"Ethan's point of view,"
"Your grandma is calling you." She gave me my phone when I got out of the shower in the restroom.
"Why don't you pick it?" I questioned her.
"I'm not your assistant, so why would I answer your call?" She shook her shoulder in reply.
I don't understand why such small stuff caused her nose tip to get red.
Since you constantly irritated her, my subconscious answered me right away.
"Since you are my wife, it is only fair that you take an interest in my personal life."
I don't know why, but I want to share every part of my life with this woman, even though I never believed I would let someone meddle in my personal affairs. In her company, I felt comfortable.
With Stella, I experienced the same comfort that I had not felt since my mother's passing.
Oh really? If all you want is to feel safe in her presence, you could ask her to be your babysitter. My acceptance of the fact that Stella makes me feel good outrages my male ego.
"Why did you keep forgetting that I am merely your contractual wife, Ethan Woods? I have nothing to do with your family, friends, your business, or..."
"Yes, please let me know what else you would like to say."
Her attention was so intent on expressing her ire towards me that she inadvertently lost track of her physical contact with me and placed her finger against my chest.
I feel a raging inferno whenever she touches me. Whenever I look into her eyes or unintentionally touch her body, a current instead of blood flows into my body.
"Why do you stand in front of me shirtless?"
Her face flushed pink, like a fresh rose in the morning.
"Since it's my home, I'm free to move around."
"Don't you have any shame left?"
"Are you saying that I am shameless? Mrs. Woods, what about you? Why are you stroking my attractive body without my consent?"
To win our ongoing fight, I sat in front of her in bed.
"I was just talking to you when—I don't know how—my finger accidentally brushed your torso. I didn't do that on purpose."
Is she anxious? I smiled at her flattering words.
That's fantastic because I now know two new ways to manage my rebellious wife. Firstly, I now know how to stop her from talking, and secondly, I know how to make her uncomfortable with my flirtatious remarks.
"I believe you ought to apologize to me, Mrs. Woods, for caressing my torso without my consent."
My masculine ego is constantly open to accepting her apology.
"No way, you slept with all your weight on top of me last night; therefore, you have to apologize to me instead of me. I did nothing for which I have to apologize."
"Sorry, but there's no way. I am Ethan Woods. I won't apologize to anybody."
"Leave it; I don't want to argue about such trivial matters and spoil my mood. I need to take care of other things."
She got out of bed to look away from me.
How could she disregard me? Even though I was still sitting on the bed in the same posture, I felt as though I had lost this debate with her when she went to the bathroom. To continue our debate, I felt compelled by my masculine ego to stop her.
"Ethan, what are you doing? Let me go; I need to catch my flight."
She attempted to break free from my grip.
"What?
Are you planning to leave me without even informing me?"
"Because you are not my boss, I don't have to report everything to you."
Anger at her red nose tip made me want to hold her even closer.
"Of course, since you are the new financial advisor for my organization, I am your boss."
Her sudden shift from anger to pain made me realize she had sprained her leg.
"I am sorry; I didn't mean to hurt you." I instantly released my grip on her hand.
"What have you just said?" Incredulous, she watched as I grew a second head.
Her intense gaze made me realize my recent actions.
How could I easily apologize to her? I have no idea how I managed to speak those words.
It's not me.
I was taken aback to notice a sudden change in my behavior. I was looking for a reason to get away from her intense gaze. That's when my grandmother's number popped up on my phone.
"Ethan, don't you remember your grandmother?" Upon receiving her call, she immediately began to gripe about how long it had been since we last spoke.
"That's not the case; I was preoccupied with my work. Tell me how you're feeling right now."
I felt a ping in my heart when I realized she only had a few days to live.
"Although I am not in excellent health at the moment, I may be able to pass away peacefully if you inform me about Stella's pregnancy."
Oh God, how can I grant my grandmother's new wish at this point? Only I know how difficult it was for me to get Stella to agree to be my contracted married wife.
However, why did she not allow me to touch her? I enjoy caressing her sensitive skin. I was always enthralled by her vanilla scent.
"Are you even paying attention to me, Ethan?" I was in the middle of a thought when my grandma's ranting broke through the silence.
"I have all ears, grandma."
"Come and have dinner with me because I have something crucial to discuss with you two."
"But Grandma, Stella, has to return to California today."
Since I already know exactly what she wants to talk about with us, I try to avoid accepting her request.
"I don't care, Ethan; it's up to you to convince your wife to come to supper with us; if not, your grandfather and I would have traveled to California to meet our daughter-in-law."
She didn't even allow me to speak before hanging up the phone with a warning.
I now have to convince Stella to eat dinner with my grandparents. But how? I find it to be a challenging question. She didn't even want to accept herself as my legal wife. I am afraid of how Stella will react when my grandmother asks her to give birth to the heir to the Woods family.
"Did you intend to keep this towel all day?"
Her playful taunts drew my attention to the bathroom door.
Oh my god, she looks stunning in her bathrobe.
Ethan, are you serious?
I mean, are you genuinely smitten with her? Remember, she's the same arrogant Stella Parker who forced you to fail at everything in your life?
Please don't bother me just now while I compliment her beauty. I disregarded my macho ego's voice.
She removed her damp hair from the towel and tossed it into the air to wring out more moisture. I felt the cool breeze caress my face as well as the droplets of water falling from her hair. I couldn't help but stand there for what felt like an eternity, staring at the breathtaking scenery.
"I'm heading out now, Ethan."
As she announced her departure, I observed that she had packed her suitcase and had already donned a business outfit.
"Stella, you can't leave me; my family wants to meet you for dinner. Please stay for tonight."
Did I just plead with her to stay? Forget the ego for now. The main thing is getting her to stay for dinner.
"Okay, inform them that we will join them for dinner."
Her cool attitude startled me as I mentally calculated how I could get her to come to dinner with me.