"You can have the rest. I'm going upstairs to take a bath." After swallowing the noodles, Duke stood up and left the dining room in a rush. He strode towards the bathroom on the second floor. Belinda relaxed a little, wondering why Duke left in such a hurry.
Duke entered the bathroom. Instead of turning on the water, he leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He pressed his hand over his chest, feeling the fast pounding of his heart. He closed his eyes in deep contemplation. Just now, he felt a sudden compulsion to tell Belinda that he had fallen deeply in love with her and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But the idea that she might dismiss his confession was torture to him. Before he could blurt it out, he left the dining room in a hurry. He was afraid that he would act impulsively.
Belinda didn't even say a single word about Rachel to Duke because she didn't think it was necessary. It was all wishful thinking on Rachel's part and it had nothing to do with Duke. It would be unfair to Duke if Belinda took out her anger on him. Although Belinda was a little upset about Duke and Rachel's past, she knew that everyone had a history. She just had to get over it. She was sophisticated enough to take things in stride. Belinda ate the noodles in the bowl with determination. Although she was already full, she was reluctant to throw the leftovers away. Duke lovingly cooked the noodles for her. She didn't want to waste anything.
When she went upstairs after she was done, Duke was still in the bathroom. Belinda walked around the room in an attempt to digest the noodles faster. She ate too much and there was an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. She fell into a trance as she walked, thinking about her relationship with Duke. The sudden happiness she felt took her by surprise. It was easy to satisfy Belinda. A bowl of noodles made by Duke was enough to make her happy.
"What are you doing?" Duke walked out of the bathroom with a bath towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at Belinda in confusion.
Nothing! You're done with your bath?" Belinda was used to seeing Duke's half-naked body everyday. But every time she saw his firm body, her face flushed shyly and her heartbeat would quicken. She looked away awkwardly.
Yes. I have some work to finish. I'm going to the study now. Give me your business documents, so I can go through them." Duke had been helping Belinda review the business documents of her company recently and had grown accustomed to the habit. He didn't mind working harder to make things easier for his wife. He couldn't help but do these things for her without asking for anything in return.
"Now? It's very late!" Belinda shook her head in disapproval. Although she brought the documents back for him to review, she was planning to ask him to go through them in the morning as it was almost 1 o'clock in the morning already. She didn't want him to overwork himself.
"I'm good. I'll just go to bed with you. You ate so much. I guess you won't go to bed so soon." Duke grabbed an evening robe and put it on, peeking sideways at her slightly swollen belly.
"Okay. Wait a second." When Duke made a choice, nobody would be able to change his mind. Belinda went to her briefcase and took out a pile of papers, handing them to him with a red face.
Duke's eyes widened at the documents. He didn't expect that there would be so much. If he had to go through all of them, he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
"Do all these documents need to be reviewed?" Duke asked with uncertainty as he took the thick pile of documents. His heart sank a little.
"Of course not, just a few documents. Please go through the contract with YD Group for me and tell me if there's anything that needs to be added." Although the president of the YD Group was Daisy's friend, Belinda wanted to double-check the terms of the contract. After all, business was business. She wouldn't let private affairs interfere with business.
"Is YD Group going to collaborate with you?" Duke took a glance at the documents in his hands. He wondered why YD Group decided to work with YS Financial Group. It wasn't like them to partner up with a company so soon.
"Yes. Let me tell you a secret. The president of the YD Group was Daisy's schoolmate in the JC Military Academy, so he did us a favor. Of course, that's only partly the reason. The president recognized our strength as a company." Belinda suddenly realized that she hadn't told Duke about it until now. She hadn't contacted Daisy for a couple of days either. She wondered if Daisy was okay. How was she doing these days?
"You mean you succeeded in getting this project because of Daisy? Wow, that's so lucky of you!" Duke couldn't help teasing the proud woman in front of him. But he knew that the president of the YD Group would never make such a decision just to please a woman. If Belinda's company wasn't powerful enough, the president of YD Group wouldn't choose them as a partner. Duke hadn't met the president of YD Group before, but many of his partners had mentioned him. From their remarks, he knew that the president was a cold man. Duke wasn't interested in making friends with him. After all, they worked in different industries. The chances of having projects together were slim.
"Come on! We're qualified enough to be their partner! Oh, the president of the YD Group is also very handsome. He has a strong and muscular build and he looks rather firm. Maybe this is because he used to train at JC Military Academy." Belinda voiced out her high opinion of Zemo casually. She didn't notice Duke's eyes narrowed and his face turned sour at her words.
"You have quite an insightful opinion." Duke gnashed his teeth in anger. Although he was standing right in front of her, Belinda was gushing about another man. Duke became jealous of the YD Group president in an instant. He couldn't help but consider ruining their partnership to keep them apart.
"What? We just met a few times. You know how everyone likes beautiful things. I'm no exception. Zemo is really an exceptional man." Belinda continued to praise Zemo, not noticing the grim look on Duke's face. She carelessly nattered on about Zemo's good qualities without a second thought.
"Are you saying that he's more handsome than me?" Duke asked, trying his best to restrain his anger. He was eager to know her answer to the question.
"Well, you are two different types of men. In terms of appearance, you are definitely more attractive. Why do you ask? Do you want to meet him?" Belinda asked in confusion. She could tell from Duke's dark face that something was wrong, but she couldn't figure it out. Did she say anything wrong? Why did he look so angry?
"Nothing. I was just curious. I'm going to the study now." Duke was pleased with her answer. He smiled in satisfaction and went to the study.
Duke is really an odd person." Belinda pursed her lips, grumbling to herself. Though she was suspicious of Duke's actions, she wasn't a person who liked to get to the bottom of things. She shrugged it off and went to the bathroom. Duke's clothes were scattered around the floor. She picked them up and put them in the basket for dirty clothes. She was so full at this moment that she didn't want to take a bath right away. She decided to organize the wardrobe.
Duke liked to wear simple clothes of dark colors. His clothes were neither as fancy as Rain's nor as bright as Edward's. As a result, his closet looked rather dull. His profession had an important influence in the formation of his character and temperament.
Belinda had always been a messy person. Everything in her room used to be in a muddle. Her mother always criticized her for being scatterbrained and absentminded, but she was unable to give up her bad habit. But after she moved into Duke's house, she changed her habits easily. Duke liked tidiness, so Belinda cleaned the house every day.
After taking a bath, Belinda went to the study to invite Duke to go to bed with her. She already knew what she wanted and she made up her mind to pursue her happiness. The soft moonlight flittered through the windows and the couple got intoxicated by the romantic atmosphere. Belinda's heart began to race while Duke walked slowly towards her. Her blood was pumping through her body as Duke gazed deeply into her eyes. He stood in front of her and tugged on her robe. "Let's take this off, shall we?" he murmured.