Did He Bully You Just Now?

What does he mean by that? Is he trying to make me admit something? Mark cursed inwardly, but as he continued to curse, he realized that it wasn't just dislike that he was feeling. This realization made his face flush even more, almost as if it were bleeding. Frustrated, he buried his head in his knees, scolding himself: You're being bullied, and you don't even hate him for it? Why don't you just die, Mark? He felt on the verge of tears.

Alex, who had been observing Mark's every expression, couldn't help but smile. Although he hadn't gotten what he wanted, this was progress—his silly wife was finally learning to be shy.

Gently, Alex pulled Mark onto his lap. Mark was startled and tried to struggle, but Alex's tender kiss landed softly on his lips, calming him instantly. Mark froze, staring blankly at Alex's close face.

"What's wrong? Don't you recognize your own husband?" Alex teased, his hand squeezing Mark's slender waist.

Mark immediately batted Alex's hand away, glaring at him. 

"Alright, I won't touch," Alex said, raising his hands in surrender. He had expected Mark to get angry, but to his surprise, Mark didn't lash out. Instead, he looked shyly at Alex, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.

"What is it?" Alex asked, caressing Mark's cheek gently and giving him a soft kiss.

Mark hesitated for a long while before finally looking up at Alex and asking, "Why do you keep doing these things to me?"

"Because I want to take care of you," Alex answered with a smile, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Mark frowned and muttered under his breath, "Taking care of me, my foot! You're just trying to satisfy yourself."

Alex didn't deny it. He took Mark's hand in his own, intertwining their fingers, and said, "I'm a healthy man. Having needs is normal."

That word, "needs," made Mark blush even harder. He lowered his head and mumbled, "But I'm not really your wife. How can you do this?"

Alex cupped Mark's face, gazing deeply into his eyes.

"What are you doing?" Mark stammered, suddenly nervous. It was impossible not to be, with Alex's handsome face so close.

"Can't we make it real?" Alex asked seriously.

Mark froze, clearly taken aback by Alex's words. He stared at Alex, dumbfounded.

"Are you saying… you want to marry me?" Mark asked, his voice filled with uncertainty. Did I understand that right?

Alex couldn't help but chuckle. "Darling, we're already married."

Mark's face turned even redder. "That was fake."

"We can make it real," Alex said softly, caressing Mark's cheek and planting another kiss on his lips, as if trying to coax him.

Maybe it was because Alex's voice was so soothing, or because Mark didn't actually hate the kisses, but he felt his resistance melting away.

No, no, Mark! If you end up with him, you'll lose that 120 million! Mark suddenly remembered the money and snapped back to reality. His expression turned suspicious as he glared at Alex. He's probably just trying to get out of paying me, Mark thought, his mind fixating on the money.

Money brought Mark back to his senses, and the wariness in his eyes grew even more obvious. 

Alex was bewildered. He had been so close to winning Mark over, but now, his plan was derailed. A moment ago, Mark had been blushing and confused, but now he looked sharp and guarded.

"Let me tell you something—you're not getting that check back. That money is mine," Mark warned, clutching the check in his pocket protectively.

Alex was at a loss. How did we go from talking about being together to discussing a check? He was still trying to process this sudden shift.

"Go busy yourself. You're not going to seduce me—I'm not falling for it," Mark said, sliding off Alex's lap and returning to the sofa, where he grabbed an ashtray as a makeshift weapon, just in case Alex tried something.

Alex was speechless. Once again, he had lost to money. Does this silly wife of mine even realize how much I'm worth? That check is nothing compared to my assets!

Rubbing his temples in frustration, Alex couldn't help but feel a bit of anger bubbling up.

"Hurry up and get to work!" Mark ordered, giving Alex a light kick and pointing imperiously toward the desk.

Alex frowned, staring at Mark. Right now, he really wanted to turn Mark over his knee and give him a good spanking.

Suddenly, the office door swung open. "What's with the weird vibe in here?" Rick walked in, one hand in his pocket, not bothering to knock.

He made his way over to the sofa, raising an eyebrow at Alex as he sat down.

Alex sighed in resignation and gestured for Rick to take a seat without saying anything.

Rick didn't ask questions, but instead of sitting on the single sofa, he deliberately sat next to Mark, flashing a mischievous smile.

Mark immediately scowled, eyeing Rick warily. He knew Rick was even more unpredictable than Alex, so he was naturally on guard.

"Judging by your reaction, Alex finally lost control and made a move on you, didn't he?" Rick teased, leaning in closer to Mark with a sly grin.

