Isa Daley. She has been Chadwick’s female friend since high school.

According to what Adira heard, Isa and Chadwick did not date each other. However, students in their batch said that Chadwick had been in love with Isa for a long time.

‘In short, he’s a pathetic loser,’ Adira concluded while nodding.

With crossed arms, she stood outside her husband’s room and listened to Chadwick’s conversation with his first love.

[“My wife is pretty? W-Well. I admit that she is indeed pretty.”]

A satisfied beam appeared on her luscious lips. She knew that fact very well, but hearing it from someone else still felt good.

[“But in my eyes, she’s not attractive in my eyes,”] added Chadwick.

At Chadwick’s remark, the smile on her lips turned crooked. Adira looked at the closed door and snorted.

“Huh!”

She praised her husband’s fearlessness in escaping during their honeymoon, suggesting that they must sleep in separate rooms and that his wife is unattractive to another woman. Adira just wanted to laugh and clap her hands in amusement.

‘He’s something else,’ she said internally.

Adira isn’t jealous a bit. She does not care if her husband is calling another woman in the middle of the night. Nevertheless, she wanted to take revenge on him by calling him unattractive.

Not wasting time, Adira twisted the doorknob and opened the door with a bang.

BAM!

The door opened so hard it bumped into its opposite wall. The rude opening of the door was an eye-opener for her husband.

Chadwick was so flabbergasted that his mouth hung loose as he stared at his wife while holding his phone, which he didn’t have the time to close.

Adira approached him and greeted him in a loud voice. “Good evening, my dear!”

Speechless, Chadwick stayed at his spot while gawking at his wife. He did not expect Adira to visit him in his room, making him wordless.

“Why are you calling another woman in the middle of the night?” Adira asked. “I waited so long for you to come. So, drop the call, and let’s start it right away. Our s*x.”

The shape of Chadwick’s eyes was bigger than their original size!

He turned red, as bright as ketchup, as he was embarrassed to realize that Isa was still on the phone and she had just heard everything.

With trembling hands, he hung up the call. When he lifted his eyes, which cannot shut, to Adira, he uttered, “You…You… ARE YOU CRAZY? W-Why would you say that when I was still in the middle of my phone conversation?”

Acting innocent, Adira shrugged her shoulders. She smiled at him, and her dimples appeared deeply on her soft cheeks.

Chadwick’s jaw almost dropped after receiving his wife’s nonchalant reaction.

Adira Hale is the famous and respectable CEO of Crimson Meadow. She’s competent, professional, and hardworking. And because of this, Chadwick respected her as his business partner, all thanks to the good rumors he heard about her. But now, he had a change of mind. He thinks he’s starting to see her true colors, which weren’t revealed in public. He was flabbergasted!

“I see nothing wrong in asking my husband to sleep with me,” Adira defended, her hands behind her back, making her look polite.

Breathing quivery, Chadwick responded, “So, you are saying that you did not do anything wrong?”

“Yes,” Adira quickly replied. “But you did. You left me in Japan, decided on the room's structure in this house by yourself, and called me unattractive.”

Chadwick’s forehead crumpled at the last reason that she said. He can understand why she’s complaining because he left her in Japan and decided to sleep in a separate room. However, he couldn’t understand why she was upset because he called her unattractive.

“No one has yet to call me ugly. So, I was shocked,” Adira explained, even before Chadwick asked.

Chadwick heaved a sigh. “I understand that you are upset. But, if you suddenly barged inside my room like you did tonight, I would be upset too.”

“Then it’s fair. You called me unattractive, and I barged inside your room. It’s deuce.”

Chadwick tilted his head. He does not understand where her ability to reason came from. Either way, he wanted to know why she visited his room.

“Why did you come here to my room?” he asked.

Adira smiled at him and answered, “To have a s*x with you.”

“.…”

After a few minutes of silence between them, Chadwick asked again, “Pardon?”

“I said I came here to have a s*x with you,” she repeated with a beam.

Blinking swiftly, he asked, “Are you… damn serious?”

As her answer, Adira nodded her head.

“W-Wait a minute,” he ceased, raising his hand to stop her from saying more. “We got married for convenience. You aware of that, right?”

“I am. So?”

“We got married suddenly without proper dates and meetings.”

“I know that too.”

“If you know all of these, how can you ask me to have a s*x with you?”

“That is a rhetorical question,” Adira said. “I am your wife. And you are my husband. It is natural for a married couple to sleep together.”

