59

It was a young girl, probably eighteen years old, in a white dress, with long straight hair. She was smiling sweetly. 
  She's like a fairy. Beautiful and innocent. Miya thought. She was shocked at how alike they looked as well as the unexpected feeling of jealousy she had. She must be Sol.
  To divert her thought and feeling, she clicked open the browser, thinking of having a look at the news. To her dismay, pictures and videos of her were all over the front page.
  They accused her as a shameless s.l.u.t; that her mother had a heart attack at finding out what she did, that she had no friends for her notorious reputation, that only those rich old men would use her for p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e.
  Shit! Shit! Miya cursed angrily. Why the hell did he do that?! Asshole! And I'm trying to forgive him! 
  Obviously, Luke was determined to bring her down. 
  Angered and frustrated, Miya rushed to the bathroom, thinking of asking Xenon for help, only to see the door ajar and Xenon n.a.k.e.d in the shower. The two happened to look right into each other's eyes, and Miya blushed. 
  *** 
  She covered her eyes bashfully. 
  Xenon switched off the tap, opened the door wide, and pulled Miya close to him. He took her hands over her face and said, "Don't you like my n.a.k.e.d look, huh?" 
  Miya looked into his eyes, her cheeks rosy red, and nodded. She had to admit that she loved his body. He had got the perfect figure any man could dream of.
  He nailed her on the wall and looked at her with a playful smile. "Then enjoy it." 
  Miya blushed and turned her head aside. Xenon grabbed her chin and turned her head to face him. "Tell me, which is your favorite part?" 
  "I..." Miya blushed even more. 
  Xenon chuckled. "Ha-ha. I don't think you can take it any more tonight. You've come like three or four times, haven't you?" He teased her proudly as he wrapped the towel around his waist and suddenly carried her in his arms and took her to her room. "Go back to your room and sleep now." 
  He put her down gently on her bed, and before he got up, he took a look at the corner of her left eye again. He looked disappointed.
  After Xenon left, Miya touched her eye, where his gaze had fallen upon and wondered why he had looked at it more than once, and every time, he looked disappointed. 
  Can he still see the scar of the mole? Miya wondered. Since her father died in the car accident, Miya had the mole removed as she was told by a fortune teller that it was ominous. She never really believed in palm readers or fortune tellers, but when her father died, her mother got terribly sick, and the company went bankrupt, Miya was so desperate 
  that she walked up to a fortune teller while wandering down the street.
  The fortune-teller said the mole would only bring bad luck to herself and the people around her, so she had it removed straight away. 
  No, I can't let him know. If he finds out that I had a mole, he would probably think that I will bring him bad luck. She thought to herself. 
  During breakfast the next morning, Miya tidied up the newspaper that Xenon was reading, and she caught sight of a photo of herself. She took a closer look and gasped at what she read.
  She was accused as a copycat and a s.l.u.t again. Even in the newspaper! Miya was speechless. This has to stop! 
  "Xenon, look at this. It's ridiculous!" Miya exclaimed, pointing at the news. 
  "I'm not interested in entertainment news." 
  "But it's about me! I'm your wife, well, legally, at least. Aren't you concerned that it will affect your own reputation and the company?" 
  "Rumors don't last." 
  "But the thing is that no one believes me now!" 
  Xenon stood up and beckoned Miya to follow. He won't even help me?! Miya thought, feeling terribly frustrated 
  On the way to work, Xenon didn't talk to her at all, but busied himself with his laptop, checking 
  emails. 
  As soon as Miya arrived at the company, she could sense how people looked at her with disdain. Some even murmured as they walked past her. 
  Jodie sent her a message in the morning, saying she trusted her. It was the only bit of support Miya had received. 
  Though she had intended to sketch a few designs, she couldn't concentrate at all and felt the least inspired. 
  During the lunch break, Miya went to Xenon's office, planning to cook lunch for him as usual, but Xenon beckoned her over, and Miya followed him out of the company. "Where are we going?" 
  "We're having lunch with a client," Xenon said plainly. 
  They went to a French café with a garden near the company. It was one of Miya's favorite places around. An elegantly dressed lady in her mid-fifties sat by a table in the garden. 
  "A p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to see you again, Mrs. Sally Steep." Xenon went over to the lady and extended his hand. Sally put her hand on Xenon's palm, and Xenon gave it a polite kiss. 
  They chatted over lunch, and Miya learned that Sally's husband passed away three years ago. 
  It was their thirtieth anniversary soon, and their son had gifted her a rare piece of emerald. 
  She wanted to have it designed as a pendant. 
  Knowing how much it meant for Sally, Miya grew nervous. She took a close look at the emerald and was amazed by its beauty, which, however, made her even more nervous. 
  "Don't worry. We are also in the jewelry business, and we have been planning to cooperate with The Uba Corporation. I've been told that you are very talented in design, so I thought I would like you to design for me. I'm interested to see what you've got."
  "I'm still new to jewelry design, Mrs. Steep. I'm afraid I..." Miya muttered. 
  "I want to see your design so I can judge by myself if the rings at the press conference were truly your original design. What do you think?"