Mark quickly scooted away, leaning back to put as much distance between them as possible.

"Don't be scared. I'm not going to do anything to you," Rick continued, still smiling, before leaning in again to whisper conspiratorially, "So, did he bully you just now? In a not-so-innocent way?"

Rick's words made Mark's face turn scarlet. How could he talk about something like that so casually, like it was no big deal?

Sensing danger, Mark shot up from the sofa, intending to move away, but Alex was faster. He wrapped his arms around Mark, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Let go of me," Mark protested, trying to push Alex away.

Alex sighed, stroking Mark's hair. "Rick and I have some things to discuss. Be good and sit quietly, okay?"

"Am I the one causing trouble?" Mark grumbled, but he didn't argue further. He obediently settled into Alex's lap, facing Rick.

Rick, meanwhile, felt a pang of jealousy. Watching Alex flaunt his affection like this was starting to get on his nerves. But he didn't voice his complaints, instead focusing on the serious matter at hand.

"My brothers have started making moves. My grandmother almost didn't make it today," Rick said, his tone heavy with anger as he clenched his fist on his knee.

Alex peeled an orange from the fruit bowl as he listened. "You haven't officially inherited your grandmother's estate yet. If something were to happen to her before the process is completed, the inheritance would naturally go to your brothers since you're the youngest."

Rick knew this all too well, and it only fueled his frustration. He had never wanted his grandmother to get caught up in this mess.

"I'll contact my uncle and have him send some of his company's bodyguards to your grandmother's villa," Alex offered, his tone cold and serious as he handed the peeled orange to Mark.

Mark took the orange without hesitation, eating it as he leisurely swung his legs, unconcerned about the business talk.

"Thanks," Rick said, grateful.

"This situation arose because of me," Alex said, holding out his hand for Mark, who was looking for a place to spit out the seeds.

Mark looked at Alex's outstretched hand, bewildered. Does he want me to spit the seeds into his hand?

Confused, Mark turned to look at Alex, who calmly took a tissue and placed it in his palm, indicating that it was fine for Mark to spit the seeds there.

Mark felt a warm sensation in his chest. No one had ever treated him with such care before, not even his own parents. 

Damn it, why does he have to be so nice to me? What if I actually start liking him? Mark thought, feeling a wave of despair as he imagined himself falling for Alex.

"My brothers will likely try to approach people in my company, especially those on the board. Thomas has always been at odds with you. If I were my brothers, I'd definitely use him to get to you," Rick said, his expression turning cold again.

"That would actually work in our favor," Alex said, his lips curling into a smirk. "If your brothers do collaborate with Thomas, it'll give me the perfect excuse to kick him off the board."

Rick's expression twitched. "You've been waiting for this, haven't you?"

"I've had my eye on Thomas for a while. If he collaborates with your brothers, I can use that as justification to remove him. He's the perfect pawn for our enemies to exploit," Alex said, his tone calm.

Rick couldn't help but feel that Alex had everything planned out long in advance. It was a reminder of how deep Alex's strategy ran. Thank goodness we're on the same side, Rick thought with a sigh.

"So, what's your plan for dealing with Thomas?" Rick asked.

"I've already had my assistant, Monica, investigate all of Thomas's businesses and partners. It won't be hard to dig a little hole for him. I'll discuss the details with you later," Alex said as he peeled another orange and handed it to Mark.

Mark accepted it happily and, after taking a bite, asked

, "Want some?"

Alex smiled and opened his mouth. Mark fed him the orange, but immediately regretted it when Alex took the opportunity to kiss his hand and then his lips.

Damn it, can't this guy behave for once? Mark thought angrily, pushing Alex away and glaring at him.

Alex simply smiled, having gotten what he wanted.

Rick's expression darkened. He was pretty sure Alex was doing this on purpose.

With a final glance at Alex's hand, which was still wrapped possessively around Mark's waist, Rick decided he'd had enough of this blatant display of affection. Without another word, he stood up and left, feeling irritated. He knew Alex was just trying to rub it in, making him think of his own relationship with Howard.

Alex watched Rick leave with a satisfied smirk. He had indeed been doing it on purpose, hoping it would push Rick to seek out Howard, who still had no idea what was coming.

"You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Mark asked, his suspicions rising as he observed Alex's pleased expression.

"Of course not," Alex replied, trying to brush it off.

Bullshit. You're clearly up to something, Mark thought, not buying Alex's innocent act for a second.