Dorothy followed behind Everett, entering his car with the assumption that he was going to the restaurant for takeout. To her surprise, he headed straight to the local grocery store.
As the car came to a halt, he hopped out, swiftly opening the rear door.
“Come on.” “I'd rather not. Either you go shop, or you tell me what to get, and I'll go myself,” Dorothy protested, reluctant to be seen with him in public outside of work.
Being recognized or caught by the paparazzi would be a nightmare. She was no celebrity, but Everett certainly was! “I can’t carry it all by myself, and don’t worry, there won't be any sneaky cameras here.” Everett said as if he could read her mind! With that, Dorothy reluctantly got out of the car.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtOnce inside the supermarket, Everett grabbed a shopping cart and led the way.
Dorothy watched his figure from behind, her heart filled with a bittersweet feeling.
If it weren't for all that had happened, they could have been the perfect loving couple, with Everett being an exemplary husband.
By day, he was a titan of the business world at the helm of Lopez Corporation, every decision weighed with precision, influencing not just the company but the future of the entire industry.
But after hours, here he was, sleeves rolled up, pushing a shopping cart along the supermarket aisles, bending down to carefully select fruits and vegetables, disarmingly gentle.
If only ‘if could change reality.
“Hey there, could you please prep this fish for me?” Everett paused, indicating the freshly weighed fish to the seafood counter attendant.
After giving the instructions, he glanced sideways at Dorothy, who was still lost in thought, and his lips curved into a slight smile.
“Langston adores this, never leaves any behind.” Dorothy didn’t know what to say.
“If you have any favorites, feel free to let me know,” Everett said, his gaze fixed on her face, causing Dorothy's cheeks to burn.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmShe just wanted to escape the range of his gaze. The farther away from him, the better! “No, I'm not picky about food.” As long as she could see Byte 7 after dinner! While they were talking, her phone rang. It was Kenneth, obviously worried about her.
Of course, Everett noticed the caller ID, and his eyes immediately veiled with a cold intensity, despite being well aware that there was nothing between Dorothy and Kenneth.
“Hello... Yeah, I'm fine! You should head to bed early, I'll talk to you tomorrow. Okay... yeah, bye.” Dorothy kept pace with Everett as she spoke on the phone, and after hanging up, she realized her hand had somehow found its way into Everett's! Their linked hands had attracted curious glances from the people around them.
Instinctively, Dorothy tried to pull away.
But Everett tightened his grip, his handsome face turning to her with a serious tone, “I'm afraid you'll lose your way.” “Let go of me!” “Dorothy, if you happen to get lost here, | won't have time to search the entire store for you, so be good.” She wasn’t buying his pretense of a reason, struggling subtly against his hold.
But the more Dorothy struggled, the tighter Everett's grip became.
“You said we were just having dinner!” His eyes bore into hers, “What have | done? | just don’t want to waste time looking for you if we get separated.” Dorothy was astounded by his ability to lie so convincingly! “You...” “Your hand is cold. You haven't been taking good care of yourself over these years,” he observed.