Duke took off all his clothes and went naked to the bathroom. He had a very sculpted figure. Well it was better to say that all those men accompanying Edward had the most attractive looks and sexiest body. It was the reason why there were always a league of women around them, praising and trying to get their attention.
He took a quick shower then with just a towel around his waist, walked out of the bathroom. The tiny drops from his hair rolled slowly down his skin, forming a delicate stream of water that ended on the towel around his waist.
He took a deep look at Belinda upon walking past the queen-sized bed. A smile crept up his face without his noticing. He took a bottle of wine from the small cupboard near the balcony and sat down beside the small table there. He expertly grabbed a wine glass from the table and slowly poured himself a large glass of the liquor. Taking a deep breath of the wine aroma, he lifted the glass to his lips and sipped his wine enjoyably.
The evening wind in autumn was very soft even if the air was a little too dry. It was still very pleasant to drink alone in such a beautiful night. After going through so much the past two days, Duke began to ponder deeply on all the things that had happened to him.
It wasn't like he didn't know what Rachel's real purpose was. It was just that he had believed that it would be inappropriate or even incorrect for someone who still had a sense of shame to ask for something that had no longer belonged to her for so long. So he just hadn't paid too much attention to Rachel's reappearance. But now that he had heard of Rachel's words this morning, he finally began to realize that what Belinda had been worried about was not something insignificant.
To be honest, he knew that he himself was not a romantic man. Sometimes he just didn't know how to make Belinda happy. But as long as she was the woman he had fallen in love with, he would devote his entire life protecting her and loving her without any hesitation. It was just that he was never the man who could speak out his feelings aloud so he would just wait for Belinda to feel and learn his unspoken deep love.
Belinda was never someone who could get drunk very easily. She could drink a lot of wine most of the times and still keep her consciousness. She felt much better after drinking the honey water Duke brought her. She was regaining her thoughts back gradually and the cool wind earlier must have helped accelerate the process too.
She slowly opened her eyes. Though she could still feel the hangover, it wasn't that terrible any more. She pressed her dizzy head lightly, trying to see where she was. A question came to her mind upon recognizing the queen-sized bed she was lying onto. How did she come back? She would never imagined that it was Duke who had picked her up and driven her back because she still remembered how coldly and firmly he had said to her that they should take a break and calm themselves down.
She patted her face to try driving away her hangover and gain more consciousness but her head began aching again as soon as thoughts of Duke's sneering face and sarcasm hit her. She bit her lower lip in hopes of charging herself some courage. Anyway, she still had to face him no matter how embarrassing it might be.
"Are you awake now?" A thick and cold voice came into her ears while she was still stuck in route. She got distracted from her thoughts and was startled a bit. It was Duke.
"I..." murmured Belinda. She still didn't know how to face Duke. She couldn't even look at him directly into his eyes. She felt even more embarrassed now, she was blushing so bad and had to lift the quilt to cover her red cheeks. After all, they had fought each other fiercely at the bar just a few hours ago. He had said something so hurtful to her. So what should she do now?
"Since you've already waken up, I think it's better for you to take a shower first. It'll make you feel better," said Duke calmly. He was still half naked with only a towel on his waist when he saw Belinda moving uncomfortably on the bed. He decided to come in and see if she was alright though he hadn't really thought that she would be waking up so soon.
"Duke, I'm so sorry! I know I was not behaving tonight, and my attitude was even worse. I totally understand if you are still mad at me. And all I want to say is sorry," Belinda apologized sincerely. She might be straight-forward and sometimes easily troubled but she was never unreasonable. Belinda and Daisy shared a lot of things in common being each other's best friend. So just like what Daisy would do after realizing her own fault, Belinda would always reflect on herself and would make the apology if needed.
Duke was looking at Belinda thoughtfully as she said those words. Without any expressions on his face, a feeling of coldness was sent out by his tightly closed mouth. However, he was caught surprised by her apology. He had thought that it would take a long speech to explain everything to her and quench her rage. How she apologized even before he could say a word was not something he would have expected.
"Any contradiction must involve both sides, and both sides must be responsible for it. So generally speaking, it's not all your fault this time. I was out of my mind and did something terrible too. I am sorry! But here's something I'd like to make clear to you. As a man, there's a bottom line here, especially on some occasions. So please don't cross that line or you'll drive me crazy. I really hope you could understand me, sweetie," said Duke seriously. His eyes were locked on Belinda, forcing her to look at him and make eye contact with him. He was sending his message directly into her eyes, reaching deeply into her soul. Their communication was made through a much meaningful and effective way. He was sure that she had received them and considered them seriously. But he also noticed that she was blushing, probably feeling ashamed of what she had done. So now she was trying to hide herself in the quilt. Duke saw all her uneasiness, and he had to admit that this made her even cuter. But he didn't leak out even a slightest hint of what he was thinking. All he did was simply looking at her playfully.
"But you shouldn't have just dumped me there and left!" accused Belinda. She finally gained her reason back. The mere mention of his abandonment still broke her heart. She didn't deserve to be hurt so ruthlessly. Her eyes were welling up and all the bad feelings that had been confined all night were released from deep inside her heart. After all, she had been carefully protected as an elegant princess since she was born. Everyone around her cared about her and loved her. Plus, she was also the president of a big company. She had her pride. Who would dare treat her like this? But tonight, Duke was the exception. Yes, she had told him to get out of her face but then, she had never thought that he would actually do as she demanded, disappearing himself without any hesitation.