Too cute

"Young Lady, a guest has come and forced the way in." A maid whispered nervously when she met Livy in Arthur's room.

Normally, maids would report to their masters, but Arthur was sleeping right now. All they could do was tell her.

"Who?"

"That's ... looks like one of your relatives."

Livy sighed. Every time people from her family come, she was usually outside the house. At this time, she couldn't help but welcome it herself. She didn't understand what kind of face they had, why were they so thick and shameless? What else could they have come here for after trying to humiliate her that time?

Her gaze was still fixed on Arthur. The man had just fallen asleep after taking his meds. She carefully fixed the blanket for him and stood up. Then followed the maid out.

When she got to the door, she peeked through the window, and it seemed that this time it was only Brenda alone.

"Livy?" said Brenda surprised when she saw her out.

"Tell me what's wrong, Brenda. I'm busy right now." Livy didn't mince words.

"Aren't you going to let me in first? I have something to say to Arthur."

This time Brenda said in a softer tone than usual. Livy suspected that she was playing another trick.

"What did you want to talk to my husband about? You should know it's working hours, don't you think that he's in his office?"

"I went to his office and the staff said he was taking time off," Brenda explained.

Livy was stunned to hear the reason. So, Brenda even came to Arthur's office wanting to tell him something? Brenda had no intention of telling Livy, but Arthur in person!

"Arthur isn't home."

Brenda's calm mask immediately fell off. "Stop lying! I know he's home, let me go in and talk to him. This is an important matter!"

Livy was more and more convinced that something was up to Brenda, she replied coolly, "I'm not lying. You can tell me. Talk to him or me, it's the same."

"Livy, you are so arrogant now. Don't you think that because you are by Arthur's side, you have everything. You have thrown away the family that raised you all this time!" Brenda pushed her roughly. "Move! Let me in first. If Arthur isn't in this house, I'm going out."

Seeing that Livy was in trouble, the bodyguards who stood guard at the door immediately pulled Brenda over.

"What is this? Get off! Get off me!" Brenda rebelled.

Livy looked at the two bodyguards. "Let her go. I'm fine."

Brenda saw Livy's arrogant attitude like she was the boss here, it made Brenda hate her gut even more. After the bodyguards released her, she pouted.

"You see for yourself. It's not me who wants to forbid you from entering, but without Arthur's approval, strangers are not allowed."

"Strangers?" Brenda was stunned. "I am your relative. Does Arthur consider me a stranger too? What has my family done for you all this time, you will just forget about it? Why are you treating me like this?"

"Why, you say?" repeated Livy somewhat annoyed. "I should be the one asking you that. Why did you want to bring me down in front of Arthur's family that night? Why did you give my father-in-law my photo?"

Hearing Livy say 'my father-in-law', Brenda really wanted to spit. According to her, Luther Finnegan would have been her father-in-law in Livy's absence!

Brenda looked away. "I just don't want you to hurt them. I'm just telling the truth."

"What truth? The man I was with was Arthur, I wasn't playing behind him."

"Well, you lied and Arthur protected you. You feel lucky, don't you?"

Livy didn't know how to explain the matter to Brenda. What is certain for her own question, she knows the answer. Why did Brenda do that, what was clear was because Brenda wanted to separate her from Arthur.

The last time, Livy had understood the plot of this arranged marriage. It wasn't Brenda who refused to be betrothed to Arthur, but Arthur didn't ask Brenda to be his wife from the start, but Livy.

Livy took a deep breath to calm herself. "Brenda, I really don't want to fight with you. Tell me what you want to talk about, I'll pass it on to him."

"Why did you keep Arthur hidden for yourself?" Brenda was still stubborn.

Arthur was currently sleeping. If she kept bickering with Brenda here, they would definitely disturb Arthur's rest and wake him up.

"Brenda, I don't—"

"You're lying!" Brenda snapped, pushing Livy again, this time until she fell. "You're lying, Livy! You damn, you fvcker, ignorance!"

