Chapter 20 Satisfy Him

If you want a man to be in a good mood, all you have to do is satisfy him… Grace Turner’s words played repeatedly in Cecelia’s head. However, no matter how hard she thought about it, Cecelia still could not recall what exactly she had done to warrant such behavior from William. She stole a glance at the man reading a magazine on the sofa. His expression somehow seemed albeit more disgruntled than it was at the office. Could his moodiness really be because he was dissatisfied? Cecelia could not help her cheeks from flaring up at the thought. Although it had been almost a month since their marriage, the furthest the two went were mere small pecks. On the topic of those small pecks… Grace Turner might be right, Cecelia believed. However, if the reason behind his displeasure was truly so, did she perhaps have to take the next step with him? Nope. No. Absolutely not! Cecelia’s mind raced and quickly listed out the pros and cons. There was no guarantee that marriage would work out even when both parties were in love, let alone for the two of them. Despite being married, there were no fanciful feelings between the duo. Who was to say when they would split and part ways? Should they get divorced in the future while having a thing going on, the child, if she gave birth to any, who would be subjected to the greatest harm. The more Cecelia thought about it, the more adamant she was against being rash and impulsive. She was going to ignore it, regardless of how moody he would seem. William’s cell rang right as Cecelia’s train of thought came to an end. He spared her a glance and took the call. Cecelia Shayne sat with an apple in her hand as she watched TV. Without showing it on her face, fortunately, the thoughts in her head returned with renewed vigor from his glance. Why would he look at her if it were any normal call? Something was up!!! Cecelia pricked her ears up to eavesdrop and heard William’s replies. “Mhm… mhm… mhm…” Cecelia had no idea what the other party was saying. Instead, all she heard was William Sandler replying with the same response, ‘mhm’! William retired to the bedroom after ending the call. Cecelia assumed that he was taking a change of clothes for a shower. Although the two upheld the agreement of Cecelia sleeping on the bed and William on the couch, their clothes were kept together as Cecelia would sometimes wash them for him. He was out in two minutes, but on the contrary of what Cecelia Shayne thought, William had rather gone to change his clothes. Changed into outdoor clothes, Cecelia Shayne wanted to ask him where he was going. Yet all she could do was swallow the words down every time they reached the tip of her tongue. He would tell her if he was going out, right? Perhaps it would be better to ask him after he tells her something first? Cecelia waited patiently but even as he put on his shoes and opened the door, not a sound was heard from him. “…” No ‘goodbye’ either? If she tolerated this, what was left of her dignity! Cecelia jogged to catch up with William Sandler before he stepped into the elevator. “Wait, pretty boy!” William turned and settled an indifferent gaze on her. “Something up?” “…” What, could she not call for him if nothing were up? Ignoring the displeasure in her chest for now, Cecelia smiled. “Are you going for overtime in the office this late at night?” This was not the question Cecelia had in mind. She wanted to know who the caller on the other side was, and more importantly, where he was going and who he would be meeting this late at night. However, asking so would make her appear too overbearing, no? It did not seem proper to have a say about so much considering the truth of their relationship. Which was why she opted to ask if he was going overtime. This way she managed to remain polite and caring. Though ‘Nope’ was not the reply she had expected from William. He quickly entered the elevator as to deny her the chance to further their conversation. Cecelia watched him look back at her with diffidence in his eyes as the elevator doors closed. Cecelia sputtered in indignation at the closed elevator doors, “Damned bastard! Who gives a f*ck if you’re going overtime or what! Don’t you f*cking come back at all!” After hollering, Cecelia returned home exasperated. Yet no matter how hard she tried to calm the raging storm in her heart, the thoughts in her mind jumbled up and a mind-boggling idea stuck her. Grace said he was dissatisfied, and he left the house right after he took a suspicious phone call… Could he have gone to see an ex-lover? “No way!” The mere idea of William potentially meeting up with a previous lover brought Cecelia to a half-blown mental breakdown. She ran into the bedroom and changed in record speed, leaving the house swiftly. There was no way in hell she was just going to let him meet up with an old flame! If nothing else, she would not tolerate him cheating on her! Everyone has their limits, and this was hers! Cecelia watched William Sandler get into a black car right as she made her way to the ground floor. “…I knew it!” Cecelia felt rage surge up instantaneously. “William Sandler, if you dare cheat on me, I-I-I’ll…” Cecelia belatedly realized that there was nothing she could do to refute, even if he had done some irreversible damage. She could not win him in a fistfight, nor was she blessed with a silver tongue… Argh. Whatever. She decided to follow him first before he had gotten too far. Cecelia hailed a taxi, hastily asking the driver the moment she got in, “Mister, could you please follow the black…” Only then did it hit Cecelia, that was a luxury car! Hawick had found joy in reading up on cars while they were still an item, and so Cecelia gained slight knowledge on the subject from listening to him. The car William Sandler had gotten on was a limited-edition Lincoln released earlier this year. With just three of them worldwide, simply being rich did not necessarily mean one could get their hands on it. She did not expect him… “Looks like he found an actual benefactor this time,” Cecelia muttered to herself. However, there was something that did not seem to make much sense to Cecelia Shayne. William was with her both on and off work, when did he have the time to look for other women? Cecelia followed William’s vehicle all the way, until… Imperial Extravagance! The exterior of the building was overly opulent, simply looking at it made Cecelia uncomfortable and her eyebrows furrowed in distaste. She had only heard of this place a handful of times before this very moment. This was A City’s money squandering establishment, those who came to play were all affluent folks. Not anyone could come and go, for one had to hold the building’s customized tickets to enter. Right as Cecelia found herself stumped, she heard the sultry voice of a male. “Do you require assistance, lovely lady?” Cecelia looked around for the owner of the voice only to find a handsome fellow whose looks could rival that of William’s. He seemed more gentlemanly than William Sandler too. By lifting the corners of his lips, he painted the world with warmth, much like that of a spring breeze. He was a good man, Cecelia Shayne thought to herself, a benevolent good man! “Thank you.” She nodded. “It’s my pleasure to help such a lovely lady.” The man smiled. Cecelia followed the stranger inside and immediately began to look around, trying to spot the familiar shape of William Sandler. To no avail, there was no sign of William wherever she looked. Could he have already gotten a room with his new benefactor? Cecelia panicked at the thought and turned to thank the handsome man who helped her, “Mister, thank you for your help just now. But I must take my leave now.” She had not expected the man to tug her back as she was about to make her leave. He handed her a glass of intriguing, azure blue liquid. “It must be fate that we met. Let me treat you to a drink?” Cecelia Shayne stiffened. “I don’t drink.” “It’s a cocktail. You can’t get drunk from it.” As he had extended a helping hand a moment ago, and promised the cocktail was safe, Cecelia felt it only appropriate she accepted the glass and took a small sip. “Mm. I can’t taste the alcohol at all. It’s sweet with a slight tang to it too, it’s a nice drink.” As Cecelia was in a rush, she quickly downed the glass. “Goodbye, Mister!” Cecelia Shayne turned after bidding farewell. Everything went black just as she took the first step, falling victim to the consuming void of unconsciousness.