The drowsy Leslie was unable to immediately react to anything. Still rubbing her eyes, she took a clearer look at Calix. The man in the flashy burgundy suit was still laughing at her.
What was so funny?
Was her hair so messy?
Shaking her head, Leslie ignored how she might possibly look right now. She was more focused on why Calix appeared in her room in the morning.
"...you're going to work now?" asked Leslie after coughing a few times. She casually ran her fingers through her long hair, trying to smoothen the tangles a little.
"Yeah, I have a few meetings," Calix shrugged nonchalantly. His lips curled into a lopsided grin, "I might return at four."
"Okay," Leslie nodded once. A yawn escaped her lips. She quickly covered her mouth, "I'll wait here. It's not like I have somewhere I can go."
Leslie stayed up until late last night. She tried to sleep but, her brain kept her awake. Even if she didn't want to overthink, countless scenarios and questions popped into her mind.
Not only did Leslie wonder about Calliope's whereabouts, but she also was curious about the Li family. By meeting Charlene's family, she might be able to understand the situation more.
Descriptions about them in the novel were a mere fraction compared to what was truly happening.
Calix put both hands inside the pockets of his pants. His long and slender legs were accentuated by the slim cut. The vest and the coat also emphasized the broadness of his chest and narrow waist.
Tilting her head, a question came out of Leslie's mouth, "Didn't you say you're going to the office? Why so bold ah?"
Calix smiled smugly, "Red is the auspicious color for a marriage, right? This is our second day of being married. Shouldn't I wear this instead of dark colors?"
"...up to you."
Leslie wondered what Calix's thought process was.
All this time, she had been imagining young and handsome CEOs wearing their dark-colored suits. Even the domineering CEOs in the dramas mostly wore black.
Black was a color of mystery and elegance. It suited well with the drop-dead gorgeous men.
The deadpan look on Leslie's face made Calix slightly embarrassed. He coughed once before stating the real reason he came looking for her.
"Don't you want any breakfast? You can't eat anything without me around you, isn't it? I'll be gone until the afternoon."
"Huh?"
Perplexed, Leslie unconsciously widened her gaze. Calix's casual expression was reflected in her almond eyes.
Under Leslie's confused look, Calix spoke again.
"Aunt Wendy usually made half-boiled eggs and sandwiches for me. I'll bring them up for you if you want them."
Before Calix got out of his room, his thoughts wandered to Leslie. Thinking that he would be away from home for quite long hours, he decided to wake her up just so she could have a meal.
Leslie mentioned that her hunger and sleepiness would come later than normal humans but, Calix was still worried. He didn't want to return home to the starving soul of his newly wedded wife.
What if... the mansion ended up being haunted by a hungry ghost?
Cough!
Calix didn't actually mean that. He was serious about keeping Leslie well-fed before he had to leave for work. She would be so pitiful if she had to endure her hunger.
Leslie smiled in helplessness. Shaking her head, she refused the offer, "It's okay. I'm still full. I think I just need to eat once a day instead of the usual amount."
"Really?" Calix raised his brows in skepticism.
"Yes," Leslie nodded twice, "Go to work. I'll just be here."
Calix was still unconvinced. He asked again. This time he shot more questions.
"Are you sure? You really don't want to eat? How about having some milk? Fruits?"
Leslie burst out laughing. The remains of her sleepiness disappeared. Her giggles caught Calix off guard.
"What? What's so funny?"
"Hehe, I didn't expect you're such a worrywart," Leslie slid down the bed before standing on the floor. Still laughing, she said further, "I'll eat before we go to your ancestral home. It's already enough for me."
Calix exhaled a sigh, "Since you say so, I won't force you."
"You're not forcing me. I know you're simply being concerned," Leslie chuckled, "Still, thanks."
Calix shrugged. Spinning around on his heels, he walked toward the door.
"I'll try to return before four. Oh, don't only stay in this room. Go and explore it if you want."
Calix's words passed his shoulders, reaching Leslie. Her smile softened.
Hehe, once again CEO Xu proved how good of a man he was. Instead of leaving the mansion without saying anything, he dropped by her room just to get her to have breakfast.
Even though Leslie really was not hungry now, she was still touched by Calix's consideration.
"Alright. Thanks again, Calix. Bye-bye."
Calix paused his steps at the door. Glancing briefly at Leslie, he smiled faintly, "See you later. Bye."
Once Calix reached the kitchen, he bumped into Aunt Wendy who had just come out of the laundry room.
"Aunt Wendy, please prepare my portion for lunch today," said Calix while sitting at the kitchen island. He rarely had breakfast in the dining room.
"Oh? You won't have lunch at your office today, Mr. Calix?" asked Aunt Wendy, slightly confused.
"Yes. I'll return early today. My grandma told me to have dinner with the family tonight."
Calix took a bite of the sandwich. In a short moment, he recalled eating egg fried rice with Leslie last night. A corner of his lips curved upward.
"Okay," Aunt Wendy asked nothing anymore. Her eyes widened as a thought struck her mind, "Mr. Calix, did you take care of Mrs. Charlene last night? You didn't call me for help at all."
"..."
Calix was thoroughly grateful that Aunt Wendy's question came right after he swallowed the food. If not, he might have choked right now.
Aunt Wendy didn't specify what kind of care but, Calix understood her meaning full well.
"T-that... I actually... haa... yes, I took care of her."
