Chapter 34: The Kiss Marks

Monica slept directly until noon the next day.
When she woke up, her body still felt a little tired and sore. She groggily turned over and, feeling a bit grumpy, buried herself under the blanket for a while before finally uncovering it and sitting up.
There was no one in the room, but her clothes were placed on the bedside table. It must have been Steven who went to get them for her.
She reached out to grab her phone and absentmindedly opened it, only to be surprised by the screen full of unread message notifications.
Lisa had sent her at least 20 messages.
[11:30 PM]
Lisa: Big news! I have something good to show you!
Lisa: [Image]
Lisa: Tonight, Steven had a video conference, supposedly a high-level meeting of their company. In such a formal occasion, there was actually a woman in a bathrobe appearing in the frame, though only her hand was visible. I wonder who it is.
Lisa: The conference wasn't recorded, but someone managed to take a screenshot, and now it's spreading in our circle. A group of high-society ladies I joined have been investigating this woman all night, wanting to see who exactly is capable of capturing Steven's heart.
Lisa: You've always wanted to find some evidence against him, right? Well, here it is. Your brother has a close relationship with him, so why not try to subtly probe for information?
Lisa: Monica, where are you? This is such a big scoop, aren't you interested?
Lisa: You're not going to ignore me at a time like this, are you?! Are you busy with your overnight activities?!
Lisa: The other party has ended the call.
Back then, at 11:30 PM, she was probably still in bed with Steven.
Monica felt a bit guilty and uneasy, so she called Lisa back.
"My lady, you finally showed up," Lisa said. "If you didn't respond, I would have thought you disappeared."
"I saw the messages you sent me," Monica decided to get straight to the point. "Have they found out who that woman is?"
"It seems like not yet," Lisa mumbled with a mouthful of food, her words slightly unclear. "After all, it's just a blurry screenshot. There's not much information to go on, so it's not easy to find out."
Monica secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"But if you want to investigate, I have a clue for you," Lisa's tone suddenly changed. "I remember the nail polish that woman was wearing. It's definitely from the salon we often go to. You won't find that style anywhere else."
The sense of relief Monica had just felt vanished instantly and she felt uneasy..
Monica glanced at her own hand and instinctively hid her fingertips in her palm. She coughed and said, "Well, it's not certain. There are so many nail salons in the country."
Lisa transformed into a detective in an instant.
"But Steven is in NingchuanSiena. If he's dating someone, the person must be in NingchuanSiena too. Maybe we'll encounter that woman when we go to get our nails done next time. Oh, by the way, she seems to have a similar taste to yours. It's possible that she uses 's the same nail technician. You should ask her if you have the chance."
Monica's smile became increasingly forced. After a brief chat, she hastily ended the call with Lisa and looked at her own nails.
Lisa had indeed reminded her. The style of the nail polish in the picture was so distinctive. If someone saw her with the exact same nails today, then...
Is it not evidence delivered to our doorstep? And even someone like Lisa Yingshu, who has no connection to Steven, has found out. How is it possible that Steven's circle of friends wouldn't receive the news? Especially Eric, he undoubtedly knows as well.
Monica grew more and more worried, so she quickly made an appointment for a manicure nearby. In any case, she needed to redo her nail polish before doing anything else.
She quickly finished getting ready and walked out of the bedroom, coincidentally running into Steven as he opened the door and walked in from outside.
It seemed like he had attended an event in the morning, impeccably dressed in a suit, with his usual cold and refined demeanor. One would never think that this gentleman was the same beast who ruthlessly tormented her until the late hours of the night.
Seeing Monica standing at the door staring at him, he stopped in his tracks. "What's wrong?" he asked.
She asked, "Regarding the meeting last night... it didn't have any negative consequences, did it?"
"Mm," he responded, his expression unchanged. It was clear that he didn't really care.
Monica had seen so much news about it, and as the person involved, Steven would certainly have receive even more "concern." Or even receive comments or questions.
It was astonishing that he remained so calm; he must have an incredible mental fortitude.
She lacked some confidence and hesitated, asking, "You wouldn't betray me, right?"
Steven bent his elbow and casually adjusted his sleeve, saying, "What would you consider betrayal?"
"Of course, it would be..." Monica’s sentence was cut short.
During their conversation, Monica's phone rang, displaying the words "Big Brother" on the screen, causing her a momentary panic.
She quickly turned and walked towards the bedroom, answering the call, "Hello, big brother."
Eric said, "Get ready, I'm taking you out for dinner later."
"Go out for dinner?" Monica’s surprise was evident.
"Not those formal banquets, just a simple meal with a few friends. It's better than you being bored alone in the hotel." Eric seemed to pick up on her concern.
A familiar presence approached from behind and pressed against her shoulder. Monica was startled and turned to look, only to see Steven walking past her into the room, removing his jacket as he walked.
She was momentarily distracted until Eric asked the question again on the phone, prompting her to hurriedly reply ,hastily, "I understand."
After hanging up the phone, Steven had already changed his clothes. Monica had a bad feeling in her heart and asked, "You're not going out for dinner later, are you?"
"Yes," he hung his suit jacket, "Msrs. Perez, what are your instructions?"
Monica quickly walked over and threatened in a commanding tone, "If anyone asks later, you're not allowed to slip up and reveal our relationship. Understand?"
He remained calm and composed, "What kind of relationship do we have?"
Monica was momentarily at a loss for words and couldn't find a way to describe it. Annoyed, she said, "Just come up with a good excuse for yourself, but don't implicate me. Otherwise, you're done for."
"Rest assured," Steven closed the closet door, "I only know that I spent a very enjoyable night with my girlfriend last night. As for who my girlfriend is, she's currently unwilling to give me a title and doesn't want it to be public. Is this answer acceptable?" he asked as he approached her.
He emphasized the word "enjoyable," and Monica instantly recalled the debauched scenes from last night, feeling a bit embarrassed as she glared at him.
"But you, showing your true colors..."
"Maybe it's a ninety percent possibility."
"Me?"
Steven's fingertips caressed her neck. "Seems like I kissed you a bit too heavily last night."
Monica immediately understood his meaning and rushed into the bathroom to look in the mirror. After a while, an annoyed voice came from inside, "Steven! How am I supposed to face people like this?"
He was in a good mood, leaning against the door and leisurely watching her, showing no sign of remorse.
Monica was furious and threw herself into his arms, clinging to his shoulders. She stood on tiptoes and bit him heavily on the neck.
Tit for tat.
The fair skin was instantly left with a red mark, and it was quite conspicuous, making it difficult for anyone to not to notice.
"Go out to eat with this on your neck later and embarrass yourself." Monica snorted, covering her neck and walking out. Just before reaching the door, she didn't forget to turn around and glare at him fiercely.
Steven watched her departing figure and touched his neck, as if the warmth of her lips still remained.
He chuckled lightly, feeling the happiness of having Monica, just as he had always thought..
**Chapter 35: Anniversary Love**