On the Day I Was Kicked Out of the Wealthy Family, I Had a Flash Marriage with a Tycoon-Chapter 168: Are You Tired?

"Speaking of your wife," Henry Chamberlain said, "she seems to have noticed something. She was asking me yesterday if you’d run into any trouble recently."

"What did you tell her?"

"I just said it was a business matter, nothing serious."

Jasper Lockwood pursed his lips, saying nothing.

As if a thought occurred to him, Henry Chamberlain frowned slightly and added, "That guy, Silas Coldwell, still hasn’t left Crestfall. I wonder if he’s going to stick his nose in this."

Jasper Lockwood scoffed. "He wouldn’t be Silas Coldwell if he didn’t."

"In that case, should we..." Henry Chamberlain began worriedly.

"It’s fine." Jasper Lockwood’s handsome face was inscrutable. "We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Henry Chamberlain nodded and said no more.

Jasper Lockwood had a little wine with dinner.

Chloe Sterling seemed to be thinking about something, her mind clearly elsewhere.

Jasper Lockwood gazed at her delicate face, his lips parting slightly. "Chloe."

"Hm?" Chloe Sterling looked up at him. "What is it?"

"You seem distracted. What’s on your mind?"

"I ran into a problem with one of my experiments. I’m just thinking about how to solve it."

"Have you figured it out?"

"No." Chloe Sterling suddenly put down her chopsticks. "I’m full. I’m going to head up."

"Wait," Jasper Lockwood said. "I’ll go up with you."

Chloe Sterling glanced at the glass in his hand, which still had some wine in it. After a moment’s thought, she said, "I’ll wait for you then."

"No need." Jasper Lockwood stood up. "Let’s go. I’m full, too."

"You’re not going to finish your wine?"

"No."

The two of them went upstairs together.

After stepping out of the elevator, Chloe Sterling glanced toward the study and said, "I’m going to the study."

"I need to find something in the study too," Jasper Lockwood said.

Once inside the study, Chloe Sterling asked, "What are you looking for? Do you want my help?"

"No, it’s fine. I know where it is."

Jasper Lockwood walked over to the bookshelf and looked at a bronze lion figurine in one of the upper cubbies. He reached out, twisted the lion’s head, and the bookshelf slid apart, revealing a door behind it.

"There’s a secret room here?" Chloe Sterling said in astonishment.

Jasper Lockwood smiled. "Want to go in and take a look?"

Curious, Chloe Sterling walked over. "Sure."

The secret room’s door had an electronic lock. Jasper Lockwood pressed his index finger to the scanner, unlocking it, and then pushed the door open.

"Let’s go."

Chloe Sterling followed him into the secret room. It was pitch-black inside, but with a soft CLICK, the entire room lit up as bright as day.

The secret room was massive, filled with all sorts of antiques, jewelry, and artwork.

Chloe Sterling scanned the room and said lightly, "So this is your secret little treasure trove."

Jasper Lockwood glanced at her, a slight smile on his lips. "Treasure trove, yes, but not a secret one. You can come and go as you please. Besides my fingerprint, a passcode can also open the door. The code is our birthdays."

Chloe Sterling was taken aback for a moment, then just said, "Oh." After a pause, she added, "But... isn’t that password a little too simple?"

’If anyone ever found this place, they could probably guess it easily.’

"You can change it," Jasper Lockwood said.

Chloe Sterling: "...Never mind. I’m sure it’s very secure here."

Jasper Lockwood walked to a cabinet, opened its door, and took out an old file from inside.

Looking at the file in his hand, Chloe Sterling asked, "Is that what you were looking for?"

"Yes," Jasper Lockwood said. "Of everything in this room, the contents of this cabinet are the most valuable."

Chloe Sterling looked at him, then at the various files and documents in the cabinet. She didn’t say anything, having no intention of prying.

’He must trust me so much to show me something this important.’

Chloe Sterling watched him for a moment before speaking slowly. "You’re telling me about something so important... Aren’t you worried at all?"

Jasper Lockwood’s lips curled into a smirk, his voice low and bewitching. "What’s there to worry about? If you want any of it, it’s all yours. You can even take me with you."

Chloe Sterling suddenly laughed, her beautiful eyes curving into crescents. "Alright."

Gazing at her captivating smile, the look in Jasper Lockwood’s eyes deepened. He said suddenly, "Can you put the experiment out of your mind until tomorrow?"

"Hm? Is something the matter?"

"Yes." Jasper Lockwood’s voice was husky, his gaze burning as it fixed on her.

The look was familiar. Chloe Sterling swallowed hard but didn’t say anything.

Jasper Lockwood added, "I’m probably going to be busy for a while. I might have to travel for work, too."

"Travel for work? Where to?"

"Abroad." As he spoke, Jasper Lockwood suddenly leaned close to her face and whispered, "Let’s not think about anything else tonight, alright?"

Chloe Sterling’s cheeks instantly flushed. Before she could speak, Jasper Lockwood’s lips descended upon hers, his hands already removing her outer clothes.

Chloe Sterling’s eyes flew open. Glancing at their surroundings, she murmured, "Not in here."

Jasper Lockwood froze. In one smooth motion, he scooped her up into his arms and carried her out of the secret room, through the study, and back to their bedroom.

「Two hours later.」

Chloe Sterling lay nestled motionlessly in the blankets. Jasper Lockwood held her tightly from behind and asked in a low voice, "Tired?"

"..." Chloe Sterling didn’t answer.

Jasper Lockwood chuckled softly. "Sleepy?"

Chloe Sterling checked the time. It was just after nine, still early. She wasn’t actually sleepy, but after a moment of silence, she said abruptly, "Yeah, I’m going to sleep now."

"Let’s shower first. You won’t be comfortable sleeping like this."

Chloe Sterling pressed her lips together. She really didn’t want to move; she had no energy left.

"You go ahead. I’ll go in a bit."

"Together. I’ll carry you."

"..." The color that had just returned to Chloe Sterling’s face drained away again. "You don’t have to!"

But Jasper Lockwood didn’t listen, carrying her to the bathroom anyway.

By the time they emerged from the bathroom, another two hours had passed. This time, Chloe Sterling was truly sleepy and fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Jasper Lockwood held her tightly, his deep eyes filled with tenderness.

「The next morning.」

Soft sunlight spilled into the room. Chloe Sterling slowly opened her eyes to the sight of an exquisitely handsome, sleeping face.

Thinking of the events of last night, Chloe Sterling suddenly found she couldn’t look him in the face. She lowered her gaze, only for it to land on his sexy Adam’s apple and firm chest.

Her breath caught. She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them again a moment later and looked back up at his face. She found that Jasper Lockwood had woken up at some point, and his eyes were now fixed on her.

"Y-You’re awake!"

Jasper Lockwood’s lips curved slightly as he hummed in agreement.

Chloe Sterling: "Then you should get up."

Jasper Lockwood: "It’s still early. Let’s lie here a bit longer."

"You can lie here, but I’m getting up." With that, Chloe Sterling started to get out of bed.

But Jasper Lockwood only held her tighter. "Just ten more minutes."

Chloe Sterling stared at him for a long moment, then suddenly asked, "Are... are you tired?"

Jasper Lockwood: "..."