3
That night, I waited a long time, but no call came from Raina to Stefan.
His fiery kisses trailed across my skin. Stefan seemed particularly aroused, but at the last moment, I pressed
a hand to his chest, stopping him.
“I have a mission tomorrow. Let’s just… leave it at this.”
He was clearly unsatisfied. But I pushed him away, turned my back, and pulled the covers up to my chin.
Stefan was silent for a long time before sighing. “Alright.”
The sound of the shower started a moment later.
The System voiced my own worry. [Did you come on too strong? Did Raina give up?]
“I doubt it.” From what I knew of Raina, she would rather die than give up on Stefan.
The next day, the weather was gloomy.
When I woke up, Stefan was, for once, not already gone. He was sitting at the dining table with me. The clink- ing of cutlery was the only sound in the living room.
Stefan broke the silence. “After this mission, you should transfer to a desk job. You’ll be my wife; you don’t
need to work so hard.”
The System buzzed in my head: [I want a fried egg. A fried egg!]
I kept my eyes down, slicing a piece of ham. “Okay.”
Stefan continued, as if dictating notes to his secretary. “I’ll be at the office on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. The rest of the week, I’ll be home with you. I don’t want you coming to my office to find me.”
The System wailed: [No cheese! I want noodles!]
I smiled faintly. “Okay.”
4/8
00.04
00.04
Chapter 1
Stefan frowned. He watched me finish my milk, push back my chair, and start to walk away.
“Mindy.”
I turned back. “What?”
Stefan stared at me. “You’ve never been this obedient before. What’s wrong today?”
Honestly, I hadn’t heard a single word of his pointless monologue.
“Nothing.” I smiled. “Maybe it’s just the impending good news.”
Stefan tugged at his tie, the straight line of his lips betraying his inner frustration. See? He was a hundred
times against marrying me.
A corner of my mouth lifted. “Hey, Stefan. Aren’t you going to wish me a safe return?”
He snapped back to the present. After a moment, he said, “Return safely.”
“Thanks.” I turned and walked out.
System: [Ugh, so boring. I really thought he was going to refuse to say it.]
