Chapter 21 You Look Adorable When You’re Anxious

Claire’s POV:

Entering my second month on the job, I started to work even harder. I had begun to understand some survival rules in the workplace.

How to handle Sarah’s difficulties, how to protect myself from Peter’s overt and covert harassment, and to interact with him as little as possible in my work. But it was exhausting, leaving me drained every day.

When I got home, I would slip off my high heels and just collapse on the sofa, sometimes so tired that I’d sleep right through to the middle of the night. Waking up, I’d find a thin blanket covering me, with Colin fast asleep beside me on the floor, using his arm as a pillow.

I had taken up his spot on the sofa, but Colin didn’t go to sleep in my bed instead. I couldn’t help but smile gently, feeling uneasy yet warmed at the same time.

Colin once said to me, “Seeing how tough the job is, why not just quit?”

“How can I?” I looked at him, “Without a job, how will we afford food or pay rent?”

“You’re worried about that little money?”

“Little money?” I laughed, bemused. “You really are quite the lord. My salary barely maintains our lives...” I sighed, “if I don’t sign more deals and get bonuses, our days of hardship are far from over.”

I didn’t even realize that I had started referring to us as ‘we’ and ‘our’. Colin offered a light smile.

"It's quite a peculiar feeling, one I’ve never encountered in my previous life. Before you married me, weren't you Miss Watson? So, why do I always feel like you're hesitant to spend money?”

“Now you even have to go out and work hard yourself, can the Watson family just watch you suffer without helping?" He stood, watching me, while rubbing his chin. I was chopping vegetables, and I nearly sliced my finger, my heart pounding fiercely.

“What are you talking about,” I returned uneasily, forcing a smile to deflect the conversation. “Even if I was once the beloved daughter of a wealthy family, now that I’m married, I have my own home.”

“I'm no longer part of the Watson family, so naturally, I must plan our lives carefully and can't just spend money recklessly."

"Is that so?" Colin's smile deepened as he leaned in closer.

"But even if you're no longer the Watson family's precious daughter, your savings must surely be more than the average person’s, right? And what about the generous wedding gifts the heiress would receive? Why haven't I ever seen them?"

My face flushed with embarrassment, and I turned sharply to confront him, feeling awkward.

"Why, why would you ask such things? Since we've been married, have I ever left you hungry or cold? Have I not taken care of you in every possible way? Are you suggesting I'm hiding money from you? You really are..." I was suddenly cut off by Colin.

"Has anyone ever told you that you look quite adorable when you're anxious?" Colin suddenly offered a serious compliment.

I was taken aback, my cheeks reddening, "No, you're the first."