Chapter 4 Assistant

Zephaniah rolled up his sleeves, revealing his lean arms. “Let me cook tonight.” “Apron.” Jade stood on her tiptoes and took down the apron hanging off the rack. She spread it out with the intention of tying it around his waist. “Your shirt is white. If you get oil stains on it, it won’t come off easily.” Zephaniah cast a glance at her and turned around. Jade quickly tied the apron for him. Since both were in charge of house chores, when she bought the apron, she bought one that was a size bigger than what she usually wore. Even though he was tall, he still looked rather hilarious after he put on the apron. Jade did not leave the kitchen. She leaned against the entrance to the kitchen and watched him work. When a man had a good upbringing, he would look attractive even when he was cooking in the kitchen. “Uhm... why did you come back today?” Although their marriage agreement entailed that Zephaniah had to come home every Sunday unless he went on a business trip, Jade thought that he would not return today since he had come home yesterday. Zephaniah did not even turn his head around. He just occupied himself with washing the vegetables. “Today’s Sunday.” “Oh.” The spark in Jade’s eyes faded away. ‘I knew it. If not for the promise in the contract, he wouldn’t have come back even if this is his apartment, right?’ “Why did you call me in the morning?” Zephaniah asked, after which he offered an explanation in passing, “My assistant picked up the call, and she said someone was looking for me, so I checked my phone and noticed it was you.” ‘Assistant?’ Which assistant would call her boss “Zephy” in such an intimate way? “I just wanted to ask whether you were coming home.” Jade did not ask why he did not save her number. She already felt horrible just from listening to what he said a moment ago, so she turned around and went to the living room. Jade browsed through her Facebook in boredom, but she felt irritation bubbling in her after looking at it for a while. She subconsciously moved her hand to tap on the Google app. When she regained her senses, she realized that all she Googled were questions like “Why didn’t my husband save my number?” or “My husband’s assistant calls him in an intimate way”. She could not help but click on the answers. All they offered were statements such as, “Your husband is cheating on you, watch out!”, “Hurry up and check your husband’s phone. Prepare the evidence for divorce so that you can get more money…” She smiled, but she felt a pang in her heart. At that moment, Zephaniah came out of the kitchen with the dishes in hand and called her, “Come and eat.” “Okay.” Jade hastily turned off her phone. They never spoke while they ate, and Jade cast frequent glances at Zephaniah. Her gaze was complicated, but she did not say anything. After dinner, Zephaniah went back to the bedroom after he washed the dishes. He must have been very busy with work recently because he went straight to bed after his bath. By the time Jade was done applying her face mask and back in the bedroom, Zephaniah was already sleeping with his back turned to her. Jade felt as if they were worlds apart. She looked at his phone on the bedside table and stood there for a long time. In the end, she was unable to resist the urge. She quietly grabbed his phone. Jade had used Zephaniah’s phone to take photos in the past, so she knew his password. After typing in the password and entering the home screen, Jade scrolled through the phone randomly. There was nothing much on his phone. Most of the emails were about work, and she could not quite understand them. But when she browsed the messages, she held her breath. Before her eyes was a read message, and it was just a few words. [Zephy, thanks for today. Next time, when you’re free, let me treat you to a good meal.] ‘Blanche Kirk? ‘Is this the personal assistant’s name? Or is she another woman?’ Jade did not know what she felt when she saw this message. If it was not an important message, Zephaniah should have deleted it a long time ago. She turned off the phone and put it back on the bedside table. Jade stared at his wide back and could not resist reaching out to hug his waist. The next second, however, her arms were gently tugged away. The man even moved further to the other side of the bed as if he wanted to stay away from her. Jade felt saddened by this. They had been so intimate with each other the night before, but now, she was not even allowed to hug him for a single moment? Was there nothing between them aside from that piece of paper and his needs? A thought bloomed in Jade’s head. Perhaps she should file for a divorce once she settled her father’s case. Four years was too long. She was exhausted and no longer had the strength to wait for him.