His Coy Lover

“I know, thank you, Charles. Charles is really good to me.”

Charles hated flattery the most, but listening to her compliments, he surprisingly felt no disgust.

Zelda pushed Charles towards the house.

“Charles.”

“Speak.”

“I want to work.”ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

Charles remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

“You also know about my background. The Roscente Group is my parents’ work. I don’t want to watch their efforts turn into Elle’s. I want to fight for everything that belongs to me.”

After she finished speaking, Charles calmly said, “Women in The Winston are not allowed to work. They have endless money, enjoy boundless luxury, and only need to focus on managing the household, occasionally accompanying their husbands to charity events, always considering the family’s interests in everything.”

“If they want more money, they bear sons and daughters for their husbands. In The Winston, giving birth to a son is rewarded with one million, and giving birth to a daughter is rewarded with five million.”

Zelda was shocked by Winston’s family rules.

“Isn’t this like being princesses in an ivory tower? Becoming tools for producing offspring?”

A reward of one million for a son? No wonder Winston had a booming population; it was the result of such huge incentives.

She glanced at Charles’ unmentionable area, guessing his thoughts. If he looked at her with a gaze from above, she smirked, “I may not be eligible for those rewards, so I need to find a job and have a steady income.”

Charles’ gaze deepened. After a while, he said, “Are you sure you want to compete with Elle?”

“Why not? You said it yourself; whether I compete or not, my existence is a threat to her. Since that’s the case, I might as well openly compete with her. I don’t believe I, the true daughter of Roscente, can’t surpass the adopted daughter of Roscente.”

Zelda’s eyes were determined, mixed with resentment.

Charles noticed the hatred in her eyes when she mentioned Elle but just looked at her for a moment without saying anything.

“Charles, my father insisted on asking for your opinion. Only if you agree, he will let me work at The Roscente. Can you give me an answer now?”

Suppressing the hatred for Elle, Zelda looked straight at Charles.

She couldn’t help but admit that her Charles was really handsome. If he hadn’t lost the use of his legs, becoming a paraplegic, making him non-human and non-ghost, she wouldn’t have had the chance to pick him up.

Charles noticed her increasingly strange gaze towards him, scanning down occasionally. He understood what she was thinking and suddenly reached out to beckon her over. In a low voice, he said, “Come closer; let me whisper to you. Don’t let others hear and spread it to my grandmother. It won’t be good for you.”

Zelda leaned in, saying, “Aren’t we in a hidden marriage now? Your family doesn’t know our true relationship.”

Thinking she was brought back by him for revenge, she suddenly felt a warm touch on her cheek. Charles had flicked her forehead twice, and his force was strong, making it hurt.

Zelda stood up straight, rubbing the sore spot on her forehead while glaring at him. She was annoyed at herself for being fooled so many times.

“This is a punishment for thinking about things you shouldn’t.”

“Charles, I’m not heartless. Unlike you… I mean, you’re really handsome. I like you so much. My liking for you is like the surging River, unstoppable. My liking for you is as deep as the ocean, impossible to measure. I…”

Being looked at with a seemingly smiling yet not smiling expression, Zelda couldn’t continue.

“Why stop? I was enjoying it. Keep going; let me enjoy it some more.”

Zelda giggled.

Charles, amused by her laughter, suddenly lifted his right hand to press down on the smile forming on his lips.

“Charles, can I go to work?” Zelda hadn’t forgotten her question.

Charles saw Tommy entering with Monday’s guidance from outside, finally giving Zelda a proper answer.

“That belongs to you. If you want to fight, I, as your husband, will naturally stand behind you. Do whatever you want with confidence; you don’t need to worry about The Winston’s family rules. If one day our marital relationship is exposed, and they try to restrict you with the family rules, I will protect you!”

He looked at Zelda again and said, “Even if the sky falls, I’ll be there to support you. But if you can’t win back what belongs to you…” He thought for a moment, unable to find a harsh enough phrase, and finally said, “If you lose, come back and cry to me. I will make sure justice is served for you.”

Having married her, regardless of the quality of their marital relationship, she was his wife. He could protect her. Anyone who bullied her, he could help her seek justice.

Zelda was moved by his commitment.

In her past life, she had rejected his marriage proposal, suffered retribution, and ended up in a miserable state. At that time, he had extended a friendly hand to help her, and she realized he wasn’t as heartless as he appeared.

The reality proved that he was indeed a good man, though with a truly bad temper. When he was angry, he was quick to show it.

“Charles, I will definitely guard everything that belongs to me!” Zelda’s eyes were determined.

Charles, seeing her so moved just now, thought she might give him a kiss, but unexpectedly, she just gave him a few words.

Glancing at her red lips, Charles silently looked away, feeling an indescribable sense of loss deep inside.

Damn it! Why did he feel a sense of loss?

Out of the blue, he felt a warm touch on one side of his cheek. He abruptly turned his head and saw her reflexively standing up straight, blushing. As he looked at her, she shyly said, “Charles, your profile is also handsome. I can’t help but resist.”

Seeing him remain silent, Zelda thought he was upset about her kissing him again and quickly added, “If you feel like you’re at a loss, I’ll kiss you back. You can kiss me as many times as you want, alright?”

Charles: …

Monday brought Tommy over.

Zelda quickly returned to her usual state, standing behind Charles with both hands on the wheelchair, facing the same direction as Charles.

Charles remained composed.

The couple, one sitting and the other standing, gave the illusion of a harmonious relationship. However, for Tommy, it felt like red rain in the sky. Charles actually allowed a strange woman to stand behind him. Not to mention his bad temper after the accident; even before that, he didn’t like women other than his family getting close to him.

Even The Beauty’s boss had secretly admired him for many years, spending years gaining his approval to become his confidante.