Chapter 41: Lipstick in the Car

Charles didn't beat around the bush, shutting down Alice's thoughts right away.

Alice felt a pang of regret, but she respected their wishes more. They'd just tied the knot, and having a kid right now would be jumping the gun.

After dinner, Alice didn't hang around. She told Charles to take good care of Anna and then headed back to the old house.

At the hall's entrance.

After seeing Alice off, Anna was about to head back to the living room. But Charles grabbed her waist and pinned her against the door.

"What are you doing?" Anna asked.

Charles held her tight, his deep voice whispering in her ear. "That soup was nasty and bitter. Anya, don't you wanna try it together?" Charles said.

Before she could say anything, he leaned in and kissed her.

The next morning, Charles personally took Anna to Radiant Life Hospital.

Since Anna wasn't dealing with Tina and Thalia's injuries anymore, Charles just dropped her off at the entrance. As he turned to leave, he bumped into Michael, who had just arrived at the hospital.

Seeing Anna disappear around the stairwell corner, Michael's eyes turned cold. "Mr. Percy, there are tons of women in Crystal City who dig you. Why chase after a woman who doesn't love you every day?"

"What are you getting at, Mr. Tudor?" Charles asked.

Michael laid it out, "Mr. Percy, you know about Anna and me. She'll never love you. A woman who can't love, what's the point of keeping her? Why not divorce her and set things right?"

'Set things right?' Charles sneered.

He stepped closer, leaving just a few feet between them.

With a keychain in his hand and a sly smile, he said, "Mr. Tudor, you don't get it. I'm shallow; I want her, physically. Feelings are just fluff. How can they compare with chemistry?"

Hearing this, Michael's fake smile almost slipped. "You like Anna?"

Charles replied, "That's between me and my wife. No need for you to worry."

As they were about to pass each other, he paused and casually added, "By the way, Mr. Tudor, Anna is my wife, the mistress of the whole Percy family. Since we got hitched two weeks ago, she's not someone you can control anymore. Don't overstep."

With that, Charles got into his car, hit the gas, and drove off.

In the evening, just like the past few days, Charles came to pick up Anna from work. But as soon as Anna opened the car door, she caught a whiff of women's perfume.

Anna's fingers hesitated for a moment, then she sat in the passenger seat and buckled up. On the windshield, a lipstick lay in plain sight.

Anna glanced at it with a blank face, then looked away like she didn't care. It was like she hadn't even noticed the perfume in the car, not saying a word about it. Her expression stayed the same.

Even though Charles was driving, he kept sneaking peeks at her reaction. Seeing her stay as indifferent as ever, not giving a damn, Charles's grip on the steering wheel tightened, the veins on his hand popping out.

As he stared at the busy road ahead, his mind drifted back to a few months ago, to a scene he had stumbled upon in a parking lot abroad.

In the dim light, Anna got out of a car, holding a lipstick, grilling the tall Michael. "Michael, whose is this? Who did you let sit in your passenger seat?"

Even in the dim light, Anna's jealousy was crystal clear. Michael pulled her into his arms, gently soothing her with a soft look.

Though Anna was pissed, she couldn't stay mad after not seeing him for a while. Like a cat with its fur standing on end, she furrowed her brows and staked her claim, "Michael, you can't be too close to those women! I'll be back in five months. I only have you in my heart, and you can't have anyone else in your heart either!"

Anna's words, though a bit unreasonable, were dripping with fear and jealousy. It was so obvious that even from several parking spaces away, Charles, sitting in his car, could hear her care and affection for Michael in her voice.

Thinking back to that scene, a flicker of anger sparked in Charles's eyes.

Back at Regal Retreat, as soon as they stepped into the hall, he suddenly pinned Anna against the shoe cabinet in the foyer. With his hands on either side of her, he trapped her, his eyes half-lowered, staring at her lips, and kissed her fiercely.

Charles's kisses were never gentle, but this time, he was especially rough. Anna couldn't handle it, being forced to back up step by step. Her body grew weaker, and Charles caught her waist just in time, afraid she might fall.

Anna snapped back to reality and pushed against his chest, trying to make him stop.

"There will be marks, let go," Anna said.

Charles ignored her. 

Usually, Charles was considerate and wouldn't leave marks in visible places. But today, he seemed to do it on purpose, leaving one visible red mark after another on her neck as if declaring his ownership.

Past midnight, Charles held the drowsy Anna in his arms. The anger in his brows had faded. He brushed her hair behind her ear.

He lightly pecked her lips, his hoarse voice carrying a hint of helplessness and a sigh as he gently complained to her, "Anya, didn't you see the lipstick in the car?"

Anna barely lifted her eyelids, "I saw it."

"Can't you be a little jealous?" he asked.