Chapter 40
Roxanne noticed that Harrison’s expression had darkened a bit, as if he had realized something. Could it be that he was upset because she mentioned that Chloe was her closest person? Did that upset Harrison?
Roxanne quickly tried to comfort him. “You are my legally wedded husband. Even though Chloe is close to me, the person I’ll spend my life with is definitely you.”
With that, he shouldn’t be angry, right? However, Roxanne was a bit puzzled. Why was Harrison upset? They had hastily married, and they had been living together for less than a month. How could they have developed deep feelings in such a short time? Her bond with Chloe was undoubtedly deeper; there was no doubt about it. She and Chloe were childhood friends, and Chloe was always kind to her. But Roxanne was worried that Harrison might be unhappy, so she didn’t say that out loud. She was good at reading people’s expressions.
Harrison hadn’t noticed, but his expression eased slightly when he heard Roxanne say she wanted to spend her life with him.
Vincent, who was eating, saw the change in Harrison’s expression, and he smirked quietly. Oh, was this guy feeling Jealous?
After dinner, Roxanne wanted to help clean up the dishes. But Vincent adamantly refused to let her do household chores, “A young lady’s hands should not touch cold water. You go rest, and let Harrison come and help.” Vincent signaled Harrison with a look.
Harrison replied, “I’ve never washed dishes at home before.”
“In the past, I didn’t make you do housework because you weren’t married. Men should do housework after marriage. Hurry up; don’t just sit there. Get moving, you scoundrel!”
Vincent thrust the dishes into Harrison’s hands.
Harrison, holding the dishes somewhat helplessly, helped clean a few plates and followed Vincent into the kitchen.
Roxanne laughed as she watched them clean.
Her father-in-law was indeed exceptional; he was both open-minded and caring. In this moment, her mood improved significantly due to the positive impression she had of Vincent, dispelling her earlier frustration. She realized that not all in-laws were repugnant. At least, the Rodriguez family wasn’t. On the contrary, Roxanne felt fortunate to have such a great father-in-law.
In the kitchen, Harrison was assisting with compost disposal. “Esteemed Chairman, you could have lived a comfortable life. Why did you choose to serve your daughter-in-law in this rented little house? Don’t you feel tired?”
Vincent, washing dishes, replied cheerfully, “I’m happy to do it, and I’m willing. You don’t need to worry.”
Harrison responded, “Yes, I indeed don’t need to worry about you.”
Vincent asked, “Harrison, were you jealous just now?”
Harrison retorted, “Who’s jealous?”
“You don’t need to admit it, but when Anne mentioned that her female friend was her closest person, your jealousy was quite apparent. I can’t believe it, Harrison. You’re even jealous of your wife’s female friend?”
“Which eye of yours saw me being jealous?”
“Both of my eyes saw it.”
Harrison finished disposing of the waste, his face turning chilly. “I don’t want to argue with you.”
Harrison’s refusal to admit it didn’t affect Vincent’s cheerful mood. He hummed a cheerful tune while finishing the dishes. Afterward, Vincent checked the time; it was still early,
a little past seven.
He bought two movie tickets for Harrison and Roxanne. “Want to watch a movie?”
Harrison, having just come out of the shower, frowned and declined, “I’m not going.”
He had never stepped foot in a movie theater before. Even the most exciting movies in others’ eyes seemed like a waste of time to him.
“I’m not asking you to go alone; I want you to take Roxanne with you.”
Harrison replied, while towel-drying his hair, “I don’t have time.”
Roxanne had the time, but if Harrison said he didn’t, she didn’t want to pressure him. “Dad, it’s okay. Harrison had a long day at work, and it’s raining outside.”
They hadn’t set up their stall outside today precisely because it was raining.
Vincent was at a loss with Harrison’s refusal. But unexpectedly, after half a minute, Harrison changed his mind.
“Which cinema? Send the ticket information to my phone.”
Two minutes later, Harrison changed into fresh clothes and took a taxi with Roxanne to the cinema. He didn’t know why he had agreed to take Roxanne to the movies, but at that moment, he just made that decision involuntarily.
In the car, Roxanne leaned against the window, gazing at the scenery outside. She pointed at the unfinished building as they passed by it.
“Harrison, that’s the one I bought, the unfinished property that the developer cheated me on.
Alas, my hard-earned money was squandered just like that. Now I not only won’t get the property, but I also have to keep paying the mortgage. The relevant authorities are turning a blind eye to it. It’s really infuriating.
If we could’ve received the property on time, we should have started renovating this month, and then Dad could have moved in with us. Then we’d have our own home!”
This topic brought her a sense of sadness. But Roxanne wasn’t someone who would stay immersed in disappointment and pain.
She quickly adjusted her mood and encouraged herself. “It’s okay, Harrison. As long as we work a bit harder, we can save up for another down payment.”
Throughout this, Harrison hadn’t said a word. Roxanne sounded like she was talking to herself, Harrison turned his head to look at the unfinished building fading into the distance and sent a message to Alexander.
He asked Alexander to prepare an investment budget for acquiring the property Roxanne had bought. Alexander received the message and replied, saying he’d do it the next day.
Harrison responded, “Do it now.”
“Why are you in such a hurry, my friend? You’re not going to tell me you’ve decided to acquire the unfinished property your wife bought, right?”
“You have half an hour.”
Alexander replied, “I don’t need half an hour.”
Twenty minutes later, Alexander had prepared the information and sent it to Harrison.
At this point, Harrison and Roxanne had just arrived at the cinema’s ticket machine. After getting the tickets, Harrison looked at the report Alexander had sent and frowned. If he were to acquire the unfinished property Roxanne had bought, he’d be facing a loss of nearly 500 million dollars.
To the Rodriguez Group, 500 million dollars was a mere sum. However, Investing so much without any return was still somewhat troubling. Although he did admire Roxanne, he hadn’t reached a point where he’d irrationally invest 500 million dollars for her. After all, he was primarily a businessman who valued profit.
Alexander asked Harrison, “Are you planning to acquire this?”
Harrison shook his head, indicating he wasn’t interested in taking on this losing venture.
“Harrison.” Roxanne looked at him, puzzled by his continued focus on his phone. “What are you looking at?”
Harrison sent 2,000 dollars into Roxanne’s account. Roxanne checked her phone in surprise. “Harrison, why did you transfer money to me? Where did you get this money from?”
“I worked on a big project for the past two weeks. I developed software, and this is a bonus from the project.”
“Is it common in your industry to receive bonuses like this?”
“I’m just a regular software technician, so my bonus is relatively small. Project managers can start with tens of thousands.”
Roxanne had no response to that.
“The property you bought requires monthly mortgage payments, right? Use this money to pay it.”
“But you’ve already advanced me your salary before.”
“Just accept it.”
Harrison, a rational person, wasn’t willing to invest nearly 500 million dollars in a project that would lose money for the sake of Roxanne. Yet he was willing to give her these not-so-substantial sums. For him, it was a small amount, but it could relieve her significant financial pressure.
In Roxanne’s eyes, this also showed his sense of responsibility. It seemed that she hadn’t married the wrong person.
They chatted as they walked.
“Harrison, if Oliver could be as responsible as you, Chloe wouldn’t be suffering like this.”
A man who wasn’t even willing to pay for his daughter’s medical expenses was truly a heartless villain.
Inside the movie theater, they took their seats and started watching a romantic film. The screen dimmed during a kissing scene between the main characters, creating a romantic atmosphere.
Harrison looked at Roxanne, who was seated beside him. Her soapy scent was still noticeable, and her gentle disposition was charming. Her fragrance and soft demeanor enveloped him, touching his heart. His gaze softened as he asked, “Roxanne, what does a kiss feel like?”
“What?” Roxanne also turned to him, surprised. “Why are you suddenly asking me this?”
He had asked her the same question when he was lying in bed before, but she hadn’t given a direct answer.
Today, Harrison asked the question again without realizing it.
After asking, he continued to watch Roxanne. Her soft, long hair fell on her shoulders, and her appearance was elegant and graceful. He waited for her answer in silence.
Roxanne hadn’t realized he was testing her, so she answered honestly.