Alana continued stirring the food before her, occasionally turning her head. It had been more than ten minutes since she had been waiting for Leo, but her husband was still lingering in his office with his loyal assistant, Pedro.

"Ugh, my stomach won't stop growling," Alana grumbled.

However, she saw Leo coming out with Pedro pushing his wheelchair, heading towards the dining table where Alana was seated. Pedro positioned Leo right next to Alana, which caused Leo to give Pedro an irritated look. Pedro realized his mistake and was about to pull Leo's wheelchair back, but Alana stopped him first.

"It's better if you stay here. That way, I can serve you more easily," Alana said, holding the side of Leo's wheelchair.

"I don't need your help. Pedro was going to—" Leo started to say.

"Mr. Pedro, I'm sure you haven't had lunch either, right? Please, sit with us," Alana said, giving Pedro a threatening look. Pedro understood the signal; Alana was subtly telling him to leave.

"Uh, no, thank you, ma'am. I'm more comfortable having lunch by myself," Pedro replied, and Leo shot him another sharp glance.

"It's better if you sit, Pedro. I don't want to die a gruesome death alone here," Leo said, causing Alana to purse her lips. She understood the implications of his words, and Pedro didn't want to argue anymore. He chose to sit with them.

"Tsk, there's no way I would kill you so quickly," Alana said irritably, making Pedro and Leo turn their attention to her due to her bold statement.

"So, you really want to kill me?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Isn't that what's been on your mind? Besides, I wouldn't kill you before I get what's rightfully mine."

"What's rightfully yours?" Leo asked, puzzled.

"Yes, what's rightfully mine. It's been a week since we got married, but you haven't touched me at all," Alana answered, feigning a sad expression. Pedro, who overheard this, nearly choked on his saliva. Leo was right; Alana was even more audacious than they had thought.

"Don't expect me to touch you," Leo growled, making Alana pout in annoyance.

"Sure, whatever. I'll wait. I'm a patient person."

Initially, Alana had wanted to enjoy lunch with her husband, but Leo's decision frustrated her a bit. Anyway, she could treat Pedro as if he didn't exist. Alana started to scoop rice and various side dishes for Leo. But then.

"Is this rice not poisoned?" Leo asked again as he was about to scoop food into his mouth. Alana looked at him and quickly reached out to stop his hand, which was holding the spoon, directing it away from his mouth.

"You see, I'm eating it myself, so it's definitely safe," Alana said with her mouth full, which was quite endearing. Unconsciously, Leo pursed his lips ever so slightly, and while it was just a minor change, Pedro noticed Leo's expression shift.

"Do you want me to taste your drink first?" Alana offered, causing Leo to move his drink further away from her.

"No, I don't want to drink from a glass that has been touched by your lips."

"Tsk, come on, my husband. I even kissed your sweet lips before. You didn't—"

"That's enough." Leo cut her off and turned to look at Pedro. He was sure his secretary was struggling to suppress his laughter.

"Pedro, I think you can have lunch at the office. There's a lot of work waiting for you there," Leo said, causing Pedro to stand up.

"Very well, Sir. Excuse me," Pedro said, bowing to Leo and Alana before leaving.

Pedro understood Leo's sudden decision to dismiss him. Leo didn't want the woman beside him to keep saying foolish things in front of Pedro, embarrassing him.

"So, what are we going to do today?" Alana asked after they had finished their lunch.

"You can do whatever you want, but don't bother me today," Leo replied, turning his wheelchair around, but Alana, with her stubborn attitude, stopped Leo in his tracks.

"How about you read a book in the backyard? I'll keep you company."

"No."

"Alright, we're going there," Alana said, ignoring Leo's refusal.

"Don't you understand the meaning of the word 'no'?"

"Yeah, you too."

"Hey, crazy woman, stop pushing me."

"No, I won't."

"Are you asking for trouble?" Leo growled because Alana wasn't listening to him at all. She kept pushing Leo and took him to the spacious and cool backyard. Although the sky was clear, a few large trees provided a pleasant shade. Alana positioned Leo next to a garden bench under a tree and sat on a nearby chair.

"Stop confining yourself to your boring office. Once in a while, take in the fresh air around the house. It's good for your health," Alana said. While living with Leo, Alana had felt tired of his tendency to lock himself in his office for hours on end. He could spend more than five hours or even a day there. Alana sometimes wished to drag him away and take him around the mall, but she knew it would shock him too much. So, she opted for a gentle approach, like bringing him to the backyard.

"Stop telling me what to do."

"Fine, I'm not ordering you around. I want to accompany you because I'm bored. So, continue reading, and I won't disturb you. I'll take a nice nap here," Alana said, finally lying on the chair and closing her eyes. Leo could see her peaceful sleeping face.

Leo observed every inch of Alana's face adorned with light makeup. Sometimes he wondered why he had accepted Alana's proposal to marry him. Leo knew that Alana was the henchwoman of his stepmother, Rose. Leo despised Rose for a reason. Since Rose entered his family, their once happy household had crumbled. Leo was confident that all the issues had arisen because of Rose's presence. Rose appeared in his family as his father's second wife. Once Leo learned about this, his mother fell ill frequently and died.

During his school days, Leo didn't suspect Rose much. After all, Rose didn't openly do anything wrong. She even took care of Leo and his father quite well. However, his father's health suddenly declined when Leo entered college, leading to his death. Leo was convinced that Rose had a hand in this. He expelled Rose from his house a month after his father's passing. He didn't want Rose to manipulate him like a puppet.

But Leo wasn't heartless enough to completely abandon Rose. He continued to provide for her needs, motivated by his memories of his father's kindness towards her. Leo didn't want to be blamed for neglecting Rose by his father in the afterlife.

Leo's reverie was interrupted as a gentle breeze rustled the tree above him, causing dry leaves to fall beautifully. A few landed on his lap and stuck to Alana's long hair. Leo extended his hand to pick up the fallen leaves one by one, but his hand stopped just beside Alana's cheek. There was a strong urge within him to stroke Alana's cheek softly. Yet, before he could act on it, he retracted his hand. However, a hand stopped him, and it was Alana's hand.

With her eyes still tightly shut, Alana held Leo's palm that had been near her cheek.

"I know you want to stroke my cheek. Go ahead, I'll pretend to be asleep," Alana said, pressing Leo's hand against her cheek. For some reason, she could feel Leo's thumb moving slowly, caressing her cheek gently.