They were barely a breath apart, making it impossible for her to see his expression. Their proximity was wine intoxicating, heady, seeping past her skin to surge through her veins.“No”He kissed her again before she could say anything else — the barest brush of his lips, the warmth of his breath grazing her face. “What about this?”She managed a shake of her head.“You like me”, his voice was rough, “You know that, don’t you, Jane?”“I do?”“Have you ever been in love?”Again, Jane shook her head. All she had wanted to do was to study hard so she could leave the Harrison household — not a relationship.A laugh escaped Ethan.“You said you didn’t want to divorce me”, he said.“But not out of duty — you want to be my wife because you fell for me. You like it when I kiss and hug you… and you kissed me back… that means you have feelings for me”.“Oh”, she was stunned; he seemed to understand her better than herself. Initially, staying by his side had been a matter of responsibility and se

Jane was contemplating what ingredients to buy and what to make for lunch then…“Dear, what dish do you want on the side?… Dear?”Her head swiveled around, confused, to the sight of a man in a wheelchair sitting quietly amongst the crowd. She hurried back to him.“Why didn’t you call me, dear?”“I was waiting for you to help push me”.“What if someone had knocked into you while I was gone? This won’t do, I’d better hold your hand from now on”.Ethan had been hoping she’d say that, he let himself imagine what it would be like if she didn’t go to school, instead staying at home with him all day where he could gaze at her anytime he pleased.Yearning and paranoia mixed in his heart, threatening to bubble to the surface. Had it been up to him, he would have locked her up in the house, but he knew all too well that he couldn’t act rashly if he wanted her to remain by his side. Otherwise, he would end up frightening her off.It was almost noon when they returned to the mansion only to find t

This was her cue to give him a goodbye kiss — a practice that she secretly enjoyed and that warmed her heart. But Cassidy was right there, same as yesterday.Shyly, she gave him a pat on the shoulder, like they were brothers instead of husband and wife.“You can do it!”, she said encouragingly and fled.Ethan stifled a disbelieving laugh.Cassidy’s fists clenched when she saw the smile tugging at his lips. “Miss Jane is such a darling”, she commented.“She is”, he echoed, his eyes uncharacteristically soft. “But you should refer to Jane as Mrs Harrington instead”, he said as he short her a glance with a perfectly lifted brow.“Don’t you despise that surname?” She asked as she raised a playful brow in return, “Or should I call her Mrs Ethan?”He gave it a moment’s contemplation and decided, “I don’t mind that either. As long as she’s mine”.Cassidy was throbbing with rage but her smile never wavered. “Ethan, I’ll be living with you both for some time so I think it’s best if I act a lit

Ethan stared at her, “Silly girl, I don’t need your money, I have my own”.“We’re married so there’s no need to feel ashamed. What’s mine is yours”.The storm cloud handing over Ethan’s features cleared and he repressed a faint smile. Money, money, money… That was it was always with her. It was a pity she wasn’t so unreserved in offering other parts of herself to him.“I don’t want your money, I want your kisses”.“What?”, It was such an abrupt change of subject.“Didn’t you say that what’s yours is mine?” Ethan deliberately skipped over the issue of money but for once, Jane surprised him by kissing him before he could continue. A smile broke out on his face.The tension in the car had dissipated. The Young Mistress’ effect on Young Master Ethan couldn’t be understated, Bruce thought, even if she wasn’t too bright about other matters. One day hisYoung Mistress would drive her husband over the edge…Ethan had cheered up so quickly that it puzzled Jane. All that from a kiss? Not that s

Ethan was in the midst of a meeting in his study when Bruce entered.Whatever news he had, it was urgent.Ethan called for the meeting to halt and dismissed everyone.“What happened?” he demanded.“The Young Mistress got into a fight in school”.Ethan froze, “Is she hurt?”“No”. Bruce struggled to communicate the truth.“She… she started it, I think. A professor stopped them and brought them to his office. It would be a black mark in her student record; they might refuse to award her a scholarship”.Ethan stormed out and Bruce chased after him.“Your wheelchair, Young Master. I know that you are worried about the Young Mistress but don’t forget, you’re still pretending to be disabled”.Ethan had masqueraded as a cripple for more than a decade; he was used to the act. But now, that wheelchair was nothing but a burden and he loathed it more than ever. *. *. *. *. *. Wails echoed in the staff room, the high pitched whine of a dying animal.Ivy winced, her hands flying to her ears. She n