I was dumbstruck. "What do you mean?" I asked. But immediately, he was enraged.
With a gloomy, furious look, he said, "Are you going to continue keeping up the pretense? Don't you know Sebastian's character? Don't you know why he wants to meet you? Arianna, I thought as a married couple, we could be honest to one another. But why did you hide the fact that you went to meet Sebastian?"
I reckoned that he saw me getting out of Sebastian's car. But Jarold City was big, it was unlikely that he saw me by sheer coincidence, unless...
As I thought about this, I could not help but frown. "When did you get here, actually?"
He seemed disappointed. "This is your only concern?" he said.
I shook my head. "No, Hendrix," I replied. "I know we're husband and wife and that we' re not supposed to hide anything from each other. But we're two separate individuals and we have our own thoughts. I know Sebastian is a wolf in sheep' s clothing and that he's unreliable. But that doesn't mean I have something to hide from you. I have my personal reasons for meeting him. Trust me!" He frowned, clearly displeased with my reply.
After he collected himself, he looked at me and said, "Alright then. I respect your privacy. Just share with me whenever you're ready."
After that, he started the car and drove off. He remained intently focused on driving and did not look at me at all, like a teenager throwing a tantrum.
When we arrived at the company, he was still sullen. After parking the car, he headed straight for the office without uttering a single word. He did not turn around to look at me at all.
I felt a little awkward as I tailed after him. All eyes were on us as we entered the office. They were surprised to see me walking behind him.
We arrived at the special elevator for the President's use only. As soon as the door opened, Hendrix went in. The door then closed immediately. I did not manage to get it!
I was startled when that happened. I noticed all eyes were on me. Momentarily, I felt extremely embarrassed and could hear people gossiping.
"Is Mr. Roberts in an argument with his wife? How awkward that she got dumped outside the elevator by him!" "I know! It's hard to please Mr. Roberts. He has always been standoffish in the office. I've never expected that he would give his wife the cold shoulder too. I guess it’s not easy being a rich man's wife. It could be humbling and humiliating at times."
"Yes, indeed. The wealthy are spoilt for choice. To them, marriage is akin to getting a beautiful nanny who would please and look after them. I don't think they have any notion of true love. They' re merely looking for comfort."
"That's right. You can tell from period TV shows how Kings never held concubines in high regard. Indeed, we have long striven for gender equality. However, no point mentioning gender equality when it comes to such a wealthy man."
As I stood in front of the elevator, I overheard those conversations. These women were extremely nosy, even going to the extent of comparing me with ancient concubines! I felt dejected. Perhaps Hendrix did not hold me in high regard after all...
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