"Amber…" Declan walked over to them, yelling angrily.
Amber and the man sprang to their feet and turned to them, startled.
The man looked here and there, but not at Declan. His flushed face told the entire story of his nervousness and embarrassment.
Declan looked at the man before returning his fiery gaze to Amber. He held up his index finger and hissed, "I don't like it when you disrespect your husband. I have warned you several times. Didn't I?"
"Oh, come on, Declan. What's wrong if I ask him to massage my legs? I am not demanding anything that he can't fulfill. Humph…" She rolled her eyes and muttered something that Declan couldn't get it.
"You need to learn how to behave, Amber," Declan said, his tone thickening with anger. "You are not a child anymore. You are married now. Try to value your relationship."
"Oh, I am so pissed. I don't want to talk to anyone." Amber flailed her arms and stomped up the stairs.
Declan threw the man a hard look and muttered, "Spineless man." He strode out, retrieving his phone from his pocket.
Yasmin spun around and stared at his departing form with bewilderment.
"Hello," Declan almost yelled when the call connected.
"You have called to chastise me," Francis said, sounding vexed on the other side of the phone.
"I am pissed with someone," Declan grumbled, pinching his brow, "not at you."
"Uh, this is nothing new," Francis grunted.
"What did you say?" Declan raised his voice again.
"Do you have something to tell me?"
Declan clutched the phone tightly. He was angry and astonished at the same time, hearing his casual tone. "I am your boss. I can fire you for disregarding me."
"You have threatened me with it countless times, but you have never fired me. You can't use this method to scare me anymore. Tell me how I can help you."
Declan chuckled, his anger dissipating. Francis was not only his PA but his friend, too. Very few people knew how to handle him effectively, and Francis was one of them. That was why he did not fire him, no matter how angry he sometimes became with him.
"Bring gifts for everyone at the mansion," he said, his tone gentle this time.
"Sometimes I wonder how you have managed things without me."
Declan could tell by hearing his tone that Francis was smiling.
"In an hour," he said in a commanding tone, struggling with the urge to laugh.
"What?"
"I am hanging up now." Declan could hear him shouting before he ended the call.
He slid the phone into his pocket, smiling. But that smile was short-lived. His face turned gloomy as he noticed the red Bugatti approaching.
He walked down the porch and stood at the last step of the stairs with a straight back, his hands inside his pockets.
The car pulled over, and Derrek stepped out.
"Hey, bro, you are early." He grinned as he walked up to him.
Declan neither smiled nor showed his anger. He kept staring at him with an indifferent look on his face.
Derrek swallowed the lump in his throat, a knot coiling tightly inside his tummy. He always felt intimidated in the face of his indifferent attitude. It was difficult to tell what was on his mind.
"Don't give me that look," he grunted, his face pulled up. "I thought you would be happy to see her. Tell me honestly… Do you think she looks good without her glasses?" His eyebrows wiggled up and down, a teasing smile on his face.
"Do you think I don't know what you are up to?" Declan's tone was low, yet cold.
"What did I do?"
Derrek's mocking smile aggravated him even more. He tightly wrapped his left arm around his neck in an instant and clenched him under his armpit. His grip was so firm that Derrek could hardly breathe.
"Declan, please let me go. You are choking me." Derrek tapped him on the forearm.
Declan let him go and tidied his slightly crinkled jacket while Derrek coughed, rubbed his neck, and loosened his tie.
"Stop playing games with me," Declan warned. "And always remember Yasmin is your sister-in-law. Stop flirting with her."
"She has already piqued my interest. Unfortunately, she married you. Otherwise, I would have made her my girlfriend." The teasing smile still lingered on his face. "If you are planning to leave her, let me know. I will date her."
"You…" Declan scrunched up his face and raised his fist to knock him down.
"Sorry, sorry…" Derrek ducked and protectively lifted his hands to shield his face. "Don't get mad. I was just kidding."
Declan lowered his fist, but his hot gaze remained fixed on him.
"Let go of your rage." Derrek linked his arms with his and dragged him to the backyard. "Come on, let's smoke."
Declan walked along with him. He needed this to clear up his mind.
"You have no feelings for Tina," Derrek's statement came across as more of a question.
"Why are you bringing up Tina?" Declan let out a disgruntled grunt, shooting him an unpleasant look.
"I am just curious." Derrek tried to pacify him. "It's a good thing you no longer like her. You should focus on Yasmin. By the way, she is coming for dinner. "
Declan scowled at him, not happy with the finding. He wouldn't have agreed with his father to dine here tonight if he knew Tina was also coming.
"Mom invited her," Derrek said in a hurry. "Maybe she is planning to introduce Yasmin to Tina. Don't you think it is good? Tina will finally realize that you have moved on. She won't come after you." Under the influence of nervousness, he blurted out the rest of the words.
"I swear I will beat you if you keep talking about her."
Derrek shuddered under his murderous glare. "Alright, alright. I won't say anything about her. Let's smoke." He pulled the cigarette packet from his pocket and offered him one.
Declan lit it with a lighter and sucked the smoke out of it.
Inside the hall…
Yasmin slowly took her gaze away from the entrance after what seemed like an hour, only to see the man staring at her.
"Hi…" She mustered a smile.
"Hello…" The man also smiled back at her. The awkwardness was evident on his face. "Please, have a seat."
"Yeah." Yasmin walked over to the sofa and sat, pulling a cushion over her lap. "Where is everyone?"
She looked around the enormous hall, her gaze resting on the broad staircase with a carved steel banister that led all the way up to the first floor. A piano stood elegantly beside the stairs, raising a question in her mind if Declan knew how to play it. The giant eight-seater dining table with a white sandstone top and carved wooden legs stood to the left. On the right wall, there was a 42-inch flat-screen television with two framed photographs of the Wilsons on each side.
Yasmin examined the photographs. She was taken aback when she didn't see Declan in them. It turned out that Declan didn't have a good relationship with his family. Even after so much wealth and success in his career, he didn't have a peaceful life.
She felt sorry for him. At this point, she sensed the strange silence around her. She had not received an answer to her question. When she returned her focus to him, she found him staring at her. However, he quickly looked away the moment she laid her eyes on him.
This made her frown. She wondered why he kept staring at her.
"I remember I asked you something," she said sternly.
"Dad and Derrek have yet to return. Grandmother is resting in her room. I don't know about Mom. Maybe she is busy with something." He uttered robotically in a flat tone. There were a lot of questions in his eyes when he looked at her. "Have you heard anything about your sister?"