I thought my marriage to Lucas Keller was just a business arrangement. Initially, my only impression of him was his perfectly sculpted butt. But now, it seems like I’m actually falling for him. When we first got married, Lucas said, “It’s just a marriage of convenience, don’t think too much of it.” A few months later, he pinned me against the car and said, “Can you stop going out drinking with other men? I really care about you.” “Can you kiss me again?” As soon as I returned to the country, my parents arranged a blind date for me. They thought I was too wild and needed someone to tie me down. So Lucas and I got married the day after we met. Apart from close relatives and friends, hardly anyone knew. The last time I saw him was on our wedding day at the courthouse. Now, five days later, I’m at my eighth welcome-home party, drinking with friends. “Move in,” read the message that popped up on my phone. I stared at it, confused, unable to recall who the sender was. Three minutes later, another message: “My mom said so.” The chat history showed we had only added each other as contacts five days ago. “Aria, what’s wrong?” My friends noticed my distraction. “What are you looking at?” “I can’t remember when I added this person,” I admitted. “Let me see,” Emma said, taking my phone. She scrolled down and another message appeared: “Five days and you’ve already forgotten who you married?” I gasped, “Oh, I think he’s my husband.” I took the phone back from Emma, trying to recall our two meetings. I could vaguely remember his appearance, but the most memorable thing was his perfectly sculpted butt. I couldn’t help but chuckle. “How could you forget that?” Emma teased. “I’ll give him a nickname now.” I clicked on his profile picture, which was blank, and his timeline empty. I saved him as “Mr. Perfect Butt”. When I arrived at our new home, my luggage had already been unpacked. As I walked up to the third floor, I noticed the study door was ajar. Was someone else in the house? I carefully pushed the door open. The creaking sound startled the person sitting at the desk. He suddenly looked up, his piercing gaze making my heart skip a beat. His features were strikingly handsome – high cheekbones, a straight nose, and a healthy complexion. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” I apologized. Lucas stood up and walked towards me. I took a half-step back, swallowing hard. He was about a head taller than me, exuding an air of nobility that made him seem like a young master from a wealthy family. I had to admit, my mom had good taste. I tilted my chin up, meeting his eyes. He took a few large strides out of the room. “This entire floor is the master suite,” he said. I followed him into the bedroom. “Your clothes have been put in the walk-in closet. The rest of your things upstairs haven’t been fully unpacked yet…” he was saying, but I wasn’t really listening. My eyes were drawn to the large, soft-looking bed. The duvet was pink, completely at odds with Lucas’s style. I sat down on the bed without thinking. It really was as soft as it looked! Lucas cleared his throat. “I’m not your real estate agent.” I raised an eyebrow. So what? Did I ask you to show me around? Why are you acting all high and mighty? I walked further into the room and noticed another smaller bedroom. “Are we going to sleep separately?” I asked. “If you want,” he replied in a low, deep voice that made it sound like I owed him something. “Then…” I hesitated. “The housekeeper works for my mother,” he interrupted. “Does one of us have to sleep in this smaller room?” I pointed to the inner room. “I don’t want to.” “Why not?” “They’ve already put pink sheets on the big bed. Would it be appropriate for you to sleep there?” I argued. Lucas’s brow furrowed slightly. After a long pause, he reluctantly agreed, “Fine.” The club was filled with pulsing music. Lucas lounged casually on the sofa, his legs crossed. “Hey Keller, why the long face? You just got married,” his friend Jack teased. “Other than having a marriage certificate, what’s different from before?” Lucas retorted. He clinked glasses with Jack and downed his drink in one go. “Aren’t you going to bring her out to have dinner with us?” Jack pressed. Lucas thought about the past two days living together. Aria had been getting home even later than him. They were living under the same roof but barely saw each other. “Maybe some other time,” he deflected. Lucas stood up to leave. “I’m going to the restroom.” “I’ll come with you,” Jack said. The men’s room was crowded and rowdy. Jack leaned in close to Lucas and whispered, “Isn’t that Marcus Lee from Joy Entertainment over there?” Lucas followed Jack’s gaze and saw Marcus Lee talking to someone by the sinks. Joy Entertainment was a longtime rival of the Keller family’s business. “Mm,” Lucas grunted in acknowledgment. As they turned to leave, they overheard part of the conversation. “Did you hear Aria Collins is back in the country?” “The Collins family’s only daughter?” Lucas paused mid-step at the mention of Aria’s name. “Yeah, I met her before. That waist, those legs, that chest… damn,” the man said crudely. The two men’s lewd laughter