Declan felt nothing but a chill on his back, his face pale. His eyes dimmed with sorrow. But the sadness on his face quickly turned into a rage. He scrunched up his face and snarled, "Why did you call me?"
"I wanted to congratulate you on your wedding," he heard the woman say.
"Are you making fun of me?" He snarled, clenching his teeth.
"Don't think that way. I have always wished to see you happy."
"I don't need your wishes," he grumbled, cutting her short. He squeezed the phone tightly as if he was crushing it, his fist on the armrest trembled. "I am fine and happy without your wishes. And I will be happy in my life if you stay away from me. Stop calling me over and over again." He threw the phone aside after disconnecting the call.
"Fuck…" He yelled, slamming his fist on the table. His face turned red, rage throbbing in his veins.
He glanced at the phone. Then he took it and dialed Francis' number.
"I need a new number," he said as soon as the call connected. He grabbed the paperweight and hurled it against the wall.
In the meantime, Yasmin came in, pushing the door open.
Declan froze, his gaze fixed on the flying paperweight. His heart stopped beating as he feared it would hit her.
Yasmin was equally shocked. She stalled on the track, clasping the doorknob tightly.
The paperweight collided with the wall a few inches away from her.
Yasmin gaped at the rolling paperweight on the floor, her heart trembling with fear. If it had hit her, she would have been severely injured. It was a narrow escape.
Declan wiped his face, breathing out a sigh of relief. But that relief didn't last long. His face darkened as he rose to his feet and approached her with dangerous momentum.
"What are you doing here?" he snapped.
Yasmin flinched and immediately looked up at him. "I-I… came… The food is served."
"Don't you have manners?" He scolded her before she could finish her sentence. "Can't you knock on the door?"
"I am so sorry." She ran out and closed the door behind her.
"Oh, my goodness..." Declan sighed and covered his face with his hands.
Knock-Knock…
He froze and peeked at the door through the gap between his fingers.
"May I come in?" Yasmin's voice rang on the other side of the door.
"Is she for real?" He opened the door and shot her a scathing glare. "What?" he yelled.
"The dinner is served."
"You said that."
"Okay…" Yasmin turned around and fled, her heart jumping to her mouth.
"Oh, God…" Declan groaned, pinching his brow. "Give me some peace in my life." He gnashed his teeth as he walked down the stairs.
He found her sitting on a chair with her head bowed in the dining hall. He took his seat, his gaze locked on her.
'Sorry, I shouldn't yell at you.' He wanted to say this, but he said, "Don't enter the study without knocking."
Yasmin nodded frantically.
Declan frowned. He didn't like it when people just nodded or shook their heads without saying anything. It made him irritated. Yasmin was doing everything that annoy him.
He was about to apologize but felt compelled to chastise her. He pinched his brow, trying not to yell. It took him some time to calm down.
"Yasmin… don't just nod, okay?" He tried hard to keep his voice low. "I need to hear from you."
"I won't forget to knock," she responded.
"Good. And you don't have to come and call me for dinner. I know the time."
Yasmin regretted not listening to Harry. When she saw Amy serving the food, she immediately rushed to call Declan. She ignored Harry, who wanted to say something to her. She gradually realized that Harry had tried to stop her.
"Send Harry if you want to call me," Declan added.
"I get it."
Declan began cutting the grilled chicken with a fork and knife. When he glanced at her, he found her taking the bowl of vegetable soup.
Rice, fried tofu, and grilled chicken were served at the table. But she chose vegetable soup to eat.
He recalled her eating an apple and congee for breakfast and noodles for lunch. Looking at her thin stature, he suspected she didn't like to eat meat.
He pushed a plate towards her after putting some cut pieces of chicken.
Yasmin stopped having soup and looked up at him.
"Eat." He nodded to the plate.
"Thank you." She pulled the plate in front of her.
Declan felt relieved. At the very least, she didn't refuse to eat the chicken.
They ate in silence.
"Mr. Lee was happy with you," he murmured, wiping his mouth with a tissue. "He likes you."
"Oh…" Yasmin cocked her head, surprised.
"Thank you for helping me sign the contract." He finally expressed gratitude to her.
Yasmin blinked, astounded. She couldn't believe he gave her credit for signing the contract.
"I didn't do anything," she murmured.
But he stood up and walked away.
She couldn't tell if he heard her or not.
"Such a cold thanks," she muttered, glaring at his receding form. "Why are you thanking me if you don't feel it in your heart? Humph." She dumped the tissue on the plate and went back to the bedroom.
She was not at all surprised that he was not in the bedroom. She assumed he had gone to the study.
"How much can someone work?" She grumbled as she made her way to the closet. "He didn't stop working even after dinner. I wonder if he gets time for a proper rest. Huh..." She sighed and added, "I will grow old waiting for him."
She took her pajamas from the closet and went into the bathroom. She locked the door and turned around, only to see a pair of deep blue eyes staring at her. Her pajamas slipped from her hands.
She pivoted and dashed out. However, she stepped on her pajamas and tripped. She was on the floor in the next moment, flat on her tummy.
'Shit…' She closed her eyes, embarrassed. Her face flushed in an instant. The tips of her ears turned crimson. 'Can't I just die?' She wanted to disappear right away.
"Mm…"
She opened one eye when she heard him hum and saw him offer her his hand, the toothbrush stuffed inside his mouth. She took his hand and got to her feet.
"S-Sorry… I should have knocked on the door," she murmured, hanging her head down.
Declan pulled out the toothbrush and spat on the sink. "I forget that I am not alone in this house. I should say sorry for not locking the door."
Yasmin didn't delay picking up her pajamas and rushing out of the bathroom.
"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…" she chanted. "How stupid I am. Why didn't I knock on the door first? Um…" She felt like crying, her face contorting. She sagged on the bed and tapped on her burning cheeks.
"How come I am still alive? Shouldn't I be dead by now? Oh, God…" She tilted her head back, looking up at the ceiling. "Why are you humiliating me over and over again? It's so… so embarrassing. Um…" She hid her face behind her hands.
Creak…
Her breathing caught in her throat as she drew her hands down and looked towards the door.
"You can go in now." Declan's cold voice boomed inside the room.
Yasmin noticed him walking to the closet. She jumped to her feet and dashed into the bathroom, pajamas in hand as if trying to hide from him. She closed the door from behind and leaned against it. Her chest quickly rose and fell.
"I won't go out. No… I am not going out." She shook her head. "Um… Mommy…" Her mouth twisted. "I want to go home."
After what seemed like an hour, she changed into her pajamas and came out of the bathroom.
She found Declan on the bed with a magazine in his hands, leaning back on the headboard.