Chapter 32: I’m Not Interested In Sick Women
Many of her habits developed during the first few years of their relationship. She began to shower with both hot and cool water in turns, she applied too much perfume, and she started jogging in the morning.
Over-applying perfume masked the manly scent from her grandfathers and family servants. The morning jogs concealed her abnormal cheek color. It was also a good distraction for her and a great way to forget what happened the night before.
The only thing that stayed steady was her baths. She bathed more frequently than ever before. The water now helped soothe her aching muscles and damaged skin after a night with Travis.
In order to make her various disappearances more reasonable, she found a temporary volunteer position at a charity to help make her seem busy.
At that time, Arianna’s grandfather was suspicious that she had a secret boyfriend. He always smiled at her and asked her to bring him home for family inspection. She denied his sweet accusations but began to act more cautiously.
She didn’t know whether to compare herself to a mistress or a prostitute. The mistress was usually a woman of desire, used to cheat on a significant other, which Travis did not have to her understanding. Meanwhile, a prostitute was a profession, and though he tried giving her money, she always declined them.
Travis was careful in some ways too. He would frequently change their meeting places. He never needed her for anything beyond sex. It was a good thing for Arianna. But she also felt like Travis was very afraid that she would murder him in his sleep. She liked this idea, even though she was probably making it up.
He was cold to her most of the time, which was exactly what she wanted. Sometimes, they could make it for twelve hours without saying anything when they were together for a while.
But Travis had moments where his actions betrayed his intentions. Once when Arianna had a high fever, he insisted on seeing her, but he only wanted to watch a movie after dinner.
It was in a grand VIP cinema, and they were the only two audience members. The movie was long and boring. Arianna was falling asleep throughout the film, and she vaguely heard him say, “The lady is not interested in this movie. Please put on a different one.”
The new film was even worse. The plot was messy and loud. Arianna felt dizzy and quickly passed out after only a few minutes of watching. She then woke up on a soft bed covered in a thick quilt. An ice bag wrapped in a towel was resting on her forehead, and someone changed her into pajamas.
The clock told her it was early in the morning. Under a soft yellow light at the other end of the room, Travis was also wearing pajamas and was sitting on the sofa, holding a magnifying glass. He seemed to be looking at a few mineral specimens.
He wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses and a very attentive expression. Even his facial lines and features seemed to have softened, very different from his usual style.
Arianna sat up and looked at him. His softness and scholarly look reminded her of the first time she met him. It was only the glasses that were out of place, like an oil painting that became blurry with age.NôvelDrama.Org (C) content.
Although she did not make any sound, Travis looked at her as soon as she moved. He asked without lifting his head, “How is the fever? There is a thermometer on the table.”
Arianna’s temperature had returned to normal, which was rare when she got a cold. She was usually sick for days. But she suspected she was given some medicines while she was sleeping.
She did not dare to pretend to be ill to avoid him. He would know instantly. She felt very guilty that he didn’t get to finish the movie because of her. Arianna turned on the bedside lamp, grabbed the book on the nightstand, and began reading.
The book was obscure and difficult to understand. She reluctantly skimmed through more than a dozen pages, not taking any of the information in. Then she heard him ask, “Aren’t you going back to sleep?”
She replied, “Aren’t we going to do this?”
Arianna reckoned that President Cooper took a day off from his busy schedule to call her, and he didn’t just want to watch a movie together. She was feeling very fatigued, so she hoped he could finish what he needed to do quickly so she could go to sleep in peace.
However, Travis did not take the opportunity to agonize her, instead, he said, “You just go back to sleep. I’m not interested in sick women, and I’d rather not get infected.”
***
Over time, Arianna’s double-identity lifestyle reached a normal state.
During the day, she was a role model working a low-profile job and was involved in charity work. Her family’s business did not require her assistance. She felt like her life was best represented by her necklace – low-key and elegant.
On some particular nights, she was like a wandering soul, weeping and sweating underneath a man’s body, regardless of her reluctance. Fortunately, this was not a frequent event, which made it bearable for Arianna to do so on occasion. The interval between their meetings was long enough for her to repair her broken self-esteem and recover strength.
At that time, Arianna’s spiritual support was her grandfather. She watched him come back to life and push the Sanchez Group to a whole new peak. Even though she, herself, was not confident, seeing her grandfather’s smile again made her feel like what she was doing was worth it.
When Travis did not show up to the final negotiations, the company stayed under Franco Sanchez’s control. Arianna thought he was a good guy because he followed his promises. Travis was also into charity, however, Arianna suspected that he might be doing it for fame.
There were other good things about Travis that Arianna would not admit. For example, he was not as perverted as she pictured him to be. She even had a few nice orgasms under him. This made her think of herself as a client and Travis as a pimp. This self-deception was pleasant, and she no longer feared being with him.