The Hot-Headed and Difficult Wife

"Sleep. What else?" Vincent Brooks responded coldly, lying down on the bed with his back facing Zachary Reed.

Zachary felt a surge of irritation. He kicked Vincent in the lower back. "You dragged me back here for what? Just to be some decoration?"

Vincent didn't respond, merely closing his eyes to sleep. He wouldn't make the first move unless Zachary begged him. Vincent wasn't just angry about Zachary disappearing without a word; it was the fact that Zachary had been gone for a whole year that bothered him the most.

Suddenly, the room filled with the sound of Vincent's phone buzzing. A stream of notifications came in—over twenty messages, all at once.

Vincent reached for his phone on the bedside table and opened it to find a series of payment notifications. Each one detailed a new purchase, all made on Zachary's account. Vincent's brow furrowed as he tallied up the total—over ten million.

Zachary, lying behind Vincent, heard the notifications and immediately pulled the covers over his head, feeling guilty. 

Vincent's frown deepened when another transaction came through—Zachary had purchased a new car worth millions, all charged to his account. It was the end of the month, and the dealership had sent the bill for him to settle.

*No reaction yet? This must be the calm before the storm.*

Hiding under the blanket, Zachary was nervous, bracing for Vincent's outburst. *Wait a minute,* he thought, *he's in the jewelry business. What's a few million to him? He can earn that back with a single necklace sale.*

Still, Zachary couldn't help but feel uneasy. 

Contrary to Zachary's expectations, Vincent didn't get angry. He calmly settled the bills and placed his phone back on the nightstand.

Hearing the phone being put down, Zachary blinked in surprise. He turned around and kicked Vincent again. "Aren't you going to ask me where I've been all year?"

"Go to sleep," Vincent replied, his tone stern.

Zachary's irritation flared up again, and he kicked Vincent's lower back even harder, as if trying to knock him off the bed.

Vincent's brow furrowed, but instead of reacting aggressively, he turned toward Zachary, grabbed his foot, and pulled it into his arms.

"What, I'm not allowed to kick you anymore?" Zachary growled, trying to pull his foot back, but Vincent's grip was unyielding.

"What the hell are you doing? Let go!" Zachary shouted again.

Suddenly, Vincent leaned over, pinning Zachary's arms to the bed, his expression showing clear anger.

Zachary's eyes widened in surprise. "Vincent Brooks, you damn bastard! What are you trying to do?"

"I told you to sleep. Why are you making this difficult?" Vincent's tone was flat, but his furrowed brows and the tense line of his mouth showed his frustration.

"What's it to you?" Zachary shouted, his voice loud, but when he saw the cold, dangerous look in Vincent's eyes, he hesitated and stopped struggling.

*Damn it, why am I afraid of him? The worst that could happen is some back pain. Who cares who wins?* Zachary thought angrily, but he didn't dare fight back. Instead, he glared at Vincent, questioning him, "Why is it okay for you to disappear, but not me?"

"My absence was for work. That's not the same thing," Vincent replied sternly.

"Work? Yeah, right. Don't think I don't know you're out there looking for a kid. You bastard, you even managed to have a son while we were together! Great job, Vincent Brooks!" Zachary's anger boiled over as he thought about it. He wanted to kick Vincent to death.

*Seven years! I've been with him for seven damn years! I could have had a kid by now!*

Furious, Zachary kicked at Vincent again, shouting, "You were the one who turned me! And now you just leave me hanging?"

"When did I ever leave you hanging?" Vincent retorted.

"You did."

"I never said the kid was mine," Vincent replied, his tone still flat.

"Then whose kid is it?" Zachary demanded, his voice growing louder, his chest heaving with anger.

Vincent let go of Zachary's arms and lay back down, his voice calm as he responded, "It's my sister's son."

"You're lying! Your sister isn't even married. How could she have a son?" Zachary shouted, grabbing a pillow and hitting Vincent with it, convinced he was being lied to.

Vincent caught the pillow and, still calm, explained, "The sister you know is my third sister. My eldest sister ran away, and my second sister…" Vincent paused, his voice dropping before continuing, "She died nineteen years ago."

Zachary froze, stunned. He had always assumed Vincent only had one sister.

"So… the kid really isn't yours?" Zachary asked, his voice suddenly quiet.

"Tell me, how could I have fathered a child when I was sixteen?" Vincent's cold eyes fixed on Zachary.

Feeling awkward, Zachary scratched his head. "How was I supposed to know how old the kid was?"

"Without asking, you just ran off?" Vincent's gaze grew colder.

"I… I…" Zachary stammered, unable to come up with an excuse. The truth was, he had been jealous but didn't want Vincent to know that.

"Fine, it's my fault," Zachary muttered, apologizing as he clumsily straddled Vincent's lap, looking down at him.

Vincent didn't say anything, his expression neutral as he stared up at Zachary.

"You've been gone a year and you're still so calm?" Zachary complained, smacking Vincent lightly on the chest.