Chadwick’s lips pursed in a straight line. It is indeed his responsibility to fulfill his wife’s sexual needs. However, he’s not ready to surrender his virginity to a woman he has just met. Everything is just a business between them, so he thought they wouldn’t interact that much. In addition, Chadwick believes it is wrong to have sex with someone he does not love.

Nevertheless, he has no plan to fall in love with Adira in the future. For now, he is finding an excuse to prevent it from happening.

“I have to apologize,” he said. “I can’t sleep with someone I don’t like romantically. Before we started this relationship, I believed both sides clarified that our wedding would remain a business.”

Adira nodded her head as if she understood him.

“So, go back to your room,” Chadwick commented.

However, the stubborn wife stayed in her position.

Seeing Adira’s suspicious gaze on him, Chadwick asked, “W-What? Do you have more to say?”

“Well, I was thinking of another reason you are so afraid to sleep with me. And I thought of one thing.”

“What is it?”

Adira glanced at his lower body, there at his center. Then, she dropped, “Your thing is small. Right?”

$Chapter 3

“Your thing is small. Right?”

Your thing is small, right?

…thing is small, right?

…is small, right?

…small, right?

..right?

Adira’s question echoed in the clear and quiet night.

It was a starry night sky with a cold wind gushing westward. Reports told nothing about the possible eruption of any volcanoes worldwide.

Yet, when Chadwick heard Adira’s question about the most precious thing in his body, he felt as if a sharp lightning cracked in the sky, and he listened to a thunder booming inside his head, molten him in anger. His temper peaked like a volcano about to erupt in its enormous rage.

“I can handle that, I think,” Adira said, nodding while looking at Chadwick’s center. “But how small is it? Can you give me a hint so I can be prepared?”

A fresh swell of rage rose, and Chadwick gritted his teeth. The fury is twisting his stomach and blurring his ability to think straight.

Catching his breath with his wide-opened mouth, he grabbed the pillow and held it tightly with his trembling hand.

When he pursed his lips, he started biting his lower lip, and he ignored the pain in the flesh inside his mouth until it felt numb.

‘If only she is a man… If only she is a man!’ Chadwick chanted these inwardly while imagining how relieving it would be to hit her face with a pillow. He really wanted to, but he won’t. He cannot. He must not.

He is not a violent person, to begin with.

However, the question is enough to stir up his last inch of patience.

When Adira saw her husband’s sour expression, red face, and veins popping out from his neck, she couldn’t stop the laugh from bursting out of her lips.

“Pfft…” she let out loud chuckles and covered her mouth.

Wordlessly, Chadwick watched Adira. A scowl marred his handsome face. He couldn’t believe that she could even dare to laugh at him.

He wanted to say that his thing isn’t small. But if he does, he fears hell will fall from her trap.

‘Damn it!’ Chadwick cursed while gawking at Adira.

Holding her intense belly, Adira wiped her teary eyes. Chadwick can’t tell if she’s being serious or only teasing him. Either way, he had already cursed her inside his head. He did it about three times, and he never felt satisfied.

Adira stared at the threatening bloodthirstiness on his red face. Then, she felt the low temperature inside the room.

‘He’s really mad. Shoot,’ Adira laughed internally.

She forged a cough and said, “I was only joking. Seeing that you don’t want to do it with me tonight, I won’t force you anymore.”

‘But that does not mean I won’t return,’ Adira added.

She smiled at him with the beam of a cat playing with a mouse; then she turned around. But Chadwick dropped a question with his keen edge voice before she could step away.

“Do you like me?”

The question he tossed was so sharp, like swords that can pierce a neck.

Adira stared vacantly. It was just that the question bewildered her so much that she lost the sense of direction for the moment. Blinking swiftly, Adira tilted her head to her husband, who suddenly spoke of nonsense.

“Did you fall for me because I am handsome?” he asked her again.

He is handsome. Yes, that is true. A big CHECK. His good looks were a hot topic in the business world, as he was called the most handsome and youngest CEO ever, even way back before. Adira once saw that article in the magazine.

Now, looking at him, Adira observed his face.

Chadwick has cat-like eyes, rounded in the base and sharp in the end. Then his nose is pointed and thin, but not something that can cut an onion. He has straight brows that are always marred in front of Adira and cupid bow lips in which both corners have elevated shapes, making him look like a gorgeous large car.

But to fall for him just because of his looks?

Adira thinks her husband suffers from an ‘I am handsome, and I know it’s a disease.

