Chapter 52

After messing around and finishing dinner, David wrapped up his last bit of work and took Alice home.

After a quick shower, David headed downstairs with a cup to grab some water. To his surprise, when he opened the door, there was Alice, standing in her pajamas, clutching a pillow.

The scene felt like déjà vu. David stopped and eyed Alice with curiosity.

Alice coughed and nervously licked her lips. "David, I came to sleep with you."

Before she could finish, David walked out of the room, chuckling as he passed her, "Not good enough."

Alice's eyes widened slightly as she watched David head downstairs for water.

Not ready to give up, she followed him.

"What do you mean, not good enough?" Alice said indignantly, "It's not about my figure!"

David filled a glass of water, took a sip, and gave Alice's pajamas a once-over, raising an eyebrow, "You're dressed too conservatively. If you're trying to seduce me, you should at least show a little something. Maybe then I'd be tempted to let you sleep with me."

Alice never knew David could be such a jerk. He said it so seriously, like it was really her fault.

David took another sip of water, raising his eyebrows slightly. "I can tell you anything else you want to know."

Alice gritted her teeth and said sarcastically, "I get it. You've been seduced by many women, haven't you? You've even gained experience from it, right?"

Well, David wasn't in his forties or fifties. He had a good body. He was handsome, rich, and charming. What woman wouldn't like him? Besides, he was 26 and didn't have a girlfriend. Wasn't that a hint to all the women who liked David that such a good man was still single?

Thinking this, Alice unhappily turned and went upstairs.

David watched Alice go upstairs in a huff, shook his head with a smile. After finishing his glass of water, he refilled it and went upstairs.

In the warm yellow light, David leaned against the headboard, a blanket covering his waist and abdomen. He was reading a book, but several minutes passed, his eyes still remained fixed on the same line.

Although he said that, it wasn't necessary to dress provocatively to attract him. Sometimes, being fully covered could spark a man's imagination even more, imagining the scenery beneath the slightly oversized pajamas.

David closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and took a sip of cold water.

Looking at the time, David closed the book, placed it on the nightstand, turned off the light, and went to sleep.

In a hazy state of consciousness, David felt very awake, yet not. Otherwise, why would he dream of Alice?

Alice was still in the pajamas he had seen, with a few buttons undone, revealing a bare shoulder. She wore a white camisole underneath and was straddling him. His hands were on Alice's slender waist, and an indescribable feeling surged from his lower abdomen, threatening to break through his rationality and plunge him into it.

Suddenly, a light turned on in the dark room.

David, drenched in sweat, sat up abruptly, his heart pounding in his ears. He couldn't calm down, so he grabbed the water he had poured earlier and drank it all, then he finally felt somewhat at ease.

"I shouldn't have told her how to seduce me," David muttered, holding his forehead. He glanced at the time; it was around four in the morning. Now, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep, afraid that if he closed his eyes, all he would see was Alice's naked body.

At six in the morning, David took a shower, changed clothes, and went downstairs. He happened to meet the housekeeper preparing breakfast. Seeing David up so early, the housekeeper was surprised, "Good morning, Mr. Tudor."

"Good morning," David paused and asked, "Do we have any light ingredients?"

The housekeeper was momentarily stunned but then listed a few light dishes.

David nodded, "Then let's make these dishes for now. Alice is still growing, so make some of her favorites too. Don't make anything else for now; the lighter, the better."

"Okay." The housekeeper nodded.

At seven in the morning, Alice dragged herself out of bed with dark circles under her eyes.

She had a dream. In it, David was being a total jerk. He said her figure was flat, which was bad enough, but he also called her ugly. He even said the little dog he saw at the Tudor Family last time was sexier than her. In the dream, she got so mad she beat David up, but when he called her ugly, it really stung, and then she woke up.

She had a light sleep until six-thirty, then lay in bed for half an hour before finally getting up for breakfast.

David noticed Alice's tired look and asked, "Didn't sleep well last night?"

Not just not well, she almost didn't wake up!

Alice shot David a resentful look, not wanting to talk, and sat down to eat breakfast.

David felt a bit guilty when he saw Alice because of that dream.

So, David didn't say much, and Alice didn't want to talk to him either. After breakfast, she went upstairs to change clothes and then headed to school.

Because of the dream, for the next few days, although David talked to Alice, she always felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint what it was.

So she skipped class and went to the arcade to find Simon.

But this time, Esme was there too.

Alice said, "David's acting a bit weird."

Simon, already numb from the pain, didn't expect Alice to remember that he liked her.

"How is he weird?" Simon asked.

Alice replied, "He's avoiding me."

Simon paused, feeling a familiar sense, as if they had discussed this a long time ago.

"So what are you going to do?" Esme, who was eating behind them, asked.

Alice shook her head, "I can't figure out what David is thinking. Last time he acted weird, I went home that night, and he was having a party with lots of beautiful women and handsome men. He gave me money to go out and eat."

Esme almost spat out her food. "Are you talking about David, not James?"

Alice nodded expressionlessly. "Yes, David."

Esme didn't know what to say. She could only marvel at how similar the brothers were, wondering if Felix was same like them.

After finishing his game, Simon bought three cans of drinks, and the three of them sat on the arcade's lounge sofa.

"David is 26, and he's more troublesome than Dylan." Thinking of that inexplicable phone call, Simon looked at Alice. The more he looked, the more he found Alice beautiful, glowing like an angel, albeit a slightly temperamental one.

"What are you looking at?" Alice turned her head, and Simon quickly looked away, holding his drink with both hands, "Last time, David acted weird because he thought you liked him. Maybe this time, he thinks you don't like him."

Simon, still feeling sad though, gave Alice a bad idea, "Since you don't know why he's acting weird, why not take the initiative? Book a restaurant, prepare roses, music, and a candlelight dinner. Show him with your actions that you like him."

Esme couldn't help but laugh, holding her stomach, tears streaming down her face.

Simon glared at her.

Esme wiped her tears and took a few deep breaths. "If I didn't know David, I'd almost think you were talking about someone else with the same name."

Simon, feeling wronged, asked, "Then what do you suggest?"

Esme propped her chin. "What else? Just ask him directly! It's not a difficult question, and it's the easiest and quickest way. Why not try it?"

Alice thought Esme made sense.

Esme found Alice not as temperamental as rumors said, but rather cute.

She was like a shy young girl, unsure of what to do when faced with someone she liked, seeking advice from others.

Thinking of what Celeste had said, Esme sneered inwardly.

If she had a sister like Alice, she'd show her off everywhere. She could never say such disgusting things about her being an illegitimate child.

David had gotten used to Alice skipping classes occasionally. When he received a call from Oliver, he just said, "Okay," showing no intention of reprimanding Alice. Oliver was left speechless, wondering if he should continue informing David about Alice's truancy in the future.