9

Entering the kitchen, she saw a simple omelette rice placed on the table, causing waves of emotions to rise within Aileen.

In a previous life, when they had just gotten married, Geoffrey also made breakfast for her. However, back then, she was always difficult, always brushing off his intentions, and eventually, he became too lazy to deal with her.

With the first bite, amazement flashed in her eyes. The omelet wrapping the rice was thin and even, perfectly cooked, and melted in her mouth. Aileen knew he was highly accomplished in medicine, but she had never expected his culinary skills to be this good.

"Ding—"

Her phone rang, and she unlocked it to check the message.

"Congratulations, you have successfully enrolled in the 23rd session of the Fast-track Fashion Designer Course."

Joy lit up her face, surprised by Geoffrey's extensive connections. The lecturer for this course had just returned from further studies in France and was a renowned designer. Even if she had enough money, it would have been difficult to secure a spot.

Thinking this way, she decided she wanted to repay him.

The course lasted for three months, during which Geoffrey was always busy, and Aileen often saw his gossip news on TV. Occasionally, in the middle of the night, he would return home exhausted and reeking of alcohol.

In short, his whereabouts could be described as elusive. Occasionally, on Sundays, Geoffrey would come home, and she would be revising in the living room while he worked on his laptop on the sofa. When she accidentally looked up, she found him looking at her, not saying a word, and then lowering his head to continue working.

Due to her busy studying, Aileen didn't disturb him, and the two of them silently coexisted this way.

She couldn't understand why a surgeon's salary was already substantial, so why did he have to work so hard in business?

On weekdays, Aileen went to the Palace Art Garden to attend classes, and sometimes Geoffrey would come to pick her up at 5 o'clock. One time, she was chatting with her classmates at the gate when her phone rang.

"I'm right across from you."

Before she could react, the call ended, and she looked up to see a familiar black Mercedes.

"Sorry, I have to leave first."

"Is your boyfriend here to pick you up? It's okay; we'll talk next time," the girl beside her teased.

"...," Aileen didn't know how to introduce Geoffrey to others.

When she turned back, Geoffrey had already gotten out of the car, dressed all in black and casually standing there.

Aileen felt guilty and nervously ran over. He never publicly acknowledged their relationship in front of outsiders, so why did he come to pick her up in this public place?

As she got closer, she detected a strong smell of alcohol from him, making her slightly uncomfortable. Her gaze fell on the stubble on his chin, "What are you doing here?"

"Just finished a surgery and decided to pick you up on the way home," Geoffrey's gaze focused on Aileen's petite ears, which had turned slightly red due to nervousness, making them blush pink.

Feeling the surrounding glances, and remembering that Geoffrey had been frequently appearing in the news lately, she was afraid of being recognized. She anxiously held his wrist and hurried towards the car.

"Let's go back quickly; I'm a bit hungry."

He stood behind her, allowing himself to be led forward. As he saw her ears growing even redder, a hint of a smile appeared in his dark eyes.

"What do you want to eat?"

After getting into the car, Aileen finally relaxed a bit. The incident just now was just a joke, but when she heard Geoffrey's question, she didn't know how to respond.

It had been a week since their last meeting, and that feeling of unfamiliarity came back again. It was then that she remembered her long-delayed plan of gratitude.

"Shall we cook at home? I'll get the ingredients now."

"No need, let's go to the supermarket."

As she was about to fiddle with her phone, her fingertips paused. "Okay, then I'll go to the supermarket."

"I'll go with you."

As soon as he said that, Aileen froze in her posture.

No way, he wanted to go supermarket shopping with her?

"Are you sure?"

Meeting his startled and beautiful eyes, he remained calm and replied with a simple "Yes, I’m sure."