A lot of handsome men tried to woo Adira. Some are celebrities, others are athletes, and most are rich conglomerate sons of billionaires. However, no one preceded to swoon over the CEO of the Crimson and Meadow company. No one.

And Chadwick, her husband, won’t be her exemption. Even if he is the most handsome man in the world, Adira can’t imagine herself falling for him just because of his looks.

“I did not fall for you,” she uttered with chuckles. “But if we share our genes, our future baby would be grateful.”

Chadwick’s brows tangled in a deep accusatory scowl, an attitude as cold as an executioner’s ax.

He repeated the surprising word inside his head again and again.

‘Baby? Baby? Baby?’

Until it processed in his mind.

“The reason I wanted to have sex with you is to get pregnant,” Adira explained. “I am turning 32 this year. So, before it gets too late, I wanted to have a baby.”

Actually, Chadwick did not expect her to offer this to him. Aside from her age, they also got married only to resolve the current business problems in their companies, and soon, they might divorce.

‘Why would she like to have my kid when there’s a chance we will separate soon?’ he wondered.

“So, you wanted to get pregnant, that’s all?”

“You got my point, honey.”

Chadwick scratched his head while blinking his eyes swiftly, quite dumbfounded.

“But I don’t like to do it with you. What to do?” he asked, raising one of his brows.

“You aren’t worrying about who will inherit your company?”

“No. My older brother has children. My nephews can inherit the company,” he answered.

“Woah, this is commendable. It is rare to see someone who does not have greed for power.”

“So, you should stop using me to fulfill your goal. There are still other ways for you to get pregnant,” he suggested. “And you can also adopt a kid.”

Brushing her red hair upward, Adira responded with a sneer.

“Do you think my father, who set me up for an arranged marriage for the company's sake, will accept a child whose blood came from an unknown man? Hmmm?”

Chadwick could not respond. The answer is obvious.

“If that really happened, then the child would only suffer. So, getting pregnant in this way is my only chance. When you are ready, just feel free to tell me. Okay? I will give you the privilege of choosing whose bed you want. My bed or your bed.”

Adira winked at her husband. When she turned around, her long crimson hair fluttered. She exited the room, leaving the flowery scent of lavender.

Staring at the closed door, Chadwick soon caught his face with his palms and roughly washed it up and down. He really expected it would be easy to live with his wife as long as she was Adira Hale. But he only realized that he was wrong a little bit too late.

“She is… a crazy woman,” he mumbled in a low voice.

He felt his phone vibrating while he was falling into deep thoughts of regrets about this marriage.

Isa sent him a text message.

[“I am so sorry, Chadwick. Perhaps, did you fight with your wife because of me?”]

After reading the text, Chadwick took a deep breath and lay on his bed.

“I don’t even know if that is a fight or what,” he mumbled.

-- -- - -- - - -- - - -- - -- -- - - -- -- -- - - - - -- - -

The following day came.

The golden ray of sunshine brushed Adira’s porcelain face. It woke her up from her sweet abyss.

With a stretch, she welcomed the morning with a groan, “Ahhhhhh Hmmm.”

Today is her first morning living with her husband under the same roof. Usually, newlywed women wanted to fulfill their longtime dream of cooking their husbands’ breakfast on their first morning as a married couple in their new house. Yet, Adira doesn’t belong to that group.

Why would she cook for Chadwick?

She knows that Chadwick will do his best to avoid her as mus as possible. So, it will be a waste of time to cook for him. In addition to that, what Adira wanted was to seduce him in bed but not to make him fall in love with her.

Relishing her spare time to stare at the blank space, Adira yawned.

She stared at nothing for many minutes before deciding to start her day.

Her plan? To do her daily routine, working as the diligent leader, the CEO of Crimson Meadow company.

Waking up late won’t ever be in Adira’s dictionary. Just like what everyone who knows Adira is aware of, she hates people wasting their time by being irresponsible at work. In other words, she wanted to be a diligent and punctual leader, and being Chadwick’s wife won’t hinder that.

With enough time left, Adira walked out of her room. She is still wearing the thin, silky crimson bathrobe she wore last night. The less fabric she wears, the more comfortable she feels in her sleep.

“Ahhhh, my shoulder is aching,” she groaned while walking to the kitchen. “Maybe I am getting older.”

Sighing, Adira stopped her pace and glanced at her husband’s room.

They are both CEO of two different companies. Therefore, she wondered if he had already left for work or if he was still in the middle of preparing.