When Brenda was about to beat Livy up, the bodyguards moved again to stop her. Brenda struggled in the bodyguards' arms as she kept screaming, until she was finally pushed down too.

"You ... you dare do this to me, huh? I'll report you guys to Arthur! You don't know who I am!" Brenda shouted angrily, but the bodyguards just stared at her in silence, they were standing right in front of Livy to protect her.

Two other bodyguards were seen listening to the sound from earphones in their ears before dragging Brenda away.

"Hey, wait! What are you trying to do? Let me go! I don't want to go! Let me go!" Brenda was dragged away by force.

"Wait! Let her go. Don't be rude to her," Livy said frantically.

One of the bodyguards restrained Livy. "Miss, this is Boss' order."

Livy was shocked.

"Let ... let me speak first! I'll just say it in a moment. Please."

The bodyguards released Brenda again.

Once free, she ran and approached Livy, but she was blocked by another bodyguard.

"Livy, listen to me. I really don't want to get in trouble with you either." Brenda almost cried when she said this, "But help me. Let me talk to Arthur. Or, or tell him. The loan shark came to my house this morning and they beat up my dad, they broke the furniture too. Livy, we really need money. I don't want to marry that bastard loan shark. The time is only three days.”

Three days?

Hearing this, Livy was very surprised. She didn't think that Brenda's coming here was actually because of that, now she understood why Brenda only wanted to talk about it to Arthur. Moreover, it was a matter of money.

Livy also knew the loan shark Brenda was referring to. She even knew his face very well. The man came many times to collect debts and gave them high interest when they couldn't pay. And that often strangles their family finances. After all, Livy didn't want Brenda to fall into his hands.

"Livy, please, please help me." Brenda was crying.

"I'll help you. You don't worry. You go home now. Let me think of a way and I'll get back to you as soon as possible, ok?"

Brenda wiped away her tears. "You will help me?"

Livy nodded confidently.

"Fine. I'll be waiting to hear from you."

After the talk was over, the bodyguards didn't drag Brenda away anymore as she voluntarily left.

Livy immediately turned to the nearest bodyguard. "Is Arthur awake?"

The guard said, "Yes, Miss."

Livy went straight inside and headed to Arthur's room. When she got there, she saw Arthur was still in the same position and he was sleeping. She stepped slowly onto the bed, staring at him without blinking for a long time.

"You have done?"

Livy gasped at the voice. "You ... you're not sleeping?"

Arthur opened his eyes, but said nothing.

"You already know Brenda has come to this house and she needs help. I'm thinking of a way to help her." Livy sighed wearily. "This is an old problem in our family. Uncle Travis is a gambler and he owes money to some evil old loan shark. Now they are in trouble."

Arthur intended to get up, Livy immediately helped him sit up and arranged a pillow for his back.

"They need money?"

Livy nodded. "I have a little money saved. I thought it would be enough to pay a little interest."

"Pay interest?"

"That loan shark has crazy conditions for people who borrow money from him. He'll charge thirty percent interest every time the borrower can't pay."

"And you're going to help your aunt after what they did to you?" asked Arthur right on point.

Livy paused for a moment and thought about it. She composed answers naturally, "I know they've been mean to me and honestly I hate them so much. But, Arthur, they're my only family. There's no denying that if it wasn't for them taking care of me, I'd be here now. No matter what intentions they took me in the past, but at least they're the only ones who care about me. The rest of my family didn't even look at me twice after finding out that I was alone."

As someone who was also abandoned by his father, Arthur knew that feeling. He also considers people who care about him as his only family.

"At least, this is my way of repaying their kindness for taking care of me. I don't want Brenda to become collateral for marrying the loan shark because of debt. I don't want Brenda to suffer," she continued.

"Let me help you too."

Livy frowned. "Arthur, if it's about money, I can't—"

"It's not about money. I will help your uncle get a job. I will also get rid of the loan shark to stay away from your family. How?"

