Chapter 103
Charlene stood in her room, feeling a bit awkward but not overwhelmingly uncomfortable. After all, she and Thome were married, and the intimacies of marriage were not unfamiliar to them, even if they had been somewhat scarce over the years. Since their wedding, Charlene had harbored hopes that Thorne would fall in love with her. Yet, she never resorted to overt seduction. It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about it, she simply believed it wouldn’t work on him, so she never acted on it. Thus, her choice of nightwear remained modest-typically a loose, button-down pajama set.
The top she wore at the moment was of the loose variety, long enough that even without pants, it wasn’t overly revealing. She didn’t want to give Thorne the wrong idea, so she quickly explained, “I just forgot to grab my pants…”
In Charlene’s view, her top was sufficiently modest, not meant to allure. However, she underestimated the effect of her well-proportioned figure, the shirt’s high-low hem showcasing her long, fair legs to perfection, and the faint hint of her curves beneath the fabric… Just out of the shower, her skin was radiantly fresh, giving the oversized shirt she slipped into an unintentional sexiness, more enticing than any purposeful sleepwear.
Thorne listened to her explanation and glanced at her briefly before looking away with a simple, “Hmm.”
Relieved he didn’t misunderstand, Charlene didn’t press the conversation further and turned to go to the walk-in closet.
After changing, she returned to find Thorne still in the room. With little to talk about, she gave him a brief look before sitting at the vanity to start her skincare routine. Thorne then went to grab his clothes and headed for
the shower.
It was getting late, so after finishing her skincare, Charlene went straight to bed. The last time they had shared a bed at the family estate, she quickly fell asleep with a tranquil heart. However, tonight, perhaps due to Thorne agreeing to help her with something, her emotions were tangled, delaying sleep’s embrace.
Eventually, Thorne emerged from the bathroom and turned off the lights before lying down on his side of the bed, maintaining a polite distance. The room settled into silence, and after a while, Charlene drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Charlene, woke to find Thorne already up. After getting ready, she went downstairs to find Irma already awake. As they were about to exchange morning greetings, Thorne returned from what appeared to be a morning jog, his sportswear clinging to his sweat-dampened skin.
“Morning,” he said, giving Irma a quick look. She didn’t seem too happy about them getting up so early.
Charlene found it odd. Weren’t early mornings considered a good thing?
Just as she was thinking it over, Thorne chimed in, “I know a thing or two about drugs. That soup you cooked up won’t affect me.”
With that, he headed upstairs, leaving Charlene stunned. It took her a moment to realize Thorne was implying that Irma had tried to meddle with their evening meal…