Chapter 549: Why Pretend to Be Innocent?
Eat?
Listen to him, acting like everything's peachy.
What a load of crap!
May didn't want to eat; she wanted to slap Tyler so hard his head would spin, spit in his face, and tell him to get lost.
But she couldn't. Things had gotten too messy between them, and there was no easy way back.
So, even though she was fuming inside, May had to play it cool until she figured things out. "Sure, see you tonight."
"Yeah, see you tonight. Gotta run to a meeting now."
A meeting!
Now, every time May heard the word "meeting," it made her want to puke.
6 PM.
The Jaguar was already parked at the entrance of the music school.
"Ms. Wilson, your boyfriend's here to pick you up again," the receptionist said, eyes practically sparkling with envy.
"No wonder he's a banker; he's got that whole suave thing going on. Bet that car costs a fortune."
"Has your boyfriend been swamped lately? Haven't seen him around. Is he here to make it up to you?"
"Ms. Wilson, didn't you say you were meeting the parents soon? Can't wait to hear the good news."
May used to love hearing this stuff; she soaked up the envy like a sponge. But now, it just felt like a cruel joke.
She was dating a two-faced jerk and only saw his true colors when they were about to tie the knot.
May's face turned stormy.
"Ms. Wilson?"
"Mind your own business and stop prying into other people's lives," May snapped.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Wilson..."
May grabbed her bag and stormed out of the music school.
Tyler got out of the car to open the door for her. "What's wrong? Did a student tick you off again?"
He acted like nothing had happened, which just made May even angrier. A student upset her? Yeah, right. It was him!
Tyler's acting was top-notch. How could he pretend nothing had happened? Didn't he feel guilty about his lies? Did he think she was some fool he could easily trick?
Tyler opened the car door for her, "What's wrong? Why the long face? Are you mad at me?"
"No," May replied, her voice icy.
"Don't lie. You've been frowning all this time." Tyler tried to comfort her, reaching out to pinch her cheek. But May dodged, "Don't touch me."
"Don't be like that. You know I've been really busy at the bank lately. As soon as I have spare time, I come to see you."
"Busy. Are you really that busy?" May asked with a cold smile.
"Of course. Why would I lie to you? If you don't believe me, you can put a tracker on me."
"Fine. From now on, I'll video call you anytime, and you have to answer."
Tyler frowned slightly, "Alright, stop being petty."
"I'm not being petty. I'm serious. Don't you want to prove your innocence?"
"I'm working. How can I work if you do that? I'm a vice president. What would others think?"
"Then how can I trust your innocence?"
Tyler shook his head, "If you can't trust me, there's no trustworthy man in the world. I'm the most reliable one."
May sneered in her mind, 'What a skilled liar!'
"Alright. Let's eat first, not talk about this. You'll feel better after dinner."
Restaurant.
"Eat more fish. Have some soup. This soup is good." Tyler diligently served her a bowl of soup.
In the past, May would have enjoyed this attentiveness, but now it felt like a mockery. It was like a man trying to make up for his shameless actions outside by being attentive to his wife.
The more attentive Tyler was, the more she pictured him cozying up to another woman in some private room.
It was like he had two different masks.
"Why aren't you eating? Don't like this place? We can go somewhere else. My parents are flying in on Monday. I've set up a meeting for us on Tuesday. They're really looking forward to meeting you," Tyler continued.
May really wanted to ask Tyler, if he was that kind of guy, why did he want to marry her? Why deceive her?
"Tyler, do you really want to marry me?" May asked.
"Of course. Didn't we agree from the start that we were dating with marriage in mind? If we can get everything sorted, we could tie the knot next month. May, I'm one hundred percent serious about you. I can't wait to marry you." Tyler held her hands.
May felt conflicted.
A man willing to marry a woman must be sincere, right? But if that's the case, why deceive her and mess around on the side?
Are all men like this, wanting a wife at home and other women outside?
Is Tyler no exception?
Is it the same with any man, especially those with good backgrounds?
If this is the reality of marriage, should she accept it? At least she found a man who is willing to treat her well on the surface with a good background.
After all, she didn't love him; she just enjoyed his attentiveness and valued his status.
This could be considered a fair trade.
May hesitated.
"Don't you want to marry me?" Tyler asked, a hint of nervousness in his eyes.
"I do." May nodded.
Maybe marriage isn't perfect.
Tyler finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Good, now I'm relieved. Come on, eat more. You don't want me to feed you in front of all these people, do you?"
May forced a smile and absentmindedly ate a few bites. Her heart was filled with too much conflict and contradiction.
After dinner, May said she was tired and declined to go to the movies. Tyler drove her home.
The car stopped at the Wilson family mansion.
"Good night." May was about to get out of the car.
But Tyler grabbed her hand and leaned in to kiss her.
May's mind flashed to the image of him holding another woman in the private room, and she recoiled in disgust.
"What's wrong?" Tyler was puzzled.
"Are you still shy? We've already started a relationship. Just a kiss, okay?" Tyler coaxed her.
They had only progressed to kissing and hugging before.
May closed her eyes, reluctantly enduring his kiss. She felt it was dirty and hoped it would end soon. But this time, Tyler's kiss deepened, and his hands started roaming her body.
"What are you doing? Tyler, let go of me!" May struggled, pushing him away forcefully.
A shadow of gloom crossed Tyler's eyes, "We're about to get married, and you're still resisting me?"
"I-I'm not ready." May was a bit scared by his look. "Can't you respect me?"
But Tyler's expression quickly returned to normal. He apologized softly, "I'm sorry, I was too hasty. May, you're so beautiful and attractive that I couldn't help myself... Forgive me, okay? I won't do it again. I've always respected you."
May didn't want to hear more and fled the car.
Tyler stared at her back, his gaze displeased, and finally let out a mocking cold laugh.
Feigning ignorance.