your hard work, Aunt Claire." Simon’s voice was gentle and unhurried. His demeanor was flawless, exuding nobility without putting on any deliberate airs.
Claire was instantly even more pleased. She served Simon a bowl of soup. "Not at all. Zoe told me everything. We only made it through because you helped us. If it weren’t for you, I’m afraid..." She let out a sigh. "I’m the one who caused trouble for you both."
"We’re family. There’s no need for such formalities," Simon replied smoothly.
Zoe couldn’t help but shoot him a surprised look. He seemed remarkably patient today, actually coming all this way to put on this act with her.
Autumn blinked at Zoe. "When exactly did you get married? When did you guys meet? How long did you date? Who pursued whom?"
The young girl was understandably curious about their romance, her mouth firing off questions non-stop.
Zoe was instantly stumped. If she told the truth, wouldn’t it ruin the whole mood? Could she really say that they never even dated, that they got their marriage license after meeting just twice, and that the very next day they ended up living in different countries, leaving her to live like a widow for two years? Thinking about it this way, she, the Great Beauty Lancaster, was truly pathetic.
"Ten years."
A low, mild voice drifted over from beside her. Zoe froze, instinctively turning to look at him.
Simon’s expression remained perfectly normal as he patiently answered Autumn’s questions. "We’ve known each other for ten years, and we’ve been legally married for two years and four months. I pursued her."
Autumn grew more excited the more she listened. Unable to contain herself, she cupped her cheeks, practically radiating pink bubbles of joy. "Ten years! That’s so romantic!"
Zoe, however, was full of question marks. She thought, "Wait a minute. My dear CEO, you just make things up on the fly?"
He lied without batting an eye, his face unblushing and his heart steady. He spoke with such conviction that it sounded entirely real. No wonder he was such a successful man; who could possibly rival this level of psychological fortitude? He had forcefully spun an exceptionally mundane and arguably undignified relationship into an epic tale of hard-won love. They had only known each other for a little over two years, and they had only met twice before getting married. Ten years. He really had the nerve to say that. Why didn’t he just say they had known each other since they were in diapers?
"How come you never mentioned this?" Autumn, fully buying into the romance, looked at Zoe with flushed cheeks. "You had someone as wonderful as Simon by your side, yet you never even introduced him to us."
Zoe offered a sheepish smile. How was she supposed to introduce him? She wasn’t nearly as thick-skinned as Simon, boldly acting out a script he had made up on the spot.
"She’s shy." Simon lowered his eyes to look at her, moving the bowl of soup over to Zoe’s hand in a naturally caring gesture.
Claire naturally noticed this little gesture. Her smile grew even brighter as she warmly served them some food. "Originally, I was a little worried, thinking Zoe might have made some sketchy friends. Seeing how good your relationship is, my mind is completely at ease."
With that, she looked earnestly at Simon and sighed softly. "Our Zoe has been through a lot since she was a child. Her mother got sick, and her father brought his mistress home. Aside from me, she hasn’t really experienced much love. She had no choice but to protect herself like a hedgehog. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. I hope you can be patient with her, and... treat her well. Care for her, alright?"
Zoe’s nose prickled with unshed tears. In this world, aside from her mother, her aunt was the only one who truly loved her.
From the corner of his eye, Simon caught sight of the woman’s reddening eyes. When she was with him, she mostly feigned obedience while secretly calculating her next move, always keeping her spikes up, refusing to be tamed. Yet in this moment, she seemed to reveal her true, tender self.
His gaze lingered on Zoe’s face for a moment. Then, setting down his chopsticks, he replied with utmost sincerity, "I will."
There were no smooth-talking guarantees, just a simple response. Yet, it carried a profound weight that made people instinctively trust him.
Only then did Claire wipe the moisture from the corners of her eyes. "Eat up, eat up!"
Zoe tilted her head to glance at the man beside her. Sensing her gaze, he lowered his head and murmured into her ear, his voice soft enough for only her to hear. "Eat your food. Haven’t you stared at me enough?"
Zoe was speechless. She knew it. He had two completely different faces depending on who was watching! She poked at her rice. Before she could take a bite, Claire spoke up again. "It’s snowing, and quite heavily at that. Why don’t you both just stay here tonight? We happen to have a spare room."