Chapter 2

Andrew looked at me with surprise. "Didn't you eat enough at dinner? You didn't need to buy this much. There's no way you can finish all of it."

He started to call Alice down to clean up, but I stopped him. "I want you to peel them for me."

Andrew froze, and his eyebrows drew together slightly. "Charlotte, you know I hate touching messy food."

I smiled at him. "Really? But you peeled shrimp for your new assistant at dinner tonight and you seemed pretty comfortable doing it."

Andrew paused, and then he laughed like he suddenly got it. "So that's what this is about?"

He sat down next to me and pulled me close. "I've never seen you jealous before. I thought Ms. Nolan was always cool and collected."

He leaned in and kissed my forehead. "She's just a new intern and she doesn't know how things work yet. She kept talking without thinking, so I helped her out because she's young. If it bothers you, I won't do it again."

I looked up at his handsome face right in front of me. We'd been married for three years, and he was in his prime now. Time hadn't aged him at all, but it had given him this confident, settled charm.

I reached up and touched his face. "Andrew, do you remember why I picked you out of all the arranged marriage options?"

Andrew tilted his head.

I smiled softly. "Because you were clean. Your parents told me you hated being touched and you didn't like physical contact with people you didn't know well. They said you kept strict boundaries. Same as me."

I met Andrew's shocked eyes. "Our marriage ties our families together. We've had a good three years and I want to keep it clean and drama-free so everyone gets what they need. Don't disappoint me."

I stood up and bent down to kiss him, then raised an eyebrow. "Peel all of these for me. Consider it your punishment for crossing a line with another woman. Be good."

I didn't know when Andrew came to bed. I put on my face mask and went to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up to find several large plates of peeled shrimp covering the dining table, but Andrew had already left for an emergency meeting at the office.

Alice stood quietly to the side, and I smiled at her. "You've got a big family, right? Take these home with you," I said. "Andrew peeled them himself, so they're clean. Don't let them go to waste."

After that incident, Andrew and I fell back into our regular routine. The whole thing felt like a minor bump in the road, nothing that could shake our marriage.

If anything, he treated me even better than before.

I didn't have time to track every woman he talked to. As the heir to Nolan Enterprises, I had my own responsibilities to manage.

But a month later, everything changed. Andrew picked me up for a family dinner, and when he rolled down the window, Emily's smug face appeared in the passenger seat.

I frowned.

*****

"Hello, Mrs. Lawson. You look beautiful today!" Emily said brightly, acting like she couldn't sense my displeasure at all. Her pretty face lit up with what looked like innocent cheerfulness.

Andrew's expression stayed neutral, like nothing was wrong.

My face hardened, and I yanked open the passenger door. "Get out," I said coldly.

Emily's expression froze on her face. After a long moment, she said quietly, "Mrs. Lawson, Mr. Lawson was just giving me a ride home. I get carsick, so I had to sit in the front seat."

She turned around and looked at Andrew for help, but Andrew just looked at me with a helpless expression. He knew my temper well enough not to defend her right now.

I repeated coldly, "Get out."

Andrew finally spoke up and said, "Let Mrs. Lawson have the seat."

Emily bit her lip and reluctantly climbed out of the car. She reached for the back door handle, but I cut her off, saying, "Who told you to get in?"

Emily froze.

I took a deep breath and pulled fifty dollars from my purse, then shoved the bill into her coat pocket.

I said, "Can't even afford cab fare? Must be rough. I'll cover it. Go home and stay safe."

Andrew looked between Emily and me standing outside the car, and he opened his mouth to say something. I smiled sweetly at him and said, "Andrew, this is on you.

"Your employees are so broke they can't afford a cab ride. That's your failure as a boss. Starting tomorrow, all Level 3 and above employees at Lawson Group and Nolan Enterprises get a 10% raise on their transportation allowance, and it's coming out of Nolan Enterprises' budget."

Emily's eyes turned red, and tears pooled along her lashes, threatening to fall but holding on. She had that stubborn damsel-in-distress act perfected.

Her voice shook as she said, "Mrs. Lawson, I may be poor but I have my pride. What gives you the right to use your money and status to humiliate me?"

I couldn't help but laugh. I said, "You're so broke you can't pay for a cab, so you had to mooch a ride from your boss, but me paying for your ride is humiliating?

"Does he need to personally chauffeur you home for it not to hurt your feelings? Your pride must be worth a fortune then. Every minute we stand here, Mr. Lawson and I are making millions.

"If we waste even more time driving you home, how are you planning to cover our losses? With your pride?"

I let out a cold laugh and stopped looking at her. I slid into the car and slammed the door shut.

Andrew started the car without a word. I caught Emily's reflection in the rearview mirror. She stood there biting her lip, looking like she'd been mortally wounded.

The silence in the car felt suffocating, but I wasn't going to be the one to break it.

Andrew cleared his throat. "Her rental isn't far from Lawson Manor, so giving her a ride wasn't any trouble. I don't see why—"

"Andrew." I met his eyes in the rearview mirror.

"I told you before, I like how clean you keep things. But you're not the only one with standards. I have them too.

"Peeling shrimp for another woman? We already moved past that. But today you let her sit in my seat and she adjusted everything.

"I give everyone in my life three chances. This is your second.

"My expectations aren't complicated. Just keep the same distance from other women that you always have. That's not asking too much.

"Don't disappoint me, Andrew."