Stutter

Alice closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts before heading to his room.

This issue is happening all because Alisha is vocal about things. He's glad she didn't tell his mother what happened yesterday.

Otherwise, his mother wouldn't be behaving so normally; she would be angrier and show more frustration, which he's sure about.

But he always does his best to hide his true self, except for the decent anger that doesn't make him look bad in front of his mother's eyes.

Yet, Alisha literally made him a villain in his mother's eyes.

The way his mother was talking, he can tell she surely knows what happened at the orphanage, and his mother is too sharp not to doubt him.

He can't deny it because he did it, and he's not ashamed or wanting to lie about anything on this matter.

He gets whatever he wants, by hook or by crook.

It's absurd to behave like he didn't.

He can behave like this in other matters, like his Mafia work, but within the matters where Alisha is involved, he doesn't feel it, he doesn't want to do it.

Because he knows whatever he did is right.

He opened his eyes, calming down a bit. In his whole life, he never thought he needed to calm down for anyone or anything.

He's always been a person who believes in doing things in the moment, but with Alisha, he doesn't want to unleash his anger.

He's already done more than enough of what Alisha can take from him.

Alice stood up and walked toward his room to see if Alisha was ready.

As he opened the door, he saw Alisha wearing the clothes he personally ordered for her, looking stunning in the white long skirt and the black floral top.

She stood in front of the mirror, drying her hair.

How much his heart is beating at this moment, only he knows. He never imagined this scenario in his dreams.

Where his Angel would be in his room, getting ready, and he would get to see her freshen up in the morning, looking as if they were a couple.

Which surely they are because within a day or two, they will have the marriage certificate stamped without any issue.

He couldn't help but feel overwhelmed seeing Alisha in his room, looking so radiant and comfortable. It was a surreal moment, one he never expected to experience.

Approaching her, he gently touched her shoulder. "You look absolutely beautiful," he whispered, his voice revealing a hint of tenderness he rarely showed.

Alisha turned to him, "Huh?"

Alisha was startled by the touch on her shoulder. She had been so engrossed in drying her hair that she hadn't even noticed when he entered the room.

"I said you are looking beautiful, Angel," Alice repeated, pulling her cheek softly and smiling at her as he passed the compliment.

He was never one for compliments, never.

Maybe he just hadn't found the right person to compliment. Of course, he did praise his mother, but that was rare too.

Because his mother understood his silence. Even if she was angry now, he knew his mother would come around.

"Th.. thank you," Alisha stuttered, feeling awkward being praised like this.

Earlier, when she had taken a bath, she had been shocked to see the cupboard. It was filled with lavish and expensive clothes, along with hundreds of pairs of shoes, all screaming luxury.

Never in her life could she have imagined touching such luxurious and extraordinary clothes.

And here he told her they all belonged to her, which made her uncomfortable.

Still, she picked out the dress she liked the most. If these clothes were hers, she wanted to make the most of them until she left.

Alice's lips spread into a wide grin as he appreciated her praise. "Sweetheart, why don't you sit down? Let me use the dryer to dry your hair; it will be much quicker than using a towel."

He guided Alisha to the chair in front of the dressing table and fetched the dryer, beginning to dry her hair. Her long, sleek hair smelled fresh and was a huge turn-on for him.

Alisha glanced at Alice in the mirror as he dried her hair. Other than Mary, nobody had ever touched or dried her hair before.

She didn't like it when someone touched her hair, but she couldn't bring herself to say it to Alice's face because she didn't want to anger him in any way. She definitely didn't want to upset him.

"Sweetheart, I need to tell you something," Alice said, noticing her gaze on him, which sent butterflies fluttering in his stomach because he wanted her to look at him, keep her eyes on him, and be with him.

"Yes," Alisha replied softly, her voice trembling slightly.

"Our marriage will happen in two days, max. The papers are getting ready, and I don't think I want to have a big function for it. You're too precious to me, and I don't want to show off my beautiful Angel. But if there's anything you want, I'll make it happen as a marriage gift," Alice said, his gaze intense as he stared at her in the mirror, locking eyes with her.

Alisha shivered as his knuckles brushed against the back of her hand, his words shocking her to the core.

Is he really going to marry me? she wondered, unsure of how to process it all.

Before, she had entertained the thought that he might change his mind.

But now, faced with his determination, she realised how foolish she had been to think that way.

How he would change his mind when he had already done so much for her?

He had taken her out of the orphanage, provided for her, and made her homeless. It was clear now that he was committed to seeing this through.

"Marriage gift?"

"Yes, sweetheart," Alice responded, noticing her stutter. "Where did you get this habit of stuttering? You never used to stutter before. Stop it. I don't like the way your melodious voice breaks like a broken engine."

He observed how she kept stuttering, a habit she didn't have before. It puzzled him. If she had developed the habit, it wouldn't be an issue, but she didn't stutter in front of his mother, so why in front of him?

‘Because of your anger’