continued. “Forget about her family’s wealth, I’d want to get with her anyway. Wonder how wild she got abroad. Bet she’s been passed around…” Before the man could finish his sentence, Lucas’s fist connected with his face, drawing blood. Seeing Lucas attack, Jack rushed to join the fight. Marcus and his lackey were caught off guard, their eyes swelling shut from the blows. “Who the hell do you think you are?” Marcus sputtered. “Your daddy,” Lucas growled. The beating was far from over. Lucas grabbed Marcus by the collar and shoved his head towards the toilet. He could hear Marcus choking as he repeatedly dunked his head. Jack called from outside the stall, “I’ve taken care of the other guy.” “Come hold him down,” Lucas ordered. Marcus was still bent over the toilet bowl. Lucas kicked him hard in the back. The sound of ceramic breaking mixed with splashing water. “Watch your filthy mouth in the future, understand?” Lucas threatened. When there was no response, he kicked him again. “We should stop before it gets too serious,” Jack warned. Lucas looked at Marcus, who could barely open his eyes, but still felt unsatisfied. One final kick. “I’m sorry! I swear I’ll never do it again,” Marcus begged, collapsing to the floor. “Never do what again?” Lucas pressed. “I’ll never make crude comments in public again.” Another kick. “What about in private?” “I won’t, I promise!” Marcus pleaded. Lucas stormed out of the bathroom, his clothes stained with water and blood. He had lost all desire to continue the night out and decided to head home. When Lucas pushed open the bedroom door, he found Aria twirling and dancing with her eyes closed. He could tell she had been drinking without getting too close. His irritation from earlier flared up again. “Aria!” he called out sharply. She finally noticed someone else was in the room. She stumbled over to Lucas and rubbed his jacket sleeve between her fingers. “Did you just slaughter a pig or something?” she slurred. “Mm,” he grunted noncommittally. Lucas moved to let her pass, but she grabbed his sleeve. “Hey, I’m not a pig.” “Can you drink less?” he asked, exasperated. “I can hold my liquor,” she insisted confidently, though it wasn’t entirely true. “Who brought you home?” “The driver.” “Take some bodyguards with you next time you go out.” “Why? I hate being followed around.” Even Aria herself didn’t realize how whiny and coquettish she sounded. The comfortable home environment made her relax and unconsciously act spoiled. Lucas pressed his lips together, hesitating before saying, “I’ve made some enemies recently. They might try to get to me through you.” “Is this person hiding in the house?” Aria asked seriously. Her curly brown hair brushed against his arm as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “Drunk fool. Go to sleep,” Lucas sighed. Aria whimpered in protest but made no move to comply. Lucas shrugged off his dirty jacket and tossed it aside. His shirt underneath was clean. He grabbed Aria’s arm and pulled her towards the bed, his grip firm but not painful. “Ow, that hurts,” she complained. The sudden movement caused Aria’s dress to ride up slightly. Lucas noticed for the first time what she was wearing – a black off-the-shoulder mini dress that accentuated her pale skin. His gaze traveled up to the gold chain necklace resting on her collarbone, then to her flushed face. When she smiled at him, her eyes curved into crescents and her long lashes fluttered. She looked like a mischievous kitten ready to scratch. The bangles on Aria’s wrist jingled as she struggled against his grip. When he finally let go, there was a faint red mark on her skin. Lucas lowered his head. “I didn’t use much force.” The little kitten looked ready to pounce now. “It’s fine, I’ll magnanimously forgive you,” Aria said with a cheeky grin. “I’m going to bed now.” “Goodbye.” Her voice was soft and sweet, melting Lucas’s heart. Lucas’s father’s summons came urgently. Aria was barely awake when she heard Lucas urging her to get up. “My dad wants us to go over,” he explained. Aria let out a small whine. Lucas had already learned to interpret her sounds – this meant she was stalling. “Should I have the housekeeper drag you out of bed?” he threatened. “I’m getting up now,” Aria mumbled. Lucas headed for the door. “I’ll wait downstairs. Don’t take too long.” Once the bedroom door closed, Aria clutched the sheets and forced herself to sit up. What could be so urgent? She was exhausted. In the car, Lucas also felt uneasy. He wondered if news of last night’s incident had already reached his father’s ears. He hadn’t expected it to spread so quickly. He stared out the window, his breathing heavy. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” Aria said as she got in the car. Lucas turned to look at her. She was wearing a long white dress with subtle makeup and dainty square-toed flats. She looked completely different from last night. In contrast, he was wearing one of his usual suits. To an outsider, they might look mismatched, like there was a significant age gap between them. “Do I not match you today? I thought…” Aria trailed off, uncertain.
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