“If that weird man is up, I bet one million dollars that he won’t walk out of his room because he does not want to bump into me,” she chuckled. “This holy romantic v*rgin.”

Adira addressed him as ‘Virgin’ not because she’s not one of the clubs. She does not have any experience too. Not even one. Yet, it is so confusing for her that Chadwick does not give in to temptation.

“My sleepwear is too revealing. But he did not bat an eye,” Adira complained nonchalantly while looking at her huge clothed bre*st.

Clicking her tongue, she arrived at the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator when suddenly, she heard the doorbell.

Ding dong~ Ding dong!~

She closed the door of the refrigerator and looked at the door.

‘Who is crazy enough to visit our home this early morning?’ she wondered, tilting her head.

Thinking how odd it is to have a guest as a married couple on their first day together in their new house, Adira approached the security camera.

On the screen of the security camera, she saw a cute woman standing in front of the door.

“She looks very familiar,” Adira murmured.

She narrowed her eyes to the image of the familiar woman until she recognized who she was.

“Ahhhhhh, I know now,” she gasped.

The woman who came is the person she saw during their wedding. She’s the enthusiastic and brave lady who waved at Chadwick during the wedding ceremony.

‘And also, the woman calling my husband last night,’ Adira added inwardly.

“Isa Daley,” Adira whispered to the woman whom her husband has feelings for. “So, it is my husband’s visitor.”

If Isa Daley came to visit, she would be Chadwick's visitor. Now, Adira contemplated whether she'll call her husband or not.

'Is it really necessary to call him when this house is my house too?' Adira asked herself.

Flaunting a grin, Adira decided to greet the guest alone. She held the doorknob, and when the entrance opened, a pair of clear brown eyes shook before her.

Isa Daley gaped at the woman who opened the door. She blinked her brown eyes, then observed Adira's sexy lingerie. Isa gawked at Adira's silky sleeping wear, bust, red lips, and alluring emerald eyes. When Adira blinked, her long lashes flickered like red butterfly wings.

'Chadwick's wife is so pretty. And she has a charismatic look,' with this in Isa's mind, she felt anxious. Yet, she suppressed the fear and straightened her posture.

Adira stared at the woman whom her husband had feelings for. Isa Daley has an innocent face, big round brown eyes, a small thin nose, a tiny face, and a captivating beam. Isa looks like the typical female lead in every romance novel.

If they stand next to each other, Isa will look like a lamb, while Adira will look like a wild red fox.

The lamb, Isa, held tightly at the plant vase around her hands. She smiled at Adira and greeted, "Good morning."

What's good in the morning?

Adira does not feel good early in the morning. Either way, she greeted her back.

"Good morning." Then, Adira smiled too.

"My name is Isa Daley," she introduced. "I attended the wedding before."

Adira nodded her head. "I see," she responded before asking, "Then, how did you know our address?"

Apart from Adira and Chadwick's families and secretaries, no one knows the couple's address.

"About that. Well, err, ahm, Chadwick shared with me the address of your house."

Adira snorted silently. Once again, she praised her husband's foolishness for bringing his woman into their house.

If Adira is just an ordinary wife, she might have dragged Isa out of the house by pulling her hair. Fortunately, Isa should be thankful that the person in front of her is a woman who won't care about her husband's affair.

In a gentle tone, Adira responded, "So, why did you come here, Miss Daley?"

As an answer, Isa showed the plant vase she was carrying.

"Here. I wanted to give this plant as my gift for you."

A gift for Adira?

Adira was curious why this woman would offer a gift for her.

Is there a mistress willing to give a gift to the legal wife?

Adira thought that Isa might be the first one.

"A gift for me?" Adira repeated. "Why?"

Sighing, Isa explained, "Last night, Chadwick and I were talking through a phone call. Then, I heard your voice."

Adira's right brow soared up, making the other look bigger than the right side. She continued listening to Isa without saying a thing.

"Chadwick and I talked for hours," Isa added. Biting her peach lips, she continued, "Thus, I wanted to give you this gift just in case I made you feel so bad. I am sure you're not okay, right?"

Blinking, Adira observed Isa.

The cute girl has an innocent face, something that resembles an angel. However, as Adira analyzed the meaning of Isa's words, she doubted if Isa was really an angel sent from heaven.

Is Isa really need to inform Adira that she's talking with Chadwick for long hours?

And would it be better to apologize to a misunderstanding than to say that she wanted to make Adira feel better?

Wondering about those, Adira realized that Isa was an angel sent from hell.

