Chapter 6 Laboratory

<Mia>

I lost my appetite after seeing those pictures. I'm annoyed. Not only did he not tell me, but he also posted on Instagram with another girl.

Damn it! It ruined my day.

I arrived home late in the evening feeling sluggish. Ethan still wasn't home, which made my blood boil even more. The foul-smelling old man isn't here either, but he'll surely find something to report to my self-righteous family. How I wish I could just beat them all up.

I texted Ethan.

"Ethan Lee Chanx Mendoza! Where are you?! There's no food at home! Are you planning to come home late?!"

I filled my message with exclamation points to let him know I'm not in the mood. I'm furious and feel like strangling someone.

I tried calling Lorena, but she didn't answer my call. Her phone just kept ringing. I also texted Yunnie, telling him to fix what he's been doing.

I looked at my phone, and there wasn't a single text from Ethan. Damn this guy. He's taken away my hunger with his infuriating behavior. I won't eat while I'm this angry.

I'm so irritated, I want to strangle someone.

I waited for twelve minutes, and then I heard his car.

"Why are you only coming now?" I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow at him. I was standing by the door, leaning against it.

"Hey, I'm sorry I wasn't able to text you. I was in a hurry this morning, and I got busy at work," he tried to kiss my cheeks, but I avoided him.

"Is that how a responsible husband comes home? My God, Ethan Mendoza, what time is it? It's already 10 pm! I came home earlier than you did! You never run out of load, but you don't text! And what am I supposed to do with that?" I pointed to the food he was holding. "Do you think that food will solve everything? Huh? I've been waiting for you for almost 2 hours!" Even though it wasn't true. "You didn't even bother to tell me you were attending a birthday party!" I complained. I was really annoyed.

He furrowed his brow. "Did you have a bad day?" His brow was still furrowed, and his face looked so innocent as he asked, concern evident in his eyes.

"Don't speak to me in English!" I shouted at him.

"Hey, relax," he tried to calm me down.

I walked inside, and he followed me, placing the paper bag he was holding on the table.

He sat on the sofa and took off his black coat.

I stood in front of him, fuming.

"Busy?! Are you really busy, or are you going around everywhere?!" I accused him, my anger intensifying. "I was expecting you to be home by now, only to find out there's no food here!" I know how to cook, but he's usually the one who cooks. He doesn't let me do anything around the house; he wants me to just relax. So I've gotten used to it.

"You're not like this! Don't you know what time it is?! Don't you have a cell phone?!" What's the use of your expensive watch if you can't even tell the time! Next time, don't wear it if all you do is decorate your body with it!" His brow furrowed even more, and he sat there quietly, looking at me. He seemed like a child being scolded by a mother.

I was so annoyed with what I saw, and he was the only one I could vent my frustration on. I knew he understood me, and he had immense patience with me.

"Well, what? Why aren't you answering? Because you know you're wrong!"

I was stretching and exaggerating a small matter, even though I shouldn't. I know that I would see him immediately when I come home, but I didn't see him at all, which made me even more furious.

Can someone relate? You expect someone to brighten up your bad day when you see them, but you feel down when they're not by your side. The one you rely on is the one who's not there.

"Hey, our neighbors might hear you," he spoke gently.

"I don't care!" I stared at him intensely. "Let them hear if they want to! And don't they have anything better to do than to listen to us?!" He didn't let me finish speaking.

"Even if they don't want to listen, they don't have a choice because they can hear you." He stood up and pulled me towards him, guiding me to sit down.

"I know you haven't eaten. C'mon, set aside your anger towards me. Have something to eat first." He tried to coax me.

He took the food out of the paper bag and served me.

"Do you want me to feed you?" I looked into his eyes, feeling like I was being drawn into them.

"Mia?" he called in surprise. "Hey!" I snapped out of it when he shook me.

"Never mind! I'll do it myself!" I took the spoon and fork from him and started eating.

It tasted so good.

I saw him smile a little.

Just the smell alone was delicious.

"You're smiling?" I asked while looking at him.

He shrugged and grabbed his phone. I subtly glanced at it while continuing to eat.

He went to his text messages and read my messages. So that's why he wasn't replying because he hadn't seen them; he read my texts. I kept my gaze on his phone while continuing to eat.

He texted his twin. "I left..." I swallowed what was in my mouth and leaned closer to read it clearly. "The folder..." I whispered. He tapped the send button and sent it to an unregistered number.

"Why are you reading my text messages?" I looked at him, and he looked back at me.

"No, I wasn't reading. I just happened to glance." I denied. He didn't respond, and I angrily stabbed at my food without looking. "Ouch!" Instead of poking the pork with my fork, I accidentally stabbed my own hand.

"Focus on your food," he said seriously while looking at my injured hand.

I focused on my food and he suddenly asked me a question.

"What do you want to design for my laboratory?" I redirected my gaze towards him, and he was holding an iPad. Oh right, he had brought it with him earlier.

