Roman's brow twitched, and he immediately averted his gaze, turning his back to her. Patricia let out a scream, quickly grabbed her towel, tied it back around her body, and ran off in a panic.
"Too clumsy," he muttered under his breath before walking away.
Back in her room, Patricia collapsed onto the bed, burying her face into the pillow as a muffled, frustrated scream escaped her.
"You are so careless and stupid!" She scolded herself, smacking her forehead repeatedly. How could her towel fall at that exact moment? Why now, of all times?
"He saw everything, didn't he?" She muttered, still talking to herself. She screamed again. Of course he did, why else would he turn away so suddenly? He must have been disappointed by what he saw. How could she ever look him in the eyes again? Now, every time he looked at her, he would see her nakedness. What was she supposed to do?
"No!" She cried out, overwhelmed by the humiliation. How could an unmarried woman allow a man to see her like that? Well, legally she was married, but not properly, not in any way that mattered to her. In her heart, she still felt unmarried. At least he had the decency to turn away, but the image was probably burned into his mind forever.
"Miss Pat?" Came Maria's voice from outside the door. Patricia quickly wiped her tears, got out of bed, and walked to the door. She opened it, forcing a smile as Maria stood there.
"I am so sorry, I forgot to inform you about the malfunctioning taps downstairs," Maria said apologetically. "Since no one uses that floor regularly, we didn't think to check them. But I have called someone to come look at it tomorrow. Would you mind using an upstairs bathroom for now?"
Patricia muttered an understanding, "Ohh," finally realizing why the water had stopped.
"What about him?" She asked, referring to the upstairs bathroom.
"He's the one who told me to bring you up there until it's fixed," Maria replied, surprising Patricia.
"He did?" She questioned, taken aback. That was unexpected. Why was he suddenly being considerate? Was this the same man who had refused any kind of wedding ceremony?
"Yes." Maria responded.
"Oh, I see. I will be right with you, just let me grab a few things," she said, then returned inside to collect what she needed.
After bathing, Patricia made her way downstairs as Roman had instructed. She ran into Maria, who told her he was at the dining table.
When she arrived, she saw him seated, eating with his phone in hand. The memory of what had happened earlier rushed back to her, and she quickly looked away.
"I am here," she said quietly, her body slightly turned away from him.
"Sit and eat," he ordered. She raised her brows, confused. Did he really call her downstairs just to eat? And why did he look unbothered by what just happened? But then again, he must have seen the nakedness of countless women, hers was probably too dull for him to even remember.
"Is that why you called me?" She asked.
"I don't talk while eating," he replied flatly.
She sat down without another word.
A few minutes later, he slid a tablet in front of her. She paused mid-bite, dropped her spoon, and looked up at him, confused.
"We might not be a real couple, but now that my family knows you as my wife, you will need to play the part until I marry Michelle, my woman," he began, causing her to frown. Pretend wife? So basically, she was a stand-in for the woman he couldn't marry yet?
"Why not marry her now and let's get divorced? We don't love each other, and I am not ready to live in a loveless marriage," she said, prompting him to set down his phone and give her his full attention, making her heart skip a beat. Why was he suddenly being attentive?
"You don't share in your old woman's ambition?" He asked. His tone wasn't curious, more like he was testing her.
"If I did, I wouldn't have come to you twice, begging for a divorce. I don't know you, and you don't know me. Why would I want to bear your heir?" She asked, keeping her expression calm though her heart trembled.
"Breaking your old woman's promise isn't my decision to make. It's yours," he said, then added, "If you truly want a divorce, wait until I marry my woman and get permission from your old woman." That made her clench her fists in frustration.
"Why isn't it your decision to make?" She asked, genuinely confused.
"Our marriage is a business deal. And your family is one of our major investors," he replied flatly.
"That's the reason?" She asked.
"No. You are simply not worth me losing one of my top investors," he said. Her heart shattered a little. To her old woman, she was an investment; to him, a business asset. To both of them, she was nothing more than leverage.
Lowering her gaze, she muttered bitterly, "Oh," then picked up the tablet and began scrolling through the list of duties she was expected to fulfill.
1. Attend major events with him
2. Be present at family meetings and occasions
Basically, she had to follow him wherever he needed her to be. That alone made her uneasy.
"I have social anxiety. I struggle with facing too many people," she said quietly.
"You won't have to talk to anyone unless I ask you to. Just stay put," he replied. But she wasn't interested in doing anything for free.
"I am not obligated to do any of this for you. Like you said, I am just a business deal. All I need to do is stay in this house and your investments from the old woman won't stop. Whether or not I follow you around doesn't affect that. So why should I do this for free?" She challenged him, catching a flicker of something in his eyes before his expression returned to normal. He was shocked to see she knew her right, making his judgment of her partly wrong. She might be timid but she was smart.
"What do you want?" He asked, and inwardly, she muttered, 'Finally.'
"You are the second-richest man in the city. You can find another great investor to replace my old woman. Give me a divorce paper when you marry your woman, and I will find you someone even better."