“Oh, please. Mr. President!”

Geoffrey, having come back a couple of times to check the situation, finally exploded in frustration.

He declared he would handle everything himself and not to question or interfere with what had been done that day, then practically chased Edward out and slammed the door behind him.

Bang!

Edward stood dumbfounded outside the research lab.

He was torn between the unfinished work that weighed on his mind and staying would only be a hindrance to Geoffrey.

As he stood there indecisively, he made eye contact with a researcher who had stepped out for a break.

The researcher, upon seeing the president, gave an awkward smile and quickly retreated back into the lab.

Edward sighed with a mix of embarrassment and frustration.

“Alright. I should go.”

It was time to face what awaited him.

With a heavy heart, he walked to his car, hands covering his face and head bowed.

The workday had been utterly unproductive.

He was exhausted and irritated. It had been a tough day, compounded by more tough circumstances.

Louisa would be waiting at home, likely to bring up the topic of separation again.

He didn’t want to hear it.

But it was something that had to be confronted eventually. If not, tomorrow would be the same.

He sincerely wished this was all just a dream.

Arriving home, Edward lingered outside the front door.

The excessive caffeine caused a severe headache. Instead of massaging his throbbing head, he reached for the door handle.

Just then, the door unexpectedly swung open.

“Oh, Mr. President!”

It was Rachel who appeared. Startled, Edward stepped back as she greeted him cheerfully.

“I thought I heard the engine, so I came out. It’s chilly, please come in!”

With a throbbing head and pounding heart, Edward forced himself to walk inside.

As Rachel took his coat, she informed him,

“Mrs. Allen is in the upstairs study. Dinner will be ready around 7, and Mrs. Johnson said tonight’s menu is lobster bisque.”

“Okay. I’ll handle the rest, you can go.”

Edward headed straight to his room upstairs, mentally rehearsing the conversation he planned to have with Louisa. He would start by admitting he had been harsh the day before, then gently lead into questioning her reasons…

Just then, Louisa, exiting the study, greeted him.

“You’re home early.”

At that, Edward’s mind went blank.

Louisa.

His lips, which had been moving fine until then, suddenly wouldn’t part.

Right. He had come home early. Worry about her had made it impossible to work. So today had been incredibly tough for him…

The words he wanted to say poked at the inside of his mouth.

“Finish up your work first. We can talk over dinner. I’ll make sure we finish by dinner time, so I won’t disturb you.”

Louisa’s voice was calm, unlike the day before. With those words, she passed by him.

Edward turned to stop her. Her luscious blonde hair swayed with each step.

Wait, Louisa. Please, talk to me.
But at that moment, Edward, who was reaching out to her, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

An inexplicable awkwardness.

He watched his wife descending the stairs, etching her figure in his eyes. He stood there, dazed, until Louisa was out of sight, and then he finally realized.

There was no need for deep thought.

He was truly unfamiliar with the sight of her from behind.

“……When did her hair get so long?”

Thud, Edward lay down on his bed.

Even in the days when she was the young lady of the Aberitt family, her hair was as long as it is now.

But as she had to juggle time between work and other responsibilities, keeping long hair wasn’t feasible.

It was difficult to maintain and, frankly, her hair could be sold for money.

Every time he saw her shortened hair, Edward felt unbearably guilty.

So, on the day he received his first contract payment from his research, he told her to grow her hair again.

Hair doesn’t grow overnight, so Louisa must have been growing it out for quite some time.

Yet, he had not noticed it, even though he saw her every day.

The reason was simple.

He had never seen her from behind.

So, he didn’t know how her soft golden hair waved, or how slender her back was.

How could this happen while living under the same roof? Even Edward found it puzzling.

But the answer was obvious.

He always left the room before Louisa.

“Ha, I guess I have a right to be angry.”

Maybe she was so angry that she blurted out the idea of separation impulsively. Perhaps this breakup was just a spur-of-the-moment thing.

‘No. Louisa isn’t someone who acts on impulse.’

He knew how careful and deliberate his wife was.

Taking Louisa’s words at face value was always the right approach. She wasn’t one to sugarcoat or lie.

‘Maybe she’s really sick of living with an enemy.’

He swallowed the surging emotions inside.

After a while, the faint sound of the grandfather clock from the first floor reached him.

Edward listened to all seven chimes before finally getting up from the bed.

Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me

One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.

Synopsis:

Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.

But this is still far from enough.

He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.

_____

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