'A b*tch appeared,' Adira said inwardly while she glared down at Isa.

When Isa saw the dark gaze, she felt the overpowering aura and the chill creeping out of her skin. Her hands trembled, and by accident, she dropped the vase.

"Oh no!"

Krkrkrrrrklsh!

Ear-piercing sounds echoed around the living room.

Adira looked at the pieces of the broken vase and the poor plant that dirtied that white tile.

"Oh my goodness," Isa gasped, covering her mouth. She then looked at Adira and apologized. "Sorry! I am so sorry! I didn't mean to drop it!" Quickly, Isa sat down to pick up the broken pieces.

Nonchalantly, Adira watched her and thought that she was an idiot.

"Ouch!" Isa winced when she accidentally cut her finger while picking up the broken pieces.

That is why Adira thought she was a fool. 'Why pick up something dangerous when you can use a broom?' she thought as she rolled her eyes.

Wanting to stop Isa from picking them up, she detached her lips.

"Hey. St…”

But Chadwick suddenly came.

"Isa!" he shouted as he dashed towards his friend.

Chadwick passed by his wife and knelt on the ground to check how deep is the cut on Isa's finger.

"Oh sh*t," Chadwick cursed. "Are you fine? Do you want me to take you to the hospital?"

Adira found it very absurd. Who goes to the hospital with a small cut on her finger?

'Well. Love will make someone really stupid,' Adira realized while watching the two.

"Hospital? No. This is nothing," Isa replied. She smiled at him and pressed her finger to stop the bleeding.

Chadwick looked alternately at the broken plant vase and Isa's wound. Next, he stared at the possible culprit.

Adira wasn't the one who broke the vase. But given that she's present, Chadwick can easily accuse her as the perpetrator.

"You… Did you…" Chadwick uttered while glaring at his wife.

Adira tilted her head. She did give Isa an eye-piercing stare, but she's innocent!

Feeling unjust, Adira gawked at Isa. She waited for Isa to explain to Chadwick that everything was an accident and Adira was innocent. However, Isa did not say anything. She just kept sitting on the ground with her head hung low, as if playing the poor victim act.

'This sh*t…' Adra exclaimed internally. She couldn't believe that a devil dared to crawl from hell, and that was Isa!

As no one talked, Chadwick guessed that it was really Adira who caused this mess. After their conversation last night, Chadwick was convinced that Adira could be crazy.

Therefore, Chadwick stood up and gave her the coldest stare ever. Then, he accused, "What the hell are you doing, Adira?"

Experiencing this absurdness, Adira snorted. "Huh."

She smirked at Isa, who's succeeded in making her the villain.

Who is the lamb again? Adira can only see a sly fox in front of her.

'But I don't have time and patience for this,' Adira thought. She realized it would be better to ignore them and prepare for her work.

Shaking her head, Adira turned around and stepped away. But Chadwick was fast to grab her wrist and pull her back.

Adira looked back and stared at his hand made of ice. The place he touched immediately became cold, and that chill from his fingertips slithered straight into her body.

With an apathetic expression, Adira stared at her husband.

"Where do you think you're going after doing this?" Chadwick asked. His clutch tightened around his wrist.

Adira flinched. His clasp is painful but bearable. But it shows how agitated he is just because Isa got hurt.

"Explain why you did that?" Chadwick commanded.

Do what?

What will she explain when she does not do anything?

Adira proudly lifted her chin. Then she asked, "What did I do?"

Huh.

Chadwick snorted. He couldn't believe that Adira dared to play ignorant even at times like this.

"Don't you dare play innocent, Adira," he warned, pulling her closer.

It must be easy for him to think that Adira is the villain. However, Adira won't back down.

'If he wanted me to play evil, then I would,' Adira decided.

Before she became Adira McElroy, she was Adira Hale. A name that means being strong and undefeated.

Adira pulled her hand out of Chadwick's grip and held him instead. It was as if she flipped the table; now, she's the interrogator.

Chadwick can hardly react to the fast shifting of her movements.

"Dear," Adira called.

Blinking swiftly, he looked at her.

Even Isa is surprised that Adira is holding Chadwick's wrist and that she has the upper hand in this battle.

Adira grinned at him.

"Accusing me without evidence, I think that's how powerful love is," Adira murmured.

"W-What?" Chadwick uttered.

"Why? It's true. You have feelings for this lady." Adira stared down at Isa as she whispered, "Right, Honey?"

At Adira's remark, Chadwick and Isa held their breaths momentarily.