Elena woke up feeling hot. The big guy was hugging her so tightly that she felt suffocated. She wanted to escape, but Ethan's grip only tightened as she tried to move. Glaring at him, she pushed him away.
Seeing him smile playfully, her annoyance intensified. "You! If you're awake, just say so. Why make me suffer?"
"Wife, so early in the morning, why are you so hot-tempered?" he teased, leaning in to kiss her cheek before claiming her lips.
"Wife, I've been awake for a while. Can I have it?" he said with a suggestive tone.
Elena wanted her day to start fresh and good, but her husband almost ruined her peace. "You've tortured me for a week. Can I take a rest? Please," she said, rolling her eyes.
"Wife, you are too beautiful, and I can't resist. Sigh, next time, you're not allowed to seduce me."
What the heck is he talking about? I've been busy this past week; when did I seduce him?
Elena wanted to justify herself, but looking at his grin, she decided to let it go and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.
Ethan couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction and followed her into the bathroom.
"Ethan, what are you doing?" she exclaimed, almost bursting to get him out.
"I just want to bathe," he promised, but he had other plans deep down.
"Wife, let's hurry up. We have a lot of things to do," he said, making an alibi that time was precious.
Elena almost choked at his words but let it slide. Ethan took her silence as permission and immediately undressed, flexing his well-defined muscles as he asked for soap and shampoo.
Seeing this, Elena felt her knees weaken; her husband was far too irresistible.
"Wife, are you okay? Let me wash you up," Ethan said, seizing the opportunity to get closer. He looked at Elena, who was wearing only her panties, and couldn't help but gulp; he was losing his resolve.
"Wife," he said in a hoarse voice.
Elena wanted to muster her resolve, but she surrendered as he hugged her tightly. Another session of love-making unfolded in the bathroom.
****
"I told you many times, we are at Grandpa's place. And we have a lot to do today. My waist is aching. How are we going to board the plane, then?" Elena glared at her husband, but deep down, she blamed herself for her weak resolve.
You can't blame me; he's way too charming. She blushed, recalling what they had done in the bathroom.
After a couple of minutes, she glared again, needing an outlet for her frustration, and Ethan was the perfect target.
"Wife, don't get angry anymore, okay? How about I carry you with me?" Ethan suggested playfully.
"Enough! Let's get ready. Our flight is late in the morning, so we must arrive early," Elena replied, annoyance creeping into her voice. Thankfully, the well water had worked wonders and lessened her fatigue.
"Okay, okay, okay, don't move. Let's eat here in bed," Ethan said, concern evident in his tone. He had indeed been overdoing it and promised to take things in moderation. He gently kissed her and prepared the table.
Elena's mood lightened, and she summoned the dishes for breakfast. They were enjoying their meal when a cute voice called from outside the door.
"Awntie, are you there?" Mia asked.
Then, a bark followed.
"Aw~awww~awwww," Poochi barked, sounding accusatory.
You forgot about me yesterday, Mistress.
Hearing this, Elena and Ethan quickly finished their meal and opened the door to find Mia holding her cute doll and Poochi looking at them with an accusing expression.
"Little Mia is here with handsome Poochi," Elena said, scooping up Mia in her arms.
Poochi followed them playfully.
Elena looked at Ethan and asked, "Where did Poochi go yesterday? I didn't see him when we entered the mansion."
Ethan glanced at the dog, who seemed to be blaming them, and chuckled. "Don't worry; I think he forgot us when he saw our little cat a while ago. I bet they've been playing together all along."
"Aw~aww~awwww," Poochi replied, as if to say, Don't believe him, Mistress. I played for a while and then slept right after dinner, the old man gave me. Master forgot about me.
"I think Poochi says differently. By the way, should we mark Butler Aki later? He would greatly help Grandpa," Elena suggested while trying to soothe Poochi.
"Hmmp, let's do that," Ethan agreed.
After breakfast, they immediately marked Butler Aki. Elena gave him a box-shaped mark, granting him access to the Southern Inventory. Then, Grandpa Caldwell took him on a tour of the space.
As they prepared to leave, Poochi grew restless, barking because he didn't want to be left behind. Little Mia began to cry, feeling alone without her new friends.
"Okay, you can go to the space with little Mia. You can play there together; I will check on you occasionally," Elena said, trying to reassure them.
"Wife?" Ethan questioned.
"Don't worry, I won't mark them so that they won't take any spiritual energy from the Reserved Energy Tab. They can stay there as long as they want but can't leave. I'll modify Grandpa's mark later to extend his three-hour limitation to unlimited stay and allow him to take anything from space to the outside world, including living things. That way, when Aunt arrives, she won't panic about where her daughter is. Grandpa can take her out. Also, I want to check how much spiritual energy is taken from the Reserved Energy Tab once I bend the rules."
"Okay. Thank you, wife," Ethan said with an appreciative smile.
If only Ethan knew how much Elena loved little Mia, he would be shocked.
"Alright, let's put her dolls in the portable house," Elena suggested.
"Let's go," Ethan replied, eager to help.
Elena carefully placed little Mia, Poochi, and Mimi, their eccentric little cat, inside the portable house.
"You can play here; I'll visit you occasionally," she reassured Mia. Then she turned to her grandfather. "Grandpa, I have already modified your mark." She explained the changes she made to ensure he could access the space freely.
Afterward, they heard Ethan's urgent voice calling from the other room.
"Wife, let's go; we'll be late for the flight!"
"Okay, see you later, Grandpa!" Elena called as they rushed out.
They quickly drove to the airport. Their destination: Seafood City.
****
Following their visit to the police camp, the mercenaries were enveloped in heavy silence. Whispers among them filled the air, recounting the drama they had witnessed. They gossiped in a secluded area, far enough to avoid the ears of the young Miss minions. They painted Trixie as nothing more than a shameless woman, and her reputation as the young miss of the Heather family was shattered by their views.
Every day, the sounds of breaking glass echoed from Trixie's tent, manifesting her desperation. She had taken to destroying her belongings, and Marcus, her loyal bodyguard, didn't intervene. Instead, he had instructed his team to keep their distance, knowing that Trixie needed to vent her anger somehow.
"What do you mean by this? You want us to live in this village after all the waiting GRANDFATHER!" Trixie growled into the phone, her voice trembling with rage.
"You have to enlighten me! I've been here almost a month, thinking the treasure you promised would be mine, and now you want to throw all our efforts away?"
On the other end of the line, Jack Heather also felt frustrated. He had made a significant sacrifice to obtain this treasure, allowing the elder of their clan to use his body and soul as a fair trade, according to Heaven, to gain a comprehensive glimpse into the future.
The result? The treasure was gone, taken by an unknown person, and chaos would soon begin.
"I know you are frustrated, but we can't change anything anymore. What we can do now is prepare. I'll tell you everything once you get back," Jack said, his voice laced with frustration. "Prepare yourself. Marcus will drop you off at Seafood City; your cousin Troy is there to hoard materials. Help him out. Enough whining..."
Before Jack could finish his sentence, he heard a beeping sound; Trixie had abruptly ended the call. He was exasperated.
According to the elder, who had sacrificed his life to glimpse the future of their clan long ago, Trixie was the most promising among the new generation and was meant to be the salvation of their clan.
It was supposed to unfold according to the timeline, but everything changed when Elena returned to the past.
On the other side, a loud scream erupted from Trixie's tent as she unleashed all her pent-up anger.