Vincent's face remained impassive as he responded, "You're aware that you've been gone for a year, then."

"I'm not stupid. I can count, can't I? If you don't want me to run, then why don't you get me pregnant, huh? See if I have the energy to run then," Zachary grumbled, still sulking.

At this, Vincent's lips twitched ever so slightly, a faint smile almost appearing. "If you could get pregnant, do you think I'd let you get away with less than twenty kids?"

Zachary blushed, though he couldn't help but be drawn in by Vincent's teasing. He hated how easily Vincent could make him flustered.

The room suddenly grew quiet, and the two of them locked eyes, their faces gradually inching closer.

The next morning, Vincent woke up with a cold expression, noticing immediately that the spot beside him was empty.

Right on cue, 49 entered the room, as if he had perfectly timed Vincent's wake-up. He reported, "He climbed out the window and ran off at six this morning."

Vincent sighed, rubbing his temples in frustration. 

"Shall I go fetch him for you?" 49 asked.

"No need. He'll just throw a fit if he comes back," Vincent replied with a sigh, feeling a headache coming on. He had been wondering why Zachary had been so affectionate the previous night—it was all part of his plan to escape.

"What about the investigation I asked for?" Vincent's frustration faded as he leaned back against the headboard, turning his focus to more pressing matters.

"The Brooks Family is in the midst of an internal power struggle. The lady is clearly at a disadvantage," 49 reported.

Vincent listened in silence, his expression cold.

After a moment of hesitation, 49 asked, "Shall I assist the lady?"

"Doesn't she have help?" Vincent's tone was sharp.

"She has one person with her, but he seems unreliable. A man named Feder, an illegitimate son of the Dupont family. He's reckless, with a bit of a wild streak," 49 explained, though it was clear from his tone that he didn't think highly of Feder.

Vincent's eyes narrowed. "The Dupont family—the same one proposing the marriage with my third sister?"

"Yes, that Dupont family."

Vincent's expression darkened further. Xavier Dupont's father had claimed to know the whereabouts of his missing eldest sister, but in exchange for that information, he had demanded a marriage alliance. Vincent hated being manipulated, but for the chance to find his sister, he had reluctantly agreed to meet with Xavier's father.

"And the head of the Dupont family? Have we uncovered anything new?" Vincent asked.

"The head of the family has a firm grip on this city. His methods are ruthless," 49 replied. "And his sons are not to be underestimated—they hold considerable power here."

49 hesitated for a moment before adding, "Also, the lady's elder brother, Richard, appears to be involved with Xavier Dupont. The two seem… close."

Vincent raised an eyebrow. "The Brooks and Dupont families are supposed to be rivals."

"They are, but it seems they're secretly involved with each other."

Vincent fell into deep thought before asking, "What's the name of the Dupont son who's supposed to meet my sister?"

"His name is Richa. He runs a security firm. From what I've seen, he seems like a decent match for your sister."

Vincent didn't respond, merely standing and heading for the bathroom. Before entering, he gave 49 one last order. "Continue investigating the Dupont family. If the head of the family

 is involved in my sister's disappearance, deal with it accordingly."

"Understood." 49 bowed and left to carry out the task.

---

Meanwhile, in the room below Vincent's, Mark lay on the bed, still half-asleep. He yawned loudly, stretching out under the covers.

Alex emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered, and smiled when he saw that Mark had woken up. He walked over to the bed and bent down to kiss Mark gently, running his fingers through his hair.

"Are you hungry?" Alex asked, his voice soft.

Mark rubbed his eyes, still groggy. He patted his stomach lazily and mumbled, "Yeah, I'm hungry."

Alex's smile widened. Seeing Mark so adorably sleepy, he kissed him again before saying, "I've already ordered food. It'll be here soon. Let's get you cleaned up first."

With that, he scooped Mark up and carried him to the bathroom. 

Mark didn't protest or complain. Still drowsy, he lay limply in Alex's arms, yawning as he rested his head against Alex's chest.

Alex set Mark down on the bathroom counter and prepared a toothbrush for him. Mark, still yawning, obediently took the toothbrush and began brushing his teeth, his legs swinging lazily as he sat there.

Once Mark had finished brushing, Alex handed him a damp cloth to wash his face. The cool water helped wake him up a little more.

Mark wiped his face and handed the cloth back to Alex, who smiled as he rinsed it out.

As Alex washed the cloth, Mark stared at him, his mind wandering. *So, even big CEOs do stuff like this, huh?*

With a mischievous grin, Mark lifted his leg and gently nudged Alex's chest with his foot, curious to see how he'd react.

But instead of getting annoyed, Alex simply thought Mark wanted his foot cleaned. He wiped Mark's foot with the towel and even kissed the top of it before setting it down.

Mark's face immediately turned bright red. *What the hell? I didn't ask him to kiss it!*

His face flushed so deeply it looked like he was about to burst, the embarrassment fully waking him up.