Her nose was itchy and the corners of her eyes were watering. Until finally she dropped a single drop of tears. Without saying anything, she reached out, hugged Arthur and buried her head into the man's chest.

"Why are you so nice to me?" asked Livy hoarsely.

Arthur's hand stroked Livy's hair gently. He didn't say anything, but his body language let Livy know Arthur was there for her to support her.

When she was lulled in the warm embrace, he suddenly let go of the hug slowly. She thought he was tired and wanted to stop, but he pulled her cheek gently and his warm lips fell right on top of hers.

Just like they used to do. It wasn't a forced kiss. His tongue guided casually in her mouth and their tongues slowly touch. As the heat rose up to their heads, it was then that his hands crept up to the nape of her neck. They stopped when their breath ran out. But his lips didn't rest until he went to a pale, open neck, pressing there and tasting a sweet taste that left a red welt.

Kissmark.

Someone said that if you are marked with red on your neck because of a kiss, it means that you already belong to the person who marked you.

Livy, who was in a hot state, could not understand the meaning of that mark. She was just being helpless and perpetually passive.

It wasn't until Arthur's lips returned to hers that they were chewing each other again like candy. Then out of breath. Then separate again. In the dim light, Livy saw Arthur's face, which was still very real, reddened by their stare. Both of them were out of breath.

"Arthur ..."

Arthur brought their faces closer and he touched his forehead to Livy's. After he calmed down a bit, he said, "Livy, you are my wife, why can't I be nice to you?"

Livy's mind went wild. "S-So all this is real?"

... About her not being his fake wife anymore. She's not dreaming?

At that moment, Arthur didn't answer right away, leading Livy to think that what she was thinking might be true. Even though they were married based on a contract, their marriage was sacred because it was done with a procession of real vows, so it didn't matter whether it was called fake or not. In essence, they were legally married under God's witness.

As Livy's thoughts were getting further and further away, Arthur's husky, low voice said, "Livy, I love you so much."

Her heart pounded and her face blushed until her ears turned red.

She was so embarrassed that she looked away, but Arthur had pulled her face back. The man gently kissed her briefly, then hugged her. His face sunk into the crook of her neck.

"Sorry for making you wait so long to say this. But I ... love you so much right now."

“This … this …” Livy stuttered. "Can you say it again?"

"I love you." Arthur's tight embrace tightened as he whispered these words somewhat seductively, his grip tightening. "I love you so much that I can't hold it anymore."

And in silence, they kept hugging each other without intending to break away in the slightest.

***

The next day, Livy woke up first and looked around in a daze. This place looked familiar to her eyes, but it didn't seem like her room.

When yesterday afternoon's memories flashed through her head, she immediately gasped and sat up. It was then that she realized that someone's hand was on her stomach. Arthur's hand!

Livy remembered. Yesterday they kissed and Arthur kept saying his love for her.

Is it a dream?

No, it wasn't a dream.

Then she tried to remember how she had slept in Arthur's room, even in the same bed. As far as she could remember last night Arthur suddenly had a fever and asked her not to go. After that ... after that nothing happened to them, right?

Looked like she fell asleep while taking care of him last night. How could she end up sleeping hugging him? Her mind went blank after that.

Finally Livy glanced at Arthur again, who seemed to be still sound asleep. Livy hesitated to touch Arthur's forehead with the back of her hand, feeling the temperature for a second.

'Luckily, his fever has gone down.'

Livy sighed.

Recalling yesterday's kiss, she was embarrassed again and blushed. God, it wasn't a dream! Livy wanted to scream. She really is Arthur's legal wife now! She hurried down, but tried not to make the slightest sound before running after the door closed.

What Livy didn't know was that Arthur was of course awake, he opened his eyes right after Livy left.

His lips curved into a thin smile.

“Too cute,” he muttered and closed his eyes again.

... to be continued ...