Her temper flared.
Ariel grabbed one of Rhysand's white shirts, picked up a lipstick, and without hesitating, drew a big figure-eight on the shirt.
She couldn't scold him to his face, but she could scold him behind his back! Drawing on his shirt was like drawing on _him_!
There were some leftover dishes on the table, all made by Rhysand.
Ariel angrily took them to the kitchen, reheated them, and ate everything in a huff.
It was like eating his flesh.
Since she couldn't sleep, she figured she might as well finish all the snacks, too.
---
On the top floor of a super fancy club in Rain City, Rhysand sat on a plush couch, staring coldly at the guy across from him.
"What do you want?" Rhysand asked, his voice icy.
The guy had a really handsome face, a bit on the girly side, but he had this cool vibe about him.
He was casually sitting there with his long legs crossed, smoking a cigarette while playing a game on his phone.
"Rain City's so boring, so I came to hang out with you," the guy said.
Rhysand's eyes grew colder. "Collins, you said it was urgent. You made it sound like if I didn't come, you'd die."
Collins sat up straighter, looking serious all of a sudden.
"Okay, okay, it really is urgent! I came to tell you something important," he said.
Rhysand kept staring at him, the air between them getting tense.
"Your mom....no, stepmom's been stirring up trouble while you've been gone. She's convinced your dad to give a few villas to your older brother and has been wining and dining shareholders. If you don't go back to Peak City soon, she might steal the Lee Golden Group out from under you," Collins warned.
Rhysand was quiet for a moment, then spoke in a cold voice, "That's not the real reason you called me, is it?"
Collins chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Man, you're sharp. Actually, it's my older brother. He's been on my case about getting married and even cut off all my credit cards. I came here to get away from the drama and mooch off you for a bit."
After saying that, he patted Rhysand on the shoulder, looking all emotional. "I heard your family's been nagging you about marriage too. Did you run away from your wedding like me? We're in the same boat!"
Rhysand stayed silent.
Collins took a sip of his drink and put the cup down. "But honestly, I'm not just saying this to make myself feel better. You're not into girls, and you've never even had a girlfriend…"
"I have a wife," Rhysand interrupted in a flat tone.
Collins nearly spat out his drink, staring at Rhysand in shock.
"No way, Rhys! You, married? How come I didn't hear about this? You didn't tell your family either?"
"I didn't inform them," Rhysand said calmly.
Collins was still in disbelief. "Who is she? Is she from one of those rich families in Peak City? You used to be so cold around women, so what happened?"
Rhysand took another sip of his drink. "You don't need to know."
That one sentence killed the conversation.
Collins was stunned into silence, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.
After a moment, he shook his head with a wry smile. "Man, Rhys, you're good at shutting people down with just one sentence."
He paused, then added thoughtfully, "You must really love this woman if you didn't even tell your family."
But then something seemed to click in Collins' mind, and he suddenly shouted, "Wait a sec! Didn't your dad arrange a marriage for you recently? That girl's from a family that's not as rich as yours, but she's supposed to be really pretty and smart. Is the woman you married her?"
Rhysand's eyes turned icy. "What do you mean I was engaged?"
Collins looked shocked. "You didn't know? The whole of Peak City's been buzzing about your engagement for the last few days. How could you not know?"