The tightly drawn curtains provided an excellent shade. Aster Hensley rolled over and habitually leaned toward the other side, but the ever-familiar warmth of his body wasn't there.
She sat up with her eyes half-closed. When she saw the man who had spent the night with her heading for the bathroom in his pyjama pants, with scratches faintly visible on his firm back, she blushed.
In an effort to get Rayden Farren to help Hensley's Group, she put in a lot of hard work last night.
Aster suppressed the intense weariness caused by exhaustion and spoke with a soft voice.
"Rayden..."
The man stopped and turned to look at her.
Despite having been married to him for two months, Aster was still slightly aroused when facing this man with his artfully messy bedhead and stunning body.
He had a well-defined contour, domineering eyebrows and piercing eyes, paired with a perfect height of 185 cm and muscles that were well-toned. His messy hair toned down his sharpness at work, which made him look relaxed.
His personality was gloomy and unpredictable and the two of them rarely interacted with each other. When dealing with him, Aster would just play it cool, or avoid him whenever she could. Now that she needed his help, she could do nothing but face him.
Rayden pursed his lips and looked straight at her. The woman who he had f*cked hard was wrapped in a red quilt, trying to force a fawning smile. "Have you thought about what I told you last night?"
Rayden's eyes suddenly turned cold.
Aster tugged at the quilt on her body and subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself. There was no telling if it was the low temperature in the room or the horrifying sight of him, but she got goose bumps all over her arms.
"I have low blood pressure," he said shortly.
Aster looked at him, perplexed. She asked him to help with the mess at Hensley's Group. What did that have to do with his blood pressure?
"People with low blood pressure are more likely to get angry when they wake up, so don't infuriate me. "
Having said that, he turned and went into the bathroom. The sound of water splashing rang out. His handsome silhouette was faintly visible behind the translucent glass.
Aster clenched her fists and stuck out her middle finger at the bathroom. 'So what if you are filthy rich?' she thought.
Considering the fact that she still needed his help, she took a deep breath and put a smile back on her face. At the same time, she was thinking over a countermeasure as quickly as she could.
Rayden came out of the bathroom freshly dressed. His snowy white shirt was fresh and sleek, a perfect match for his cold and arrogant demeanour. He ignored Aster, who was on the bed looking troubled, and went to the wardrobe, looking for a snowy white Brioni handmade suit jacket. Just when he was about to put it on, she started talking.
"Rayden, we're married. We're a couple."
"Oh?" He stopped and looked at her with his eyebrows raised.
Aster lowered her head as she twisted the sheet. Under his sharp gaze, she couldn't possibly blurted out the bunch of excuses she had just come up with.
She cleared her throat and avoided looking at him in the eye while trying to make her voice sound as gentle as she could. It was said that Rayden liked women who were gentle.
"I think couples should be honest with each other. That and also, today is my birthday..." 'That's how being cute should sound like, right?' she thought. Though it was kind of gross, in order to achieve her goal, she pulled out all the stops!
"So?" He paused.
"So can you get me a present? Like, you know, Hensley's Group..." She racked her brain, trying to convince him for the last time.
It had been peaceful up until then, but as soon as the term "Hensley's Group" came out, things took a turn for the worse. Rayden, with a serious face, said, "I told you, I don't want to hear the word 'Hensley's Group'."
The man's already meager patience was completely worn out by Aster. If she was smart enough, it would be best for her not to bring up this dangerous subject.
She had been tormented for days by his refusal to cooperate. Aster could no longer put on an act and finally let it all out.
"If you don't do something about it, we're getting a divorce!"
There was no such thing as a free lunch. Who was he, Rayden Farren, to enjoy her days of unconscionable pleasuring and then just pull up his pants and act like nothing had happened?
As soon as the word "divorce" came out of her mouth, everything went dark before her eyes. The man's towering figure stood in front of the bed. He lifted her jaw with one hand, and he was emanating an icy aura.
"Say that again?"
A chill ran down her spine.
"You'd better take your words back." His eyes were cold and he started tightening his grip. Aster's call for a divorce was just a spur-of-the-moment thing, but the man's reaction had completely enraged her.
"Not until you promise me to help Hensley's Group out of their crisis!" Whoever wanted to marry this temperamental man could go ahead. She had had enough!
"Aster Hensley, no one can ever threaten me, and you'd better keep that in mind!" Rayden shoved her away forcefully. His good mood from last night's lovemaking was all spoiled because of her.
Seeing that he was about to leave, Aster quickly jumped in front of him, wrapped in a sheet, and held her arms out to stop him.
"Rayden, I know that we are in a marriage of convenience and you may not have any feelings for me. Now that Hensley's Group is in trouble, I won't expect you to guide Hensley's Group through the crisis, but for the sake of me serving you all these days to the best of my ability, can you at least step in to appease my father even if it's just for show? You don't even need to make a substantial investment."
With that being said, Aster felt that there was no reason for Rayden to refuse her as long as he ever so slightly cared about their relationship.
Ever since she married him, she had been hiding her true colours and trying to please this iceberg of a person according to "The Guide to Rayden Farren's Preferences" compiled by the Hensley Family.
Not to mention that in order to hone her cooking skills according to his preferences, none of her fingers were left unwounded. Moreover, she almost got facial palsy from practising how to do the elegant and classy smile. Aside from that, she, as a bold woman, had to force herself to pretend to be an elegant and feminine lady, in order to please him.
She was a pure and unsullied virgin, and to hone her bedroom skills, she almost went blind watching porn videos. Still, that wasn't enough for her to deal with his needs. Her slender waist almost broke from exhaustion. No one could understand her pain!
However, she had obviously underestimated the cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness of Rayden. He, once again, rejected her.
"What does the Hensley Family's business have to do with me?"
His cold, heartless statement and arrogant expression had forced Aster's pent-up emotions to finally explode. "If you disagree, we're getting a divorce!" she shouted.
After the shouting, she felt an instant surge of relief.
She didn't care about being the wife of a rich and powerful man at all!
Rayden sneered and said, "If you insist on that, fine, we'll get a divorce."
" A divorce it is, I've had enough of you!"
He turned and strode away. With his hand on the doorknob, he turned his head and sneered, "What a coincidence, so have I!"
