Pidi-pada. Pidi-pada.
The footsteps could be heard nearing and the more they sounded, the more nervous she became. Her palms were all sweaty. Thankfully, she was wearing waterproof makeup. Otherwise, the makeup could have been washed off with how flushed and hot she was feeling due to nervousness at the moment.
Moments later, Gloria, who couldn't turn around due to nervousness, felt a breeze passing her, and a cool wood scent filled her nose. Perhaps his shower gel, body lotion or perfume. She didn't know, but she kind of liked it.
Her head unconsciously tilted upwards, catching sight of the man she had been dying to meet even when she was lying in her comma.
Gulp.
She swallowed nervously as she saw the back of the man who held her life in his hands. He was very tall, his back very straight, and that suit was tailored for him. It suited him very well and hugged his muscles pretty well. She gulped once again as to why, only the mind could understand.
But when the man turned around to sit down on the chair, Gloria found herself in a very precarious situation.
Badum. Badum. Badum.
Her heart was racing like crazy and she could feel the heat rising to her face. To make matters worse, her eyes were glued to the man sitting on the chair who looked like an Adonis.
'What a fickle heart!' she scolded herself as she cleared her throat, embarrassed at how shameless she was acting upon seeing a handsome face.
Xander's lips curled upwards the moment he spotted Gloria's reaction.
'You haven't changed! But what more secrets are you hiding, my little fool?' he amusedly thought as he straightened his lips, so that she wouldn't catch that tug of his lips.
Once he was seated, the servants started serving breakfast orderly.
With all the dishes on the table, Gloria raised her head to look at the man who had affected her in many ways she couldn't comprehend and felt ashamed because of it. Considering the fact that she was supposed to be very heartbroken and feeling betrayed. And yet there she was, feeling immense joy because she was sitting with him.
'Why does he affect me so?' she wanted to cry but no tears could come out.
With the food served, all the servants vanished from the room, leaving just Gloria and Xander.
"Are you feeling much better?"
Just as Gloria was feeling shy and abashed at being left in the same room with Xander, his baritone voice rang in her ears, forcing her to shyly raise her head to face the man who was making her feel things she wished she weren't.
"I …. Um … yes, I am feeling much better. Thanks for caring," she stammered a response, picking a glass of water to cool herself.
Xander maintained a cool expression when he heard that and responded, "That's good. You need to take care of yourself. Especially with the condition that you currently have," his tone filled with a bit of concern.
Gloria felt ashamed when she heard that. She was probably the first person to get so sick because of hearing a secret.
Moreover, to be in such a situation in front of Xander, she didn't understand why she was feeling that way.
"I … I will take care of myself. Thank you!" she said nervously, forgetting completely that Xander was part of the reason why she ended up that way.
Xander let out a helpless sigh when he heard that.
'Just how bad did he corrupt you to think that you are always in the wrong?' Xander thought dejectedly at her unexpected reaction.
Thankfully, she was with him now and he was going to boost that confidence and make sure that she treated herself the best way she could.
"I hope you will do as you say. Anyway, let's eat. We can talk further after we pad our bellies," he nonchalantly said, his words more of a statement than that of starting a discussion.
Gloria nodded, acquiescing. After all, she was hungry. She didn't eat properly yesterday because of all the drama and she was now feeling it.
The two ate their meal in complete silence and Gloria found the food very difficult to swallow. She could barely raise her head to look at the man sitting in front of her.
She didn't know what she ate and how she swallowed. She simply stopped eating when she saw him putting his spoon to the side.
"I am full!" she said, her words barely a whisper, but he heard her right.
Xander rang the bell and the servants, who were nowhere to be found, reappeared and moments later, the table was wiped clean.
After that, two maids returned with digestive tea. Something that Gloria found pretty much amazing. It was a tea that she was forced to drink after every meal and at this very moment, she found this tea very amazing.
It came at the right time.
After gulping down the tea, Xander rose to his feet and started walking, taking large strides with his long legs.
As he was passing her, his voice rang once again in her ears. "Follow me. we have so much to talk about!" before continuing with his journey.
When Gloria came to her senses, she was tailing Xander, with her fingers entangled like a shy child. She couldn't raise her head and yet she was following him closely. The woody scent was simply too intoxicating and calming for her not to follow.
The two ended in the study, which was very large. There was an oak desk in front of her, enormous bookshelves plastered against the walls and above all the floor-to-ceiling window, gave the study a wonderful atmosphere. It didn't seem boring to stay in that place.
Xander didn't sit on the main chair like she expected but on one of the guest chairs and gestured for her to sit across from him.
Gloria did so, and placed her hands on her knees while waiting for the man to say a word.
Moments later, Xander who failed to hear Gloria uttering a single word, could only sigh inwardly while maintaining his coolness and opened his mouth to say something.
"How do you want to deal with your husband?" and he started by asking the hot topic.
Rather than boiling the frog in warm water, he was the kind who preferred getting straight to the point.
It was better for him to hurt her badly in the beginning and give her happiness for the rest of her life.
Surely when Gloria heard that, her eyes reddened as she remembered the events that transpired in this past week.
In order to give the clan an investment, the clan leader, Xander asked for her. In order to maintain the clan's reputation, she was lulled to divorce her husband, and she foolishly did so. She was brought to the Frost clan where she was treated so well that she suspected everything that they did.
On the second day of arrival, she learnt the truth behind the contract and the reason for the exchange and it made her have epilepsy. Very funny, right?
Upon waking up, she went to confront her ex-husband. Only to discover the shocking truth that her former husband had been having an affair with her baby sister. The whole family knew about it, and so did the clan. Only she was the fool.
Sia was pregnant with the man she had loved her entire life. He fooled her. She never slept with him, and all those examinations she went through, feeling sorry for being unable to give Simon a child, were all a joke on his part.
After all that drama, she was finally in this study, hoping that Xander would help her avenge this humiliation.
When everything returned, she looked tearfully at Xander, her fists clenched. She knew that what she was about to say wasn't something that she would have said, even if a knife had been placed on her neck. But after that nightmare that sent shivers down her spine whenever she thought about it, she didn't have a way out.
Only by doing so would she perhaps survive this cruel world.
So, what if she got humiliated in the process?
It wasn't like she hadn't suffered enough because of that.
Xander saw the glint of resolution flickering in Gloria's eyes. To be honest, he didn't know what the other was thinking or planning.
The Gloria she knew was meek, weak and easily influenced. Otherwise, they wouldn't be at this stage and sitting with each other right now.
She was someone who lived her life, pleasing others. He didn't know if he should say she was compassionate or stupid. Either way, he just hoped that she would brave up and live the way she was supposed to.
Although she was taking baby steps. It wasn't time for growing slowly. She needed a boost and to grow up quickly. Only that way could she move greater heights.
While lost in such thoughts, her hoarse voice, which still carried a bit of coyness in it, rang in his ears, "I want you to marry me!" and he was stunned by her forwardness.
At most, he expected and thought that she would avenge what they did to her. Make them suffer and whatnot. He really liked watching all that, to be honest, but never in a million years did he expect her to say those words.
Why was she taking words out of his mouth?