"Show me how strong you are," Mandy challenged him.
"You've gotten so bold now!" Amused, Nathan laughed heartily.
Steam wafted up in thin clouds from the warm water, engulfing them in a mist.
"I'll let go of what happened tonight. Next time, I'll ask your permission first whenever I want to visit
Lisa. Or I'll ask you to come with me, okay?" She tried to make a deal with him and felt herself blush.
"You're quite prepared." Although his anger had abated, he still did not agree directly with her request.
He angled a speculative look at her, and an enigmatic smile broke shallowly across his face.
Unfortunately for Mandy, you would not try games of one-upmanship with Nathan.
"I learned from you," she said softly as a sly smile scored her beautiful face.
The next morning, Serge brought a change of clothes for Nathan and Mandy. Fred also came.
Promptly on cue, the doorbell rang. Nathan went to the door wearing a bathrobe and opened it. Mandy
was still in the bathroom, getting ready.
"Good morning, Mr. Jin!" Serge greeted in high spirits and handed a bag of clothes to Nathan.
"Good morning!" Nathan gave a curt nod to the two men.
"Mr. Jin, the private jet is ready. When do you want to leave?"
"I'll set out after breakfast."
Done with her business, Mandy walked out in a daze wrapped only in a flimsy satin bathrobe that
revealed her slender legs. The door at the end of the hall was open, and Nathan stood in the doorway.
Nathan looked over his shoulder and saw Mandy, who looked every bit enticing. He abruptly closed the
door and took her inside. With a slight reproach, he blamed, "What are you doing? Why are you so
scantily clad?"
"What are you talking about? Aren't you wearing the same?" She innocently blinked as she took the
carrier bag.
"Fred and Serge were standing at the door just now. They might be my men, but they are still men
anyway. Do you want to seduce them?" He squinted at her, not at all amused.
Mandy was startled by his outburst. Regaining her senses, she snapped, "You're just saying that
because you are a male chauvinist!"
"What do you mean I'm a male chauvinist?" asked Nathan knowingly, pretending not to understand.
"I'm not allowed to do this and that, but you can do whatever you want!" She pulled on a set of clothes
and then started down the hall. Before she could step away, Nathan grabbed her hand and spun her
around.
"Since I'm a male chauvinist, I order you now to change your clothes in front of me!"
It took a couple of seconds for his words to sink in and another few to process them. Seeing his wolfish
smile, Mandy pouted and said sharply, "You're messing with me!"
She accused him of being a chauvinist, so he deliberately pissed her off. He wanted her to be irked
because he sure as hell was annoyed.
"Fair enough. You'll change in front of me, and I'll do the same. Isn't that what you want?" Nathan
casually said as he took off his bathrobe.
She made a small sound of disbelief. Now she was in for it. The man unnerved her, but then, she
married this shameless man.
She could only grit her teeth and endure silently.
She changed her clothes, but her mood deflated when Nathan's trip came to mind. "How long will you
be away this time?"
"It depends, maybe a week. Can you take care of yourself?" Nathan became grave, and there was a
glimmer of trepidation in his eyes.
"Don't worry, I'm not a kid," Mandy teased, not wanting to break the mood.
Nathan was not looking forward to the trip, and an inner voice of warning pinged in his head. Fearing
that some people might be plotting against Mandy, he asked Serge to stay in City A to protect her. He
arranged it secretly, though, in case he made her nervous.
After breakfast, Nathan departed on his private aircraft to Switzerland.
At forty thousand feet, the clouds reflected the shadow of the jet across the sky. Overhead, the sunlight
glowed brilliantly against the pale blue background, sprinkling streaks of a myriad colors below.
Meanwhile, Mandy went back to the villa to take Adrian to kindergarten. The little kid had just finished
his breakfast and was tidying in front of the mirror. He twisted and turned, checking out his uniform from
every possible angle. And then a smile crossed his face as he was pleased, admiring his reflection.
Mandy nearly burst into laughter when she saw the scene. Adrian's chubby body, coupled with the way
he fussed with his appearance at such an innocent age, was simply adorable. 'He will surely become a
ladies man in the future, just like his father!'
Nacy, who was still rubbing sleep from her eyes, came walking down the stairs and joined them. She
did not sleep well last night after she had quarreled with Simon. The man was so angry that he left
without notice.
Mandy looked up and saw Nacy was not her usual glam self. She seemed weary, and there were dark
circles under her eyes.
"Why do you look so bad, Nacy?" Mandy asked as she approached her, concerned.
"I'm fine!" Nacy smiled, pretending to be tough and stoic. But in truth, she felt overwhelming gloom.
She wanted to rid her mind of thoughts of Simon but to no avail.
"How were you and Simon last night?"
"He was livid." A soft, half-sad smile parted her beautiful lips.
"What? He left angry?" Mandy exclaimed in surprise. 'Nathan said they would make up.
How come childhood sweethearts who were bickering for most of their lives ended up in a divorce?'
"It's not a big deal. We're divorced, and maybe he's getting sick of me. Anyway, the man's not even
worth mentioning!" Nacy said nonchalantly.
Since the miscarriage, the chasm between them had never seemed broader. They used to talk every
day, but now all they did was fight.
They became impatient and began to blame each other for their problems. Simon accused her of
always making a fuss and being inconsiderate while Nacy always thought that Simon maintained a
relationship with Bonnie, which reached the end of her tolerance.
Be that as it may, Nacy would still investigate the real cause of her miscarriage. She did not care who
was to blame for what she would do.
Nacy had a clear distinction between love and hate. She did not like being entangled with other women
for a man, but she was firm with her true love and would not easily give up.
"Where are you going?" Mandy changed the topic. She was afraid that Nacy would get bored being
alone at home.
"I have an appointment with Bruce. We are going out for a barbecue. Would you like to join us?" Nacy
offered as she smoothed her floral dress.
Despite her fatigue, Nacy had dressed up daintily. Mandy was smart enough to figure out what was
going on. "No, thanks. If you want to be together, I don't see why I should stand in your way."
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