Unable to come up with any excuses, Calix admitted defeat and played along with Aunt Wendy. His shoulders slumped down.
Seemed like he would be late to work today.
No matter what, he needed to clear some things up with her.
How handsome our CEO Xu will look in his burgundy outfit? :3
My new book is up now! Please show your support :) Thank you!
In his thirty-two years of life, Calix thought today was the most exhausting one for him. Without finishing his breakfast, he ran back to meet Leslie.
If he wanted to have a peaceful day at work, he needed to clarify these few things with her.
Fortunately, Leslie was being considerate of him. She understood why Calix told Aunt Wendy that he had been taking care of her hygienic matters, including changing the diapers worn by her body.
But, her face still reddened in shame when he first brought it up.
"Tell Aunt Wendy not to worry about it. Because it's my body, I can freely touch it even without you around. I'll take care of it myself."
Calix vehemently nodded. Then, he quickly rushed to the office. Oh, not before he told Aunt Wendy that he would discuss taking care of Leslie in detail with her later.
When Leslie was still in the Li family's ancestral home, two caretakers were arranged to handle her needs.
Aside from making sure she remained in a hygienic state, they also massaged her limbs and frequently changed her position on the bed.
Due to them getting married in haste, Calix had forgotten about the important matter.
Sigh, were these the signs of him getting older?
But, why did no one from the Li family remind him about the important matter?
Ah, forget it. He shouldn't blame someone else.
Once he got home this afternoon, he needed to...
Tap.
"..."
Calix's memory of this chaotic morning shattered when Edward poked his back with a file. Glancing at his personal assistant, he shot one brow upward.
"What? Did you knock on the door?"
Currently, Calix was standing facing the floor-to-ceiling windows of his office, taking a break after completing two meetings back-to-back. His mood was not good as he left the meeting room.
Calix almost turned into a red fire-breathing dragon due to the unsatisfactory results from both meetings.
With an impassive expression, Edward replied, "Boss Xu, I knocked thrice yet received no response. I thought you were sleeping."
Calix narrowed his eyes. He grabbed the file in Edward's hands, lest this ungrateful personal assistant would poke his waist with it again.
"I'll go home now," Calix scanned the documents brought by Edward. It was related to one of the previous meetings, "Don't disturb me unless it's really necessary. My grandma told me to have dinner with the Li family."
Edward briefly looked at his wristwatch, "It's only two-thirty. You already wanna go home? Isn't dinner at seven?"
As someone who worked closely with Calix, Edward memorized even the little details of his boss' schedule. He was aware of the family dinner between the Xu family and the Li family tonight.
Calix tossed the file back to Edward. With a sly grin, he remarked, "Shouldn't a newly married man return home early? I need to build a harmonious home with my wife ah."
Edward didn't hide his skepticism. He bluntly pointed out, "How can you build such a harmonious home when your wife is in a coma? Boss Xu, don't tell me... did you talk by yourself when you visited Mrs. Xu's room?"
"...shut up."
Calix was so tempted to tell Edward that he already shared a meal with Leslie but, surely his personal assistant would think him crazy.
Edward shrugged, seemingly unbothered by his boss' glare. Looking at Calix from head to toe, he said, "I heard many female staff have their hearts broken. I thought your marriage would only disappoint the young missus."
As a considerate and capable chief personal assistant for the company's CEO, Edward announced Calix's marriage through the internal networking system. The forum exploded with various kinds of replies to the post.
Aside from congratulatory words, some of them requested to know who their lady boss was. The others lamented the loss of one of the most eligible bachelors in the country.
To avoid people making up rumors, Edward refrained from telling who was their CEO's newly wedded wife. He only said to wait until CEO Xu disclosed it himself.
"If I care about their hearts, I won't ever get married."
While responding to Edward's words nonchalantly, Calix grabbed his phone from the work desk. He immediately headed out of the CEO's office. His personal assistant quickly tailed from behind.
Edward silently admitted the truth in Calix's words. His boss was so swamped with blind date arrangements by his grandmother. To avoid it any further, he picked someone not from the list.
But...
Why did his boss specifically tell him to find information about Lady Charlene Li? He couldn't help but wonder if the two of them had already met before.
Edward pressed his lips together, stopping himself from bringing up his curiosity. He believed he would get the answer sooner or later.
As soon as Calix walked passing the secretarial department, a few pairs of eyes were drawn to his tall frame clad in the burgundy three-piece suit.
"Sigh... CEO Xu is as handsome as ever oh. He looks so good in that bold color."
"I wonder who's his bride. She's surely a beauty, right? Aw~ Their babies will be blessed with good looks!"
"But... why did the CEO get married so suddenly? Did he hide his girlfriend before?"
The secretaries' questions mirrored almost every busybody employee inside the building. They discreetly took photos of their devilishly charming CEO before spreading them to their friends in other departments.
Calix was ignorant of what his employees were doing. He couldn't help but think about Leslie, wondering if she had turned into a hungry ghost.
"Has she explored the house? She couldn't possibly stay inside the bedroom all day, huh?"
Calix's whispers were too low. Edward could only hear inaudible echoes coming from him.
"Oh, cousin. Where are you heading to?"
The familiar voice of someone unpleasant pricked into Calix's mind. With a heavy heart, he glanced in the direction where the sound came.
A young man was smiling at him yet, malice was clear in his eyes.
An annoying bug makes his appearance!
My new book is up now! Please show your support :) Thank you!
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT