Chapter 14

She looked up at Joe. His white shirt was tucked into his high-end trousers. He looked tall and towering with his long legs. He exuded a noble air inside out, and he looked cool and handsome under the evening sky. Skylar blinked. She had to admit that Joe had a very handsome face. He was even more good-looking than her favorite movie star. Everyone appreciated beautiful things. She was no different. Joe looked at Skylar as he said, "Grandma is awake. Let's go have dinner." He couldn't help but grimace when he noticed that she was looking at him like other women did. Had Skylar and Gloria set him up with that head massage? Was Skylar trying to make him see her strengths? He had known that she was a scheming woman when Gloria had made him marry her. Skylar stood up. "Alright. I've picked some grapes and strawberries too." She'd tasted them when she'd picked them. They were very sweet and tastier than the ones she bought from the supermarket. The workers said that this year's weather was good. There was enough sunlight, so the produce was sweeter than in past years. After Joe realized that Skylar wasn't a simple woman, his attitude turned cold. He merely hummed in response. Skylar didn't mind. She didn't think much about it either. Seeing that Gloria was awake, Skylar walked over with the grapes and strawberries. "You picked them yourself?" Gloria smiled as she asked. Edgar had informed her that Joe, who'd always had sleeping problems, had fallen asleep after Skylar's massage. Joe would know Skylar's strengths soon. Skylar treated others sincerely. Ten years ago, when Skylar was still young, Viola had told Gloria that the little girl was kind-hearted. Skylar had often spent time with Viola because she felt that the latter might feel lonely "Yes, I've planted grapes and strawberries before when I was in the countryside, but they were always not sweet. Some of them were even astringent. "Now I know it's because of the seed quality and the light they receive. The place I planted them had very little sunlight. I'll go wash these, Grandma." Skylar always had a lot to say to Gloria. Maybe it was because Gloria was like Viola. They both doted on her sincerely. Gloria chuckled. "I've heard about it from Viola. She said you've always liked going to the fields. You could farm from a young age." She felt like she could see the scene in her mind as she said that. A small child working on the fields like a little adult would have made a cute and heartwarming scene. Viola had told Gloria that Skylar had always been a sensible child. She had gone to the fields to share the burden of farm work with Janine, Steven, Charles, and Harvey. Joe raised his handsome brows when he saw that Skylar and Gloria had completely forgotten about him during their chat. A weird feeling arose in his heart again. Skylar looked pure and pretty, but she thought too much. She had been staring at him at the vineyard, but now she seemed to be pretending to ignore him. After dinner, Gloria smilingly urged Skylar and Joe to go back to their room. "With the two of you accompanying me here, I'll recover quickly! But it's late now; you should enjoy some husband-and-wife time. Get some rest early." Skylar and Joe could only go back to their room. When they saw that the door of their room had a huge "married" sign, Skylar was stunned. Gloria must have asked someone to put it up. It looked celebratory, but it was not suitable for her and Joe. She looked at Joe. "Who's taking a shower first?" She'd been busy all day. She'd been so focused when she'd been restoring the paintings that she hadn't even taken a break during lunch. Now that it was quiet, she felt slightly tired. Joe glanced icily at Skylar. "Have you forgotten what I said? We don't love each other. This is just an act." "Mr. Martin, have you been thinking too much? Don't you shower before you go to sleep? An act is an act, but I have to shower before I sleep," Skylar replied. Joe was speechless for a moment. Skylar went to the wardrobe to find some clothes. Edgar said he'd prepared Skylar's and Joe's clothes, so they didn't have to go back to Galaxy Villa for anything. There were all sorts of clothes in the wardrobe. Edgar had been very meticulous. He'd prepared everything. Skylar picked out a nightgown. "I'll go first, then. Don't worry, I'll be quick." Very soon, Joe heard the sound of bath water coming out of the bathroom. It was the first time he'd heard a woman shower. The sound of water irritated him. Joe was just about to walk out when he met Edgar at the door. Edgar had a bowl of soup in his hand. "Mrs. Martin Senior asked me to prepare this tonic soup for you. She said it's good for your health." "Tonic soup?" Joe frowned helplessly. Had Gloria been watching too much television? Why was she doing all of this? He couldn't believe she'd gotten Edgar to bring him tonic soup. "Give it to me. I'll drink it inside." Joe took the tonic soup from Edgar and closed the door with a slam. He heard the sound of water from the bathroom again. Joe's eyes darkened. When he saw the tonic soup in front of him, he regretted bringing this disaster upon himself. His head had started to throb again. As he held a hand to his head, he recalled Skylar's soft hands on his head before dinner. Every point she had pressed on had made him feel good. Just then, he received a WhatsApp text on his phone. He checked it and found that it was Paul. "Mr. Martin, can I message Ms. Sullivan on WhatsApp?" Joe glanced at the bathroom and replied, "Yes." After that, he felt weird about it, so he asked, "Why are you messaging her? Are you interested in her?" Paul's eyes widened as he looked at the two WhatsApp messages. Interested in Skylar? He wouldn't dare! Even though he knew that their marriage was fake, he wouldn't dare fancy his boss' official wife! Paul replied quickly, "Absolutely not!!! I just wanted Ms. Sullivan to take a look at an emerald charm I'm interested in. I don't know if it's a good buy. I'll only buy it after Ms. Sullivan sees it." He hoped Joe would notice the three exclamation marks. Joe replied, "Okay." After Pual received Joe's permission, he saved Skylar's number and messaged her immediately. After ten minutes, Paul saw that Skylar hadn't read his message. He hesitated, then sent Joe another message. "Mr. Martin, Ms. Sullivan hasn't read my message." In a moment, Paul received Joe's reply. "She's taking a shower." It was a mere statement. But Paul couldn't help the utter shock that overwhelmed him. Were they sleeping together? Wasn't it a fake marriage? Were they sleeping together just like that? In that case, Skylar probably wouldn't respond to him tonight. Joe had always worked out. He had well-refined abs and a well-shaped figure. His physical strength was in excellent condition. So… Paul decided that he'd ask for more photos of different emerald charms before bed so he could choose a few more to show Skylar the next day. 20 minutes later, he noticed that Skylar had read his message. Paul rubbed his eyes. Was he seeing things?