Chapter 80
With his head lowered, Marcus placed a soft kiss on Cordelia’s smooth forehead. “Wifey, do you know what an athlete must do before a competition?”
Her bright eyes were filled with curiosity as she shook her head innocently.
Marcus smirked and whispered into her ear, “Stay abstinent.”
Cordelia froze, her eyes wide in surprise.
“If you let your feelings take over, your limbs will weaken in the fighting ring, and you’ll lose the match,” Marcus continued. “So, you’re the one to blame.”
He gave her a playful look as he gently played with her flushed earlobe. “I can’t hold back when I see you. We’re together every day… How am I supposed to stay abstinent?”
Cordelia glared at him coquettishly, her beautiful eyes sparkling with mischief. It was always men with poor self-control who blamed it on women—how unfair!
She bit her lip softly, feigning reluctance, but what she did only seemed to tempt him more. A burning desire flooded through Marcus, pushing him to lose control.
With a grin, he pressed her onto the couch.
“What are you doing?” Cordelia protested gently, trying to move. “Didn’t you say you had to stay abstinent?”
“Training starts tomorrow,” Marcus replied quickly, removing his bathrobe with ease. “No abstinence… for tonight!”
…
“Z, did you hear what I said?” Fredric’s voice trembled with panic, sweat dripping down his forehead. “Say something!”
Startled, Marcus snapped out of his thoughts. He coughed softly and got up from the long chair, walking slowly toward the floor-to-ceiling window.
The work report from the five consortiums in Chaiseland had been completed, but he hadn’t heard a single word. This was the first time he had been so distracted during an important event like this. His mind kept drifting back to the image of the young lady.
Marcus pinched the space between his eyebrows and asked in a low voice, “What time is it?”
Fredric blinked in confusion. “5:00 p.m.”
Marcus corrected him with a tone that reflected his preoccupation. “I mean… in Jangasas.”
Fredric sighed in disbelief, tossing the documents onto the table. “Boss, the time difference between Ricos and Jangasas is eight hours. Can’t you calculate that yourself?”
“Oh, he’s just being straightforward!” Josiah chuckled. “It’s midnight over there. She’s probably in dreamland!”
A slight change in Marcus’s expression revealed his concern. Was she really asleep? Could she truly fall asleep without him by her side? The nights had been difficult for him ever since he arrived in Ricos.
Josiah continued, his grin widening. “Z, you’re really something. You’re here in Ricos for the financial report, yet you lied to her about intense training for a competition… Only you could pull off a lie like that! So what lie will you tell her when you come back here again?”
Fredric gave Marcus a pointed look. “Not just Ricos, but also Centrolis. You’ll be traveling all over the world. Z, if you take over the Hamertons in the future, you won’t be able to hide your identity anymore. Are you planning to lie to her for the rest of your life?”