Chapter 5

Once we were in the car, I called the driver and didn't let Ryder drive.

He didn't argue, just sat beside me in the back seat.

But there was still a person’s width between us.

I asked softly, “Ryder, are you angry with me?”

He curved his lips ever so slightly.

A self-deprecating chuckle, “How could I dare.”

Those four words sent an overwhelming wave of guilt washing over me.

In my previous life, controlled by the story’s influence, my parents couldn't stop me and watched as I married Julian.

I tirelessly propped up his company with my family’s wealth, never complaining.

Because Ryder always competed with Julian, always poaching his projects.

I came to see him as my arch-nemesis.

In those ten years of my previous life, the few times we met, I was always cold and dismissive, never giving him a kind look.

“Ryder.”

I sniffed, my voice thick, suddenly saying, “It’s been two months. Did you miss me?”

Ryder glanced at me.

He didn’t say anything.

I felt a bit awkward, so I tried to make small talk: “You didn’t even bring me a gift this time.”

“Last time I did. You said my things were dirty and threw them away.”

He finished coldly, then turned his head away, closing his eyes.

A clear sign he was reluctant to engage with me further.

The last time Ryder returned from abroad, he brought me a box of rubies.

As he handed them to me, he’d casually said, “Make some little trinkets. Don’t spend all your time with low-class trash.”

Both the rubies themselves and Ryder’s words had pricked Julian’s male pride.

So, to make Julian happy, I had immediately thrown the box of gems back at Ryder.

“I don’t want your dirty stuff!”

…

Thinking about it, I closed my eyes in despair.

In my mind, I cursed the original plot for being so unbelievably stupid, it felt like it was scribbled by someone with a serious head injury.

In reality, I could only slowly, tentatively, inch closer to Ryder.

I turned my body, pressing against him, resting my chin on his shoulder, and whispered, “Actually, Ryder, I have something to tell you…”

My warm breath feathered against his ear, stirring the loose strands of hair by his ear.

Ryder suddenly opened his eyes, reached up, and gently but firmly pulled me away by the back of my neck.

“Whatever game you and Julian are playing today, I’m not interested. Don’t waste your breath.”

He frowned, then paused slightly.

“And stop moving around if you don’t feel well.”

Ryder’s face was stern and cold when he scolded me.

But I, quick-eyed, noticed his earlobes and the curve of his neck were flushed a deep crimson.

He’d even shifted into a slightly awkward position.

“Ryder.”

I tested the waters, calling his name. “You wouldn’t… you aren't…”

“Just sit still.”

He lowered his lashes, concealing the tumultuous undercurrent of desire in his eyes, his voice a little hoarse.

“My business is not yours to worry about.”