I moved closer to him so I could see more clearly.

"Isn't your laboratory still under construction?" I asked while looking at the pictures.

He asked me about the location of his laboratory. That's why he was busy, because he was building his own laboratory.

"Yeah, it's almost finished. I want to know your suggestions."

I swiped left and right, seeing samples of where the microscopes and other equipment should be placed, whose names I didn't even know. He even asked for my opinions and suggestions on doors, materials, and designs.

"They all look good. Everything looks great," I let go of my food and placed it on the table.

"Wait, isn't it finishing too quickly? What if there's a minor earthquake and your laboratory collapses? Construction shouldn't be rushed, and your engineers and architects could face legal repercussions if it's not structurally sound," I advised, considering their licenses are at stake.

"It's been a year, Mia. Actually, it's been going on for three and a half years," I nodded. So it's been that long already?

"And it's almost done? It's still pretty fast," I complained. I knew he started the project a long time ago.

"My architect and engineer are known worldwide, and I already had a blueprint for my laboratory before I decided to build it. Everything is on the plan."

Indeed, with top-notch architects and engineers, it's no wonder the construction is progressing quickly, especially when it has been meticulously planned for years. Still, four years doesn't sound too bad.

"That's good, and you should follow what you think is right," I looked at the other pictures and saw the blueprint.

"Cleaning room, office, specimen process, hematology QA," I handed him back his iPad since I couldn't understand the room names and the specific parts of his blueprint.

"Great, it looks impressive. You have a talented architect," I commented. I no longer knew much about these things; I had forgotten everything.

"Do you think it is fine to put the hematology in the middle and the chemistry immunoassay beside the blood gases?" he asked me, referring to the blueprint.

"You know, Ethan," I scratched my head, feeling a headache coming on just from hearing those terms. "Just follow your blueprint. Besides, you said it's almost finished. As for the cabinets and equipment you mentioned, just place them where you intend to and where they should be." I offered a lengthy suggestion. "And make sure it's built solidly. Well, your architect and engineer are undoubtedly skilled."

"Yeah, most of the design and the outline is their suggestion," he said, and I looked at him. This man is so serious.

"Well, there you have it! Why ask for my opinion?"

He handed me a bottle of water, which I accepted.

"You're my wife, and you're part of this," he said nonchalantly.

"And then?" Part? I don't know anything about these things. I even skipped my chemistry class. Besides, I'll be leaving him soon.

He shrugged. "I need your opinion, of course." He took back the iPad from me and showed me a picture.

"Where do you think I should place this table?" he asked, referring to an office table.

I leaned closer to him. "I know a master," I grinned. "He's a renowned and talented master who can help determine the best positions and placements for your equipment and experiments." I smiled widely.

"He knows where the tables, chairs, doors, and so on should be placed," he looked at me seriously, listening intently.

"A Master of Feng Shui! Get your laboratory feng shui'd so that your experiments will be successful." I chuckled at my own suggestion.

I found amusement in my own idea.

"But this is a laboratory. Why would I need feng shui?"

He turned off his iPad.

"To attract more money to come your way." I widened my eyes, amazed.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

"I'm truly brilliant!"

What he needs is feng shui, not me.

"Do you want me to accompany you to meet the master?"

He signaled for me to stop talking while keeping his eyes closed.

I stopped smiling. I had forgotten about my irritation with that picture, and here I am, happy again and laughing.

We were lying on the bed, and I glared at a large bottle of water placed beside me on the bedside table.

"Are you still mad at me?" I looked at Ethan, who was once again engrossed with his iPod. He leaned against the headboard of the bed.

"Yes," I scowled at him, even though he wasn't looking at me.

"Let me treat you to a vacation. Where do you want to go? Singapore or China?" He asked me while swiping on his iPod.

"Huh?" I leaned back on the bed and looked at his iPod.

He was searching for travel options.

"We're going away again?"

There was a pillow in the middle of the bed. We've gotten used to this setup because in the early days, I didn't want him sleeping beside me. But we couldn't avoid sleeping together since there were guards watching over us. Plus, all the other rooms in this house were locked, and we didn't have the keys.

He nodded at me. "You're mad at me," he said, looking at me.

"Just book a trip to Siargao," I said seriously.

Get ready for me.

"I want to leave tomorrow. Let's go tomorrow."

He nodded at me. "How many days do you want to spend?"

I needed to text Lomi to find out which part of Siargao she was in. It's annoying that she didn't tell me, and she still hasn't texted or called me. She's really enjoying herself, huh?

"Just three days for now. Take a break from work, okay? Take some time off. It won't make you poor, after all, you're wealthy."

"Done. We will leave tomorrow morning at 4 am. Wake up early," he said sternly.

He agreed so quickly, without even making a side comment.

"Fine! You're there to wake me up anyway."

Since I'm a freelancer and don't have early schedules, I don't wake up early like him. He's up by 4 am.