Early the next morning, Clara slowly opened her eyes while resting against the headboard. Sunlight had already filled the room. Leonardo still hadn't returned, and she hadn't even met the man she had married.
Part of her finally relaxed, but the heavy feeling in her chest remained.
An uneasy feeling stayed with her the entire time, like something terrible was waiting for her ahead. After Clara walked downstairs, one of the bodyguards approached and silently led her toward the dining room.
The dining room connected directly to the kitchen. The moment Clara stepped inside, she noticed a tall man walking out of the kitchen while carrying breakfast.
The instant she recognized Douglas, she immediately turned around to leave. Before she could take another step, he deliberately called out to her.
"Good morning, cousin-in-law."
His voice sounded gentle and pleasant, yet there was still a teasing tone hidden underneath it. The bodyguard standing nearby quietly shook his head to himself. Even he couldn't understand why their young master kept pretending in front of his wife.
The moment Clara saw Douglas, disgust immediately rose inside her. She truly couldn't understand why he spent so much time inside his cousin's home without any proper reason.
"Good morning," Clara replied while adjusting her glasses.
After that, she turned toward the bodyguard behind her.
"Your young master still isn't here?"
The bodyguard secretly glanced toward Leonardo, whose face remained completely expressionless.
No matter what, he could only continue lying.
"The young master hasn't recovered yet. He's still staying in the hospital."
Clara looked simple and naïve on the surface, but that only happened because Karen had suppressed her ever since childhood and never allowed her abilities to show.
Over time, Clara learned to hide her true thoughts and strength just to protect herself.
The bodyguard's awkward excuse didn't fool her at all.
Even so, she simply nodded.
"I see. Then can I visit him at the hospital?"
"This isn't the right time," the bodyguard answered, even though the lie was obvious.
It became obvious to Clara that Leonardo truly disliked her and had no interest in seeing her at all. Leonardo calmly set the breakfast down on the dining table before looking at her.
"Are you going to eat breakfast?"
The moment Clara came downstairs earlier, she realized there wasn't a single chef anywhere inside the villa. Did he make all of this himself?
"What is it?" Leonardo asked while walking closer to her. "Are you scared I poisoned the food?"
A dark and heavy look filled his eyes, and just meeting his gaze made Clara feel uneasy.
Without thinking, Clara took a step backward.
"Thank you for making breakfast, but I'm not hungry."
After saying that, she quickly turned around and walked out of the room. Once she stepped outside, she ran into the same bodyguard who had escorted her to the hall the night before.
"Can you drive me home? I need to pick up some things."
She hadn't brought anything with her yesterday. She still needed clothes and other personal belongings from home. On the way there, Clara had already noticed that the villa sat halfway up a mountain. She could walk back if she had no other choice, but the trip would take too much time.
The bodyguard didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked behind her first.
When Clara turned around, she saw Douglas walking out as well. Both of his hands rested casually inside the pockets of his tailored pants while he slowly made his way toward her.
"So you want to go back home to grab some belongings? I can take you there myself. There's no need to bother anyone else."
Before Clara could react, he casually placed an arm around her shoulder.
Clara immediately brushed his hand away, and disgust filled her face.
"No, thanks."
She truly couldn't figure him out. Just yesterday, he mocked her appearance and called her ugly. Yet today, he kept finding reasons to stay close to her.
"Ma'am, why don't you just let him drive you back?" the bodyguard hurriedly suggested.
After going back and forth for a while, Clara eventually ended up leaving with Douglas.
During the drive, he suddenly leaned close to her ear and lowered his voice.
"You're surprisingly soft and warm."
Clara instantly grew tense. Afraid he might say or do something even worse, she stayed completely silent for the rest of the ride. Inside the quiet car, she tightened her seatbelt and kept her eyes fixed ahead. She didn't even dare turn toward Douglas once.
Leonardo quietly watched every reaction she made, and his interest in her slowly deepened. Even though Clara looked plain and ordinary, there was still something proper and restrained about her.
At first, he only wanted to joke around and provoke her for fun. However, the way she reacted made him notice more things about her, so he decided to continue pretending and see how much he could uncover.
The black car slowly came to a stop outside the Jarrett family villa. Clara reached for her seatbelt and prepared to get out, but Leonardo suddenly leaned closer from beside her. His long fingers lightly pressed against the dark buckle before the seatbelt released with a soft click.
His face looked dangerously attractive from up close. The moment he leaned near her, Clara's thoughts completely stalled. Her mind became strangely quiet, and before she realized it, warmth spread across her face. Confusion flickered behind her glassy eyes as she looked at him.
A face like his could easily make any woman lose herself.
Still, Clara quickly remembered everything he had done yesterday, and the softness in her gaze disappeared at once. To her, he was nothing more than a childish man who kept chasing things he couldn't have.
Clara lifted her chin and adjusted her glasses. Her face returned to its usual calm expression.
"I'm getting out now."
Leonardo narrowed his eyes immediately, and a trace of irritation flashed through them.
Clara noticed the sudden change in his mood and hurried to open the car door. Before she could leave, a hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
His grip was firm, and his long arm wrapped around her closely enough that it almost looked like he was holding her in an embrace. Anyone looking from outside would probably misunderstand the situation completely.
Behind Clara's glasses, her clear eyes met his directly. Leonardo stared into them before speaking slowly on purpose.
"I personally brought you home. Don't I at least deserve a thank you?"
Clara lowered her head a little, and her body trembled faintly. "Thank you," she whispered softly.
Most of the time, the Jarrett family ignored her whenever she stayed quiet and withdrawn. Clara hoped Douglas would react the same way and finally leave her alone.
Instead, Leonardo's eyes slowly darkened while staring at her slightly opened lips.
"Hm. That thank you doesn't sound honest at all. Looks like I'll have to collect it myself."
The moment those words left his mouth, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers.
While kissing her, only one thought crossed his mind. She was his legal wife. Why should he hold himself back from kissing her?
Clara froze the instant his face moved close to hers. She quickly raised both hands to push him away, but before she could do anything, he firmly caught her wrists.
After the kiss ended, Leonardo slowly pulled away from her lips, though the desire in his eyes still hadn't faded.
That felt better than I expected. I should definitely do it again next time. Once he regained his usual calm expression, he spoke in a firm and commanding tone. "Take those glasses off. If you keep wearing them, I might end up kissing you every single time I see you."
He purposely lowered his voice while saying it. His eyes openly moved across her body without restraint, as though he had already marked her as his.
Before Clara could even answer him, a woman's voice suddenly interrupted the silence inside the car.
"Clara?"
Clara quickly turned toward the half-open car window. Outside, Karen stood frozen in place. Shock and anger filled her eyes at the same time.
"What are you doing here?" Karen asked sharply.
Clara unconsciously tightened her hands, and confusion flashed across her face.
On the very first day after her marriage, another man was openly flirting with her outside her own home, and she had no way to defend herself from the situation.
Even with everything unfolding in front of her, Karen still forced herself to remain composed.
After glancing around and spotting Clara clearly, she coldly said, "Come inside."
Clara hurriedly pushed the car door open and stepped outside. The second her feet touched the ground, Karen grabbed her arm and dragged her straight into the villa.
Unexpectedly, Leonardo leaned halfway out of the car window behind them. His fingers brushed lightly across his lips while a sly smile spread across his face.
"Cousin-in-law, I'll wait for you to come back."
