NOVEL WEB Chapter 528: Being your legal wife, can I ask you why?
Emyr flinched slightly. He didn't miss the cold warning in Aiden's tone. But even with it, the hesitation lingered on his expression.
His gaze turned guiltily towards Arwen before he continued, "Ms. Martin seemed to have even tried calling on your phone. But she could not reach you there, so she called me to ask."
Arwen's gaze narrowed suspiciously at him, noticing that Emyr quickly averted his gaze.
He then stepped forward to hand over the phone to his boss.
Aiden frowned, but anyway took the phone. Pressing it over his ears, he gently spoke through the line. "Selene." Although his voice and tone were gentle, they greatly lacked the warmth that Arwen had grown used to.
Previously, she had never seen Aiden talking to any woman, but she had always thought it would be similar to the way he talked to her, warm and patient, soft and silky.
But only hearing him now did she realize the stark contrast he carries for the whole world.
While his tone was gentle, it still lacked warmth. Though he spoke softly, the silkiness of his voice was greatly missing.
These were very subtle things, but she was able to notice them very easily.
Or, maybe she was just thinking too much …
"What's wrong?"
She heard him adding on the call, and she went to sit back on the couch, relaxed.
"Aiden, I have been calling you for a while now. You haven't been picking up the call," Selene spoke with slight exasperation, but she dulled it before it could be caught. "Is there anything wrong?"
"I have been busy," Aiden simply responded without giving any details. "Was there anything important?"
No response came for a good time, and the stretch only made Aiden's frown deepen.
"Selene?" he prompted again. "Is —"
"I just wanted to ask if you arranged the designer, you mentioned the last time," Selene finally said, her voice tight. "My event is the day after tomorrow. I need to choose and decide on a design before that."
Aiden's gaze flicked to Emyr; his eyes sharp.
"For that," he said coldly into the phone, "you didn't need to call me. I have already told Emyr to handle it. If there is anything else, contact him directly."
Emyr stiffened in front of him. A chill ran down his spine, but he didn't dare ask what he had done wrong.
"Oh, I see," Selene's voice now carried a clear edge of irritation. "Fine. I will contact him next time. As of now, I need to be somewhere else. I will hang up first."
Aiden didn't bother responding. He hummed faintly and ended the call.
Handing the phone back to Emyr, he said calmly, "If you are getting rusty, find someone who can replace you."
Emyr swallowed hard, not understanding what that meant. "Sir, did I … do something wrong?" he asked tentatively.
"Did you follow through on what I asked last time?"
Emyr frowned slightly, confused. But when his gaze dropped to the phone in his hand, he understood.
He straightened quickly. "Apologies, sir. I didn't follow up. The jewellery designer for Ms. Martin was arranged, but I will call and confirm it again right away."
With that said, he gave a stiff bow to both of them and exited the room.
Once they were alone again, Arwen turned her eyes to Aiden.
"Ms. Martin," she repeated that name with quiet interest.
Aiden turned to her; his hands tucked in his pockets. "Selene Martin, the youngest daughter of the Martin family," he said as he sat back down beside her.
Arwen's gaze followed his movement, her expression unreadable. But it wasn't her curiosity about Selene's identity that lingered. It was something else.
"You are buying jewellery for another woman," she said bluntly, her voice calm but pointed. "Being your legal wife, can I ask you why?"
She tried to sound stern, but her narrowed gaze and scrunched brows made her somehow look more adorable than intimidating.
Aiden chuckled softly and reached out to pat her head. "If you are going to act suspicious, don't narrow your eyes like that. You look like a kitten." He paused. "One's that trying really hard to be scary."
"You —" Arwen puffed her cheeks, then punched his chest lightly. "Who is looking like a kitten. I might be looking more like a tigress, ready to scratch and tear you apart."
He stared at her for a moment before nodding with some understanding. "Yes, there's not a big difference between the two —they both belong to the same family."
"Same family?" She furrowed her brows, confused.
Aiden simply nodded and reached out to pinch her cheek. "Mhm-hm~ same family —the cat family."
"You—!" she pointed her finger at him, rising a little as if ready to pounce, but then slouched back with a dramatic huff. "Forget it. Attacking you would only prove your point. Instead of proving myself a tigress, let me prove myself a human."
She swatted away the hand that was still pinching her cheek and then grew serious. "On a serious note, I really do want to know —why are you getting some random Ms. Martin jewellery? Don't you think it's wrong?"
Aiden shook his head casually. "It's not. Isn't it just some jewellery?"
"Just some jewellery?" Arwen repeated in serious disbelief. Scoffing in a dramatic way, she shot back. "Really? Do you even understand how intimate a gift of jewellery can be for a woman?" A man should only give it to his woman —not to every woman who asks. Do I have to teach you this?"
Aiden raised an eyebrow at her, then leaned back, studying her like a puzzle he was both intrigued by and in love with.
"You are jealous," he said softly, a smirk tugging at his lips.
"I am not," she denied instantly, crossing her arms. "I am just telling you what you might not have known. After all, this is your first time being a married man. I can understand."
"So … you mean, if I get jewellery for you, it's fine?"
"Of course," she said firmly. "I am your wife." Her reason came quickly, followed by a scoff. "But you aren't getting jewellery for me —you are getting it for Ms. Martin, aren't you?"
Aiden laughed, shaking his head. "I am not getting it for her."