As we walked inside, Butler John greeted us. His eyes held surprise as he saw Noah coming along with me. Guess nobody knew he is coming. C
"Good evening, young madam. Good evening, young master. Welcome back," he politely greeted us both, and Noah replied with a nod.
"Where is Grandpa?" Noah asked.
"Old master is in the living room having his evening tea."
"Alright." Noah said, and we both walked towards the living room of the mansion.
"Oh, Lyla… Noah?" Grandpa called me but stopped as he saw Noah coming along with me. "You brat, didn't you say you would come on the day of the banquet?"
"How have you been, Grandpa?" Noah ignored the shocked look on Grandpa's face and asked him.
"What would have happened to me? I'm fit and fine, more so than you," Grandpa replied with a stern yet happy face.
"I have yet to settle scores with you for leaving my dearest granddaughter-in-law here just five days after marriage. That time, you just left without saying anything. But now that you've come, I will not leave you for that," Grandpa suddenly spoke.
Instead of asking Noah's well-being, he was still sulking over the fact Noah left me, and my heart warmed at how much he cared about me.
"It's alright, Grandpa. I told you before, no too much stress for yourself," I chimed in, trying to ease the conversation even though I knew it was just his way of showing love towards Noah.
"All right. How have you been?"
" Fine," Noah said as we both sat down together.
"I dealt with all the work, and now I will just send one of the executives of the company to supervise the branch. Don't worry, I won't be leaving now," His words made grandpa visibly excited.
Grandpa's eyes went towards Noah's hand, which rested on my back, and I suddenly started feeling warm.
" It's good that you know there is someone here for you, and going back there again and again is not good. Just send some members of the company to deal with the work in foreign countries. Don't leave your family like this." maintaining his image of elder grandpa spoke in serious tone.
"All right, Grandpa. I'm sorry for leaving like that," Noah said, trying to calm Grandpa's anger.
"Butler John, arrange dinner since the young master has come back after a long time. Prepare his favorite dishes," Grandpa said after a while of talking about business and health with Noah. The love Grandpa had for Noah was really overwhelming.
The table was full of dishes Noah liked, and even though Grandpa kept his stern face, the fact that he kept putting food in Noah's bowl and insisting he eat more made it obvious how happy he was to see his grandson back.
"Take rest early; you might be jet-lagged," Grandpa said as he walked back to his room. The elders always preferred to eat early and sleep early.
Now it was only me and Noah left. But before we could talk, "Young master, where do I put these?" Mr. Chang, Noah's assistant, came with the suitcases and luggage.
"Put them inside my room. Ask the maid; she will guide you there," Noah replied but then stopped him. "Wait, actually, go put them back in the Sunset Villa."
Sunset Villa—the house we bought after our marriage and the house we were going to live in.
"All right, young master," Mr. Chang replied and took all the luggage back.
I looked towards Noah with questioning eyes.
"We will be here only until the banquet. After that, we have to go back to our home. So, putting all the luggage here doesn't make any sense," he answered my silent question, and I looked down in understanding.
*
Walking inside the room, I froze. In front of me, Noah was in his sweatpants with his upper body completely bare to my view. Water was dripping down from his wet locks as he rubbed them.
"I-I am sorry." I hurriedly turned around while apologizing.
I heard his footsteps getting closer. "No need to say sorry, Mrs. Anderson. It's alright to see your husband like this." His words made my stomach twist.
"I-I am not used to... you know, watching." I tried to say, but he cut me off.
"Watching what? Hmm?" His teasing words made my face fluster.
"I-..." His chuckle broke the intense atmosphere around us. Putting the wet towel on my head, he walked toward the walk-in closet of our room. Leaving me all confused—what just happened? Did he tease me, or was it my imagination? I thought as I pulled the towel down from my head.
Walking out of the bathroom, I saw Noah sitting on the bed in a white tee and the same sweatpants, giving casual vibes, unlike his usual picture-perfect image. As he heard my footsteps, he looked up from the file he was reading.
A furrow formed on his face as his eyes went toward my feet. "Where are your slippers? The floor is cold. You will get sick putting bare feet on cold surfaces like this."
Before I could reply, he stood up, placed the file on the nightstand, and walked toward the cabinet to get a fluffy slipper for me. Everything happened so fast that I didn't have time to say anything.
He placed the slippers in front of me. "I will ask Butler John to cover the floor with soft carpet so you won't get sick."
"No need. My slippers got wet in the bathroom, that's why I came barefoot. Don't trouble Butler John."
He muttered, "Alright," but his eyes told me otherwise. He walked back, leaving me all nervous. Where the hell am I supposed to sleep? With him on the bed?